Coveting Calvet

I tried my hand at furniture making in college - and adored it. I laminated together a few boards and carved a banana leaf to ergonomically fit my back. For the main support, I welded a semi-cube shape (two sides open for sitting purposes) out of industrial steel square pipes. And then I attempted to needlepoint a leopard-print cushion. Never finished that. I did finish college, however, and brought the whole thing to New York in pieces. Unfortunately, that steel cube was .25 inches too big from all angles to fit into my first miniature studio apartment. So much for that chair. These are a prime example of a designer (architect) paying a bit more attention to his designs' eventual surroundings. Around 1905, Antonio Gaudí designed this chair and bench for Casa Calvet, one of his architectural marvels in Barcelona. Today, BD Ediciones is recreating them for a lucky few who probably live in slightly less marvelous homes. The chair and the bench can be yours for $10,482 and $27,059, respectively. (The chair made it into Vogue this month).

Destinations: Babington House

If ever seeking shelter in Somerset (some day when things aren't so £-heavy), they may let you hang your hat at this humble abode. It's a part of SoHo House, but they will open the door for the occasional plebe.  

The House Bar (pictured) for one kind of relaxation...or at the Cowsend spa for another.

Or have fun playin' in The Playroom...

...with the claw foot tub AND fireplace!

Intelligent -- AND Leisurely

When you couple my crippling issues with books with my absolute abhorance of academic paper writing, it's no surprise that I've never had intentions of spending another day in a classroom. That's not to say that I'm not wildly interested in appearing brilliant and interesting to speak to at parties. Lucky for me, M.I.T. is helping classroom phobes the world over seem like the smartest person in the room. With a couple clicks of a mouse and a few purchases on Amazon (and no tuition fees whatsoever), you can honestly go around dropping bombs like, "we talk about this all the time in my Statistical Thermodynamics of Complex Liquids class at M.I.T." That phrase alone will intimidate all comers so wildly that they'll believe anything you say thereafter -- even if you never crack open one of those Amazon-purchased books. If you're less of an ADD-afflicted phony, you may actually learn a thing or two about Detective Mystery Best Sellers, the British royal family from the Hanovers to QEII or even those pesky enumerative combinatorics.

Acquisitions: New, Quite Large Tortoise Specs

I could've chosen to get all gussied up to show you all my newest pair of specs, but that would've been wildly vain. Instead, you get me unwashed, with head scarf, sans makeup on the G train coming back from Coney Island (where my eyes accidentally - and unfortunately - landed on an elderly, deeply tanned man in a very small thong performing leg lifts from the on-hands-and-knees position...if only I hadn't been wearing my glasses!). The frames were $10 on Ebay...the lenses, once they talked me into all those coatings, rang in around $300, causing quite a shock to the ole system. But I do love them.

Comfortably Nimb

It's not so often that we Americans get grand hotels with on-site dairies at our amusement parks. It's not so often that the Danes get grand hotels in their capital (with the exception of the Hotel Skt Petri and the fun, yet tiny Hotel Fox). The new Hotel Nimb in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens fills all sorts of bills - it's grand, it's full of high quality touches and yes, it houses an on-site dairy. The exterior is a bit Moorish whacky and the highly-touristy Tivoli makes the bustle outside a bit Times Squarish, but it's Scandinavian perfection within and the food looks divine. The blokes at Monocle talk to the owner in front of a roaring fireplace.

Family Photos: Hoveys at the Beach

An extremely tan and thin grandma Armene with dad and his grandparents, early '50s (probably California).

There's grandpa Hov in Honolulu in '36 with some excellent belted speedos.

A less brawny gramps five years prior...again in Hawaii.

More of the speedos - 1936.

The whole clan on the boat over to Hawaii on the '36 trip.

An even earlier trip across the Pacific in the late '20s.

An gal named Mol, '36.

Hov and Dotty at Viareggio, Italy, 1937

Hov, Dotty and Ed, Viareggio, '37

Midwestern Sophistication: Studio 201, Minneapolis

I've had many an argument with upper midwesterners about my own claims to the title "midwestern." They insist I (a Nebraska-born, Kansas-raised gal) am from the Plains and that our two regions should never be intermingled. Whatever we call ourselves, we both fall into that category of the misunderstood, those who both coasts assume to be bumpkins. My college friends from the woods of Connecticut and small towns through the South never could understand how "growing up in Kansas" meant anything other than growing up on a farm decked out like Laura Ingalls Wilder. I tried to bust up the stereotypes, but I think this does an even better job. It's the Minneapolis studio of David Coggins, Sr., father to blogger/writer DC, Jr....and IT. IS. FABULOUS. Score one for the Middle Bits.

Ebay Shopping: Huge Leather Gladstone Bag

The seller bought this puppy for £750 a few years ago, but now can't lug it around because of arthritis. Reserve hasn't been met yet, but it's supposedly "sensible." 

Good Sports II: The Lady Golfers

If there ever was a sport suited for elegant costumes, golf would have to be it...but how sadly far we've strayed. If tennis and cricket can still require whites, surely golf can have a pastel/tweed rule. These ladies all did a lovely job kitting up for the course. These pics all come from American Golfer magazine, which captured the sport for the nation from 1908-1936. The Condé Nast Store sells 'em all for a pretty penny.  (Above, Miss Ariel Vilas, 1930) 

(Virginia Van Wie, 1931)

(Dorothy Klotz Pardue, 1930)

(Ty Cobb and Glenna Collett, 1931)

Good Sports

For Americans known as the kings of sportswear, I'm generally dumbfounded at the downright mediocrity of our top jocks' duds at the Olympics' opening ceremony. I've always had a strange patriotic fantasy that our team would hit that track in a uniform of letterman's jackets, vintage Levi's and Chucks. What else are sporty Americans supposed to wear? L'Uomo Vogue pays homage to the style of sport in its July/August issue, which features this delightful photo of sportswear Inghilterra style. Many thanks to Dandyism.net's Christian M. Chensvold for sending this over. Mr. C has also co-penned an article on Dandies in the internet age for the issue, as well. 

Buck Wild: Mark Wagner's Currency Collages

A dollar sure isn't worth much these days...until you cut it up into bits and and get out the glue. Mark Wagner, co-founder and president of The Booklyn Artists Alliance and x-acto master, makes the most of his money. His portfolio of currency collages goes up at Pavel Zoubok Gallery Sept. 4 to Oct. 4. (533 West 23rd Street).

(All images courtesy of Mark Wagner)

A Coggins in the Wheel...

Writer. Fly fisherman. Great fan of tweeds and bitters. Men's Vogue (and other venues) scribe David Coggins is -- thankfully -- sharing his tasteful brain with us all now. Grover's Cleveland, his new blog, is up and running, giving us a peek into certain artists' decidedly fabulous choices in automobiles (Donald Judd's 1969 Land Rover, above), notable Montana cattle brands and men of the cloth on ice. Give it a click. It's grand!

Shawl Collared Sweater Lovin'

It would come as no shock to those who know me that if you'd put shawl collar on a potato sack I'd wear it with pride. I have one very old burgandy cable knit shawl collared Ralph Lauren cardi with leather buttons that I've worn about four times a week once temperatures dipped below 55 for the past decade. Belted, it makes me look like an extra from Legends of the Fall (sans belt, I'm sure I could be confused with a homeless lesbian). Undeterred by bulkiness, I purchase practically every boy's sweater that Rugby can stitch together to have something to throw on during those remaining three days. Looks like this number from the new fall picks at Polo will have to go into the collection. It's $265.

Most Beautiful Kitchen - Ever (and a Nice Living Room, Too)

designLAB architects spiffed up this 1858 Boston brownstone (click on "Chester Park Residence" for the rest of the shots) and cooked up my new dream kitchen in the process. As much as I love painting things black, bright white provides a lovely canvas as well, especially with the dark woods, marble and Venetian mirror. The living room at the bottom ain't bad, either. This house is featured in issue #42 of the Dutch mag Objekt International.

Calling All Brits! Need The Henley Fashion Grid!!!

I've received word that one of London's top broadsheets (The Guardian?) dispatched a lucky photog to capture a litany of the male spectators at Henley from neck to pec to show off their ties, piping, pocket squares and other bits of rowing watching kit. Unfortunately, this grid seems to have escaped cyberspace! So, if some English pack rat out there has a scanner and Sunday's paper (I assume it was Sunday) or a better Google detective's mind than I, could you point us all in the right direction? (I've stolen the image above from the decidedly tasteful blog, A Suitable Wardrobe, to sate our need for now, but there's no telling how long we can last without them!).

Edge of Love Trailer

Woah, Tiger...

Ok. I'll do almost anything for a new beauty product. I really will do anything for a beauty product in an old-looking package, even the decidedly manish ones, it seems. We all have skin and the boys have to actually be much meaner to their facial flesh. So when I read the nice unisex (if not feminine) words on the masculine label: organic honey, hibiscus and green tea, I really had to try. So glad I did. I'm all smooth and invigorated...and it smells great. Lucky Lionesses, rejoice! Rargh. $19 at Caswell-Massey where you can buy the rest of the line, as well.

Henley Royal Regatta, 1953

While we Yanks lit things on fire, a fire was lit under the bums of many a tall, muscley man (and lady) across the pond. Britain's most famous regatta finished on Sunday. Those poor rowers had to pull against wind and rain. The organizers even went wild and allowed Wellies for the onlookers. As simple as it may seem, I can't exactly tell who won. It looks like Eton lost the schoolboy eights in the first round, but they supposedly won the whole thing. Hum (this bracket seems a little unfair pitting those little high school boys against the university set).

Porter, Captured!

Last week, Port (who stood a modest 6'4" in her YSL huarache stilettos) and I attended Mensvogue.com's lovely party at P.S.1 featuring an urban farm (complete with chickens! (and a few chicks)). Jeremy Kost snapped her and she made it into the party pics. So proud. She picked up that great '40s dress at 10 ft. Single a couple weeks ago.

A Bronx Tale: The Hoveys Head North

Some may choose to forge out into nature on a glorious day. I only seem to get the urge in the midst of a downpour. So, for the second weekend in a row, I was jonesin' to travel north, for a touch of Paris in the Bronx. This time, we actually made it. It's saying nothing new to point out but: What a treasure. The Botanical Gardens are like the Tuilleries a subway ride away. We also got a taste of the Champs Elysees with our trek down the Grand Concourse, which we hope can one day be as grand as it was 80 years ago.