Gio Ponti was one of the most prominent and prolific designers of the last century. For over six decades, this Italian gentleman designed buildings, furniture, ceramics, and textiles (above—in a cotton suit, with a bow tie).
In addition to being a trained architect, he also was a professor, artist, poet and magazine editor—always paying attention to the sublime details in his work. He was born in Milan on November 18, 1891, and died September 16, 1979.
In 1950, Mr. Ponti, won the commission to design the 32-story Pirelli Tower(in collaboration with Pier Luigi Nervi and Arturo Danusso). The Pirelli Tower is his most iconic building, and the first skyscraper built in Milan.
A lesser-known building, and the only Gio Ponti designed building in the United States (with Colorado architect James Sudler), is the Denver Art Museum(above)—completed in 1971. The Daniel Libeskand, Frederic C. Hamilton building, opened adjacent to the Gio Ponti building in 2006—as part of the Denver Art Museum expansion. Mr. Peacock isn't too keen on this new annex, neither is the New York Times.Another addition, the Duncan Pavilion, was added in 2006 as a link between the Gio Ponti and Daniel Libeskand buildings.
As a child, my mother would take me to the Denver Art Museum to stroll through the galleries and for lunch afterwards in the café. I always thought it looked like a modern castle, and I imagined I lived there.
The entire surface is covered in 3-dimensional, steel gray tiles (above). This geometric shaped motif can be seen in other Gio Ponti works.
Various shaped windows are scattered throughout the building (above). The interior spaces elegantly flowed and allowed the artwork to shine.
The main entrance of the Ponti building had a large steel cylindrical shaped “tunnel.” I always imagined it was a slice of a submarine. It now has a tacky sign guiding visitors to the new main entrance, and was an unofficial bicycle parking area on my last pilmigrage. Sadly, the management of the Denver Art Museum doesn’t pay attention to details, like Mr. Ponti.
Above: Mr. Ponti designed so many wonderful furniture pieces.
Mr. Ponti designed the iconic chair, Superleggera (Superlight—see below left), in 1957. It’s simplicity belies it’s genius design—that is both comfortable and elegant looking...and of course it's super light.
Mr. Peacock has a half dozen Supperleggera chairs in aluminum with woven seats (above right). The sleek silhouette of the chair is ideal for apartments or small spaces. I can comfortably squeeze them all around my round table when I host dinner parties. Above: A pair of ceramic vessels designed by Mr. Ponti for Richard Ginori, c. 1924.
In 1928, Mr. Ponti founded the design and architecture magazine Domus—published from its inception to 1999. He remained the editor, with a brief sojourn, until his death. You can buy a complete reproduction set of Domus(above).
If Mr. Peacock wins the lottery, he would furnish his entire home in Gio Ponti (above and below—Ponti interiors).
Until then, there are some great books documenting the talent and work of Gio Ponti.
Above: A painting called, Gemini, by Gio Ponti.
Above: A Gio Ponti designed, Reed & Barton, coffee service with rattan handle.
Gio Ponti is one of the most important design figures of the 20th century.This gentleman icon did it all—designing, writing, painting! Thank you Mr. Ponti!
Years ago, I had custom sepia style note cards (below) made as a gift for my grandmother (LaViolette) and aunt (Mildred). I used a photo of them smoking, when they were teenagers in the 1920's.They got a big kick out of these note cards, and my grandmother had so much fun mailing them to her friends. You can order your own custom cards here, or order some from your local print shop.
Above photo, left to right: Aunt Mildred (about 13 years old), their friend Snookie, and my grandmother LaViolette (about 16 years old)—wearing their one-piece swimsuits and smoking cigarettes at the local "swimming hole." Mildred and LaViolette, weren’t allowed to eat any processed foods growing up. Their father didn't allow them to even eat cornflakes cereal—only whole foods for longevity. It is still debatable who was the favorite of their parents, but I think Mildred was her dad’s favorite and LaViolette was her mother’s favorite. Their father thought both of his daughters should be able to do everything that the boys could do, and therefore taught them both how to drive their Model T Ford when they were only 10 years old. They were the only girls in their neck of the woods that knew how to drive, and later in their teens "chauffeured" all of their friends to parties—including the boys.
Above, left to right: LaViolette and Mildred in their 70's—they still liked to have a good time and go to parties...playfully showing some leg. The sisters in about 1915.
During prohibition, when they were teenagers, their father would let them get dressed up and attend parties at speakeasies in the big city. Mildred begged her dad to buy her fishnet stockings (and he would), and he also let her wear his fur coat when they went to parties (he was a fur trader). Above: The original photo of my grandmother, that I used for the note cards.
In their early teens, my grandmother cut her and her sister’s long hair (and their friends too) into a short style which they called “the mannish dip.” Above: My grandmother (on the left) looking boyish with her cropped hair and "wrapped bosom," with a friend—dressed up and going to some party in the 1920's.
My grandmother had large breasts which weren't very fashionable then, and would wrap herself in a towel to flatten her appearance when they got dressed up—while Mildred had a more fashionable svelte figure. They had many fun and care-free times as teenagers.
I'm attending my grandmother's memorial this week in celebration of her long life. I will be out of town until next week, but will be back next Wednesday!
Thank you everyone for the birthday greetings! And thank you to Mistress MJ at Infomaniac for the naughty birthday wishes last Friday.
My favorite Aunt sent me a birthday card and a check (she has every year since I was born). This year she also included a tree dedication in my name through the Arbor Day Foundation. She's been "green" her entire life. You can buy a tree for someone here.
My mom took these photos at my birthday party when I turned 3 years old. I’m the chunky one in the short coveralls. We didn’t have big fancy, themed birthday parties as a child—just a few kids, ice cream and a homemade birthday cake on a sunny June day.
At the party, my cousin Tracy, (I’m 2 months older) started to cry for some reason ...and ran to her mom, my Aunt Criss. I actually remember thinking, “Why are you crying Tracy, it’s my birthday party!?”
One of my mom’s best friends, Nancy, brought her 2 sons, Ron and Tony. Ron was the oldest—maybe 6 or 7 years old. He didn’t really want play with us little kids.
My mom said, “I want a picture of you and Ron…” So I grabbed his hand and my mom took the picture. Oh, to be 3 years old again...
My partner Jason made me a clever homemade birthday card (which he always does for me), and a wonderful dinner….and I received nice cards (and gifts) from my sisters too. Thanks everyone—I appreciate it!
Madras is lightweight plain weave cotton fabric that originated from Madras (Chennai), India. It's is used for shirts, pants, and hats—and can come in a variety of checks, stripes and plaids...and you my fondness for plaid.
Early madras fabric wasn’t always colorfast, so the vibrant colors faded each time you washed it—and became softer and softer.
Most of the madras today is colorfast, but I still launder my new madras pieces separately—just to be safe, in case any colors bleed. Mr. Peacockloves patchwork, but it has to be the right kind of patchwork. Some of the mass-produced madras patchwork has become somewhat clichéd looking—I think because it looks a bit too perfect. Patchwork is charming when it’s not so perfect. Leave it to Ralph Lauren to make a unique madras patchwork shirt that utilizes the heart and soul of the Indian textile colors and patterns—with a bit of a hippy vibe.
Vivid colors in stripes and checks are overprinted with patterns of paisley, leaves, and other forms—and patchworked into a shirt. The color palette of these madras check swim trunks looks so vintage (50's or 60's)—but they’re brand new.
There’s also a long sleeve madras check shirt available. The color palette would work well all the way through autumn, and look great worn with a sweater.
Band of Outsiders showed many fantastic madras plaid patchwork pieces in their Spring/Summer 2009 collection.
I love the details, including the tab at the neckline.
A great madras tie is an easy way to incorporate some pattern into your wardrobe.
I love the vibrant color palette of orange, red, sky blue and cream on this madras checked tie.
Madras plaid sport coats(they're on sale too) are perfect for either dressing it up with a tie, or dressing it down with a soft, worn t-shirt and cut off shorts.
Madras trousers also look good worn casually with your favorite shirt, or more polished with a navy blazer. There are lots of great madras pieces for men this year. The lightweight fabric is ideal for hot weather. Mr. Peacock has a vintage pair of very soft madras patchwork pants that he’ll be lounging around in this summer.
Around 1990, when I worked at a weekly newspaper, I liked to listen to a local oldies Am radio station while I designed the layouts. The station, which is now defunct, played American standards and jazz—think Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and Peggy Lee (above c. 1956).My dad would listen to a similar oldies station while driving his car, when I was a kid, so that music is very comforting to me.
One day, on a lark, I called the radio station when they announced a trivia question to win a pair of tickets to see Peggy Lee in concert. I don’t remember what the trivia question was, but I won those tickets!
I queried my friends to find someone to accompany me to the show—either they weren’t interested in seeing Peggy Lee, or had previous plans (the Folsom Fair was the same day as the concert). I ended up going to the show by myself, and had to take a bus for about 45 minutes, to what seemed like the middle of nowhere, out in the suburbs of San Francisco.
The bus was running late, and I was worried I would miss the beginning of the show—and there was no warm-up act. I walked into the theater, which was a tiered half-circle with maybe 1000 seats—and it was less than half full. I couldn't believe it—I thought it would be sold out. The audience was a mix: dressed-up older couples, some gay men, a handful of hipster kids, and a couple of drag queens. The band, about 10 or 12 guys, came out on stage and began warming-up. Then the lights dimmed and a male voice boomed over the sound system, “Ladies and gentlemen—Miss Peggy Lee.”
Above: Peggy Lee in her dressing room, before a show, c. 1990.
A spotlight appeared on the side of the stage...and Miss Lee was in a wheel chair, being pushed out to the center of the stage, by an assistant. It was rather surreal—and just a few yards away from where I was sitting. She was wearing a sparkly sequined outfit with her signature platinum wig, and a large sparkly rhinestone decoration (brooch?)on top of her hair...and a huge bunch of balloons fastened to the handles of her wheelchair. She was sparkling like firecracker, and brought the whole theater to life.
She took the microphone and looked out at all of the empty seats and said, “How about everyone squeeze in, and come closer.” So everyone crowded together down in the front section, and she began her first song. I literally had goose bumps hearing this legend perform! Like a good wine, her voice had aged, but was still wonderful—and thousands of times better than many young pop songbirds today.
Above: I'm a woman, with Johnny Cash.
She sang all of her hits and many cover songs: Fever, Manana, I’m a Woman, and my favorite—Is That All There Is? Between songs, she told stories and chatted with the audience, and even allowed the audience to ask questions.
Tony Bennett said, "Peggy Lee was the female Frank Sinatra...she was the epitome of popular jazz singing and a wonderful songwriter as well." Quoted from the Chicago Tribune, 1/23/02
What a performer! This lady with panache entertained us for almost 3 hours, and was so charming, funny and warm. At the time, she was involved in a lawsuit with Disney (they ripped her off for the songwriter royalties for the song, Lady and the Tramp), but still made funny references to the case, without naming names.
k.d. lang said, "She represents an era that is leaving us, one where vocals were king, and I honestly can't think of a better vocalist in that jazz-pop crooning style. What made her so good was that she interpreted and delivered songs with such a complex and dense range of emotions." Quoted from Time magazine, 1/27/02
Peggy Lee was a Gemini, born on May 26, 1920. This elegant and glamorous woman was a singer, songwriter, composer and actress. I can’t even begin to list all of the hits and professional accolades this girl from a small town in North Dakota achieved in her 60-year career.
To learn more about Miss Peggy Lee's amazing life and career, be sure to stop by theofficial Peggy Lee website, or read a book about this American icon. If you don’t have some Peggy Lee in your music collection, buy a cd today....make yourself a Casanova Cocktail and sit down and listen to it this weekend!
I feel very fortunate that I was able to see this icon perform live in my lifetime. She passed away in 2002. Mr. Peacock salutes this fellow Gemini—Miss Peggy Lee!
It’s Mr. Peacock’s birthday this week—so I will be posting items with Gemini connections.
Happy belated birthday to Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle aka Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(above and below), author of the Sherlock Holmes novels. This Gemini peacock was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr. Peacock loves his impeccably waxed bushy 'stache.
Above: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his home c. 1912, and in Paris in 1925.
Mr. Peacock has always been fond of the Sherlock Holmes character in books, films, et all. It doesn’t matter to me who’s portraying the drug addicted sleuth in television or film adaptations, as long as the director keeps the mystery on edge—and the costumes are on the mark.
Here’s the trailer for the Guy Ritchie directed Sherlock Holmes film—set to open in theaters in December. I’m not sure if I’m more excited that Robert Downey Jr. is playing Mr. Holmes, or that Jude Law is playing Dr. Watson? The costumes appear to be a visual treat.
Gio Ponti was one of the most prominent and prolific designers of the last century. For over six decades, this Italian gentleman designed buildings, furniture, ceramics, and textiles (above—in a cotton suit, with a bow tie).
Above: Gio Ponti designed flatware. 
Above: Amethyst, turquoise and amber Gio Ponti glass bottles by Venini.
In 1950, Mr. Ponti, won the commission to design the 32-story Pirelli Tower (in collaboration with Pier Luigi Nervi and Arturo Danusso). The Pirelli Tower is his most iconic building, and the first skyscraper built in Milan.
A lesser-known building, and the only Gio Ponti designed building in the United States (with Colorado architect James Sudler), is the Denver Art Museum (above)—completed in 1971. The Daniel Libeskand, Frederic C. Hamilton building, opened adjacent to the Gio Ponti building in 2006—as part of the Denver Art Museum expansion. Mr. Peacock isn't too keen on this new annex, neither is the New York Times. Another addition, the Duncan Pavilion, was added in 2006 as a link between the Gio Ponti and Daniel Libeskand buildings. 
The entire surface is covered in 3-dimensional, steel gray tiles (above). This geometric shaped motif can be seen in other Gio Ponti works.
Various shaped windows are scattered throughout the building (above). The interior spaces elegantly flowed and allowed the artwork to shine.
The main entrance of the Ponti building had a large steel cylindrical shaped “tunnel.” I always imagined it was a slice of a submarine. It now has a tacky sign guiding visitors to the new main entrance, and was an unofficial bicycle parking area on my last pilmigrage. Sadly, the management of the Denver Art Museum doesn’t pay attention to details, like Mr. Ponti.
Above: Mr. Ponti designed so many wonderful furniture pieces.
Mr. Peacock has a half dozen Supperleggera chairs in aluminum with woven seats (above right). The sleek silhouette of the chair is ideal for apartments or small spaces. I can comfortably squeeze them all around my round table when I host dinner parties.
Above: A pair of ceramic vessels designed by Mr. Ponti for Richard Ginori, c. 1924.
He remained the editor, with a brief sojourn, until his death. You can buy a complete reproduction set of Domus (above).
If Mr. Peacock wins the lottery, he would furnish his entire home in Gio Ponti (above and below—Ponti interiors).
Until then, there are some great books documenting the talent and work of Gio Ponti.
Above: A painting called, Gemini, by Gio Ponti.
Above: A Gio Ponti designed, Reed & Barton, coffee service with rattan handle.
Above: Gio Ponti ceramic tiles from 1964.
