there is nothing more precious than..

a hand written letter. or to some extent a typed but personal message.

having established this, what’s the the catch with these ones?

exhibit "A" - © National Library of Scotland

exhibit "B" - source Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd

exhibit "C" - source Timezone.com

exhibit "D" - source cnn.com

well, the man is pretty confident you won’t figure it out. the dandy cat is sure. so here is an additional hint – what do Mary Queen of Scots, Mark Twain, the owner of Rolex in the 1940’s and Monica Lewinsky have in common?

still haven’t figured it yet?

in this case here goes – they are all featured on a website – together with other prime celebrities like Andy Warhol and Frank Sinatra – that concerns itself with letters we might never see otherwise - Letters of Note !

the site features a wealth of letters and notes, truly represented by the site’s motto – “Correspondence deserving of a wider audience”, accompanied by stories and trivia pertinent to the piece presented and the sender / destinataire !

check them out and enlarge your world! it is truly a most intimate and educating experience.

PS. there will also be a permanent link to Letters of Note in the blog roll and the man’s recommendations!

PS no 2. dandy cat said meow! ’nuff said!

the man’s craze

the man is crazy about a couple of things in this world we are so avidly populating. but one thing that always got him mad with desire ( besides the Bugatti Atlantic featured earlier) was Morgan automobiles. Handmade and crafted in England for 100 years now, Morgans are music to the man’s ears!

the man has seen them, has touched them and really desires to acquire one, a quest he has not yet finished but one he will never abandon. not even after he gets one. there’s always room for one more.

for years now, the man has admired these vehicles and for the better part of the last decade has seen them grow in beauty and desirableness. and there is nothing in this world that could possibly convince anyone that these cars are not superb!

now, this year, to mark their 100th birthday, they released a new model, the Morgan Aero SuperSports. this model is designed and built in house, and features an aluminium 4,8 l BMW  V8 engine on an aluminium chassis. the aluminium chassis is also built in house (as they do with wooden chassis they build there) and the body of the care is made of high grade aluminium panels similar to those in the aeronautical manufacturing.

upon being questioned about this new car[designed by Matthew Humphries], Charles Morgan, grandson of the founder said “It is a celebration of our love of cars and the romance of travel and is a fitting model to announce during Morgan’s Centenary year.”

now the man is looking for suitable travel hardware and will get back to you with on that one. in the meantime enjoy the car:

Aero SuperSports @ The Morgan Motor Company

Aero SuperSports @ The Morgan Motor Company

Aero SuperSports @ The Morgan Motor Company

Morgan AeroSports @ The Morgan Motor Company

So be sure to visit the Morgan website an enjoy their work! Pay special attention to the Aeromax as it is truly one of the best designs ever! the man is sure that Batman would be jealous!

vintage

tonight it’s vision delight. the man has read his share of history books. and has a passion for vintage and generally old things and feelings. like when you touch an old book forgotten by time and people in the back of a drawer somewhere in the middle of nowhere. or listening to that old vinyl recording of a jazz player, your heart racing with every imperfection of the disk.

the man’s latest discovery:

found where no one was ever going to look ever again - bottom of a wooden box in a tool shed

this morning the man just lingered in the warm sunlight that came through the blinds while the dandy cat was comfortably sleeping on the headrest of the man’s chair -  he likes it when he gets put there and the man likes the warm fuzzy vibrating feeling ..

while lingering the man took out his coin and bill collection and took a few shots..

King Michael's 100 lei

King Michael's 100 lei

communist 100 lei -btw this is mint condition

communist 100 lei -btw this is mint condition

two fragile pieces of paper out of the past, resting on the man’s palm, for the dandy cat to sniff and sneeze.

oh but look at the time

grandpa's time

it’s time the man hit the history button. a while ago the man had discovered something quite unique. a wonderful collection of historic movies, most of which were never seen by the vast majority of people! it is a piece of forbidden history, history we where denied access to in communist Romania, and history which is yet to be acknowledged today:

King Michael Ist and Queen Anne marriage in Athens 1948 (c) British Pathe - click image for redirect to movie

King Carol and Prince Michael of Romania visit England 1938 (c) British Pathe - click image for redirect to movie

King Michael of Romania at 10th National Anniversary - 1928 (c) British Pathe - click image for redirect to movie

this is history – seen in the eyes and cameras of those who were there. we lost so much. but we can reclaim some of all that by simply putting in the effort to connect with our past. Visit British Pathe and search around – there are many more videos related to Romania, both before 1947 and after – it’s turning back in time!

the man will do just that, and the dandy cat will probably soon join him for a pet and snack. in between all these moments, brew a nice cup of tea.

The man recommends:

Kusmi tea - The du soir No. 50

For the tea lovers visit Kusmi Tea

For those interested in royalty visit The Royal Family of Romania

the man’s suggestion – THE RAKE

the man is avidly looking for new inspiration. today it came via Sweden and pointing straight at the RAKE magazine.

featuring Tom Ford on their newest issue the RAKE is the definitive must buy item for men looking to keep the pace with elegance, while conserving that classic look.

i got there via modeman [ i strongly suggest visiting his page] who had a feature on Beautifully Made, an article in the RAKE. Shot by photographer Derrick Santini in Tuscany, it is inspired by mafia wear.

i selected a few shots, for illustration:

Mafia Wear via The Rake Via modeman@feber.se

Mafia Wear via The Rake via modeman@feber.se

Mafia Wear via The Rake via modeman@feber.se

please visit modeman @ modeman.feber.se

inspired by this unexpected discovery i dug deeper and found the RAKE.  and started reading and digesting the information at hand on the website, slowly deciding that as soon as cash is available I’m subscribing. in fact i was pretty much sure i would subscribe by the time i finished reading the about section on the web, of which i offer you the following quote:

“At once responding to and actively promoting a renaissance in gentlemanly sophistication and style, The Rake meets the needs of a disenfranchised, elite (yet expansive) sector of the male population – one seeking to recapture the codes of classic men’s elegance.

Catering to the reader alienated by ‘edgy’ men’s fashion and insufficiently served by major male lifestyle titles, The Rake is aimed at the mature-minded gent who draws his sartorial inspiration from icons such as Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, the Duke of Windsor, Gianni Agnelli and Sean Connery, and their contemporary counterparts.”

(c) The Rake Magazine

as if that is not enough. the man has already started clearing a section in his bookcase for this wonder.

there are also a selection of articles online, for those of you who still haven’t yet settled on subscribing, ranging from a feature on Italian hat manufacturer Borsalino to breaking down the iconic Thomas Crown Affair movie, the original Steve McQueen one [the man also likes the modern remake with Pierce Brosnan], which the magazine calls “the most stylish movie ever made”.

but stop reading this and go straight to the source – The Rake!

the dandy cat is busy reading on imdb about the Thomas Crown affair [here] and that is something considering his favorite actor is Dr. No’s cat!

hitting the town with Иван Федорович

the man has returned home. only to find the dandy cat [ which got featured on zapacel's blog here ] crying in front of the door – of pure joy that is for the man’s return. the man actually had a good train ride, filled with interesting ideas and a most interesting view on the countryside, made possible by over bleached snow!

bucharest was under siege by heavy snowfall too, and that made walking around rather difficult as there is no telling when it get’s in your eyes and mouth-full’s of snow aren’t that great either. but inspired by the mood setting over the city and the way the macca passage looked under snow, i met an old and dear friend, going by the name Иван Федорович, and we settled down for coffee and food at a nice bistro i might feature soon enough. it’s a darn little place, reminding of romantic paris and maybe a little bit of old bucharest, due to the setting [and by the way does it look great under snow].

Small piece of Bucharest under snow

now since Lara’s theme [for the profane - the theme from До́ктор Жива́го, the original with Omar Sharif ]was not available freely on the streets to suit our mood and the overall atmosphere we had no option left but to hit the town and find ourselves something to bring back the joy and passion for photography we once felt in our childhood. and if you are romanian, living in Romania, at the time we [each on his own] were kids the only camera would be a russian camera. all the more reason, since he’s Иван Федорович.

[here's the song - it's soothing]

our classic camera shop [you know the one which used to have just a tiny little door on Covaci st.] was kind enough to offer us quite the selection and information to suit any desires. Special congrats to Nicu, for providing a very good shopping experience. [ he should teach by the way about what it means to be customer friendly].

what we bought? well, besides an old school Nikon lens [for the man], Иван Федорович bought himself a piece of history, the kind you can only appreciate by loading a roll of film [just happened to be a 400 b&w Ilford] and taking it out to see the world over and over again. since we where busy with Sapporo and sushi later in the day, I can only give you this beauty by some glamor shots, but maybe Иван Федорович will be kind to grace us with some samples later. So in all it’s mighty glory I give you the Zorki 2S with it’s incredible pull-out lens!

Zorki 2s @ Иван Федорович

Zorki 2s @ Иван Федорович

Zorki 2s @ Иван Федорович

Zorki 2s @ Иван Федорович

enjoy this beauty and go out and get one for yourself! thrills of the elder day are yours at a rather fiercely small price – Range finder and custom old school Leica film loading for the aficionados!

des mémoires – architectural magazines 20’s & 30’s

the man has left the dandy cat back home and embarked on trip to his hometown, to the republic pour les connaisseurs, for a very trivial meeting with state officials. but that is not the point of this story.

past the reasons and motivations of such a trip, this trip also meant reconnecting with bits and pieces from his past, of which today’s point of focus would be his original library from the elder days. among the books, the dictionaries, the newspaper collection ( some of those Scânteia still look mighty good, even after 40 years) he found 2 gems he long thought lost.

the year was 1999. on a lonesome trip from Bucharest north station to some far away Drumul Taberei destination the man had stumbled on to an adhoc antiquities boutique in some courtyard. the funny thing is that you had no way of knowing what was there, safe for a small billboard  right next to the entrance – “cheap books”.  since he had the time and certainly the spending mood the man stopped and entered, only to emerge a good 25 minutes later with some 35-50 magazines from various ages, all on architecture, from the 20’s to the 70’s. [i bought them by the pound with an equivalency today of 1 pound of magazines = 1/4 the price of a loaf of bread. this wasn't just cheap, it was beyond reality.]

the gems in the pack where two rather shady looking ones he had managed to pull out from under a huge stack of Cutezătorii : The Architectural Review – The Modern English House – special issue December 1939 & Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst – Marz 1929. There where also some surprises with these two – a collectible wallpaper design from 1928, a promotional leaflet for drawing boards and other architectural tools of the trade from back in the day for an exhibition in Leipzig , a variety of art deco advertisements from the 30’s, and some 30 to 40 different pure modernist house plans and details ( one of my favorites is the one portraying a polished mahogany toilet seat ).

as i indulged myself into the setting provided by these two, i thought it would only be polite and well mannered to show you these marvels – alas the dSLR has no batteries and my intention of staying with the mood and using photos taken with a ancient HP digital camera went down the drain also when i could not locate it. so am i left but with one option – a small preview ( courtesy of my BB Curve – quality will be doubtful but there is only so much you can do on the hallway ) with the promise of uploading more high quality jpg as soon as i return to Bucharest:

here goes :

The Architectural Review

The Architectural Review

The Architectural Review

The Architectural Review

The Architectural Review - Walter Gropius Design

The Architectural Review

The Architectural Review

The Architectural Review

Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst

Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst

Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst - wallpaper sample

Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst

Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst

Wasmuths Monatshefte Fur Baukunst

The promotional Leaflet

Leaflet

Leaflet

P.S.- Please excuse the quality – this will be improved as soon as possible! [ however, on the touchy filly side i thing it somehow suits the mood]

The man bids you farewell and goes back to his reading!

(sure would be nice if i could make this sound like a “his masters voice” recording)

celluloid and popcorn

The man likes celluloid. The cat likes popcorn – that way they can enjoy a movie together. The man has seen his share – last year alone he’s seen a couple of hundreds (more than 10 anyway)(hundreds that is)  and this year he’s going strong at it again..that happens when you pass sleep for celluloid. The cat however, even if present at all the movies the man has seen in the past 3 years ( then in all respects as many as the above mentioned) has been sleeping heavily trough all of them and only found it suitable to be awake when there was popcorn or dinner during the movie[ he can't miss such an opportunity to beg for food even though he's well fed].

So a movie recommendation sounds nice right about now – New York, I love you!. After Paris, je t’aime comes a new production, somewhat better in some aspects, less interesting in others but as good to see as the above mentioned. And i love the music. An this vision of New York – or visions actually, that seem to put together the fascination new york seems to offer in abundant quantities to everyone.

favorite scenes -  Chris Cooper & Maggie Q at the dry cleaners, Shia LaBeouf & Julie Christie at the window, Ethan Hawke and his cafe drawings, and Ethan Hawke trying to sweep Maggie Q of her feet on the sidewalk

favorite music pieces – one of the interludes that I haven’t yet identified but will put my finger on later [and update this], combination of traditional Jewish music and Indian music in the car scene with Irrfan Khan.

official trailer :

enjoy!

esquire for hire on the run

the man is now going to use twitter to spread design links (other stuff too) on a faster pace. Articles will remain for more dear to the heart features! the dandy cat approves and goes back to sleep!

twitter name – esquire2hire [all other variations were taken - imagine that]

there is a twitter widget on the blog so you can get your daily dose there!

the drive

sometimes when the jazz is just right, smooth and graciously accompanied by a single malt, disturbed by mellow but precious tobacco, when you feel the need to escape, to elude it’s good to have an automobile at hand ( and we say automobile here because we chose to).

the man has fiery passions for certain curves and bespoke pistons, and for old petrol aromas you can rely on. the dandy cat prefers something that will upgrade his image, but since he can’t cast to many votes on this page, is gonna be stuck with whatever the man picks.

there is nothing, old, new, futuristic to better describe the elegance behind the wheel as a  Bugatti 57SC Atlantic. out of four units originally manufactured, only 2 remain completely original to this day, and one is a very close restoration and rebuild based on an original chassis .

the crown jewel, belonging to none other than Ralph Lauren, is the automobile with chassis number 57491. there is nothing more words can say, not because there isn’t anything else to say ( i could go on for days) but because the image carries on into the dream.

Bugatti 57SC Atlantic @ Ralph Lauren via www.supercars.net

Bugatti 57SC Atlantic @ Ralph Lauren via www.supercars.net

Bugatti 57SC Atantic @ Ralph Lauren via www.supercars.net

Bugatti 57SC Atlantic @ Ralph Lauren via www.supercars.net

The bowler hat, the white scarf, the umbrella and a drive trough the lavender fields of Provence. And that there is a slice of heaven.

stuff the man & the dandy cat like

the man likes design and the cat likes to sleep. in their searches inspired by the lack of any productive occupation the two have discovered the bare sofa. open invitation to sleep for the dandy cat and invitation to chill over a good movie ( in the mood for black and white -  remember celluloid ) plus a wine for the heart like Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC.

the bare sofa is so much more than just a place to sleep or chill. it’s a statement of style. there, now it is a decree. we like simple and efficient stuff, even though the man is somewhat concerned with regard to the black leather of the upholstery (so good looking on the other hand) which will become a repository for all the shed hair from the white and fluffy dandy cat, the best way he knows of marking his territory.

but until that happens, we have the great pleasure and top hats to point you to The Brothers Dressler.

The bare sofa via http://www.brothersdressler.com

Bare Sofa via http://www.brothersdressler.com

love the sofa! praise the wood!