I Spy With Savoir Faire.

I am sure that all of us at sometimes or another has wished we were a devilishly handsome spy (or a femme fatale, who just happened to be a spy) dashing through obscure European countries or over the top sci fi film sets, hoping to save the world. We would fight our arch nemesis, get the girl or man and do it with indubitable style. Even our villains were stylish and it was a match of wills to see who could come out on top.

Of course the most famous spy to come to mind is 007 himself who has had many reincarnations since he exploded onto the scene. Mr Bond was stylish, handsome, knew what he wanted and was ruthless. Bond was the quintessential spy, and of course there is some debate who is the best Bond, but I think Connery and Lazenby were the best, and of course Mr Craig does deserve an honourable mention.

In the 1960’s espionage was cool, and for those of us who couldn’t get enough of the gadgets, the style and the action there were several TV series that satisfied our rather carnal desires.

Britain created “The Avengers”, which had suburban males drooling over Diana Rigg as Mrs Emma Peel. The name might have been a bit frumpy, however she was not. For Mrs Peel, leather cat suits were de rigueur and these were a perfect compliment to Patrick McNee’s ever so conservative John Steed.

I can' resist putting the below photo in of Mrs. Peel in mortal danger, just waiting to be saved

Spies were running rampant across the Atlantic in the States with “The Man from U.N.C.L.E” and “Mission Impossible”.

The Man From Uncle series centered on a two-man troubleshooting team for a fictitious secret international law-enforcement agency, the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement with American Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughan) and Illya Kuryakin.

U.N.C.L.E.'s archenemy was a vast organization known as T.H.R.U.S. H, the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity. How fabulous is that!

Then of course there was Mission Impossible. Who could ever forget the protagonist Jack Phelps receiving the instructions for the next mission through a tape that would self destruct! The series follows the exploits of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), a small team of secret agents used for covert missions against dictators, evil organizations, and crime lords.

The world might have been in constant threat of being taken over by the likes of SPECTRE or THRUSH, but we were safe in the knowledge that we were going to be saved by an Organisation or spy with the savoir faire to do it with style!

Does your Savoir Faire stand the test of time?

Since it is now Friday and the beginning of the weekend thought I would show a bit of savoir faire through the ages.

Below are some photos from a well known women’s magazine in Australia (which shall remain nameless). Each week they would have a feature called “What People are wearing’. It usually showed the society set, who had all the savoir faire in the world (for 1973 anyway) at various society functions generally being, glamorous, intelligent and oh so with it. Just goes to show that what is considered the height of style one year is so terribly de trop the next.

Original captions from the magazine are with the photos.

Mr and Mrs Tony Richardson at The Sunday Painters Exhibition held by Committee Members of the Peter Pan Kindergartens at their Paddington Headquarters. Mrs. Richardson looks stunning in velvet flares and matching jacket.'

'Peta Oxer was a guest at the annual dinner dance held by members of the Avant Garde Committee at the Menzies Hotel (Sydney) in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Gold fish pendant Peta wore with her beautifully styled shantung dress added an unusual touch.'

The thing that I am wondering is that there was an “Avant Garde Committee” and that they had regular soirées like the one Ms. Oxer was attending and why wasn’t I invited?

'Mrs Kym Bonython wore a New Guinea tribesman's mask and an animal printed silk dress to the Night of Fantasy arranged by the Pied Piper Committee and held at the Elizabeth Bay home of the Cedric Symonds'

So style mavericks, think carefully before posing on that staircase, cigarette and drink in hand, wearing chartreuse, think to yourself, “Is this going to stand the test of time?”

Savoir Faire on the 9th Floor

A couple of weeks ago in one of the local newspapers here in Toronto was an article featuring Eaton’s Ninth Floor restaurant atop their department store in Montreal. I was intrigued as I remember department store restaurants back in Australia when I was just a young wee thing, however nothing as opulent and luxurious as this! This is an art deco masterpiece, which sadly is off limits to the public and sitting shrouded in decay, since the Eaton’s chain when bankrupt in the late 1990’s.

The restaurant drew its inspiration from the 1st class Salle a Manger on the French Line’s transatlantic liner the Ile De France (see pic below). The company’s matriarch Lady Flora Eaton travelled aboard the luxury liner in the 1920s, and was so impressed by what she found on the liner that the dining room was incorporated into the plan when Eaton's decided to expand its Rue St. Catherine store to nine floors from six in 1928.

The 650-seat dining room opened on Jan. 25, 1931, as Le François Premier, but the ladies who lunched there never called it that. It was always known as "The Ninth Floor."

The room is the work of interior designer Jacques Carlu, the French-born professor of advanced design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was also responsible for the celebrated Trocadéro in Paris and the Rainbow Room in New York's Rockefeller Plaza. Carlu was also responsible for Toronto equivalent at the Toronto store, which I am happy to say, has been restored and functioning as an event space.

With opal glass, nickel steel railings, and pink marble columns with black Belgian marble accents, and monumental space the dining room remains one of the most staggeringly beautiful art deco rooms in Montreal, if not the world. This was a luxurious escape for lunch where with a bit of careful imagination we were on our way to Europe cocooned by the luxury around us.

Luckily it has been given heritage status by the Quebec government, however it is still mothballed. When and if its doors ever open again, the devotees of savoir faire will be lined up just to experience the cachet of dining in a space that harked back to days of style.

Space Age Savoir Faire

Pierre Cardin. One almost shudders when we hear the name, but there was a time when it wasn’t so. I still have hopes for Monsieur Cardin, and believe him to be one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Way before he sold his name and licensed everything from socks to linoleum this man and his designs had style and panache. Sure he paved the way for nearly all the major couturiers to launch prêt a porter collections, and made certain elements of style available to the masses, however he goes far beyond that.

In the late 1960’s Monsieur Cardin was heralding in the Space Age, when everything spacey was becoming fashionable, from movies, to furniture. His fashion designs from this period are heralding the beginning of a Brave New World, which had the public dressed to kill in vibrant and functional designs, which the whole family could wear.

Clothes appeared almost unisex with the same design with only a few tweaks being worn by both men and women.

Not only were clothes functional, but there was a certain amount of sexiness too. These were modern day amazons and gladiators ready and willing to fight the establishment, with savoir faire. Normal suits were hastily reduced to being so out of date when compared to a Cardin design.

Monsieur Cardin had definite ideas as to what the public and those in professions serving should be wearing including nurses as shown below.

Just imagine if Monsieur Cardin had had his way? One thing for sure, was that he was always at the forefront of innovation.

Airline Advertising with Style

I am always constantly amazed at how much style and savoir faire existed late last century where air travel is concerned. Even though air travel and jet travel especially, has always been the domain of the high flying executive or business man jetting around the world, there was a time when the travelling vacation public was just as important. This was reflected in the advertising posters that adorned travel agencies, airline offices and airports. They promised exotic locations, a fun time and most of all a chance of escape as envisaged by the best graphic artists of the time.

TWA enlisted American Artist David Klein to create a series of iconic posters that convey all the excitement that each destination could offer. Colours were bold, bright and beautiful which provided the viewer with a visual feast that was an escape from his own humdrum existence. He used landmarks from each city and paired them down with modernist ease, so that they were still instantly recognisable.

Pan Am used strong graphic cultural images of each destination, to convey the message that each destination was definitely different from the one that Middle America was escaping from. Swissair and Sabena of Belgium used the same technique with images portraying the exotic and cultural delights of each destination.

United and National were promoting travel at home, with posters that would entice you with the promise that you could jet to an exotic location with in mainland USA, where horseback riding or the French flavour of New Orleans would greet you.

Posters were fun, that immediately made us think, mmmmm Las Vegas, now that looks glamorous! They were also about national identity, especially for the airline involved. As long as the reassuring words of Pan Am, United, TWA or Braniff was somewhere on the poster, we knew that we were in good old American arms and culture shock would not be too hard to cope with.

So, please let me walk past a Travel Agency or Airline office, and see what travelling was all about. The exotic, the glamorous and the exciting all in the comfort of my 707, operated by a national carrier, with some savoir faire!

Savoir Quotes with a Desert Theme

Two of my favourite quotes from the movies with savoir faire unfortunately come from two movies that are not well known. Funnily enough they both concern alcohol and the desert

Most colourful is Dyan Cannon who plays the talent agent in that little known gem “The Last of Sheila” from 1973. When needing a drink Dyan murmurs.

"My mouth is so dry they could shoot 'Lawrence of Arabia' in it"

She also goes on to say at another stage in the film.

"I hate my luggage more than life itself" (Obviously she didn’t have any Vuitton in tow)

The next one is from “Modesty Blaise” from 1966, based very loosely on the comic strip of the same name. (Bad movie but very camp and enjoyable)

Dirk Borgarde (Mmmm!!) plays the high camp villain Gabriel who towards the end of the movie is lost in the desert, and murmurs;

“Champagne, Champagne”
Other mere mortals would be murmuring “water, water”

Schiaparelli Savoir Faire Relaunch?

Constant rumors are abounding over the possible relaunch of the House of Schiaparelli after a hiatus over 50 years. In fact I am sure in some circles it is the only thing on everyone’s lips, if not only for the correct pronunciation of her name.

There is a website floating out there in cyber space http://www.schiaparelli.com/ that does hint of a possible relaunch however there are no links. It is a visual feast of all the things Schiap became known for, however that is it. Owner Diego Della Valle is being very tight lipped.

So the question on everyone’s lips is who? Which designer is going to be given the heavy task of the reinterpretation of Schiaparelli’s style into the 21st century, with enough savoir faire, so that it doesn’t seem a parody of its original self?

The possible relaunch comes at a time when surrealism is hot. The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto is currently running an exhibition called “Surreal Things”, which prominently showcases some of Schiaparelli’ work from dresses, accessories and perfumes, even recreating (with the original, no doubt) the gilded birdcage that displayed her perfumes in the 21 Place Vendome boutique in Paris. Also on display is the iconic Dali Tear dress of the 1930’s, Dali's lobster dress worn by the Duchess of Windsor and the famous shoe hat.

Gossip has it that Olivier Theyskens is tagged to be named creative director. After stints at reviving Rochas (a bit short lived) and Nina Ricci, we wonder if this is going to last if he is the chosen one.

So style mavericks keep your fingers crossed that this is true and we will see Schiaparelli live again and that it won’t be a complete disaster!