THE NEW CLUB MONACO

A NEW DESIGN ICON EMERGES ON 5TH AVENUE

I have for a long time considered myself a Banana Republic kind of guy, a bit conservative but stylish enough to feel comfortable throwing a scarf around my neck in summer when its only purpose is to add a bit of fashion flair. Being an interior and furniture designer you approach everything as if it needs a little fluffing. Do these colors work together? Should the carpet match the drapes? Can you serve Chinese food straight from the container or do you need to get out the serving bowls when you've got guests? The eye never stops looking and the mind never stops churning out makeovers and facelifts.
When I'm walking down the street I've always got an eye to the designing of the department store display windows, the crowds of sophisticates and eccentrics walking in the opposite direction, and the architectural details dripping off the tops of buildings lining the street. I've only peripherally been watching the renovation of Club Monaco on lower Fifth Avenue, as I said I was more a Banana Republic kinda guy...until now.
J. Crew may have positioned themselves as being a little more preppie, Banana Republic a little more traditional while Club Monaco bought into a European vibe. All three had similar price points and were popular with both men and women in the twenty to thirty-five age group but their differences were slight rather than major. It was time for one of them to bust out, a risky leap.
Stores like Bloomingdales and Barney's have tried to set up mini-me satellite department stores to little or no success. The concept of multi experiential shopping is nothing new but doing it right is not an easy task.

Well, welcome Club Monaco.

I might not have even gone in if they hadn't tricked me with a side entrance for what looked like a separate shop,

Toby's Estate.

Through the window and what drew me into a backwards walk was the rack of International newspapers hanging on a tiled wall as if a bit of Paris had been sewn back into the fabric of New York.

Then beyond the newspapers a wisp of French roast wound its way around a beautiful cafe dusted in white like the confectioners sugar sprinkled on the pastries behind the counter's glass partition.

The mood was vintage commuter where you stood to grab your double expresso before catching the last train to Greenwich.

A few more steps up a short flight of stairs and the experience continued into a tiny flower shop

replete with exotic terrariums you can carry out in a cylindrical dove grey box with the label Polux Fleuriste.

Mixed in with the scent of peony were a set of upholstered tub chairs snuggling up against a marble fireplace

in the midst of a library of books which turned out to be an annex of the Strand not previously known for such elegance.

It was at this point I realized I had entered the new Club Monaco from the side rather than it's more substantial front entry as two large arches framed portholes into the main fashion salons. Club Monaco moved from being a member of the mid-sophisticate trio into a category all by itself.

The transformation was so well thought out. Their brand was no longer identified solely by its fashion product but by creating a multi-layered experience including French roast, copies of Elle Decor's The Height of Style by editor, Michael Boodro, and the scent of tea roses.

Women's fashion dominates the top floor with niches designed to segment their collection into rooms labeled the Shoe Shop, the Dress Boutique, and the Weekend Shop.

Ionic columns support a ceiling dressed with filigreed medallions hovering over a marble floor. Clearstory panels define the perimeter boutiques

along with spacious fitting rooms stylishly appointed in a way a Century 21 would never think of.

The wrought iron encased central staircase leads down to the men's collection, a stark contrast to the white envelope of the women's main floor.

The dark grey palette with touches of gold is anything put intimidating. It's a manly display without feeling like you need to be Tom Brady to saunter down the steps into the cavern of haute design.

Even a case filled with vintage Rolex is not enough to make you want to leave in fear of price tags way beyond your income.

It only adds to the excitement of discovery at every turn.

It's a no pressure environment where even the check out counter looks more like a bar than a till for taking your money.

Club Monaco got it right. The crowds of an expanded age range of clientele speaks to its eminent success and I'm one of them now sporting a beautiful sport coat styled sweater I couldn't leave without. If style is your boyfriend, Club Monaco is where he hangs his hat.

THE GALLERY

Barbara Mullen (Blowing Kiss) Harper's Bazaar, circa 1950
Lillian Bassman, photographer
Represented by Staley-Wise Gallery

TALIESIN EAST

A BENEFIT FOR A GENIUS

Taliesin, the word is Welsh for "shining brow". Frank Lloyd Wright thrust his Wisconsin home into the brow of a hillside and then named it Taliesin. The area just south of Spring Green is geologically known as the "Driftless" area, an area carved by nature's sculptural tools with deep river valleys and rolling hills. The majesty of the area rolls over the landscape like a royal robe lined with sugar maples instead of ermine.

This is the third iteration of Taliesin. The first building was a commission from Wright's mother to build her a home at a time following Wright's departure from his apprenticeship under Louis Sullivan. Wright was ready to hang out his own shingle but initial commissions were slim.

It was Wright's idea to have his mother donate the property to him after a scandalizing affair with the wife of a former client made it impossible for Wright to continue work from his Chicago studio. He felt compelled to take his paramour out of the Chicago spotlight and set up housekeeping closer to his family home.

The landscape of the Driftless area in Southwestern Wisconsin is breathless and to Wright's credit the perfect place to move a mistress who otherwise would be set drifting and untethered in an unfriendly world.
We received an invitation from one of the Wright Foundation board members to attend a fund-raiser on the estate.

It was held in the early evening on the cusp of autumn. It was a warm evening without a breeze. We were told to be at the Wright visitor center just prior to the event where shuttle buses would be provided to take us up to the grounds and the estate. Rick and I had talked for years about going to Taliesin but the limited visiting times and the length of the tours were a deterrent to edging the trip up higher on our bucket list. The benefit turned out to be the ideal opportunity to make the journey and cross Taliensin East off our list.

Once we stepped off the shuttle bus we had complete access to the estate roaming through room after room and taking our time to walk the grounds and observe the glorious vistas that I'm sure inspired Wright's work.

Guarding the entrance to the estate is a pair of Chinese Foo Dogs. At the beginning of the Taliesin history Wright spent much of his time on site with his projects leaving the estate to function primarily as a repository for his growing collection of Asian art and sculpture.

Whether in the gardens

or inside the estate elements of the Far East grace ledges and stand sentry at the entrances to the home and studios.

Culture seems to ooze out Taliesin like molten chocolate out of a soufflé. Art is in evidence at every turn and the anticipation of live music is carved into every piece of furniture. Nightly concerts were a ritual that followed Wright, his family and his students everywhere he laid down his hat.

The unique vision of Wright can be seen in this music stand and chairs we found in the main living room, perfect for a quartet of violins or winds with lighting that wouldn't disturb Mr. Wright as he lounged in repose to their sonata.

The availability of music to pour out of every room was evident in the artifacts that remain, a piano here, a harp there waiting for the evening musicians to pick them up and entertain a man who needed constant stimulation.

The house itself is in need of constant maintenance. The structure was built primarily by students, not craftsman.

Kids for the most part having their first experience with the construction end of architecture. It was never intended as a permanent structure but as a learning tool.

The third and now final building is built of indigenous limestone, a series of wings spread out around lush courtyards and water features. Wright placed himself in the company of a handful of additional artists who are credited with developing a new genre in their field, people who have reached outside the box and brought something new and previously unseen to the table. For Wright it was the Prairie Style and Taliesin was its spark igniting a movement.

Wright was not a very tall man. This might have led to his creating ceiling heights that would make taller men have to bend as if in reverence when entering his buildings.

The low entries are actually an Asian design principle where one is supposed to enter a small space prior to being allowed the privilege of experiencing the large space at the end of the entry.

As the sky began to paint a pastel background and as the mosquitoes began to turn us into their buffet

we took cover in to the interior trying out some of the furniture that was only possible due to our invitation to an intimate affair.

The evening ended on a speech by Wright's grandson, Tom Wright. He never candy-coated his appraisal of his grandfather. He presented him as both a distant demanding man obsessed with work and his mission and a creative genius pushing excellence out of everyone he came in contact with. Genius still lives in a tiny "driftless" slice of Southwestern Wisconsin.

THE GALLERY

Frank Lloyd Wright in His Workroom at Taliesin, 1956
Ed Obma, photographer
From the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ

PAOLI, WISCONSIN

SMALL TOWN HUTZPAH

Wanderlust was a gift that grafted itself to my back and pushed me as far as it could from as early as I can remember. When I was too young to do anything but listen to my mom read it was always the books about faraway places that followed into my dreams long after my mother's voice had drawn her finger over the books final words. When I was old enough to remember events it was the recollection of the backend of a Chevy station wagon during the two weeks vacation my dad took every summer to visit the fantasy world of Wisconsin Dells or the big city magic of Chicago. When I was finally old enough to drive myself around I'd explore the roads of Dane County as far as a tank of gas would take me. Route fourteen was a road I knew well. It led to exotic locales like Mt. Horeb, Mineral Point and Taliesin. As many times as I may have driven that road I never saw an exit sign for Paoli, a spit of town fifteen miles southwest of Madison. Established in 1846 the community thrived as a saw and gristmill for a period of time between 1860 and the turn of the new century. After the railroad bypassed Paoli and the mill era went into decline so did Paoli. What it left was an architectural treasure ripe for a cultural renaissance as a thriving artists colony and tourist destination. There are now exit signs with the letters P-a-o-l-i  and an arrow pointing out the road connecting route fourteen to Paoli.

It still remains a small community, a strip of a few blocks starting where the road crosses the Sugar River and ending at the town square.

The band shell still stands in the town square across the street from

St. Williams Catholic Parish. In between are the refurbished architectural gems that make Paoli an exit worth taking.

One of the old hotels that housed visitors in the late 1800's is now the Paoli House Gallery holding a collection of gifts and artwork.

On the other side of the street is Cluck the Chicken Store, an emporium for everything you'd need to raise some urban chickens.

If what you want is a rooster in your backyard this is the place to find one along with a harem of hens and some of the best lookin' coops even Robert Stern would be proud of.

Behind Cluck is a building looking as if it still needs a bit of repair. There isn't much signage and it seems to be open only by chance but if your luck is working in overdrive and Dana happens to be inside it is worth the trip off the beaten path to stop for a visit. Dana is a picker extraodinaire. His eye is excellent for vintage, quirky and antique. We loaded our store with finds we purchased here.

It's where we found the Amish barbed wire ball that now sits sentry in our front yard.

Closer to the Sugar River and higher up on a slight hill is beautiful red school house. The first room of the school house was built in 1854.

No longer a school it is a now a shop and cafe much more elegant than you would think of a former schoolhouse. It is set up for high tea and sprinkled with antiques and fine accessories.

Across the street in a very undistinguished building is the Creamery Cafe and Artisan Gallery. The gallery is one of the largest in southern Wisconsin representing over one hundred artists.

An exhibit of Don Kauss' assemblages called Reliquary was installed in the vault of what must have been a bank or a butcher's refrigeration unit at one time.

The pieces are macabre using bits of dead wild life and found objects welded together transforming them into three dimensional wall hangings and sculptures transfixing and holding your interest in the same way the Witch of the West beguiles and hypnotizes.

The key group of buildings are clustered around the old mill. On the street is the fairytale Cheese shop. Its irregular shaped stone facade and wood shingle roof make it appear as if it were the home of Goldie Locks' three bears.

Up from there is the Secret Garden filled with plants, ceramic pots and unique hammocks.

Above the Cheese Shop are the Paoli Mill Shops. Another tiny house holds the Paoli Bread and Brat Haus where you can purchase ice cream in a cone or dish and I'd assume a brat as well although I've never had one.

The queen shop housed in the old mill is the Cottage Goddess

filled with vintage and antique finds stuffed into niches

and hanging from hooks attached to old painted doors.

Cluttered on tables are bits and pieces of childhoods long gone by.

The work of new textile artists are draped over vintage mannequins

and signs from the circus litter the floor.

The most intriguing part of the shop is the Goddess herself. Filled with stories and constant chatter she makes you feel like you've been best friends for years when in fact you'd only met. Within minutes I was revealing parts of myself I wouldn't be sharing with anyone but my closest friends. I left feeling as if we had shared secrets only best buds would have told each other in the highest of confidences.
Get your butt to Paoli where beauty, antiquity, and art exist. The therapy apparently comes free of charge.



THE GALLERY

Hogs to market along Main Street
Black River Falls, WI. 1853
Charles Van Schaick, photographer
Property of the Wisconsin State Historical Society