To New York with the Finns!

On May 15, 1969, Finnair the Finnish national airline inaugurated service to New York with the Douglas DC-8 jet aircraft. Space travel was the theme of the age and. Finnair’s new aircraft type, the Douglas DC-8, represented the height of aviation technology at the time.

By the late 1960’s Finnair after years of European operations, decided to make the leap and spread its wings to become a true Intercontinental airline and expand its service to New York via Copenhagen and Amsterdam using their brand new DC-8s. In an all passenger configuration the Finnair DC-8 was configured to 16 First Class & 124 Economy seating.

The launch of the new route was preceded by monumental preparation. The company wanted to arrive in style and to make a lasting impression. Finnair wanted to show the world that Finnish design was among the best in the world. All foremost Finnish designers were recruited to put on a show of Savoir Faire that has not been seen since, except maybe for the launch of the A380. Something unparalleled in the airline world had begun.

Finland’s top talent was consulted in designing the interior of the aircraft and an expansive service upgrade was implemented. The crew’s uniforms were designed in the spirit of the Space Age, the interior colour scheme was transformed, bars and social spaces were introduced into First Class, and dining services were Finnish design at its very best.

Design upgrades even extended to the airline’s New York office, which had a space age theme reminiscent of Kubrick’s “2001 a Space Odyssey’.

In the days of first-class affluence, no corners were cut in the catering program. Everything from service to settings was top of the line. Black Beluga caviar and chilled Finlandia Vodka kick-started transatlantic luncheons.

Designer Tapio Wirkkala was entrusted with the comprehensive planning of the dining service, giving glass, porcelain and metal new forms, which have become classics in the field of design.

Wirkkala’s glassware, the now classic Ultima Thule, was produced by Iittala and introduced on Finnair’s New York route. It became so popular, that it was soon available in department stores and has remained a classic item of Finnish design.

Wirkkala’s porcelain made by Arabia is still in use at Finnair, displaying a blue decorative motif circling the plate brim, with bevies of Finnair logos taking wing.

Wirkkala designed novel cutlery for the flights, with knives that resembled quill pens. But due to their very beauty they were destined to disappear. The pieces were so admired that they began to vanish by the thousands, a volume impossible to replace and a switch to more mundane models was made.

Customer service was taken care of by Finn Hostesses, who were specifically trained for the flights to North America, and looked quite distinctive in their designer uniforms.
While other crew members were responsible for service, their job was to offer individual service, to offer information on Finland to foreign visitors, to entertain and converse with customers. The uniforms were designed by Anna-Luisa Nieminen with the colour being formulated by Anna Suni.

On their long dresses they wore the first in Björn Weckström’s series of outer-space silver accessories exemplifying the spirit of the age and describing people searching for other people in a foreign environment.

For the Copenhagen – Amsterdam leg of the flight these hostesses changed into a brown uniform featuring a long maxi skirt made out of leather.

Designer Kari Lepistö designed the uniforms for the ‘working crew’. This included a silver outfit, displaying the space travel theme. Uniforms were topped off with winter head wear of sapphire mink. Finnair wanted to arrive in style, and no effort was spared to achieve that effect.

Among the first passengers on the route was Finnish President Urho Kekkonen. The route was new, the DC-8 Finnair’s pride, and buns the favoured hair style. The president sported a trade-mark bald pate. According to stories, the president made his way to the First Class bar. To the horror of the cabin crew, he found a hair pin on the bar, scrutinized it and remarked: “Well, this certainly did not fall from my head.”

Now this certainly was flying with savoir faire!

Am I Hallucinating?

The amazing new London based menswear brand A.Hallucination pulled out all stops in creating a modern day dandy look for their winter 2010 collection, that we are now salivating to see what the brand is going to do for Spring/Summer this year.

The product of two Menswear graduates of Central Saint Martin College, both designers, Hwan Sung Park and Chung Chung Lee have previously worked at renowned fashion houses including Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Ozwald Boateng to name a few.

They have immediately captured the spirit of the Modern Dandy with menswear for the proper English gent infused with contemporary detailing and lines. Infused into this look is a contemporary aesthetic with urban influences that gives a modern twist to classic looks. This is for the young man about town who values quality and smart dressing as in integral part of his lifestyle.

These are clothes that are translatable for work, casual, and evening activities and present a sleek, sophisticated look for everyday wear.

Razor sharp lines, fabrics with savoir faire and timeless fit add to the whole concept of modern day smart dressing which stays within the realms of good taste. The clothes present an interesting blend of modern styling with classic workmanship and timeless fit.
Both designers said: “We would like to show the new ‘modern English dandy’ through our first collection. We think the mix of classic fabrics and modern design and cutting represent the true London. It’s like how the Saint Paul Cathedral and Millennium Bridge goes very well together.”
Key pieces include darted slim-shaped side-seamless jackets, new cut shirts, low crotch pants, with intricate quilting details and techniques textured jackets inspired from the Argyle check.

All the pieces are given modern makeovers to create a highly wearable, yet very on-trend look.
Given that the winter collection was so stylish as said I cannot wait to see what they come up with for summer.

Surrealistic Scent

Perfume, magazines, Salvador Dali and photography. What do all of these have in common? Paul Graves!

Over here at Savoir Faire we consider perfumery an art. No, not the mass produced and marketed tripe that is on the market these days, but the fragrances of some of the legendary names of perfume like Guerlain, Creed and Caron. Making a great perfume is art in itself! That is also to be said of the bottle the ‘juice’ is contained in and the overall concept of the fragrance.

Photographer Paul Graves is known for his sense of stylistic whimsy and clever allusions. Recently, he created a beautiful editorial for Elle France "starring" several iconic perfumes in surrealist settings reminiscent of Salvador Dalí's Dalí Atomica photography series.

The result has been a wonderful editorial in bold singular colors with black used as a contrast.
Graves chose surreal settings, mixed techniques such as sculpture and photography melded together to present a surrealist overview of something that most of us take for granted.

Bottles such as Guerlain’s iconic bee or Dior’s J’adore are mixed with dripping spoons of coloured material and fur to create a bold and visual statement that begs us to look at these items in a different light.

Someone had to do it!

I just can’t get enough of Helena Rubinstein! Here was a woman who was only 4’10 tall so she had to create an impact, and not only through being one of the world’s richest women. Madame’s business was to make women beautiful, despite her own lack of the attribute and make them beautiful she did.

She entertained lavishly whether it be in her penthouse in New York overlooking Central Park or in her apartment in Paris. Even when entertaining or being entertained she became somewhat notorious for apocryphal quips. On one occasion when a rather inebriated French ambassador expressed vitriol towards Edith Sitwell and her brother Sacheverell: “Vos ancêtres ont brûlé Jeanne d’Arc!” “What did he say?," Madame, who knew little French, asked a guest. “He said, ‘Your ancestors burned Joan of Arc” Madame quickly replied, "Well, someone had to do it."

Madame entertaining in her New York apartment with Guy Laroche kissing her hand.


You have to admit, she had savoir faire, even though it might have annoyed some!

Savoir Faire at the Wedding

Savoir Faire at the wedding? What do you think of this small selection?

Rule Britannia

Now that the world's eyes are on Britain at the moment, here are a few things that maybe you have not thought about.

There is one thing I like about the British approach to design. Once designed and in production for no matter how many years they always seem to recognise it in one form or another. The British are proud of their design heritage and hold onto their iconic designs, bringing them to the masses in a variety of ways. Whether it be exhibitions at museums or stamps on a letter.

This series of postage stamps feature some of the world’s most iconic design work of the 20th Century, which also happens to be British. The Royal Mail enlisted a panel of experts from the world of design to help them make the final cut. The stamps themselves are beautifully designed, clean and elegant—worthy presentations for such great objects.

Here is what they came up with

London Underground Map

Harry Beck’s easy to understand design was based on an electrical wiring diagram and provided an elegant solution to the problems posed by the complexity of the London Underground. It also established design principles that remain relevant today.

Routemaster Bus

Once a symbol of London to visitors from all over the world unfortunately now only a few of Douglas Scott and Colin Curtis’s Routemasters remain on London’s streets.

Supermarine Spitfire Airplane

The superlative Battle of Britain fighter with its distinctive elliptical wings was designed by R. J. Mitchell who sadly died before the plane went into production. The plane’s elliptical wings gave it a higher speed than most of its contemporaries as well as an iconic silhouette.

K2 Telephone Kiosk

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s design bright-red phone box always stood out on the streets of the UK. Famous for Battersea Power Station and Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral, Sir Giles followed architectural cues in his submission to the GPO's competition to design a telephone kiosk. The K2 was an instant design classic.

Penguin Books

In the world of publishing, cover designs have rarely been as immediately iconic as Allen Lane's Penguin classics series, designed by Edward Young, perfected by Jan Tschichold and featuring Eric Gill's immortal Gill Sans typeface.

Mini Skirt

Mary Quant rewrote the fashion rules for women forever with her daring design.

Concorde Supersonic Jet

Aerospatiale and BAC’s supersonic jet was capable of twice the speed of sound and beautiful to look at too. Strictly speaking, Concorde is an Anglo-French design classic, having been jointly created by BAC and Aérospatiale. Rumours still abound that Russia's Tupolev Tu-144 (or Concordski) was developed from blueprints obtained through espionage.

Anglepoise Lamp

George Carwardine’s flexible design brought light wherever it was needed. The Anglepoise lamp sprung from his background in designing suspension systems for cars, and uses springs to replicate the function of human muscles.

The Mini Automobile

Sir Alec Issigonis made use of every available space in the small car that was as much a fashion statement as a means of transport. The first Mini rolled off production lines 50 years ago. This revolutionary car became an icon of the 60s and remains one of the most striking and familiar pieces of British design.

Polypropylene Chair

Found in public buildings throughout the world, almost everyone will have sat on a Robin Day chair at some time. This ingenious stacking chair is so ubiquitous that the refinement of its design is easy to miss.