Society

The Classicist: Paradise Lost - 40 Years of Cafe Society

Filed under: Art, Books, The Classicist, Wealth

In the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s the so-called Café Society in Europe drew together aristocrats, millionaires, artists, authors, couturiers, choreographers and musicians in a "glittering world of fashion and frivolity, opulence and ostentation", notes Thierry Coudert in his ultra-stylish new book, Café Society: Socialites, Patrons and Artists 1920 to 1960 from Flammarion. Those decades were the "apotheosis of an era that was to have a profound influence on the history of taste" Coudert writes, with the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lady Diana Cooper, Diana Vreeland, Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton setting the tone and deciding which artists, designers, and musicians were in vogue. The cover of the book (above) depicts heiress Barbara Hutton, then the Countess von Reventlow, at a tennis match in 1940, while Yves Saint Laurent, Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and many more make cameos in the impressive volume.

Gallery: Cafe Society

Tags: Aristocrats, art, artists, books, Café Society, Cafe Society, coffee table books, Diana Vreeland, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Duke of Windsor, Europe, fashion, France, Noel Coward, socialites, society, style, wealth, Yves Saint Laurent

Continue reading “The Classicist: Paradise Lost - 40 Years of Cafe Society”

The Classicist: The History of America's Upper Class

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, The Classicist, Wealth

Interestingly enough it took a foreigner - namely super-stylish British historian, author, and journalist Nick Foulkes - to realize that for most people the appeal of society swells is purely decorative. What sets his recently published book - High Society: The History of America's Upper Class - apart from the usual social history is the amazing array of archival photographs. Beginning with the early 17th century, Foulkes focuses on the famous families - the Vanderbilts, Fricks, Morgans, and Astors among them - who came to embody the American aristocracy. He also plots the social trajectory all the way to the present day, and heiresses such as the famed Miller Sisters, aka Pia Getty, Princess Alexandra von Furstenberg and Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, pictured on the book's cover, above.

Of course, you first have to accept Foulkes' premise that America does in fact have a class system, even if the current recession has painfully demonstrated that no one should take their positions for granted while Barack Obama's ascendancy proved that traditional barriers are no longer as formidable. "I am often told that 'American high society' is an oxymoron, either by those who hold the quaint belief that the United States is a classless society in which opportunity is open to all," Foulkes notes, "or by Europeans who believe themselves to be superior and look down pejoratively upon the social aspirations of a country that is younger than many families, social clubs, educational establishments, and even socks in the Old World."

The fact of the matter, however, Foulkes writes, is that "The United States is no longer a young country; it is a middle-aged nation with its own social codes and structures locked into its collective DNA. It has its prominent families, an untitled aristocracy, who exerted such a profound effect on the nation or have just been around for so long that the doings of their descendants are still a source of interest." The second pillar of American society is the plutocracy, "Men who made so much money that they simply floated to the pinnacle of the social structure on a tide of cash, building huge mansions and amassing art collections that remain among the most impressive the world has ever seen."

Gallery: High Society

National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, 1960s.

Heiress, socialite and model Lydia Hearst.

Tags: aristocrats, Assouline, Astor, Barack Obama, BarackObama, Nick Foulkes, NickFoulkes, socialite, society, Vanderbilt

Continue reading “The Classicist: The History of America's Upper Class”

New Dress Code, Same Classic Style at Royal Ascot Races

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events, Sports, Men's Style

Since it was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, the annual Royal Ascot races have become the highlight of the English social season. Ostensibly a five-day sporting event, it's also evolved into something of an immense fashion show, marked by the arrival of the Royal Family in ceremonial horse-drawn carriages every day. It has become the style for ladies to sport increasingly outrageous hats, and lately the traditional rules about "formal day dress" in the coveted Royal Enclosure have been rather loosely interpreted, much to the Queen's dismay.

This year officials have cracked down, declaring that "Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch and/or miniskirts are considered unsuitable," while "Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and color." Those not in compliance will be asked to leave the Royal Enclosure. Gentlemen have always been required to wear full morning dress with top hats. Lest all the pageantry detract from the business at hand, it's worth noting that prize money at this year's event, which runs through Saturday, has reached an unprecedented $7.8 million.

Gallery: Royal Ascot Races