...a distinguished fellow and published author who has always been known as an elegant dresser, Le Boulevardier will be writing a column here at CountessJeanne.com. A lifetime member of Boodles in London, an English-speaker and Francophone born in Scandinavia who has lived all over the world, Le Boulevardier will write about the current state of menswear.
Pictured in Paris, 1990 Copyright Countess Jeanne
The Original International Man of Mystery
Le Boulevardier
THE LOWDOWN ON THE SKINNY
Westerners are fortunate to live in free societies: wear what you want, but know how you look…. I loathe the new trend that forces men of all shapes into slim-fitting jackets and trousers made for tall, lean mannequins who do not resemble you and me. Blame Tom Ford, the influential designer who revived the warring House of Gucci with his slim, “sexy” styles. Ford has good taste and a trim body that looks good in the things he creates. But his clothes leave no room for expression, since the average fellow cannot sausage himself into the stuff without gut-crushing discomfort. I am somewhere between fifty and death, weigh 190 pounds, at a dizzying height of 5 feet 9 inches. And though I was once a soldier with a reputation for fitness and durability, like all men in their middle years, I have slightly expanded through the mid-section—and this despite a regular training regimen. My friends and acquaintances suffer the same development. And yet among these, several insist on cramming themselves into clothes designed for twenty-two-year-old amazons. There are few sights more depressing than middle-aged men bulging above the hips, in the new low-waist trousers; and when a fellow adds an idiotically tight jacket to the mix, the visible expanse of shirt below whatever button is fastened contributes pathos where none is wanted.
When I think of persons admired for their skinny style, Mick Jagger always comes to mind. Good old Mick, with his huge head and tiny body--a rock icon whose band hired the Hell’s Angels to provide security at Altamont Raceway in December of ’69, the moral equivalent of bringing aboard the Imperial Wizard of the Mississippi Klan to provide counseling for persons unsure of their racial attitudes. Now, contrast the likes of Big-Head-Tiny-Body-Skinny-Suit-Wearing-Mick with the tweedy opulence of Gary Cooper or Cary Grant: would you prefer to be shrink-wrapped or draped? Time has come to dial back the madness. Gentlemen wear clothes that fit without constriction. Modern life is undignified enough without adding another layer of absurdity—airline travel provides all the absurdity you will ever need. I propose a happy medium, where trousers loosely follow the lines of the body, are worn on the natural waist, to avoid shirt coming-out parties at every turn, and where jackets sit comfortably on the shoulders, instead of bunching from a paucity of cloth in chest and back. The degree of waist suppression is up to the individual, of course, but too-short jackets are the work of the devil. Why rob yourself of precious inches to expose your posterior? Thom Browne, the cutting-edge New York fashion designer, has inspired Brooks Brothers to launch a new line of skimpy suits and separates modeled on his own. And though Thom certainly believes in the value of his high-water pants and boy’s department jackets for adults, the passage of time will ultimately rob his delusional customers, because dopey confections fade away, while true style endures. Think back to the 1980s and those ghastly football pad shoulders worn with narrow lapels…. The slim orthodoxy championed by magazines like GQ and Men’s Vogue is tomorrow’s laughable excess. Be different: wear elegantly-shaped clothes that follow the lines of your body with unrestrictive fluidity. Life is too short to be small.
~~Le Boulevardier~~
Article Copyright Countess Jeanne October 26th, 2007 All Rights Reserved. Violators Will Be Prosecuted.
For years, I have written about structured, feminine clothing, lamenting two mysteriously long-lived fashion atrocities: waist-free trousers and skirts, and what we used to call "highwaters"--pajama pants that don't reach the ankles. These two disfiguring styles, worn everywhere by fashion-victims from all walks of life, have seen their day. Now, I don't work for the Vogue company, but as the photo here shows, women are once again clamoring for traditional clothes. A recent visit to the sewing shop revealed that every major pattern company has a line of retrograde classics. A very wise thing to do, if one doesn't sew, is to choose a pattern for an ensemble or dress and have a seamstress make it for you. It's the more practical alternative to visiting a "bespoke" or made-to-measure house, which can become a costly nightmare. Instead, employ an individual with whom you can develop a personal relationship. Seamstresses may be located through your local sewing shop or fabric store.
Have a look at the Vogue Pattern site. You will still see the low-waisted or, more accurately, the no-waisted look, but the selection of classic styles is greatly expanded.
~~M-Jeanne; August 11th, 2007
See the link for Bookster U.K. at the right side of this page--they can make a lady's tweed jacket for you at a very reasonable price.
Hats and gloves are back--though they have always been components of my personal style, they mysteriously disappeared a few decades ago, and were no longer de rigueur. Hats protect your head, and gloves protect one's hands. In Manhattan, I walked under a pigeon. A Madison Avenue manicurist (an angel, for sure) helped me clean the mess from my head and shoulders. If only I'd remembered to wear a hat that morning! And gloves can protect your hands from dirt and germs--see The Merits of Wearing Gloves on my blog.
Quotes by Countess Jeanne
Your body is a temple--make sure it's not the Temple of Doom.
A wrinkled sack of skin on some all-too-visible bones can turn stomachs instead of heads.
Beware of Splay-Foot and Shorty-Pants
~~Copyright Countess Jeanne
See My Bread Recipe in Cuisine. Photo Copyright Countess Jeanne, 2007
Introducing Proper Ollie Together with standards of dress, manners have taken a nose-dive. These short videos are amusing, but so true. Don't let the person being laughed at or hit with a brickbat be you!
Storing Your Scarves and Gloves A good use for hat boxes or hat cases is to store scarves and gloves in them--I keep the scarves and gloves in separate hat boxes. Photos copyright Countess Jeanne, 2008 Storing Your Scarves and Gloves, by Countess Jeanne
Elegant Survival on Safari
We discovered this affordable and excellent source of well-made safari clothes while outfitting our elder relative for a trip. The firm is called Tag Safari, and their motto is "Helping Africa through Trade, Not Aid". Tag Safari's office in Houston is staffed with personable and efficient customer service agents. Countess Jeanne's Survival tip: the more of your skin that is covered by clothing, the safer you are from the elements, sun and insects in particular. Even in the U.S., insects can cause deadly diseases such as Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and West Nile virus. People assume that hot weather requires a baring of skin, which is a fallacy. Natural fibres have a wicking action to keep your skin dry of perspiration, thus keeping you cool. And, everyone but the unenlightened knows now that getting sunburnt/tanned on purpose isn't cool! Smart people wear long sleeves and trousers, long socks, boots and skirts. Do all you can to protect against malaria and other insect-borne diseases. Desert-dwellers cover as much skin as possible, and for good reason. The only person you'll see going nearly-naked in the desert is the odd American tourist. You'll see them later in the cancer ward! Whether you're in the high desert, the heavily-wooded forest, or in the savannahs of Africa, my elegant survival rule of covering yourself from head-to-toe with luxurious fabrics makes sense. ~~Copyright Countess Jeanne 2007
I devised an elegant, quick soup for a recent luncheon. I'm presenting it here as an Easter gift to you. Potage Printanier aux Petits Pois appears on the Cuisine and Culture page.
Elegant Survival
Remember Billy Crystal as Fernando Llamas on Saturday Night Live? His theme was "It is better to look good than to feel good--and you look MARVELOUS!" Feeling good is important. When you look as well as you can, it has a mind-over-matter effect that can boost your spirits and thus enhance your physical well-being.In these pages, I will be posting my own writing about beauty, dressing well, health, and cuisine. I will give tips on women's fashions for various body-types. One of my favorite themes is that it doesn't take loads of money to maximize one's beauty potential. Anyone can afford to look glamorous without gilding the lily too much. Good, old-fashioned clothing with lots of luxurious fabric can do wonders for your psyche. And never mind age: the old adage, "Youth is wasted on the young" may be true, but experience and knowledge give us the tools to excel at any age. Copyright 2006 Countess M-Jeanne
LET'S GET SUPERFICIAL! Yes, appearances matter, not only to those who see you, but to you, too. If you find this a foreign concept, or don't think it is politically correct, perhaps you would be surprised if you give the idea of improving your appearance a try. It doesn't require loads of dough, just a little know-how on basic shapes and shades of things like clothing and makeup. I have seen the difference that improved outward appearance makes on people. Take the example of men, women and children in uniforms, whether they are military or school-related. The respect that they show for themselves extends to their treatment of others. I don't wish to harp here, but my husband and I have always dressed in a manner that will guarantee our acceptance in any venue. We are always prepared for any circumstances, once we leave our home. It certainly doesn't require much money to adjust one's makeup to maximize female features. Sometimes, less is more, and certain products containing oils and powders can dry and wrinkle the skin. I cover those issues on the Health and Beauty page. Let's maximize our personal beauty potential!
Cuisine and Culture On my Cuisine and Culture page, I will be discussing food and wine, and how to dine and entertain in a Continental manner without going broke doing it. As I have said in my fashion advice section and my beauty tips writing, elegance can be achieved without spending like a sailor. After all, if you have spent less on food, you can spend more on clothes. I will be including a few of my original recipes and some very good, inexpensive wine recommendations. All of my recommendations will have been tested in our household. Fine art will be featured as well. Thanks for visiting. ~~Copyright M-Jeanne 2006~~
My Husband with O'Farrell Hat: Photo Copyright Countess Jeanne 2008
O'Farrell Santa Fe, located directly across from the world-famous La Fonda Hotel, custom makes fur felt hats for ladies and gentlemen of discerning taste. Cowboy hats are a specialty, but O'Farrell will make any style to satisfy a client's request. Fedoras, town and country trilbies, homburgs, ranchers, and gamblers are among the many elegant hats available through the shop. All work is done on the premises, by hand. And the felt itself is the best available anywhere in the world--there are two levels of fur felt, one mostly beaver, the other 100% beaver; prices start at $750 (USD), a reasonable tariff for lasting beauty and dependability. The O'Farrell hat is distinguished by the quality of hand work that goes into its construction: carefully fashioned sweatbands are stitched for a lifetime of comfortable wear; the felt is sculpted with loving attention to every detail of fit and style measurement; the shape of the crown and brim are customized to each client's exact specifications. And the fit itself is guaranteed by the novel--and wonderfully old-fashioned--use of a century-old machine that first moulds to the intended wearer's head and then creates a paper pattern that replicates the shape of his or her skull, which is both revelatory and amusing. The O'Farrell hat will last through generations of wear, which makes it a true value acquisition to serve faithfully and reliably. When you purchase an O'Farrell hat, you invest in the best!
Torres Malena Garnacha 2006: It's SO good, and my recommendation got so many hits, that it is not only Countess Jeanne's Wine of the Month for December, but January too!!
Maurice Chevalier at the Coronation Ball in London, 1953, drawn by Francis Marshall
Photo and Recipe Copyright Countess Jeanne 2006
Original Walnut Torte Recipe is on Elegant Survival Cuisine Page
Washing and Drying Shirts: Saving Energy AND Your Investment
A well-made shirt can cost $500.00 or more. That is an investment to protect. Your shirts will last much longer if they are washed by hand and hung to dry. Don't use so much detergent that it takes a rinsing marathon to remove it. "A little dab'll do ya", as the old Brylcreem jingle said. Ideally, one would hang shirts on a clothesline, upside down, with clothespins. This keeps pinch-marks off the important areas of your shirts. The sun will dry them in no time. Alternatively, one could hang them indoors, perhaps out-of-sight behind the the shower curtain, on hangers. A sturdy spring-rod, placed inside the shower area for the purpose of hanging clothes to dry, and will not interfere with your existing shower-rod. If you don't want to get hanger-marks on the shoulders, just put wash-cloths under them, over the ends of your hanger. The worst thing to do, even if you wash your shirts in cold water in the gentle cycle, is to dry them in a machine.--doing so will quickly degrade your shirt, which will die an angry death before its time. My husband and I have shirts from France and England that are twenty years old, and in perfect condition. An electric, energy-consuming dryer is an enemy to high-quality clothing--in fact, it is what shrinks clothes and wears them out quickly. You'd be surprised at how swiftly shirts dry naturally, and when they are just a wee bit damp, they're easy to iron. In cases of stubborn collar and cuff soil, when hand-scrubbing fails, you can still wash your white shirts in hot water, soap, and a little bleach, as long as they are rinsed well, and then hung to dry. Bleach alternative may be a better choice, if you can get it to work on stubborn stains. The sun will do some natural bleaching of white cotton. Save costly energy and your shirts by hand-washing and sun-drying them. Giving your precious shirts to a dry-cleaners or other laundry service is outright dangerous. They crush buttons on your shirts, and machine-dry them. Does clothing on a line outdoors conjure up bad images for you? Too bad, because it is one of life's simple luxuries to be able to hang a gorgeous, custom-made shirt in the sun. Some of the best people do it.
It is not infradig to care for your own shirts. After all, who cares for them more than you do?
"Believing that all literature and all education are only useful so far as they tend to confirm this calm, beneficent, and THEREFORE kingly, power--first, over ourselves, and, through ourselves, over all around us,--I am now going to ask you to consider with me farther, what special portion or kind of this royal authority, arising out of noble education, may rightly be possessed by women; and how far they also are called to a true queenly power,--not in their households merely, but over all within their sphere. And in what sense, if they rightly understood and exercised this royal or gracious influence, the order and beauty induced by such benignant power would justify us in speaking of the territories over which each of them reigned, as "Queens' Gardens."
Photo Copyright Countess Jeanne 2006 How to Dress for a Formal Luncheon
I've been asked lately how a woman ought to dress to attend an elegant, formal luncheon. Daytime dressing is fun, as it affords you some fashion opportunities not available during night-time. Even if the weather is hot and humid, a simple and beautiful costume is in order, complemented by traditional style elements such as high-heeled shoes, gloves and hats. In fact, luncheon is the most appropriate time to wear your best hat. Jewellery may be worn, as long as it is understated--pearls are desirable, as are tasteful clip-earrings, but a lady is best-advised to choose one or the other and not both. Pendulous earrings ought not to be worn in daytime. Gloves of a very light fabric or kidskin, preferably wrist-length, may be worn upon entry to the luncheon. Once you sit down at the luncheon table, you remove your gloves, but never your hat. Resist boorish suggestions to remove it; a lady never removes her hat. The same applies to the top layer of her costume, whether it is a blazer, bolero, or stole. Only the overcoat is subject to removal, and an elegant club serving formal luncheons, such as the Colony in New York, will have a coat-check service. A modest-length dress or skirt-suit is proper, from knee-length on down to mid-calf. Longer skirts require higher heels to balance the silhouette, whereas dressy flats may be worn with knee-length skirt-suits and dresses. To keep your presentation in balance, if you wear separates rather than a dress, a longer jacket or blazer ought to be worn with a knee-length skirt, and a shorter, peplum or bolero jacket out to be worn with a longer skirt. A long jacket combined with a long skirt will create a dumpy effect. Pants and slack suits are definitely out of order for any formal event, but if you really must hide your legs, a long dress or skirt is acceptable, as long as your ankles and shoes are visible. Sleeveless dresses with light coats or boleros of the same fabric are quite comfortable and elegant. As for fabric prints or weaves, the flower motif is perfect for daytime festivities. Regarding appropriate shoes (avoid even the most elegant boots for these occasions--pumps or flats are always just right): the more official or elegant the occasion, the less one shows of her toes and feet, so avoid peep-toe and sling-back shoes. Suits constructed of wool, shantung silk or diaphanous layers, and well-structured dresses with modest decolletages, are always welcome. The more fabric one wears, the better. Pastel colours are desirable in spring and summertime, while in winter the preferred colours are more jewel-toned, neutral or sombre. Black must be excluded at all times of year, unless a woman is in mourning. If you remember that day-wear may be elegant but not blatantly sexy, success is in your future, as well as many delicious luncheons with your peers.
Copyright Countess Jeanne 2008
Staphylia, by Countess Jeanne copyright 2006
October Wine of the Month:
Le Pigeoulet des Brunier Côtes du Rhône
VdP de Vaucluse 2005
About fifteen USD, or Seven Pounds
Build Your Own Beautiful Cake...Stay Tuned for My Original Recipe
Nordic Design Blog
