Bon Voyage
Even as the magic of spring envelops us, there are many who secretly yearn for the languorous sun-drenched days of summer lurking just around the bend. These avatars of adventure, these rajahs of wanderlust gather backpacks and binoculars, suitcases and sandals, in anticipation of treks and voyages to new sites and civilizations. “Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.” Tennessee Williams, Camino Real Some spend evenings basking in the glow of computer screens, surfing for an alternative glow to savor – whether glimpsing a sunrise from the North Pole, trekking the great wall of...
Read MoreThe Amazing Handkerchief
You’re familiar with “amuse bouche” – a sumptuous little treat for the mouth; well, we’re providing you with “amuse yeux” a little treat for the eyes. We can only provide a small sampling, but the archives are so vast, we hope it whets your visual appetite to delve deeper into the world of fashion and flirtation via the delightful, demure, yet seductive handkerchief. Photographing the exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library was a challenge due to reflections off the display cases, but we hope these snippets will give you some idea of what’s...
Read MoreWords of Love
Alex William’s New York Times article The End of Courtship could bring the most optimistic romantic to tears. The accompanying graphic depicts 16 millennials sitting at a bar, all sending and reading texts. Eye contact between patrons is Zero. Zip. Nada. Yet the messages they’re reading include “Join me for breakfast?” “Steamy spa night @ 11 p.m.” and “You in? 2am my place for some hot mac and cheese.” Courtship today consists of “Hey” or “Sup?” (Sounds the Fonz; yet even he knew courting required meeting the girl at her doorstep and escorting her home.) According to Williams, one woman who...
Read MoreRitva Coffron – the Joie de Vivre Artist
A Ritva Coffron handkerchief can’t help but make you smile. Light and playful, cheerful and heartwarming, Coffron designs welcome you with joyful exuberance. Like many staff artists who worked for a corporation, Coffron’s work went unsigned, and we might never have discovered her identity without the help of her niece Marja. Luckily, Marja found this blog, and generously shared her handkerchief collection and stories about her aunt. As we know, some textile designers like Tammis Keefe, Carl Tait, or Tom Lamb, had exclusives for their designs with large retailers – B. Altman, Neiman...
Read MoreTaking Flight
“Nothing will ever equal that moment of joyous excitement which filled my whole being when I felt myself flying away from the earth. It was not mere pleasure; it was perfect bliss.” Jacques Charles (Said after making man’s first ascent by hydrogen balloon in 1783) These delightful dirigibles evoke the action adventure movie Around the World in 80 Days. Winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, it piqued the imagination of all who have ever dreamt of flying. In the film, Londoner Pileas Fogg wagers £20,000 (£1.6 million today) that he can circumnavigate the...
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