One of the great things things about living in Washington, D.C., is that people come here from all over the world to visit. For some, it’s a life’s goal to stand in front of the White House and take in its iconic power and history, regardless of who is living there at the time.
Others simply take in the city, exploring our monuments and parks, famous sites and historic places. Nothing is quite a beautiful as the city awash in Cherry Blossoms.
Spring and Summer are the big travel seasons here and a chunk of the tourist influx inevitably comes in the form of school trips. While it is great to see all these wide eyed kids gazing upon the Capitol dome for the first time, many of them, with seeming parental approval, express a total lack of decorum. Clumps of high schoolers march off to visit their senator or congressman in baggy shorts, over sized tee shirts and flip flops. Flip flops.
Girls sport the equivalent of beachwear and guys look like they just rolled out of bed and into last week’s laundry. To be frank, it’s embarrassing and disrespectful. Now, we’re not stuffed shirts, far from it. However, there are times and places for showing sartorial respect. (See mom, we listened.)
How is it that America’s schools and their DC-bound chaperons can’t even muster up enough backbone to require decent clothes when walking though the Capitol rotunda, the hallowed ground where presidents and luminaries have lain in state. What happened?
My parents would have ground me into the floor if they learned I showed up for a White House tour looking like I was heading out to mow the grass.
Very often, the well-dressed visitors I do see wandering around this city are in fact from other countries. As Americans, we are embarrassed when we see this total lack of respect for others and for the dignity of our most significant public spaces. Why not require a simple collared shirt and khakis? Dressy shorts are fine if it’s warm out, and girls – no halter tops in the Smithsonian, please.
LifestyleMirror.com, a new the recently launched e-shopping website, features weekly cover stories of iconic fashion and lifestyle personalities. Last week’s cover story featured renowned private chef and style icon Daniel de la Falaise. Shot at The Ritz Hotel in Paris, the beautiful and humorous images give a personal look into Daniel’s personality and wardrobe, among which is lots of vintage Yves Saint Laurent.
de la Falaise is perhaps best known to foodies as a celebrity private chef – though known mostly to celebrities and a rather exclusive clientele. De la Falaise, talented in his own right, inherited a great deal of style and personality from his parents. He also inherited a lot of suits.
Testament to his unique take on fashion, cooking, and living, The New York Times T Magazine recently profiled him as well.
His mother, Alexis Richard Dion Oswald Le Bailly de La Falaise, was a furniture designer who also appeared in the Andy Warhol film, “Tub Girls.” His grandmother, Maxime de la Falaise, was a model, actress, and interior designer who also is remembered as a superlative food writer. Also a confidant of Warhol, she was even known as The Factory Mother; “The Factory” being the artist’s famous studio.
Last week, Off the Cuff teamed up with One Medical to host an OTC Live event, An Evening of Cocktails & Classic Style. It was a chance for OTC readers and local style aficionados to gather, celebrate, network, and learn about some of the outstanding brands which have been highlighted on OTC.
Joining us at the private club-like Clyde’s at Gallery Place, in the heart of Washington, DC, were Hugh & Crye shirt makers, Proper Suit, Lotuff Leather, and Image Granted style consultants. Guests were able to meet with the owners of these outstanding companies, chat about their brands, learn about the beautiful products and, in some case, put in orders right on the spot!
The crowd arrived early and stayed throughout the night. Manhattans and martinis were mixed at the bar and the constant din of conversation and story-telling filled the room.
Thanks to all who joined us and made the night a huge success; and keep an eye for future events and collaborations.
Below are a selection of images from the evening – enjoy! All photos by Joy Asico.
Launched in 2007 as a new concept in print journalism, this March Monocle celebrates its fifth anniversary. One of our favorite, or rather favourite, publications, Monocle has grown into a unique and substantive media presence.
With its flagship magazine, online home base, retail arm, Monocle 24 radio broadcast (and iPhone app), and Bloomberg television show, Monocle’s footprint has carefully and deliberately expanded in a targeted approach which neither cannibalizes itself nor devalues the overall brand. Monocle’s hip seasonal Alpino and Mediteranio newspapers support the magazine in a clever and resort-focused fashion and are themselves collectable – like the bookish magazines.
Monocle’s ownership structure and the family-like nature of its core investors allow the company to develop innovative and intellectual products and services that under traditional corporate models would never see the light of day.
Not only has this approach worked, it has created – along with founder and editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé – a profitable, popular brand that is beloved by its affluent, cultured and globe hopping readers.
We vote with our wallets; OTC’s library has every issue except one; the first. Dear Monocle, would you perhaps have a spare Issue 1 lying about Midori House…?
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