Vintage Crockett & Jones for Ralph Lauren on eBay: The Windsor

As I've sworn off collecting shoes that are not in my size, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to highlight a rare of example of the Windsor model made by Crockett & Jones for Ralph Lauren. Shoes featuring this design rarely come up for sale on eBay - if anything, you'll usually see pairs made by Edward Green on the 201 or 202 last. If I had to guess, I would date these to the mid-to-late 1980s or early-1990s, when Edward Green and Crockett & Jones actually shared a factory, making it quite easy for the companies to have also shared the broguing patterns necessary to make these wonderful shoes.

This pair will make some lucky size 8 feet very happy! You can find a link to the auction here.

The American Premiere of I Colori Di Antonio

The fellows at The Armoury were kind enough to extend an invitation to the US premiere of the documentary I Colori Di Antonio, a film produced by The Armoury in collaboration with director Gianluca Magliarotti. The documentary tells the story of Antonio Liverano, an Italian tailor of some renown (as well as a mentor of The Armoury).

The premiere will take place at The School if Visual Arts, and the screening will be followed by a question and answer session moderated by G. Bruce Boyer and featuring the director and Mr. Liverano.

The screening is one of several events planned to celebrate the grand opening of The Armoury's Tribeca location. I would encourage anyone with an interest in men's tailoring to attend. You can purchase tickets to the event here.

Hurrell: The Kobal Collection

Paul Stuart recently held a cocktail reception to celebrate the release of Hurrell: The Kobal Collection. The book features a collection of photos by George Hurrell, one of the great portrait photographers of Hollywood's Golden Age, who was known for his strong contrast black and white images, as well as his groundbreaking use of negative re-touching which revolutionized the medium of Hollywood portraiture during the 1930's and 1940's. The collection is named for John Kobal, a journalist and Hollywood photo collector who met Hurrell while he was on assignment in the 1970's. Kobal became something of a champion for artists like Hurrell, Clarence Sinclair and Ted Allen. The two became friends, while Kobal also went on to become an archivist and historian of old Hollywood stills, eventually authoring and editing over 30 books on the subject. As such, the Kobal Collection has become one of the most distinguished archives of Classic Hollywood imagery, containing the largest collection of Hurrell material in existence. Included here are just a few examples of the work that made Hurrell famous.

As for the book itself, it really is quite impressive and I would recommend purchasing a copy. Many of the images feature some of the great style icons of the era, including Fred Astaire, George Raft, and James Stewart. The portraiture is literally quite breathtaking, and really captures the elegance and glamour of the period. Interestingly, some of the images stand out because the actor or actress is featured in character. For instance, James Cagney is captured in full cowboy attire for what must have been a rare appearance in a western, while Edward G. Robinson appears in full Little Caesar costume. Many of the images, however, feature a number of Golden Age icons in "standard" full-on glamour mode.