This past holiday season we broke out the black tie as usual, for what's become basically an annual airing. This got us musing on subjects sartorial and formal attire in particular; then Michael Williams, author of the genius men's style blog A Continuous Lean, pointed us to a page on Ralph Lauren's website for his Rugby line citing the brilliant 1990 movie Metropolitan by Whit Stillman as inspiration. Describing the film (scene pictured above) as "a pitch-perfect examination of our two favorite things: urbane style and preppy angst," Lauren's site declares it can also be viewed as a textbook on how to wear black tie (are you listening, Barack Obama?).

With Metropolitan as a frame of reference, the Rugby writers list a set of rules for stylish evening attire. As Stillman's a good friend of ours, we asked him for his views on the tribute. Actually, he told us, "When we were preparing Metropolitan there was a great two page Ralph Lauren ad running in magazines that we clipped and showed around to illustrate the style the film would aspire to." So, in a way, Stillman notes, "Ralph Lauren influenced the film before it might have inspired Rugby."

And while he says that both the Rubgy site and its commenters "did a good job discussing the film," Stillman takes issue with their 2nd rule for sporting black tie, which states: "You don't need to wear a cummerbund with a tuxedo - that's a personal choice. If you lose the cummerbund, wear suspenders (never a belt), and don't forget that they need not be black; in fact, they probably shouldn't be." Stillman insists that, in fact, "either a cummerbund or waistcoat is required, and suspenders should be worn with either, as with no belt the laws of gravity must be resisted." There you have it, straight from the master (and we fully concur).



We neither of us have any quarrel with Rugby's rule #5, however, which states the following: "You should look sharp in your tux, but there will come a point in the night when jackets are off, ties are undone and anything goes (as evidenced in the movie). If, while wearing your tux, you're invited to dance a rumba: you do. If you're asked to play strip poker: you do. And if you're forced into a fistfight with a count of dubious provenance: by all means, do. Just try not to get any blood on your sweet threads, ok?"

Meanwhile, it seems that Ralph and Rugby aren't the only ones channeling Whit; the hit TV show Gossip Girl also seems to be taking some cues from Metropolitan. Of course, with such an influential film any really comprehensive list of appropriators would have be an extremely long one.

What is the cut-off for size for boutique hotels? I generally think it is under 150 rooms but a new multi-use project in Knoxville, Tennessee bills itself as having a boutique hotel even though it's got 200 rooms. The Metropolitan Plaza project is actually a fairly large project, including a 15-foor tower with as many as 32 condos above the hotel room as well restaurants, a bank and retail shops on the lobby level. There is also an office tower planned that would stand about 7-8 floors tall. The $78 million project from Knoxville-based Commercial & Investment Properties also includes an enclosed pedestrian bridge linking the complex to the Knoxville Convention Center.

The proposal beat out two other proposals for the redevelopment of the downtown state Supreme Court Building.The project does not have a hotel brand linked to it yet but the developer says that several are interested. Once approved, construction on the project could begin as early as this fall and be completed by early 2010.

Those big city condo complexes packed with amenities are finally making their way to the smaller cities where the the challenge is not the condo glut but convincing locals that they should buy a condo when they could get a house for not much more cash. Check out The Metropolitan in Kansas City, Missouri. The luxury high-rise has a penthouse pool with skylights and and a lounge with TVs and a refreshment bar, indoor parking, fitness center and 24-hour concierge service. It also has a cozy lobby with a a fireplace. The residences themselves include GE stainless appliances, granite countertops, hardwood cabinets, a slate entryway and marble bathrooms. And they are cheap! Be prepared for real estate envy. Studios start at just $81,900 with the penthouses going for $289,900.