Clark Gable

Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Comes to Los Angeles

Famed French champagne house Veuve Clicquot will re-introduce professional polo to Los Angeles when it hosts the inaugural Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Los Angeles on October 10 at the Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. Nacho Figueras, captain of the Black Watch team and Ralph Lauren model, will go head-to-head against some of the world's best polo players for the inaugural event. In homage to the golden era of polo in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, guests are being encouraged to wear fashions inspired by that era, with help from Cameron Silver, super-stylish owner of Los Angeles and London-based vintage couture boutiques decadestwo and DECADES. Silver will offer on-site styling advice and sessions with guests and is consulting on the overall design of the event and its vintage inspiration.

In addition to the exclusive VIP Marquee, one side of the field will be free and open to the public. Angelenos will be able to watch the match from bleachers overlooking the legendary polo grounds – the last of Los Angeles' original 22 polo fields – where Hollywood celebrity and polo connoisseur Will Rogers used to play the sport himself along with fellow polo enthusiasts including Clark Gable, Walt Disney, and Spencer Tracy. The site is located just outside Rogers' former estate, which still stands today. Spectators can also expect plenty of Veuve Clicquot champagne bars and premium snacks, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation and California State Parks.

Tags: California, champagne, Clark Gable, Decades, equestrian, events, Hollywood, horses, Los Angeles, Nacho Figueras, Pacific Palisades, polo, Ralph Lauren, sports, Veuve Clicquot, vintage, Will Rogers

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO FEATURE: Essential Summer Style, Starring the Jaguar XK Convertible

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Shoes, Books, Men's Style

Click above for high res image gallery and full credit info. Photographed by Adrianna Ault for Luxist.

Welcome to the first in a new series of exclusive photo features showcasing seasonal style essentials inspired by classic icons of elegance, sport and design, photographed with the most beautiful and coveted cars on the road. The emphasis is on luxury of course, but of the timeless variety as opposed to mere extravagance.

In our recent Classicist column on the 2010 Jaguar XK convertible coming out this August, we remarked on the sleek new cat's stylistic heritage dating back to 1948's XK120, as driven by the likes of Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable, as well as later models like the D-Type (or XK-SS) made famous by the great Steve McQueen. The first in our new series of exclusive shoots is inspired by them and stars the XK in homage to these stylish icons, both man and automotive (read all about the new XK here).

In particular, the influence of Gable (with his XK120 in 1954, top right) and McQueen (with his XK-SS, center right) can be seen in the summery style essentials we've assembled for this shoot. For the pastoral setting we drew on another classic Jaguar reference, an image of writer Truman Capote in a Jaguar XK-E, the model most closely aligned with the new XK, in the Hamptons in 1965 (bottom right).

In the spirit of summer we've chosen a classic combination of navy and white, popular as fashionable resort wear for a nearly a century and still going strong in the right circles. While navy blazers of the type shown here originated as part of English cricket club scenery and other elegant sporting occasions such as the Henley Royal Regatta, without gold buttons it needn't be unnecessarily nautical or costume-y.

The jacket shown here, in tropical weight wool with soft shoulders by the dashing Italian house of Etro, references its sporting antecedents with grosgrain tipping on the lapels, pockets and cuffs; however, since it is finished in the same color as the jacket the effect is a subtle one, while the slim cut updates the look with Italian flair. A cream linen camp shirt by Paul Stuart and white linen pants by Polo Ralph Lauren round out the rest of the ensemble.

As an alternative on cooler days or evenings - which we've certainly had plenty of this summer - we've also included a variation of the navy blazer by Brooks Brothers made of butter-soft goat suede with spiffy sporting details including a throat latch, stand-up collar, action back and pure Irish linen lining, which calls to mind the jacket worn by Gable above.

While a polka dot foulard silk scarf by the venerable British clothier Turnbull & Asser (shirtmaker to the Prince of Wales) provides not only another classic touch and added dose of sprezzatura, it also protects against the elements while piloting the XK with the top down at serious speeds. A hefty dose of McQueen meanwhile can be seen in the rakish cap, sunglasses and watch. For the feet and the road, a pair of pebble-sold leather driving moccasins by Tod's keep the haute Italian vibe going.

The checked linen driving cap - this model is made by Brooks Brothers - of the type favored by McQueen has no brim to collide with a car's headrest, and is infinitely more elegant than a baseball cap. Also on view: iconic Italian Persol sunglasses, in particular the model made famous by McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair. Starring in this feature are a foldable version of McQueen's faves, as well as a couple of other killer Persol models; all are available at Ilori. Also included is a pair of shades by Paul Smith. The watch is a classic and vintage stainless steel Rolex GMT-Master II, available at Tourneau, of a similar design to the Rolex Submariner model favored by McQueen (and which recently fetched a record price at auction). Read on for details of the rest of the accessories after the jump.

Gallery: Essential Summer Style 7/09

Tags: Adrianna Ault, AdriannaAult, Brooks Brothers, BrooksBrothers, camera, Clark Gable, ClarkGable, classic cars, ClassicCars, convertible, Duke of Windsor, DukeOfWindsor, Etro, Floto Imports, FlotoImports, hats, Ilori, Jaguar, Leica, lighter, Paul Smith, Paul Stuart, PaulSmith, PaulStuart, Persol, photography, Polo, Prince of Wales, PrinceOfWales, prosecco, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, Rolex, S.T. Dupont, S.t.Dupont, scarf, Steve McQueen, SteveMcqueen, summer, summer style, SummerStyle, sunglasses, teNeues, Tods, Tourneau, Truman Capote, TrumanCapote, Turnbull Asser, TurnbullAsser, Via dei Mille, ViaDeiMille

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Sunday Real Estate Round-Up, 05/17/09

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From Cityfile's Buyers and Sellers:
--Eve Weinstein, the ex-wife of film mogul Harvey Weinstein, has lowered the price of her sixth-floor apartment at 1133 Fifth Avenue, shown above. It was first listed at $13.5 million and is now for sale for $11.9 million. The listing is here.
--A.R. "Tony" Sanchez Jr., the heir to a Texas oil and banking empire, has dropped the price of his apartment at the Metropolitan Tower at 146 West 57th Street. The five-bedroom apartment hit the market for $15 million last June and is now listed at $11 million. The listing is here.
--Samuel Nussbaum, an executive vice president at the insurance company WellPoint, has paid $2.095 million for a pied-à-terre at 70 Battery Place.
--via the NYT, entrepreneur Jerry Francesco and his wife, Lucille, paid $7.9 million for a penthouse at the Brompton on East 85th Street and are suing the building they used to call home, One Beacon Court.
--Tim Grumbacher, the former CEO of Bon-Ton department stores, and his wife Nancy have sold their co-op at 1133 Fifth Avenue. They purchased the three-bedroom apartment for $10.9 million in 2006 and first listed for $19.5 million last year, it sold for just $10.25 million.
--Architect Diane Procter has lowered the price of her NYC townhouse at 112 East 73rd Street. She bough the home with her husband Stephen Wang in 1994 for $750,000. The six-bedroom manse, which was transferred to Procter's name in 2006 and was listed for $16 million last October, but is now priced at $12.65 million. The listing is here.
--via the Real Deal, Bob Weinstein and his wife Annie Clayton have paid $15 million for a four-story, 6,580-square-foot townhouse at 39 West 70th Street.
--NBC chief Jeff Zucker's former duplex at 239 Central Park West which he sold to Marti Meyerson and her husband Jamie Hooper in 2006 for $15.7 million, is back on the market for $17.5 million. The listing is here.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
Actress Melissa McCarthy (from Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?) has put her home in the Oaks area of Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood on the market for $2.495 million. The listing is here
--Olympic swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg's Hollywood Hills has gone to contract. It was last listed for $3.995 million.
--An estate in Los Angeles' Toluca Lake area that Bing Crosby once owned has been listed at $10 million. The listing is here.
--A three-bedroom, ranch-style house in the gated Summit neighborhood above Beverly Hills, that once was owned by Eddie and Alex Van Halen and was occupied by their mother until her death in 2005 is back on the market. The property had been sold for $1.5 million back then and has been given a remodel. At $2.789 million the listing says it's the cheapest home in the celeb-packed Summit area. The listing is here.
--Former Van Halen wife, Kelly van Halen has sold her five-bedroom home in Encino which was listed at $4.495 million when it was our estate of the day and was most recently at $3.975 million. Could the buyer be Bob Dylan?

From the Real Estalker:
--Actor Kevin Nealon and his wife Susan Yeagley have put their four-bedroom home in Manhattan Beach, California on the market for $3.25 million. The listing is here.
PR pro Lara Shriftman has put her West Hollywood home on the market for $2.85 million. The listing is here.
--Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson has sold his Sunset Strip area house. It was listed at $3.977 million.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
Model turned home builder Cathleen Gallagher now has two homes on the market. She has dropped the price on three-story California Craftsman spec house from the $5.595 million it was listed at last November to $3.95 million. She also has a Provence-inspired custom five-bedroom that she designed on the market for $4.25 million.
--An Encino home built on nearly an acre of the former estate of legendary actor Clark Gable has come on the market at $4.2 million. The home is owned by William Morris legend Sam Haskell and his wife. The listing is here.
--Singer Leona Lewis has leased a home in the Hollywood Hills that was listed for nearly $9,000 a month.

Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, clark gable, ClarkGable, jeff zucker, JeffZucker, kelly van halen, KellyVanHalen, kevin nealon, KevinNealon, lara shriftman, LaraShriftman, lenny krayzelburg, LennyKrayzelburg, melissa mccarthy, MelissaMccarthy, sam haskell, SamHaskell

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Bonhams' Classic Jaguar Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

On Aug. 9th London auction house Bonhams is staging a sale of classic Jaguar motorcars and related automobilia at Goodwood in Sussex, England. The sale boasts several incredible examples of the famed XK120, the model driven by stars like Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper in the '50s. The most expensive car on offer is a white D-Type engined 1953 XK120 in mint condition, originally owned by British raceing driver Mike Salmon, estimated at $200,000 - $300,000.

We're particularly fond of the XK Championship-winning 1954 XK120 Competition Roadster pictured above, est. $140,000 - $160,000. Also featured in the historic auction: the first steel-bodied, right-hand drive 1950 XK120 Roadster ever made, est. $220,000 - $260,000; a 1954 XK120SE Coupé finished in British Racing Green, est. $180,000 - $220,000; and a stately 1958 MkVIII Saloon, est. only $28,000 - $36,000.

Gallery: Bonhams' Summer Jag Sale