(click image above to enlarge) "Hot summer streets, and the pavements are burning...it's a cruel summer." Bananarama
The summer has quickly flown by and Mr. Peacock can't believe it's already the middle of August! The stores are already taunting us with autumn goods. Here's some goodies to squeeze into the last weeks of the summer season:
1)Mr. Peacock's father was a golf pro, but had no patience giving me golf lessons. Instead, I was given many tennis lessons from the tan and blond tennis pro—Thad. I always had to wear “tennis whites” on the court, but this madras tennis racket cover would have been the bomb.
2)Nothing says summer like hearing the music from an Ice Cream Truck slowly cruising down a suburban street on a hot afternoon. This ice cream lollies (as the Brits call them) tea towel has iconic frozen treats that will take you back to the simple pleasures of a cherry popsicle, or a soft serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.
3)Is it a sneaker or an espadrille!? At first glance these look like a pair of sneakers, but they’re actually constructed like an espadrille—with a woven jute sole. These "artificial sneakers" would be perfect for wearing to Labor Day parties. 4)This $20 blue hang out hammock will fit right into your tote or back pack and is perfect for an impromptu nap between a couple of trees while your hiking in the backwoods, or just relaxing in your neighborhood park. It also comes in pink.
5)This tote bag is made from recycled sailboat sails. It would be perfect for carrying goodies to your summer cookout.
Mr. Peacock loves this silly video of the Bananarama girls traipsing around Manhattan on a hot humid summer day in the early 80's. Happy summer everyone!
My first cologne,Wild Country by Avon, was a gift from my grandmother when I was around 10 years old. I don’t remember what it smelled like, but I do remember how much fun I had playing with the race car bottle.
When Mr. Peacock started junior high school, I graduated to the Wild Country companion pieces—like soap on a rope, hair and body wash, and deodorant.
You can still find great vintage Avon bottles like pipes, guns and cars...and even a faux plaid thermos on eBay (above).
Avon still makes Wild Country fragrance for men, although I haven’t smelled it, but I know the packaging isn’t as cool as Avon’s novelty packaging during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
In high school, I began receiving more “adult” fragrances as gifts. My mom gave me Halston Z-14. I thought it had the coolest bottle at the time, and boy did I like the smell of that fragrance. The fragrance is still available, unfortunately it doesn’t smell the same to me at all, or maybe my sense of smell has just evolved.
Polowas very popular too! Occasionally on the subway, I’ll get a whiff of that peppery Polo cologne and it takes me right back to high school—and getting into trouble. I haven't smelled the 30th anniversary Polo Modern Reserve fragrance. I also received a fancy Dopp kit filled with Aramis products one holiday—probably a gift with purchase. Does anyone remember the Aramis man—Ted Danson?!
Interestingly, Aramis is relaunching a handful of their vintage scents (above) from the 70’s to the 90’s including: Aramis 900 (launched in 1973), Devin (launched in 1978), JHL (launched in 1982) and three others. Mrs. Estée Lauder created JHL originally as a custom-blended fragrance for her husband, Mr. Joseph H. Lauder. It’s a citrus, spice and amber blend.
Aramis is calling these vintage scents, The Gentleman’s Collection—"a quintessential collection of fragrances for the modern gentleman". Hmmmm, Mr. Peacock is a modern gentleman. I guess I’ll have to stop by the fragrance counter at Bergdorf Goodman or Saks and see if any of the scents bring back any memories...or could possibly make some new memories.
I'm not really a big fragrance kind-of-guy, but I have my signature scents that I repeatedly purchase over and over again...and use sparingly. In the summertime I like to wear a bit of Acqua di Parma. I bought a big bottle of it years ago at 10 Corso Como, so whenever I put in on I think of Milano. I like the citrusy, yet herbal lightness of this classic scent.
My friend Doug gave me a bottle of Armani/Prive Vetiver for my birthday. I’m still undecided if I like it, however the bottle is intersting—a glass cube with “rock” as the lid. It has kind of a moldy/mossy smell, with very light Vetiver notes. I actually like a stronger Vetiver base.
I always think I want to switch to a new scent, but then I’m completely overwhelmed when I go shopping/searching for a new fragrance. The descriptions of the scents are always very seductive and intriguing, but I rarely have the same experience reading a description of a scent and actually smelling it. They all start smelling the same to me and give me a headache—not very sexy. I’ve been bold a few times and asked strangers what fragrance they’re wearing. Unfortunately, the scents react so differently to your body chemistry.
I actually like scented body washes, soaps and deodorants, because they give you just a hint of the fragrance and aren’t overwhelming—perfect for the daytime.
Do you have a signature scent? Any Vetiver recommendations?
To celebrate his blog birthday, James created a 1st Anniversary Paper Doll Collection of himself with some of his most memorable ensembles from the past year. The artwork is beautifully illustrated by artist Scott Mcbee. You can download it out here.Congratulations James, and thanks for an inspiring year!
The time dilemma—there's always too much or not enough? Time is such a factor in our modern lives. I know many folks who simply use their cell phone/PDA as a watch, and their computer/laptop as a clock. Mr. Peacock still prefers an old-school watch and a nice display clock at home—something I can see at a glance in each room. I like the typography of the numbers on vintage and old-school style clocks, but I also like the sleekness of clock faces without numbers. Here’s some clock goodies on Mr. Peacock's wish list:
(click image above to enlarge) 1) The Twice Clock is a small version of a two-sided railway station clock—you can see the clock face from both sides. It comes in white, black, or wood grain and can also be mounted on a wall. I like the clean, no fuss design of this small clock. 2) The vintage styling of this stainless steel kitchen scale clock does double duty—flip it around and it's a food scale (see right).
3) You can “watch time” with this 1930’s clock advertising Gruen watches. It came from a Midwest jewelry shop. I especially like the numeral four on this vintage clock face.
4) Mr. Peacock couldn’t resist including these brunch plates adorned with different clock faces—you won’t be able to tell time with them, but they’re handsome dishes (and on sale too). 5) This understated and elegant desk clock looks like a souvenir from the film Gattaca. The silver plated bronze exterior box displays the time (including seconds) with digital nixie tube numbers.
6) At five feet tall, this motorized 1950’s street clock on a stand would be very unexpected in a backyard garden—or very dramatic in a loft or large room. The hands and numerals on this clock face are sensuous and elegant.
7) Mr. Peacock has this classic stainless steel M&Co clock, sans numerals, in his kitchen—I can see the time at a quick glance while I’m cooking, or dashing out of the apartment. 8) I also have a reproduction Nelson Eye clock watching over me in my living room. This clock has to be one of my all-time favorites!
J.C. Leyendecker (Joseph Christian) was an illustrator, painter and successful commercial artist. He painted over 300 covers for the Saturday Evening Post, including the one below from 1907.
Although his name isn’t as well known as fellow Saturday Evening Post artist Norman Rockwell, he was equally as talented and successful. Norman Rockwell’s style was actually somewhat derivative of Mr. Leyendecker’s style. Joe was a friend and great influence on Norman Rockwell’s style. Mr. Rockwell was later a pallbearer at his funeral in 1951.
Above: A couple of examples of J.C. Leyendecker's magazine cover artwork.
He was born in Germany in 1882, but his family immigrated to Chicago, and as a teenager attended the Chicago Art Institute. Joe and his younger brother Frank enrolled in the Académie Julian in Paris for a year. In 1900, Joe and Frank (and their sister Mary) moved to New York City to advance their careers in advertising and publishing.
While in NYC, Joe landed his most well known gig—illustrating the Arrow Collar Man (above). One of the original models for the “Arrow Collar Man” became his lifelong “best-friend” and manager, Mr. Charles Beach. (note the white carnation boutonniere)
In addition to his long term gig with the Arrow company, Joe landed many great advertising, book and magazine clients such as: Kuppenheimer,Interwoven Socks, Chesterfield cigarettes, Kellogg's, Ivory soap, American Weekly, Collier's, Popular Magazine, Century Illustrated, Ladies' Home Journal and Scribner's magazine.
In 1914, Joe and his siblings, Frank and Mary, moved into a large estate (above) in New Rochelle, New York—along with his best friend Charles.
Above: An illustration from 1905 for Scribner's magazine.
J.C. Leyendecker never married, and lived with Charles Beach most of his life. Allegedly, this talented gentleman lived his teens and twenties as an openly gay man, but became much more private (and reclusive) later in his life.
Above: Artwork for an Arrow Collars advertisement—circa 1912.
During the 1920’s, Joe and Charles hosted many glamorous events at their home. His luxurious lifestyle, during the 1920’s, epitomized the glamour and idealism of his artwork. Sadly, his brother Frank died from a drug overdose in 1924.
A bulk of J.C. Leyendecker’s work had subtle (and not so subtle) homoerotic overtones. He excelled at representing handsome men and beautiful women in his paintings and illustrations.
Above: Mr. Peacock likes the plaid hat and blanket in this illustration. I think the lady looks a bit like the actress Joan Cusick. During the 1930’s his gigs began to wane. In 1943, he was commissioned for his last Saturday Evening Post cover, which ended his long and lucrative gig that produced 322 covers!
There is no doubt he influenced many artists (obviously Norman Rockwell), and fashion designers with his beautiful and nuanced style. His work still looks relevant and iconic, and continues to influence—even a few PC games. There are a handful of books out on J.C. Leyendecker's life and artwork (right photo-a portrait of Mr. Leyendecker circa 1940's), and a short documentary was released in 2002. I haven’t seen it—have you?
I usually buy too much stuff—it's difficult to just buy the essentials. The stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots, and cherries) have been especially juicy and flavorful this year.
I recently bought a large amount of Bing cherries with the intent of making a pie.
I like fruit pies, but I don’t like them too sweet or gummy—especially cherry pie. I’ve been on a quest to find the “perfect” homemade cherry pie recipe for the last few years. Canned cherry pie filling is so disappointing—overly sweet, gummy, starchy, fake red coloring, and very few cherries.
Here’s Mr. Peacock’s version of a summer cherry pie using fresh Bing cherries—with no red food coloring. I like using a 9” spring form pan, instead of a pie plate. I like the pie to look a bit rustic.
Mr. Peacock’s Cherry Pie Makes 6 servings Preheat oven 375 degrees
2 lbs pitted ripe Bing cherries juice of 1 lime ¾ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon almond extract (just a little enhances the cherry flavor) pinch of salt 1 ½ tablespoon of minute tapioca 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces Pastry for a double-crust pie (your favorite recipe or see below) 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1) Carefully pit the cherries. I used a deep mixing bowl and simply squished the pit out of each cherry. It is a bit labor intensive, but the process goes fairly quickly. Wear latex gloves if you don’t want your hands to get stained with cherry juice. I washed my hands immediately, but my cuticles were stained a bit. I also suggest laying newspapers on your floor and having paper towels and some sort of spray cleaner nearby—because your work area will get splattered with cherry juice.
2) After you pit all of the cherries, I slightly mashed them a bit with the back of a large spoon to get some extra juice. 3) Pour the sugar, almond extract, pinch of salt, and tapioca over the cherries and gently toss together with a spoon. Let this mixture rest 10-15 minutes. 4) Pour the filling into the prepared piecrust. Sprinkle the surface with the cornstarch and sugar mixture. Sprinkle the cold butter over the top. Push the extended edges of the piecrust over the topping.
5) Arrange the cookie cutter pieces of dough over the top of the mixture and pie crust edges. I slightly overlapped the pieces going in circles from the middle to the outer edges. Sprinkle the top with the turbinado sugar. 6) Place the spring pan on top of a cookie sheet and place in the preheated 375-degree oven.
7) Bake the pie for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. The filling will still appear runny when you first remove it from the oven. Let the pie cool at least 1 hour and the filling will set. Enjoy!
Pastry for a double-crust pie (adapted from Gourmet magazine) 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached) 1 tablespoon of sugar ¾ tsp salt 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into a dice 4 tablespoons of frozen solid vegetable shortening (you can get non-hydrogenated at Whole Foods), cut into a dice 1/3 cup ice water (plus 1-4 extra tablespoons)
1) Dice the cold butter and frozen shortening. Place in the freezer. 2) Pour the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor with your regular blade and pulse until blended. 3) Spread the frozen butter and shortening over the flour mixture. 4) Get your ice water handy and pulse the flour and butter, alternately adding a bit of cold water. Continue pulsing and adding water until the dough forms a ball. Once the dough comes together—do not over process.
5) Dump the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and pat out into a round disc—about 1 inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
6) Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment paper until about 3/16 of inch thick. Drape dough over the spring form pan and gently press into the pan. Cut away excess dough. 7) Roll the excess dough between the parchment papers. Use a cookie cutter to cut as many shapes out of this extra dough. I used a 2” round scalloped cookie cutter.
If you’re not into making your pie (and live in the San Francisco), you can order and purchase a fresh pie from the Pie Truck(thanks Sara). The pie truck is a one-man operation. The pie man, a former architect, bakes and delivers these delicious sweet and savory pies—even on Saturday. Click here for more information about the Pie Truck.
Mention tie-dye and immediately you’ll think of Haight Asbury, free love, patchouli and the hippie movement. The process involves folding the fabric and binding or tying it in place, and then applying dye. The ties prevent the entire surface of the fabric from being dyed, and creates the patterns. Many cultures around the world from Peru to Africa have used tie-dye, or resist dyeing, to color and create patterns on fabric. In Japan it’s called Shibori, and in India it’s called bandhna. One of Mr. Peacock’s favorite shirts uses fabric created with resist dyeing techniques (see below No. 7). Tie-dye gets a bad rap because it's frequently associated with tacky apparel, but there are many interesting and beautiful textiles created using the resist dyeing technique. Here are a few tie-dye goodies, or things inspired by tie-dye...
(click image above to enlarge) 1)The pattern of these tie-dye napkins reminds me of blue dandelions ready to blow their seeds into the wind. They would be perfect for leisure evening cookouts this summer.
2)Mr. Peacock likes the painterly pattern of subtle swirls of color on this hand knotted silk rug—it looks like a large tie-dye or abstract painting. 3)Summer is flying by, but you still have time to wear summery shirts like this slim cut resist dyed cotton shirt in a green ombre color (it's on sale too).
4)This little melting bud vase isn’t tie-dyed, but the pattern of the colors remind me of a piece of tie-dye fabric.
5)I remember laying my jeans in the the bath tub in high school and splattering bleach all over them to achieve this look. These deep indigo colored slim jeans aren't tie-dyed, but still have that DIY aesthetic, and they won't smell like bleach for weeks (like my jeans in high school did). 6)This silk-screened tie-dye t-shirt with an iconic black & white image of Patti Smith is given a new twist with tie-dye colors.
7)Mr. Peacock likes to wear this Agnes B. tie-dye shirt (at right), from a few years back, on warm days in San Francisco.
You can make your own tie-dye shirt too (or napkins)!
Do you have any tie-dye items hiding in your home or wardrobe?
(click image above to enlarge)
