2500 Years of Savoir Faire

Well, due to popular consensus it seems that the party of the century rates another entry on Savoir Faire! This was so over the top that as I said in my previous post it almost fell into the realm of being just down right tacky. Arguably it was the most notable event of the century involving royalty and heads of state. The original plan was for a grand party with around 30 heads of state, when the news of the organization of the event spread, dozens of embassies clamoured for invitations for their countries, enlarging the number of guests in a dramatic way.

The party was to celebrate the 2500 years of the Iranian Monarchy by Cyrus the Great in Persepolis Iran. It was an elaborate set of festivities that would showcase Iran’s long history and to showcase its contemporary advancements under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former Shah of Iran. Backlash from the celebration would eventually lead to the overthrow of the monarchy in 1977. Even though celebrating Iran and its history nearly everything from food, wine, gardens and tents were provided by France.

The planning for the event took more than a decade with an elaborate tent city being erected next to the archeological site of Persepolis, with the area being cleared of snakes and other vermin. The French interior design firm of Jansen was charged with the creation of a tent city modeled on that of King François I’s sumptuous camp erected in the west coast of France in 1520 to entertain Henry VIII of England. 50 air conditioned tents were built, surrounded by lavish gardens full of trees and plants imported from France.

Chandeliers of Bohemian crystal woven with plants hung in the official tents and vied for attention with the Italian drapery and curtains. Limoges and baccarat created countless items of china and glassware for the occasion. Hairdressers and beauticians were provided by Alexandre of Paris , to attend to female guests and Elizabeth Arden created a makeup range called “Farah” (In honour of the Empress) to be given for female guests. To cater for arriving guests 250 red Mercedes Benzs were ordered to ferry guests to and from airports and the celebrations.

Royal guests included Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (whose pet dog had a diamond lead), King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark, King Baudouin I and Queen Fabiola of Belgium, King Hussein and Princess Muna of Jordan, King Olav V of Norway, King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Prince Abdul Wali Khanand Princess Bilqis Begum of Afghanistan, Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Georgina of Liechtenstein, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco, Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofia of Spain, Princess Mikasa and Princess Yuriko of Japan, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne of the United Kingdom along with countless others. In addition Viceroys, Presidents and Prime Ministers added to the guest list.

One of the highlights of the celebrations was the banquet held in the main tent, catered for by Maxims. Six hundred guests dined over five and a half hours thus making for the longest and most lavish official banquet in modern history. The menu includes such things as quail eggs stuffed with caviar, mousse of crayfish tails with nantuna sauce, roast saddle of lamb with truffles, and countless sorbets etc, washed down with the finest of French wines, champagnes and spirits.

A son et lumiere show and fireworks, accompanied by a specially-commissioned electronic music piece Persepolis concluded the evening. The next day saw a parade of armies of different Iranian empires covering two and half millennia by 1,724 men of the Iranian armed forces, all in period costume. In the evening a less formal "traditional Persian party" was held in the Banqueting Hall as the concluding event at Persepolis.

It is a very fine line between over the top excess and savoir faire, however I will let you be the judge however I am sure many were saying “What a swell party it was”

Shocking Pink Savoir Faire

MMmmm, Shocking pink the colour immortalised by Schiaparelli in the 1930’s is one of my favourites.A colour so bold and enticing that it slaps you in the face! Such influence did Schiaparelli have that on the pink, is that it is known as Shocking Pink as everything was shocking for her. Her autobiography was named “Shocking Life”, her perfume “Shocking” and skincare ranges “Shocking Radiance”.

Shocking Pink has had a prominent place in fashion over the decades however lets not forget that the colour appears quite often in nature in the most unusual places.

The Shocking Pink Milipede from Thailand. I actually think that the whole shape of this would make the most wonderful bracelet!

Shocking pink striped agate!

And what would summer be, without bouganvillia!

The Louboutins below

If you are brave enough, something mught suit you inside below.

Who can forget Zandra Rhodes, who took it one step further and dyed her hair Shocking Pink! (One of the first to do so)

More Poiret Savoir Faire

In incredible stark contrast to his fashions and design aesthetic Paul Poiret commissioned the Villa Poiret from the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens in 1924 -1925.

This seems to be a complete departure from everything that we tend to associate with Poiret and is a testament to his innate sense of style and savoir faire. It seems hard to even contemplate that Poiret had any serious intentions of even living here considering that the building is pure simplicity in itself, something which Poiret seemed to scorn. Everything for Poiret was over the top rich and vibrant and in excess. He excited in eastern exoticism, with colours and richness running headlong in abandon in clothing and interior design schemes.

However Poiret described the design as “United surfaces, sharp edges, sharp curves, polished materials, angles, clarity, order. This is my home and geometric logic " Seems hard to imagine Poiret ever saything this.

Unfortunately Poiret never occupied the villa as he and his company fell into bankruptcy. Only occupying the lodge pending completion until 1928, the villa was finally sold in 1930 (to pay debts) to the actress Elvira Popescu, who hired architect Paul Boyer to complete the project, distorting the original plans. Popescu occupied the villa until 1985, from when it was abandoned.

Luckliy it had been bought by a prominent industrialist and is being restored to its former glory. One can only imagine what Poiret would have done with the interior had he been financially able to live there. It could have been a turning point in his design aesthetic, which might have seen his fashion also evolve with the times, instead of dying an inglorious death.

Arrive with Savoir Faire

Since it is the weekend, I think we should all be jetting off to some exotic locale, with lots of panache and lots of luggage in tow.

Arrive in style with some savoir faire at any of these hotels. All too often now arriving at a hotel is a bit of a non event where we are greeted with bland interior design schemes trying to imitate a particular era or the local culture. However check into any of these hotels and you will be arriving in style, marvelling at the design, colour and impact of these lobbies.

I like grand lobbies, filled with lots of light and space, and oversize decoration and objet that lets you know that you are arriving somewhere important. The below from Holiday Inn Galleria Kuala Lumpur ( I know it is a Holiday inn, however they seem to do things so much better OS) is decorative and sheer simplicity itself, creating a stunning visual scene. The low cane seating and tables bring this down to a more intimate and human scale.


Same goes for the Okura in Tokyo. In which could have been a big empty room with a couple of chairs, the lighting brings the eye down, creating a more human space.

The G Hotel in George Town Malaysia again uses oversize lighting which enhances the natural wood tones of the floor and seating.

The e-filoxenia hotel in Kalamata Greece is a whimsical piece of fun, turning what could have been a rather impersonal space into a family living room avec child’s toys and wonderful seating.

The Sofitel Brisbane Australia is just wonderful modern simple elegance which is highly stylised, to create an almost Zen like interior.

The Baiyoke Hotel Bangkok uses bold 60’s style graphics on their elevators to create a visual impact that is second to none.

However not’s let forget 2 grande dames of hotels, le Maurice in Paris and the Peninsular in Hong Kong which let you know with lots of savoir faire that YOU HAVE ARRIVED!

Imari Faire

I love Imari patterned china. Imari being the collector’s name for a various type of porcelain and pattern which originated in the town of Arita in Japan. The design is full of rich oranges, blues gold and white which create an unmistakeable pattern which is instantly recognised as Imari. Along with the more familiar Chinese blue and white designs this is the quintessential Asian style.

18th Century Imari Plate from Japan

The designs have been interpreted down through the ages across several continents, with the ultimate European interpretation coming from Crown Derby in England. Other companies such as Coalport and Meissen have all had their own slant on the design.

Coalport Imari Bowl.

Two Crown Derby Plates

A dinner table looks absolutely fabulous set with Imari, however I do think it is more suited to decoration than to eating off. Food would get lost in the intricate designs and colours. That said a cup of tea out a Crown Derby Imari cup and saucer, elevates tea drinking to a whole new level. A level of sophistication and savoir faire that just cannot be beat.

To Blog or not to Blog?

That is the question; recently I came across a series of photos and articles of THE definitive party of the 20th century. Now we are not talking Truman Capote’s Black and White party here. This party puts Truman’s little backyard bash into the category of “MMMmm it was OK”. Extravagance knew no bounds with this affair, which can also just push it over the edge of savoir faire into just plain old tacky. Another reason I am not sure about whether to blog or not is the sensitive political undertones of this bash and the organisers.

However, to give you all a teaser and maybe to garner some public opinion, here are a few of the details.

Festivities lasted for 3 days with royal guests being accommodated in a specially built tent city created by the interior design firm of Jansen, in the middle of a desert.


The guest list included countless royals, (close to 60 or 70) from various monarchies around the world, including Princess Anne, Grace of Monaco and King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark.

Numerous Presidents, Vice Presidents and Prime Ministers including Tito of Yugoslavia and the Spiro Agnews of the USA.


The event was catered for by Maxims of Paris which closed for an unprecedented 15 days to carry it off. The menu included quails eggs stuffed with caviar and peacocks stuffed with foie gras, which was eaten off china from Limoges, and glass wear from Baccarat, commissioned especially for the event.

Uniforms for various members of an Iimperial Household were created by Lanvin, and perhaps the greatest extravagance of all, 250 red Mercedes Benzes to chauffer guests from Airports etc.

So shall we go further on this one?

Savoir Faire for your Wrist!

Ladies have a look at these fabulous bracelets courtesy of Schiaparelli ! Just the thing to add a bit of savoir faire to your weekend! Of course they are faux bijoux, however who cares when you have this much style!