Hudson River Valley

Ralph Lauren Films at Astor Courts

Filed under: Apparel, Estates, Men's Style, Video

It seems Ralph Lauren recently took over Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, New York, designed by Stanford White in 1904 for John Jacob Astor IV, to film videos for his new fall collections. We recognized the beautiful Beaux-Arts treasure, inspired by Louis XIV's Grand Trianon at Versailles, which was originally part of the Astor family's Ferncliff estate; Astor Courts (also known as the "Astor Casino" or "Ferncliff Casino") was designed as a guest lodge and sporting pavilion. Over the summer Astor Courts was in the news as the setting for Chelsea Clinton's wedding, and is currently up for auction having previously been listed for sale at $12 million. The structure's stunning details including grand fireplaces, elaborate moldings, an indoor clay tennis court framed by Gothic arches and a white marble swimming pool surrounded by Corinthian columns make a perfect backdrop for Lauren's luxurious designs in cashmere, wool, leather and silk. A couple of scenes were also shot at The Elms in Newport. The video for his Fall 2010 Purple Label collection (above) shows a stylish fellow driving off from the Astor estate in a vintage Aston Martin DB6 for a rendezvous with a beautiful woman. We think Stanford White would have approved.

Tags: Aston Martin, Astor Courts, Beaux-Arts, cashmere, estates, Hudson River, Hudson River Valley, Hudson Valley, mens style, New York, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Rhinebeck, Stanford White

Park Avenue Whiskey by NY's Tuthilltown Spirits

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

New York's storied Park Avenue Liquor Shop, established in 1934, is releasing new limited edition whiskey bottlings made exclusively for them by the artisanal Tuthilltown Spirits distillery in New York's Hudson River Valley. Priced at $45 per bottle, the Park Avenue Whiskey collection features 375 ml bottlings of bourbon, rye and a special new "BouRye", each 46% alcohol by volume. The first is dubbed "Baby Bourbon" because it is made using very small barrels, the whole grain rye is aged in oak, and the "BouRye" is a 50/50 blend of bourbon and rye, a combination requested specifically by the shop's owner and whisky expert Jonathan Goldstein. Goldstein also selected the specific barrels at Tuthilltown from which the exclusive whiskies were bottled to produce a truly unique set of spirits, presented in hand-numbered, wax-sealed bottles.

Tags: bourbon, distillery, Hudson River, Hudson River Valley, liquor store, New York, Park Avenue, Park Avenue Liquor Shop, rye, spirits, Tuthilltown Spirits, whiskey, whisky

BDDW's Stone Barns for Sale in Hudson River Valley

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

An incredible property in the Hudson River Valley has come on the market at an extremely recession-friendly price. New York-based handmade furniture company BDDW is relocating to Philadelphia and putting their bucolic headquarters up for sale. The 147-acre property is located just north of New Paltz in Ulster County, and features two incredible stone barns totaling 30,000-sq.-ft., a 1,500 sq. ft. farmhouse and a creek, all for just $1.9 million. The stone barns were built at the turn of the century by architect Julian Burroughs for Colonel Oliver Hazard Payne, Civil War sharpshooter, democrat, wealthy industrialist and philanthropist, to house his thoroughbreds. They were subsequently used as a school for boys and passed back into private hands before BDDW acquired them.

[via A Continuous Lean]

Tags: barn, BDDW, furniture, Hudson River Valley, HudsonRiverValley, New York, NewYork, Ulster County, UlsterCounty

Christie's to Auction Ismail Merchant Collection

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Art

On October 7th Christie's in London will auction the collections of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ismail Merchant (above) of Merchant Ivory fame, the production company noted for evocative all-star adaptations of the works of Henry James, E. M. Forster and others. Works of art, furnishings and textiles from Merchant's stylish residences in London, Paris and the Hudson River Valley, as well as a small selection from his New York apartment, will be on offer. The Indian-born producer passed away in 2005. Estimates range from £500 to £70,000 (about $115,000) for the pieces which reflect Merchant's "fascination with the encounter between Eastern and Western cultures." In addition, the auction will feature a small group of film memorabilia including some props from various Merchant Ivory films such as a bookcase from Howard's End and a replica of Pablo Picasso's L'Homme a la Guitare from Surviving Picasso.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: celebrity, Christies, entertainment-awards, filmmaker, Hudson River Valley, HudsonRiverValley, India, Ismail Merchant, IsmailMerchant, London, Merchant Ivory, MerchantIvory, movies, producer