The Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk

While running around the city last week, I passed by the intersection of 57th and Fifth, where you have Bergdorf's, Tiffany's, and Louis Vuitton all residing at adjacent corners. There isn't really much of interest for me at Louis Vuitton, but I've always been a admirer of their vintage steamer trunks - what I thought were relics from the by-gone age of luxury liner travel.

Not realizing that Louis Vuitton still makes these trunks, I was pleasantly surprised to see this window display featuring some of the company's unparalleled artistry and craftsmanship.

I don't think I'll ever need one of these for traveling, but it would certainly look great as a coffee table in my living room or study.

And here's another window display that I thought was well done.



Happy Holidays From An Uptown Dandy!

One of the wonderful window displays to be found all along Fifth Avenue

during the holiday season - this one from Tiffany's.

While trekking around the city yesterday in order to get through my holiday shopping in relatively short order, there were some wonderful holiday window displays to be seen at Bergdorf's, Tiffany's,  and Van Cleef & Arpel, among many others. Here's a small sampling for your viewing pleasure.

Happy holidays!

Vintage Edward Green: The Collection (Volume II)

Some of you may recall that a few months ago, I posted a collection of images of some of the vintage Edward Green shoes that I've been lucky enough to come across in thrift shops or eBay (the original post at An Uptown Dandy can be viewed here). Since then, I've managed to find a few more vintage Edward Green shoes, and thought now would be as good a time as any to post pics.

My comments on the first collection still apply. In some cases, the shoes some wear, in other cases they look almost new (in my opinion). I'm usually looking for some feature that you don't really see Edward Green featuring on more recent models, although its always interesting to compare a vintage model with its more recent counterpart. The shoes featured here are from a variety of companies that no longer supply shoes made by Edward Green, including Cole Haan, Paul Stuart, Wildsmith, and Brooks Brothers (via its now-defunct Brooks English line of shoes).

As with the shoes from Part One, I'll plan on posting more detailed summaries and photos of the shoes shown above, (hopefully) sometime in the New Year.



(The Return Of) The Walking Tour (Part Five): Citi Shoes

Its hard to believe the last segment of the walking tour was way back in May - but when you're chained to your desk, its hard to slip away to roam the streets looking for elegant footwear and such.

But with a few days off from work for the holidays, I packed my camera with the hope that I might come across some interesting men's shops and take a few pictures while I did my holiday shopping.

I've been up and down Park Avenue for years, and I've never noticed CitiShoes, a sort of old-fashioned (for New York City) looking men's shoe store. Located on Park Avenue between 56th and 57th Street, the store is literally right around the corner from Turnbull & Asser on 57th Street.

CitiShoes has a very wide-ranging selection of shoes. Signs above the wall advertise for brands such as Mephisto, Ecco, Rockport, and Sebago, alongside esteemed American shoemakers like Alden and Allen Edmonds and esteemed Northampton makers like Church's and Edward Green.

As there are really only a handful of shops offering limited models of Edward Green shoes (Leffot, Saks, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers), its somewhat noteworthy (for me anyway) when one comes across a new distributor. Of course, CitiShoes may have been selling Edward Green shoes for years for all I know while I've literally been cluelessly walking right by the window display all this time. I do recall the Church's display, but I don't recall the Edward Green's, so I'm guessing that this is a fairly recent development. In any event, prices are basically what you'll see in most shops (a little north of $1000), but one never knows when a random model might be discounted.

If you're in the area, such a wide range of offerings is worth checking out.

Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style

Fans of classic American style will want to take a look at Richard Torregrossa's excellent study of Cary Grant's timeless elegance - Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style. The writing contributed by Giorgio Armani and Michael Kors is insightful, and Torregrossa's account of Grant's sartorial journey through life is quite interesting. I was surprised to discover that one of Grant's early sartorial icons was none other than Zeppo Marx, the straight man to his three utterly insane brothers.

Of course, the other highlights of this book are the wonderful photos of Grant from various eras, where he nevertheless remains impeccably attired and timelessly elegant. Below are just a few of the images on display. Considerable attention is paid to Grant's transformation from his early appearances in Mae West's films, looking picturesque in military regalia, and his continuing quest for the perfectly sympathetic silhouette which would highlight his trim physique while subtly downplaying what he thought were his more unseemly attributes (such as a thick neck), while at the same time allowing Grant to appear comfortable and relaxed in his doublebreasted suits.

Based on the images provided here, one can only conclude that Grant was successful in his efforts.