Books at Yves Saint Laurent

One of my favorite documentaries is David Teboul's Yves Saint Laurent - 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris which chronicles Saint Laurent's final Spring 2002 collection. It's so interesting to see how everyone at Saint Laurent's atelier, from the designer to his muse to his seamstresses, worked together to bring the designer's vision to fruition. What also struck me was how reverential the employees were towards their beloved couturier. Everybody behaved in a calm, focused, and serious manner. There were no histrionics like you see so often today.

After catching the documentary on Sundance Channel a few years back, I bought the accompanying book, Yves Saint Laurent 5, avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris , France, which is filled with photos of Saint Laurent and his team hard at work in his atelier. Not having looked at the book in a few years, I flipped through it this weekend, and two things jumped out at me: the stacks of "inspirational" books on Saint Laurent's desk as well as Loulou de la Falaise's amazingly chic wardrobe. I'll cover de la Falaise on Friday, but today I've compiled a list of titles that were photographed on the designer's desk.

As would be expected, many of the photographed books were fashion oriented, including volumes on Vionnet, Lesage, and Chanel. Art was represented too with books on Bonnard and Marilyn Monroe photographer Bert Stern. And in one photo, I even noticed a copy of Nan Kempner's "R.S.V.P". Not surprising, really, as Kempner was a great client and friend of Saint Laurent.

Take a look below to see where the designer found his inspiration. And keep in mind that some of the editions listed below may have different dust jackets than those in the Saint Laurent photos.








Lesage (Universe of Fashion) by Lydia Kamistis




Le Temps Chanel by Edmonde Charles-Roux




Height Of Fashion, Roman Alonso, editor









Madeleine Vionnet by Betty Kirke. A revised edition of this out-of-print book will be released in September.





Marilyn Monroe: The Last Sitting by Bert Stern





Bonnard (Masters of Art) by Andre Fermigier. (It's hard to see which Bonnard book is in the YSL photo, so I'm simply guessing it's the book by Fermigier.)







Maharajas' Jewels by Katherine Prior.





Louise Dahl-Wolfe: A Retrospective by Vicki Goldberg.





Le Roman de La Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. For an English language version of this medieval classic, try The Romance of the Rose (Oxford World's Classics).





R.S.V.P.: Menus for Entertaining from People Who Really Know How by Nan Kempner.


Yves Saint Laurent atelier photos from Yves Saint Laurent 5, avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris , France by David Teboul.

Drama in the Dining Room

Remember when advertisements promoting luxury items used to feature women and men in evening wear? Rarely do you see these kinds of ads anymore, but I guess it's no surprise considering that people now wear flip-flops to church and jeans to formal restaurants.

Two of the more elegant, not to mention discreet, ads that I've run across lately are those for Lenox china c. 1960. The ads, both seen here, featured prominent designers William Pahlmann and Yale Burge in their respective dining rooms. Each is dressed in a dinner jacket, one is smoking while the other is holding his reading glasses, and both have set lovely tables. What is even more striking, though, is that other than some small-print text, there is not a single Lenox logo anywhere. A quick glance and you might never even guess that it was an ad. Perhaps these were a precursor to the sneaky advertorials of today?

Along with the ads, I'm including photos of the Lenox patterns that each man chose. And in order to bulk up the post, I also added a few photos of Pahlmann's apartment and Yale Burge's studio. I would love to locate photos of Burge's apartment, so if you know where I should look, do let me know.

Image at top: William Pahlmann photographed in his Manhattan dining room.



Pahlmann's ad featured Lenox Tuxedo china, seen above. According to the ad's text, "William Pahlmann, world-famous interior designer, pauses for a moment in his handsome Park Avenue apartment to light tapers for a pre-theatre dinner for six." The ad went on to say that Mr. Pahlmann likes "drama in the dining room...sparkling guests, delicate candlelight, and the elegant glow of the china."





Although I could not find photos of the room featured in the ad, I did find these shots which show a guest room and an entryway in Pahlmann's home. Pahlmann often used the guest room for dinner parties.



Yale R. Burge, "internationally known designer, plans an after-theater dinner in his apartment off Sutton Place, Manhattan. The 18th c. French motif predominates in a warm and charming room. Fabric-lined walls are rich red." Interesting that Burge's ad featured an after-theater dinner while Pahlmann's ad was a pre-theatre occasion. (And notice that both spellings of theater were used in the ads.)




Lenox Tableau China was used for the Burge table setting.




Although I could not find a photo of Burge's Sutton Place apartment, I did find this photo of the Burge-Donghia showroom with a similar wall treatment.


Photos of Pahlmann's apartment and the Burge-Donghia showroom from Judith Gura's New York Interior Design, 1935-1985, Vol. 1: Inventors of Tradition.

Robert Lutyens at Home

You may not be familiar with Robert Lutyens, but chances are you've heard of his father, noted British architect Edwin Lutyens. Robert was also an architect as well as an interior designer and author.

I found these photos of Robert Lutyens' London home in a 1936 magazine. According to the article, the flat was notable for its modern backdrop against which period furniture stood, a background that Lutyens created by using blond wood and textured fabrics. The drawing room walls were sheathed in bleached, waxed deal which had a "silvery beige" patina. The curtains were white taffeta, while chairs were covered in rough-textured beige silk and pale blue satin. In the dining room, draped bleached linen crash covered walls. The furniture was a mix of Regency and Sheraton furniture.

It's the home's bedrooms, though, that are textbook examples of glamorous 1930s design. Mrs. Lutyens' bedroom had curtains of cream satin lined with coral shantung silk, a white mohair rug, and an upholstered sleigh bed that I assume was designed by Syrie Maugham. (In 1936, Robert Lutyens collaborated with Maugham on the design of Brook House, London where another of Maugham's fringed and upholstered beds was used.) And as would be fitting for a man, Lutyens' own bedroom was a luxurious vision of clean-lined modernism.




The image above as well as that at top depict two sides of Lutyens' London drawing room.




The dining room.




Robert Lutyens' bedroom.




Mrs. Lutyens' bedroom with that fabulous upholstered bed.



All photos from House & Garden, April 1936.

Agatha Christie at Greenway

For as long as I can remember, my mother has been an avid reader of mystery novels. At my childhood home, the bookshelves were filled with books by P.D. James, Rex Stout, and, of course, Agatha Christie. In fact, it's the Christie novels that I remember most vividly. The dust jackets of The Mirror Crack'd, Three Blind Mice, and Murder on the Orient Express are all etched in my memory.

Although I'm not a mystery reader, I've been on an Agatha Christie tear lately. My father recently bought the DVD set of the Hercule Poirot series, and I've had such fun watching the episodes which, I'm embarrassed to say, I had never seen before. Not only are the episodes entertaining, but they only run around 45 minutes each- and that's about as long as I can devote to a DVD these days anyway.

Watching the series prompted me to borrow my mother's copy of Agatha Christie at Home by Hilary Macaskill. The book is an intriguing look at Agatha Christie's passion for houses, specifically her holiday home in Devon called Greenway. Purchased by Christie in 1938, Greenway was where the mystery writer and her family spent many a holiday. By all accounts, Christie was attuned to the finer points of running a house, from painting fireplaces (see below) to hosting house parties and even making homemade mayonnaise. And while I don't think one could call Greenway's interiors grand, there is an unassuming charm about the house, something that makes me admire Christie that much more.

Greenway is now owned by the National Trust and open for tours. The National Trust has also produced a short video about Greenway which features audio of Christie reminiscing about the purchase of her house. And if you're looking for something entertaining to watch, you should consider those Poirot DVDs. They're a welcome relief from network television.




A view of Greenway



The Morning Room at Greenway



Christie painting her bedroom's fireplace.



Christie's bedroom at Greenway.




The Drawing Room held Christie's Steinway piano. The mystery writer had trained as a concert pianist.




Greenway's kitchen with a blue Aga.




The dining room.




During World War II, Greenway was requisitioned by the Admiralty; during that time, Lieutenant Marshall Lee of the U.S. Navy painted the library's frieze, seen here.



The drawing room at Greenway.



Shelves filled with first editions of Christie's novels.

All photos from Agatha Christie at Home by Hilary Macaskill