By now, Whit Stillman has achieved a unique cultural status, at once iconic and elusive. His films have such a specific, literate sensibility that devotees hoard favorite lines like beloved family recipes (‘I don’t think Ted is a fascist of the marrying kind,’ remains very dear). And though he’s oft-quoted, Stillman has been a stranger for too long—he’s been executing his own Maneuver X, Barcelona partisans might say. After a dozen years, he’s back. Damsels in Distress, his university picture starring Greta Gerwig, opens in New York and LA today.

We spoke this week in a Madison Avenue hotel suite where Bloomberg News, of all things, was on the television in the background.

***

David Coggins: Is that Alexander Olch in the first shot of Damsels in Distress?

Whit Stillman: It is, and he also repeats, at the end, when they talk about cool people. His very recognizable silhouette goes through twice, kind of bad continuity. He’s wearing a suit and sneakers. I think you should talk to him about shoes.

DC: I will. It’s funny you mention coolness though, because in all your films there’s a distinction between people who understand what’s going on and those who are struggling to figure it out, and a lot of analysis about that fine line.

WS: I agree with the Violet character [in Damsels in Distress] in that debate, that if you really want to be cool, you have to tamp down your humanity a little bit. You’ve got to de-emote, depersonalize. But I tried to be fair to Lily’s character, and what she says does make sense, that yes, we need normal people so things work right.

For instance, I find dealing with Sony Pictures, I’m not so good with the deadlines, because I want it to be really right, but they need to get it by a certain time, so there’s a bit of a drama when ‘Whit needs to approve something.’ It’s been good, but I feel that the practical people get things done. And often I find there’s a conflict between a certain kind of particularism, and getting-it-done-ism. I don’t like to say perfectionism, because nothing is perfect, but if you want to get things in a particular way, that goes against getting it done on time.

3 Comments

Dr. John is one of those musicians that, admirably, has always just done his own thing. The performance of his that sticks in my head is always The Last Waltz — an amazing show and classic film. I remember seeing it for the first time and getting caught on those scenes with his music. Last year Dr. John performed at Bonnaroo with The Black Keys front man Dan Auerbach, and the performance went so well that it led the two musicians into the studio to collaborate on Dr. John’s newest album Locked Down, which Auerbach helped produce and was released this past Tuesday.

10 Comments

Last night I had a dream about hand made shirting. I’m not kidding, I remember I could see the beautifully imperfect shoulder stitches vividly. This is probably the strangest confession I have ever made here. You know when you are dreaming about shirts, you might have some issues. Instead of seeking help, I think I need to go buy a bunch of Salvatore Piccolo shirts. Honestly, that’s just a dream too, because these shirts ain’t cheap. And the way I blow through wovens, I don’t know if that is the best use of my money. All that aside, if I were still dreaming I would buy one of each, because I don’t seem to encounter nicer shirts very often.

7 Comments

If I were to name the people in my life that inspire me, Aaron Levine would be high on that list. We met a few years ago when he was working for Hickey, a line I desperately loved, and one I sadly said goodbye to a few years later. Hickey’s demise taught me a lesson: Love what you have, when you have it. When I met Levine for the first time (a well documented lunch I might add), I knew exactly why I liked Hickey so much. I was into it because of Levine, at his core, is a giant “Product Nerd,” a description that he both enjoys and embraces. I think that’s what we connected over first, the love of well made things and good design.

About a year ago Levine was tapped by Club Monaco (a brand I have been working with on various projects myself for the past two years) to head the men’s design. It was (and remains) a big job and one he took to naturally. It has been exciting to see him put his touch on the collection at Club Monaco (who, as it happens, just launched its online store) and bring elements of his own personal (sometimes quirky) style to the brand.

While I am very close to what is happening at Club Monaco right now, I thought it would be interesting to sit down with Aaron and talk to him about the new autumn 12 collection, his first complete collection for Club Monaco.

Q&A and looks from the AW12 collection below…

58 Comments

Americana loving Brit designer Greg Chapman spent a year and a half traveling around the world with the Globe-Trotter Safari Air, a case that he purchased at the revered company’s shop in London’s Burlington Arcade after a meeting with brand Creative Director Gary Bott. A little while later, Chapman approached Globe-Trotter and Bott about collaborating on a modified case that incorporates some modern day considerations — though nothing too crazy like wheels — and then set out to create a small run of special edition Globe-Trotters based on the company’s functional 1912 Stabilist series.

More history on the inspiration for the Greg Chapman x Globe-Trotter collaboration:

In 1912, the Stabilist series were bespoke manufactured Globe-Trotter luggage that featured special functionality for the Victorian traveler; such as wardrobe trunks, hat and shoe cases for travel by horse drawn carriage, rail and cruise liner.

15 Comments

Creating an iconic product requires many things: a willingness to be innovative, cunning, commitment, a tolerance for failure and at least a little bit of luck. It goes without saying that it is even more difficult for a brand to do justice to that icon when releasing a new version forty years later, but Audemars Piguet (one of the few remaining family owned independent high-end watchmakers in the world) can feel secure in knowing that it has done both with the Royal Oak. In 1972, at the hands of respected designer Gérald Genta, Audemars created a luxury sports watch and named it for the “British Royal Navy battleships, themselves christened for the tree where King Charles II hid from his enemies,” a watch that has since gone on to become an icon. The revolutionary design of the octagonal bezel, which resembles the porthole of ship, has helped the Royal Oak easily become Audemars Piguet’s most famous timepiece.

13 Comments

During peacetime, ambitious officers would pursue almost any mission — no matter how dangerous — to advance in rank. One could presume that British Naval officer Robert Falcon Scott’s mission to the South Pole in the early 1900s could be classified under recognition-seeking endeavors, but there is no discounting the fact they were some of the most heroic adventures man has ever attempted.

A century ago Scott led the Terra Nova expedition, his second such attempt to be the first man to set foot on the geographical South Pole, but he was thwarted by rival Norwegian Roald Amundsen who literally made it five weeks ahead of Scott. Ultimately, Robert Falcon Scott – along with the rest of his polar party — perished on March 29th, 1912, nearly a hundred years ago to the day. These expeditions to the South Pole and the ones that followed have since become known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, which was likely a time much more punishing than it sounds.

With the centennial of Scott’s journey upon us, Esquire’s Nick Sullivan recently extolled the virtues of Scott and his Royal Navy officer’s uniform, the inspiration for the iconic American Navy Blazer. The jacket, which was originally called “Reefer No. 5″ was made by tailor Gieves & Hawkes, who supplied the Royal Navy with nearly all of their uniforms during that period. Interestingly enough the Savile Row maker still produces the classic jacket today, should you want a modern original.

Robert Falcon Scott

18 Comments

There’s a sign outside of one of my favorite restaurants in New York that justifies its quirky existence with the following statement: “You either get it or you don’t.” I think the same can be said for Massimo Piombo’s new MP by Massimo Piombo collection. It is probably safe to say that many an ACL reader is not going to be up for the quirkiness or price tag of this new line. It is also presumable to consider that I would not be pulling these rigs verbatim, but the spirit of Piombo will certainly be my guide, and I am definitely a believer in Mr. Piombo when it comes to clothing.

Not content with having one beautifully made and insanely designed collection, Piombo got together with a little Neapolitan brand called Kiton to launch this new high-end label. The fabrics included in the range are sourced from all over the world, from Shetland to Nepal, the clothing is made almost entirely by hand (by Kiton) in Italy, and there is no chance of missing the fact that the color stories patterns are distinctly Piombo.

15 Comments