No Regifting Necessary

I have a birthday coming up this week. Now, I'm not announcing this because I'm seeking well wishes from you. Actually, I don't like to make a big deal of it. (I swear.) It just seemed like an appropriate segue to a post about gifts.

Have you read the 1985 book Only the Best: A Celebration of Gift Giving in America by Stuart E. Jacobson? It's a charming book which recounts gift giving amongst the rich and famous. Oh sure, there are anecdotes about gifts of largesse that will make your head spin (a Newport estate, anyone?) But, it's not really about that. It's more a celebration of the thought and meaning that has gone into some truly special gifts. Take, for example, the trash can below filled with daisies:

When Steve McQueen first fell for Ali MacGraw, he sent her daisies which she promptly threw into the trash can. Undeterred, McQueen sent her a very large bunch of daisies nestled in a galvanized trash can. It must have worked because after that, they both sent daisies in trash cans to one another until they ultimately married.

Marietta Tree gave her husband, Ronald Tree, renderings of items near and dear to his heart. This one, given in 1948, features his reading glasses and pipe, photos of their homes in Barbados as well as Ditchley (their English country house), and favorite magazines.

What has to be one of the most romantic gifts featured in the book. Mary Lee Fairbanks presented her husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., with a Cartier designed gold envelope that had all of his addresses engraved on it (Fairbanks had lived in quite a few homes) as well as the return address of Mary Lee. Inside the envelope was Mary's engraved message to her husband: "But at last I reached you, My Love."




Vincente Minnelli must have made his daughter Liza very happy with a gift of famous MGM costumes in a size fit for a child. This sure beats the prairie skirt that I used to play dress up in! If only I had had a feathered headdress...




I'm sure this vignette in the home of Tony Duquette looks familiar to you, but did you know that the dolphins flanking the sofa were given to the Duquettes by Frances Elkins? They once belonged to Misia Sert.




Leave it to Fleur Cowles to give Jerome Zipkin such a chic gift. While attending a luncheon at Zipkin's home, Cowles had admired his collection of Meissen leopards. She asked to borrow one, which was later returned with a thank you note. A few months later, Cowles sent Zipkin the small painting seen above which featured one of Zipkin's leopards. This leopard, though, held one of Cowles' signature roses in its mouth.

(All images from Only the Best: A Celebration of Gift Giving in America by Stuart E. Jacobson; Jesse Gerstein photographer.)

My Favorite Blue Room

I believe that most of us have blue on the brain. House Beautiful's current issue is dedicated to the color, which also makes an appearance on the cover of March's Elle Decor. That's certainly fine by me because I adore blue. I've got a blue living room, blue dining room, blue eyes, even blue champagne coupes. One of my very favorite blue rooms is one with which many of you are familiar: the London drawing room of the late Fleur Cowles.

Located at Albany, the room, originally a ballroom, dates back to 1780 when it was designed by the architect Sir William Chambers. From what I've read, the ceiling has ornate plasterwork which I imagine must be exquisite. For me though, it's all about that glorious shade of blue- descriptions range from sky blue to Wedgwood blue- which really intensifies the other colors in the room. The artwork, the potted geranium, even the mahogany library steps seem to perk up when placed against that blue. Really, it's no wonder that Cowles deemed her room "the most beautiful in London."

I don't know when this room was decorated (I can only assume it was many years ago), but to me this room is utterly timeless. It's comfortable, and yet it's also rather grand. Why don't we live and decorate this way anymore? It's such a shame, really, because this is the type of design that has staying power.

A few more tidbits. According to a 2003 New York Times article, Cowles and her husband often served dinner to their guests in this room. Dishes included deviled chicken and ice cream with caramel sauce. You see, the food was nothing fancy and yet people clamored to be invited to her home. We need to remember this next time we get stressed out about what to serve our guests.

And what I also learned while doing a little Fleur Cowles research this week is that she also designed china for Denby called Jardin de Fleurs. On a plate like this, I bet deviled chicken looked divine.