Stadio Faire!

On my forthcoming visit to Italy in less than two weeks time, I am going to make an extra special effort to visit the The Stadio dei Marmi that stands beside the larger and better-known Olympic stadium. A little off the beaten tourist track, but something I do want to visit, for the sheer monumentalism and aesthetic look of the place.

Designed by Enrico Del Debbio and built in 1932 as part of Mussolini’s grand plan this is fascist architecture with a softer edge. I know one shouldn’t extol the virtues of a repressive regime, but the stadio is beautiful, from the white marble to the intricate mosaics in the plaza surrounding it.


The crowning achievement of its design are the 59 (originally 60) marble statues of athletes in the classical style outlining its perimeter. These are hyper-muscular athletes in poses of exaggerated physical vigour that portray the aesthetic of the time and Mussolini’s grandiosity. We have all seen various pictures of these statues not realising where they have come from. These represent the power which Italy was to become drawing inspiration from a classical past.

So I cannot wait to see these statues in all their masculine glory!

Savoir Faire Quote of the Day

“I'll go through life either first class or third, but never in second”

So said Cecil Beaton who I think never travelled third!

Sari Faire!

What can be said about an article of clothing that has been worn by women for centuries and basically lends an aura of glamour and savoir faire to all who wear it? It crosses the boundaries of class distinction by all who wear it whether rich or poor? It can be found in the poorest of villages or the most opulent palaces of the world, and worn by young or old alike. The sari of course! Here is a garment that can make any woman beautiful, with its sinuous elegant lines and gorgeous fabrics. The history of Indian clothing trace the sari back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished during 2800-1800 BCE around the western part of the Indian Subcontinent. The earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus valley priest wearing a drape.


So incredibly simple in its form (just a length of cloth on average of 6 metres long) when wrapped and worn the woman who wears it displays an elegance that is hard to beat. It can be made from the richest of silks or the most humble of cottons, in the most brilliant or subdued colours. It transcends all boundaries and is worn by some of the most glamorous and famous women in the world and also as a dress uniform by women in the armed forces of India. I love the fact even the poorest of the poor has the ability to look beautiful and elegant while wearing one.

Sonia Ghandi even though Italian looks essentially glamorous and Indian wearing a sari, and now it is her standard dress.

The Maharani of Jaipur (Who recently passed away) with Jackie O.

Saris have been the source of inspiration for many a designer, from Schiaparelli who elevated them to Haute Couture in the 30’s to interior designers who used the wonderful array of fabrics in decorating schemes.

This is a timeless garment that has been reinterpreted in many different forms, while retaining its originality and basic form. Designers have used the draping techniques to inspire them and created modern day versions with wit and tongue in cheek savoir faire such as the ‘google’ inspired sari below.

Supermodel Savoir Faire

One of the original supermodels of the 60's Veruschka, photographed by Richard Avedon.

Savoir Faire Quote of the Day

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

So said William Morris, architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, socialist and Marxist.

Lofty words for a Marxist!

Imperial Savoir Faire

Checking into the old Imperial Hotel Tokyo before it was demolished in 1968 to make way for the new building of the new hotel was to partake in a piece of architectural history with tons of savoir faire added into the experience. This was perhaps the most famous of Frank Lloyd Wright’s commercial projects in the world and one of his most stunning! I am a long admirer of Wright as he pushed the architectural boundaries of his era creating whole concepts of buildings that were timeless and beautiful and full of architectural merit.


Wright’s version of the hotel was completed in 1923 to replace the old wooden structure of the 1890’s and was designed in the “Maya Revival Style” which was one of Wright’s trademarks and blended in perfectly with the Japanese style of architecture.

"But in its scale, and in its play with surprise elements, the Imperial Hotel is completely Japanese. Wright was apparently so struck by the smallest of Japanese things that he made everything in the Imperial Hotel tiny...There were little terraces and little courts, infinitely narrow passages suddenly opening into large two- or three-storey spaces;...And there were many different levels, both inside the rooms and outside the buildings, including connecting bridges between the two long, parallel wings of guest-rooms. Finally, Wright achieved something almost unheard of in hotel design: in this most standardized of all fields of cubicle architecture he succeeded in making almost every guest-room different from every other."

(Peter Blake. Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture and Space)

Testament to Wright’s style and engineering the hotel remained virtually unscathed during the 1923 earthquake which destroyed most of Tokyo and Yokohama.

Exterior and interior didn’t escape Wright’s design aesthetic, and as a whole a perfect example of the Wright’s style. Wright designed every detail of the hotel right down to the notepaper. It almost seems that this could be a prototype for today’s concept hotels like the Missoni in Edinburgh.

Unfortunately demolished in 1968 to make way for the new Imperial Hotel in 2005 the hotel in collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation opened a suite in his honour. The suite utilises original design motifs as well as replicas of his furniture. It is the world's only suite to combine the unique architectural plans of the Wright Hotel with interior designs created by Wright for private residencies during the same era. The hotel has also incorporated elements of Wright’s style throughout the hotel such as the magnificent entrance below.

Luckily the facade and pool were moved to The Museum Meiji Mura, a collection of buildings (mostly from the Meiji Era) in Inuyama, near Nagoya.

So for some architectural savoir faire this is the only way to go!

Savoir Faire Quote of The Day

"The only one who is alive today and still being talked about is Pierre Cardin."

So said Pierre Cardin, who love him or hate him has style!