Manhattan - What Woody Allen Did For New York Tourism

Last night on ABC Radio with Dominic Knight you heard me refer to the term 'sprezaturra' which I read about in this article thanks to my informant Carlos Oppenheimer. Carlos is a massive fan of Woody Allen's, one of his favourite lines that he quotes all too frequently is when Woody refers to having problems with his accountant, that he isn't liquid enough, or something is not flowing. At home after I returned from the ABC, I was connecting a few dots and it came to me that Woody has too much 'sprezaturra'. So to back up my thought, I went through Manhattan, which you can buy here from Amazon.

It is my belief that Woody Allen's greatest contribution to New York tourism is his film Manhattan. The movie features so much wonderful cinematography from the skylines to the sidewalks of New York City and brings together a great nostalgia for the city through the score which accompanies the visual beauty. No other film springs to mind which captures New York this eloquently, but I have been proven wrong, so if you have a comment, feel free to post it below.

Back to Woody's 'sprezaturra'.... Let us talk about the way in which the art of dishevelment is so innate in Woody's persona that it comes out in every outfit he wears. From the way in which he wears a t-shirt under his shirt so that often you can see the top of it through his unbuttoned collar, his untamed head of hair, his choice of a button down collar with a bow tie and dinner suit, his bow tie being skewed, the colour schemes (well, what we should envisage are his colour schemes given it is a black and white film), the tweeds, the corduroy. Even the way that he accents a hard 't' on the end of every sentence purposefully like 'it's not a complaintt'. It all lends itself to a peculiar sense of 'sprezaturra' which I would venture to say is perhaps too much. However, the reason why it is 'sprezaturra' and not plain old sloppiness is given away to me by the fact that he never has any facial hair showing. The man is always shaved, always very neatly tucked in at the waist line, always wearing a belt, always wearing clean clothes. This is why we can label his artful dishevelment as 'sprezaturra'. 

Much love, N_.

James Andrew On M. De Phocas

Worthy of a read. James Andrew's presentation of M. De Phocas  - http://www.whatisjameswearing.com/m-de-phocas/

"When my young friends, Jesus Torres and Alexis Zambrano, had difficulty finding fine men’s accessories, they took matters into their own hands, and decided to make their own. Named after the French author Jean Lorrain’s dandy character, Monsieur de Phocas, Toress and Zambro’s brand finds inspiration in their grandfathers’ attire. Whether it be dressing “…for social functions or merely retrieving the mail…,” collar bars, tie pins and the like were requisite—the accoutrement’s that have, (Torres and Zambrano lament on their site), “…been forgotten in the rush for expediency.” As you might imagine, I’m thrilled to see these kindred spirits reviving the elegance of a lost era."

A Le Noeud Papillon 'Yves' bow tie

Do You Recall The Clarence Carter Bow I Posted?

Well, this is about as close to that bow as you can get in the Tie Your Own variety that we specialise in. I present to you, the 'Hunter' shape bow tie in a Grosgrain black silk. Oh, and you can buy it online here: www.lnpties.com

Time For Some Dangerfield....

This one was sent in by a good friend named Chuck:

What a kid I got, I told him about the birds and the bee and he told me about the butcher and my wife.
Rodney Dangerfield

Sia - An Experiment In Concavity

This is 'Sia' named after a woman who watched me sketch this design out. It is an experiment in concavity on the wing tips. Perhaps it has not come out quite like I expected, but it is intended to create more of a butterfly effect but with more subtlety than the 'butterfly' I released last year. 

Alarico - A New Silk Design From Le Noeud Papillon Of Sydney

Well, we have begun working on our new silk designs, and this is the first one we have on the loom. It is designed by my new designer 'Alarico' who is an architect living in Sydney who thought he would try his hand at some design work. What do you think? Let us know via the comments section below.

Copyright Le Noeud Papillon Sydney March 2012

Fly Fly Away My Little Papillons!

These bow ties are off to New York today, hopefully, if they make it in time, they will be featured on the new pilot 'Americana' being shot by ABC in New York right now. Good luck my little papillons, God speed!

PS: Australia Post is now offering these great 1kg express post satchels to Europe and the USA. Pretty cool packaging no?

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Have You Got An Interesting Artisan Product You Want The World To Know About?

Have You Got An Interesting Artisan Product You Want The World To Know About?

If the answer is yes then we want to hear from you. Our blog was started by a passion for bow ties and silks but as we have grown, so too have our passions. We love interesting products, especially ones that are made in limited numbers which involve some level of craftsmanship or hand-work that would lend them the moniker 'artisan' goods. So far we have written about cufflinks, braces, bespoke shoes, artists, buttons,umbrellas, fragrances, limited edition boardshorts, blog writers with new points of difference, photographers, tailors, shirt makers and wool and cotton merchants. But our search for the new, the obscure, and the finely crafted is insatiable.

We have over 1200 readers a day from around the world with the majority coming from the United States of America. If you have something you wish to share with the world and own your own high quality images, send me and email at bow at le noeud papillon dot com with a blurb about what you do and how you get it done. There are no guarantees we will publish all the content, but we are interested in hearing from you. 

Sincerely,

N_.

Colourful Snaps From Guerreisms

Take a look here

Men of Sydney, look at what they are doing over there... not afraid to experiment, not afraid of colour. We could certainly borrow some of that colour down here and coming into winter we don't need to be wallowing in drab greys and blacks. I am even starting to come around to paisley. It looks good in the pink Harris tweed herringbone down below no? (NB: As a pocket square, not so much as a collar).

Happy weekend. 

And Tonight I Leave You With Josephine Baker's 'La Vie En Rose'

Every Now And Then.... Guillaume, A New Black Bow

I never understood how parents could not differentiate between which child was better looking than the other. Every now and then I create a superb bow tie and I know, for one reason or another, whether it be the shape, the texture of the silk, how the silk was treated - something goes right and you get a bow which you are just a little bit prouder of than the others... Introducing Guillaume - a black repps silk cut vertically. 

Salvatore Finocchiaro - Sydney's Greatest Kept Tailoring Secret

This suit belongs to a prominent Australian politician who currently has quite a work load in front of him. Salvatore Finocchiaro is one of Sydney's best kept secrets. Working on the fifth floor of a building on Bathurst Street in Sydney's CBD, Salvatore is one of the last of the 'traditional' Italian tailors. He cuts his suits by hand, he hand stitches his own canvas, he does not work off a block and he is a man of stubborn classicism. You will never get anything cut in the 'modern' style but he is a tailor of distinction with a client list that most other tailors would drool over. 

If you wish to experience his service, call +612 9267 6725 but don't bother him with petty questions!

 

 

John G Hardy Ascot II Silk And Wool Blends For Jackets And Trousers And Hunt And Winterbotham Linings

One of the harder things to do is to find a fabric book in which you can choose a jacket fabric and then find another fabric book in which to choose your trousers. Thankfully, John G Hardy has come up with Ascot II which effectively puts forward their best suggestion by placing a jacket swatch above a trouser swatch. The same agent for John G Hardy in Sydney also runs Hunt and Winterbotham linings which is a terrific book of vibrant linings for the gentleman who wishes to step out of the solid colour linings which most people are forced to choose from via the fabric company from which they sourced the cloth. The added benefit is that the linings are not marked with H & B, so you can use these linings with any cloth you like.

If you are interested in these cloth books, call the Sydney agent, Imperial Textiles, on +612 9449 4377

 

If You Are Into Russia

Many of my friends complain that there is nothing good to read these days. I don't believe that's true, you just have to search a little harder or get a good recommend from someone. This book was recommended to me by Australian film director Baz Luhrmann after we struck up a conversation on Russian literature in which we had opposing views on the meaning of Crime and Punishment. I was not a fan of Crime and Punishment, it gave me a cold sweat, whereas I am a great fan of the great father of Russian literature, Tolstoy, who wrote so beautifully that no other author, in my not so humble opinion, can touch him. This book above, by Orlando Figes, is a great piece of historical work that weaves a wonderful fabric of the social history of Russia and pieces together many of the elements which sometimes seem disjointed if you read about one Russian subject matter without the other. 

You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Natashas-Dance-Cultural-History-Russia/dp/0805057838

Goodnight Folks, I Leave You With Some Chet Baker

Suit Valets

A suit valet has it's origins from the days when a man of means could afford to keep a permanent member of staff just for organising and maintaining his attire - he was called a valet - pronounced with a hard 't' as I learnt whilst watching Downton Abbey . One observation which I read of recently was that the valet's job was to ensure that his master's suits were sufficiently worn in before he wore them, to ensure he did not look too 'new' and to make sure they were thrown out before they were too worn out. I think it was Evelyn Waugh who wrote that.

The suit valet was used by the valet to lay out the following days clothes for his 'master' for want of a better word. These days it is hard to come by a decent suit valet, but they serve an excellent purpose, especially when you come home with a few drinks under your belt. It is better to wake up knowing your suit was hung properly rather than strewn across your floor absorbing God knows what from the carpet. Here is one particular suit valet that I quite liked the look of.

If you know if any great artisan craftsman who still make suit valets, please leave a comment below as I have had a difficult time finding them on the web.

I Was Trumped By Simplicity

For all the fanciful designs I have made with Matthew Cookson, one thing I never got around to doing was putting my initials on a pair of slippers. It is with great regret that I write to inform you that the best pair of slippers I have seen by Matthew are not indeed mine, but rather, a simple pair of chocolate slippers with yellow  quilted lining with hand-embroidered initials 'RWC' in a cursive rope design. I am very jealous but at least next time I know what to order.

Need To Repair Your Bow Tie Collection?

These are our favourite repair scissors, easy to take on the go and put straight into your LNP Gift Box. The ideal size for clipping off those loose silk frays. Buy them now on www.lnpties.com . 

What Lies On A Man's Sole....

Well, if you are wealthy enough to own an Aston Martin and you bought all the optional extras; the luggage, the umbrella, the cap and the driving jacket.... Then I guess all you have left to do is to contact Ivan Crivellaro, artisan Italian shoe maker, and ask him to put the branding on the sole of your next pair of custom made shoes. Ivan did not disclose the time taken or the money he charges for this service, but my guess is that you pay Aston Martin prices. 

Blainey North, Limited Edition Furniture

I am not sure if you have seen the film 'I Am Love' with Tilda Swinton - but if you haven't, it is a must see, a must see. I said it twice for effect, because I really do believe it is worth seeing. When you see the film, you will love the huge Milano mansion that is occupied by the Recchi family. If not love, then you will respect the workmanship. It is the kind of mansion that most of us will likely never see the inside of. Blainey North's furniture, a young Australian designer, is very similar to the kind of furniture that is featured inside the Recchi mansion.

I came across Blainey's furniture recently, there were two or three pieces inside Becker & Minty in Potts Point. 

Blainey's work first impressed me when I was invited for the first time to the sauna and steam rooms of 54 Hyde - or what was known as 'Packer's gym'. This unique health club, one probably without peer in Sydney, was designed and decorated by Blainey North's company. Unfortunately I cannot share the photos I have of that complex, nevertheless you can find them on Precision Flooring's website.

In the meantime, if you are interested in having furniture that would make your home look like an Italian cloth magnate's Milanese mansion, log onto www.blaineynorth.com or send an email to enquiries@blaineynorth.com

 

You All Know What This Is.....

ABC 702 Evenings With Dominic Knight

Tonight we will be talking with Dominic Knight on ABC 702 between 7pm and 10pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on the subject of cotton cloth. Have you ever wondered what 2 ply means in cotton? Or what it means when they mention that your sheets are a 500 thread count Egyptian cotton? Or what else is sometimes blended into your cotton? Then tune in tonight.

If any of this piques your interest then log on to the ABC 702 website and listen in: http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/

Regards,
N_.

Lieutenant Ben Scott Of The Australian Navy

Lieutenant Ben Scott of the Australian Navy is a bow tie enthusiast and a proud supporter of Australian made Le Noeud Papillon bow ties. He is wearing his summer white uniform - most likely one of the last balls of the season before they return to their regular navy suits. 

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