Savon Faire!

Ok, I am a sucker for good soap and for good packaging, so if you put both of them together, well…... I am in heaven. Since time immortal soap has come a long way, with a virtual plethora of different soaps on the market from the humble toilette soap to incredible savons de luxe.

I always used to try and buy the matching soap to my colognes, however nowadays this is becoming increasingly difficult as the days of layering fragrance seems to have fallen out of fashion for men at least.

I am always on the hunt for good soap, but find myself falling back to a few old favourites, that not only do the job of keeping me clean, but look good in or out of their packaging.

One of my favourite brands is from Roger & Gallet, that veritable French Perfumery which has been around seemingly forever. I love the fact that the soaps come in their own plastic travelling case, so that they are instantly portable for vacation. Actually love all of R & G’s products!

Who knew that the Portuguese were any good at making soap, however two stellar brands come out on top on the soap scale.

The first being Luxo Banho soaps from Portugal. This giant luxury bath bar became the toast of Europe during the decorative 1920’s. The ornate Art Deco became synonymous with the new glamour and chic of modernism and is still available today.

The second Portuguese contender is Claus Porto founded in 1887. I love their packaging and the soap itself is milled 7 times. These can be bought singularly or in wonderful gift boxes containing several different bars, and the effect of all the labels is just brilliant.

Last on the list but by no means forgotten is one that we would always think of our mothers or grandmothers’ using is Yardley’s Old English Lavender. This is a true classic, as who can beat the scent of lavender for man or woman.

So lather up with some savoir faire and enjoy!

Savoir Faire in Venice

Well, Savoir Faire followers, vacation has been booked and I am ecstatic to say that we will be heading for la dolce vita in Italy and then onto Turkey for a couple of days in September. Espresso on the Via Venetto in Rome, maybe a negroni or two in Florence and of course the Guggenheim in Venice await.

What visit to Venice would be complete without a visit to the Guggenheim, Peggy Guggenheim’s palazzo on a canal turned into a museum? Poor Peggy, the expatriate American millionairess who amassed one of the world's foremost collections of modern art, certainly had a life full of ups and downs and plenty of savoir faire. A father who died on the Titanic, a luxurious and stifled upbringing in New York she threw herself into wild Bohemian life in Europe, and went through husbands and lovers as if there was no tomorrow. She was a patron of the arts and companion to the avant-garde whom the rest of society had shunned.

She collaborated with some of the most famous names of the day, in artistic ventures, or either married them or took them as lovers. Jean Cocteau,Djuna Barnes, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp,Constantin Brancussi,Kandinsky,Antoine Pevsner, Henry Moore, Henri Laurens, Alexander Calder, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, George Braque were just a few who crossed her path. And from all of these she bought and bought and bought amassing as I said before one of the most significant collections of modern art of the 20th century.

Over the years she had had several attempts at opening galleries in London and New York, however mostly these were commercial failures, as her taste was too avant-garde for the general public. One of her Galleries in New York featured some wonderful plywood chairs designed especially for the space and two of these are in the current Surrealist exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto.

The failure of her commercial ventures didn’t stop her from collecting, and eventually she had decided in the 1960’s to exhibit what she had already owned in her Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal in Venice.

She ruled over Venice like an Empress and the public were her court. She took on an almost majestic appearance in her gondolier with her trademark bizarre sunglasses and her dogs around her. On her death she donated her large home and her collection to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. With true savoir faire she is buried next to the museum with her beloved dogs.

“If Venice sinks, the collection should be preserved somewhere in the vicinity of Venice.”

Our Lips Are Sealed with Savoir Faire

All of us at one stage have seen that group of iconic posters by Rene Gruau for the French lipstick Rouge Baiser. Through the instantly recognisable Gruau style, these posters are masterpieces in graphic design. With just a few simple lines we get the impression that the lipstick was all a woman needed to make her sexy and irresistible. This is even more reinforced by the fact that Gruau covers his women’ eyes, so that the emphasis is on the lips the lips and nothing else. They stand out against the white of the background and the black lines of the drawing.

Mary Quant uses a play on her name to create a sensuous and sexy add, by calling her colour “Bloody Mary” This is playful and fun, drawing the viewers attention to the lips and colour by making them the same shade as a bloody mary.

Roger and Gallet has their model applying her lip colour in a gauntlet like gloved hand, as if she were going into battle and the final touch needed was a touch of colour to carry her through.

Helena Rubinstein ushered in the space age with ad below, with the colours imitating the cool clinical space age look of the late 1960’s. Again as in the Rouge Baiser ads the eyes are covered, so as to draw attention to the lips. Notice how the Rubinstein photographer has used the same lines as one of the Rouge Baiser ads

Just showing the lips in these ads was a very effective tool in selling the lipstick and emphasised that if you need some sort of macquillage, the lipstick was necessary. In all these ads both photography and the drawn line are equally effective, conveying the message with comparative ease

So ladies, whip out the lippy and put some savoir faire on your lips.

Stained Glass Savoir Faire

Stained glass as a form of decoration is familiar to all of us, especially in cathedrals and churches and to a lesser degree in Victorian domestic architecture in Australia and the UK. The focal points of most churches are their stained glass windows, which were invariably donated by a benefactor of the church, to pave their way to heaven. There are some incredibly beautiful and monumental examples around the world which tourists and normal worshipers are undoubtedly impressed by. To go to the other end of the scale Victorian terraces and houses abound with stained glass in doors and windows and it is a pleasure walking through suburbs at night to see these humble cousins of the church window illuminated at night.

However, stained glass seems to have fallen out of favour for major architectural projects of the last 50 years or so, only to be replaced with vast expanses of clear glass. Two exceptions where stained glass has been used are the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne from 1967 and the American Airlines terminal at JFK from the early 1960’s. Both buildings use stained glass in totally different ways, creating different effects, but no less stunning in their final appearance.

The National Gallery of Victoria was designed by Roy Grounds and is a classic example of a rather brutal approach to architecture. However this is redeemed when stepping into The Great Hall of the gallery where one looks up to see a monumental stained glass ceiling. The ceiling designed by Leonard French is one of the world’s largest examples of suspended stained glass. This is a huge space, which would lack any sort of savoir faire if it were not for that ceiling. It is awe inspiring and gives the room an almost cathedral like quality. When entering the space you cannot help but whisper in hushed tones for fear of destroying the ambience it creates.

On the other end of the spectrum stained glass was used to create a totally different effect on the American Airlines terminal at JFK completed in 1960. The terminal was designed by Kahn and Jacobs and became known for its 317 feet (97 m) stained glass facade designed by Robert Sowers, which was the largest stained glass installation in the world until 1979.

Whereas the National Gallery’s stained glass could only be viewed by the public from within in the space, the American Airlines installation could be viewed from both outside and inside. From the exterior the window swept along the gentle curve of the building and gave the effect of an abstract mural. From the interior whole walls shimmered with muted tones providing intimate lighting for the spaces within. Sadly the facade was removed in 2007 as the terminal was demolished to make room for the new Terminal 8.

Shipboard Savoir Faire

When travelling these days not a lot of us attach any serious importance to the means that we get there, be it by aeroplane, ocean liner or train. To see these modes of transport as symbols of state or showcases of art is a thing of the past, especially where ocean liner and cruise ship design is involved. Today modern day cruising has been reduced to a travelling sideshow of tacky glitz and glamour, to entice the travelling public. Liners were used by various companies and countries to showcase the best in art and design for the age in which they were created. Famous artists and designers were used to create overall concepts that just reeked of savoir faire. I have often looked at interior shots of these older liners and have been left salivating over the plethora of fixtures, furniture and artwork which once graced these beautiful interiors, and have wished to own virtual pieces of history.

Through the dedication and passion of one man, this is no longer a pipe dream, and we can all own a bit of savoir faire from a past liner and era. Midship Century (www.midshipcentury.com) was founded in 2005 by ocean liner historian and journalist Peter Knego as a logical outlet for the container loads of materials he salvaged from a long procession of celebrated vessels scrapped on the beach of Alang, India in recent years. His site is well worth a visit even if just to dream of a bygone era.

A few of the items which I am seriously coveting are as follows. These are important works and I am glad that Peter has managed to save them.

"Chariots" Silver Leaf Painting by Emanuele Luzzati from the Stella Solaris is at the top of my list. This once graced the dining room as a backdrop for the Captain’s Table and what a backdrop it is! The painting epitomises much of Luzzati’s work and is an important piece, not only in its execution but also in its beauty. Now if I had it where would I put it? Mmm not sure on that one, however want it I do!

The magnificent 27 piece ceramic bas relief with symbols of ancient Rome and the ancients by Luzzati once again, is a serious piece of ceramic art that once graced the MV Victoria. In a modern day setting this would be a great focal point in any grand modern building. Personally I would like it as a feature wall in a completely over the top bathroom.

If your budget or space constrictions are a little stretched for the whole 27 pieces, individual ceramics such as the one below might suit you better.

The fabulous little tables below are from the Windsor Castle and are brass, mahogany and melamine. The melamine top almost looks like porcelain. To say that I want one is an understatement! They seem a bit out of place in their original setting, however on their own or with the right chair they would be fabulous.

So visit www.midshipcentury.com and have a look at what Peter has to offer.

*Many thanks to Peter for allowing me to use his photos.

Plagues and Savoir Faire???

On Saturday while dodging torrential downpours in the morning in Toronto, I made a beeline for the Annual Outdoor Art Exhibition at City Hall. It can be a bit too much with well over 500 artists represented in all mediums, from painting, sculpture, ceramics and photography.

I came across a young woman photographer whose work (particularly one series of photos) which I have not been able to get out my mind. Over the centuries we have become used to artists portraying every possible scene and character out of the bible. From the high renaissance to surrealism, everyone has had a go. Toronto photographer Talia Shipman chose as her inspiration Moses and the ten plagues of Egypt, to create an incredible series of 10 photographs, that compare the plagues with problems facing a 21st century society. These photographs draw you in, and I was immediately captivated by them. The body of work is aptly named “EXODUS: The Ten Plagues”

The works are listed as follows;

Blood/Oil

Frogs/Overpopulation

Lice/Surveillance

Beasts/Gun Proliferation

Cattle Disease/ Hormone, GMO’s

Boils/Aids

Hail /Climate Change

Locusts/Urban Sprawl

Darkness/media Filter

Slaying of the Firstborn/Loss of Childhood Innocence

Although they are dense with themes, and connotations that question the dark side of the human condition, they are incredibly simplistic in their approach. After initially viewing the photos we start questioning their themes and also the style itself. The two men are brothers (in real life) and represent Moses and Cain, however personally I think that there is a fine line between whether they are perpetrators or victims. They seem almost malevolent and carry with themselves a sense of foreboding, while seeming increasingly innocent. This adds to man’s vulnerability in our modern day and age, and questions us to take responsibility for our own actions. Like Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt we have a choice and depending on the choice we make, we take the consequences. “By re-interpreting the ‘Old Testament into a contemporary framework Shipman presents us with a doctrine we can relate to and perhaps abide by”

I know that plagues and savoir faire don’t really go together however here is a body of work I would love to have hanging on my walls!

Heralding in The Jet Age

A while ago I wrote about Braniff’s corporate makeover in the late 1960’s with particular emphasis on their Love Field terminal in Dallas that changed the drab way America was flying in the late 1960’s.

Pan Am’s new terminal at JFK in the 1960’s was at the forefront of modern terminal design and heralded in the Jet Age with appropriate savoir faire. The terminal was built as a showcase for international jet travel and became part of a larger campaign to present Pan Am as the most sophisticated and technological progressive airline in the world. Up until 1971 the terminal was know simply as the Pan Am terminal, however after 1971 was renamed “Pan Am Worldport”


The terminal was constructed in 1960 by Pan Am and designed by Ives, Turano & Gardner Associated Architects and Walter Prokosch of Tippets-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton. The most notable feature of the terminal was the large elliptical “flying saucer” roof which gave the impression that it was floating in air, and providing a cover for crystallized passenger spaces below.

Another feature of the terminal was the large overhanging roof that used a design feature of Templehopf Airport Berlin (built in 1936) that allowed aircraft to be parked partially covered under the roof, thus protecting passengers from the elements as they boarded their aircraft. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Guide to New York City called the terminal a "genuine architectural attempt to answer the problem of all-weather connections to the planes" but derided the overall concept as "compromised by an overabundance of distracting detail."

Another stunning feature of the terminal was a 200-foot long and 24-foot high windscreen in front of the terminal's entrance which was adorned with bas relief representations of the 12 signs of the zodiac, created by Milton Hebald, visible from both outside and inside the terminal building. When it was created, it was the largest such work in the world. As part of renovations, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey removed the sculptures, which now sit unused in a hangar at the airport.

Sadly with Pan Am’s demise the terminal was taken over by Delta, and subsequent renovations and expansion have left it virtually unrecognisable.