Belted up at Zegna

Another round of fashion shows has just finished in Milan for what we will be wearing in Winter 2011. By and large I was feeling much more in tune with what was on offer this year than previous years. Collections were more restrained with the emphasis on good tailoring, line, texture and colour. Very few gimmicks and this year designers seemed to be going back to their roots, creating clothes that were wearable and fun at the same time.

I am loving the pseudo military detailing and looks at Zegna. This was a collection containing everything one could ask for! Impeccable tailoring creating a sound impression with the emphasis on craftsmanship.

Warm mustards and cool burgundies were mixed with slate grey and rich browns all layered with care creating a fabulous feast of the eyes. Fabrics from heavy tweeds to luxurious velvets and satins created a look of cool elegance that would keep any man warm.

Jackets were shorter and cropped with the slightest references to the military in the cuffs and collars.

However it was the belts and accessories that really caught my eye. Brushed bronze buckles on belts, sam browns crossing the chest, coats belted on the outside, these just blew me away!

My favourites were the belts with those stylish leather pouches attached or swinging from

clips! Kind of like fashion’s answer to the Batman belt!

I would drop my hat (or belt) for any of these!

Weekend Away With Savoir Faire

The weekend is upon us, all too quickly thank goodness! It has been a particularly hectic and busy one.

If you just happen to find yourself travelling, do it by train as these young ladies are doing!


By the looks of it this was the only way to travel. Forget the high speeds and the sleek modern look of trains today, as this is how I would like to do it!


Board your train with a porter in tow to handle the baggage.



Farewell love ones on the platform as the train starts to move.



Alight at your destination refreshed and with just a little bit of savoir faire!



Have a wonderful weekend all!

Sustainable Savoir Faire

Over here at Savoir Faire we love the idea of sustainability and the notion of recycling. (Hence, why I volunteer at Ten Thousand Villages). Since arriving in North America from the Antipodes nearly a decade ago, I was astounded at the amount of waste that exists in our world. If something is broken or has a hole in it, the item in question is always thrown out and a new one bought. Growing up I was always taught to fix and mend. Shoes were resoled, socks darned and whether possible things were fixed. I was always taught to save things that might be able to be used elsewhere. (No, it is not hoarding).

With the emphasis now on reducing the amount of plastic bags and waste we are using, I have found these fabulous totes, that all make use of something most of us throw out. Whether it be recycling old suits or clothing, rice bags, canvas or street banners, you will be helping the environment and walking down the street with lots of savoir faire!

Have an old tweed jacket or skirt? The below is perfect!

How is this? A fish food bag made into a tote!

Recycled canvas has never looked better than the below!

Ever wondered what they do with those street banners made to advertise special events?

So cut a dash and recycle something today!

An Evening in Paris

Savoir Faire is in love with the two photographs below that display all the joie de vie and savoir faire that existed in Paris in the 1950s and early 1960's.

Both photographs display different aspects of Paris nightlife with quite different effects. The first photo is full of glamour being set in one of Paris' fabulous cabarets such as the Lido or Moulin Rouge. Suzy Parker has been dressed by the legendary Madame Gres and her tuxedoed companion are caught up in the exuberance of the evening with lots of champagne!

Our next photo again displays a young couple out on the town in Paris. However in this case our couple are probably at the end of their evening and are patronizing a local neighbourhood bar or bistro, for what looks like some french onion soup. The couple are full of confidence and savoir faire and our local customers are not surprised at seeing such a wonderfully dressed couple on their territory!

Proves that if you have savoir faire you can fit in anywhere!

The High Priest of Art Deco

Each art or craft has its own High Priests and Priestess’ that are revered and recognised as the best in their respective fields. Haute Couture had Balenciaga and Vionnet and Interior Design and furniture has Emile Jacques Ruhlmann. These are the craftsmen and women by which all others are measured!

Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann basically alone is the man we have to thank for Art Deco as his designs and interiors epitomised for many the glamour the era. He was at the forefront of the transition from the fluidity of Art Nouveau to the geometric simplicity of Art Deco.

In 1919 Ruhlmann founded, the company Ruhlmann et Laurent, specializing in interior design and producing luxury home goods that included furniture, wallpaper and lighting. By this time, Ruhlmann was concentrating on individual pieces of furniture. His designs were executed by highly skilled craftsmen making formal elegant furniture using precious and exotic woods in combination with ivory fittings, giving them a classic, timeless appeal for the extremely wealthy.

Around this time, the French Société des Artistes Décorateurs, founded in 1900, was trying to encourage high standards of design and production in France through its annual exhibitions at the Salon d'Automne. The French government agreed to sponsor an international exhibition of decorative arts to be held in 1915 to further promote France's position in the field. Because of the First World War, this was postponed until 1925 and was called the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the exhibition that gave Art Deco its name.

Ruhlmann had several pavilions at the exhibition in which he used exotic work from other artists and designers to provide beautiful and opulent settings as showcases for his own furniture. For example, in his Pavilion d'un Collectionneur, an oil painting by Jean Dupas, Les Perruches, of heroic proportions depicting female nudes with parakeets, hung above the fireplace. The pavilion's exterior featured metalwork by Edgar Brandt and a panel by sculptor Joseph Besnard. The centrepiece of the pavilion was a grand piano designed by Ruhlmann and made from such exotic materials as amboyna wood and Macassar ebony.

The thing is that Rhulmann's furniture does not carry the strong and angular geometric shapes that we consider to signify Art Deco. The streamline silhouette he favoured is simple and very elegant. Any decorative accents are meticulously crafted using luxurious and expensive materials, and are very restrained and stylised.

The interiors also display a purer form of Art Deco than what we are used to. Filled with rich colours, gently curved furniture and painted surfaces, these were the forerunners for the interiors which were to become mainstream Art Deco.

He believed that fashion started amongst the rich elite because they were the ones who could afford the costs of experimentation. He further believed that the whole purpose of fashion was for the display of wealth. In fact Ruhlmann claimed that, in spite of the high prices he charged, he lost money on each piece of furniture because of the expensive materials used and the amount of time and effort that went into each piece.

In 1933 Ruhlmann discovered that he was terminally ill. To protect the reputation he had built for his furniture he said in his will that the company was to finish any outstanding orders and then the company was to be dissolved.

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann's reputation as the supreme furniture designer of the 20th century has survived intact. His furniture which is included in the collections of some of the world’s major museums is testament to this. Timeless in its appeal and the highest form of the craft these are items of furniture to be desired and coveted.

Racing Savoir Faire!

For many the weekend means attending a race event, the sport of Kings. Who can deny the excitement of 'your horse' crossing the finish post and winnning!

For ladies it means donning all wonderous assortments of hats and the like, and possibly buying a new outfit just to attend.

All these young ladies are doing it with savoir faire, as befitting the sport!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bicycle Savoir Faire

If only I could dismount from my bicycle looking as good as this young man? Invariably my hair is a mess from my helmet, my trousers are tucked into my socks, and riding with such a heavy coat? Well forget it!


It is nice to see that he is being safety conscious with such a bright yellow shirt. When I was 18 I saw a bright yellow men's suit in the pages of Vogue (it was the late 70's), so immediately enlisted my mother to make me a bright yellow shirt similar to the one below! Now if only I had kept that shirt!



I also do some heavy duty cycling in the summer which involves the wearing of much lycra, which I am not even going to get into on a blog about savoir faire!