A "Downton Abbey"-Inspired Post

Downton Abbey is back for Season 2 and I am absolutely thrilled. For this history nerd/hopeless romantic/Anglophile living in Alabama, the show is one of my top all-time favorites.

So, here is a little English home and garden eye-candy.... in honor of my favorite fictional hour of the week.

Let's start with the "power houses." 

 (Literally, that's what they are called). 

Their purpose was to be so grandiose that no one would question the wealth and importance of their residents. 

1. First up, Hampton Court-- a favorite of Henry VIII.

 

2. Holkham Hall is called "one of England's finest examples of the Palladian revival style of architecture." Built by the Earl of Leicester in the 18th century. 

3. Burghley House- Elizabeth I was quite keen on this one.

Love period movies? You'll recognize these next manor houses....
4. Mr. Darcy lives here! Chatsworth House... or, Pemberley in 2005's Pride and Prejudice.

5.  ... my first Darcy was Colin Firth, however, so this is what I see when I read (and read, and re-read) Pride and Prejudice. Lyme Park.

6.  The setting of Brideshead Revisited, Castle Howard was started in 1699 ... and took over 100 years to complete.

7. The inspiration for this post! Highclere Castle, also known as Downton Abbey.*

* Little fun trivia I learned while creating this post, Andrew Lloyd Weber wanted to purchase this house from the Carnarvon family-- the owners since the 1600's-- to house his art collection. Lord Carnarvon says it's staying in the family.


Three more, because they're easy on the eyes.

8.  The Castle of Mey. More Gothic in style than the above listed (can't you imagine the drawbridge over the moat?) A favorite of the Queen Mother... love her.

9. Longleat (which happens to be the only one on the list I've visited in person.) Home to the "UK's #1 Safari and Adventure Park," too!

10. Last, but certainly not least: Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

 
This house in particular has had lots of media exposure including the filming of Harry Potter (see the list here)...

And as a backdrop for the lovely Kate in 2004.

Want one? This one can be yours for £12 million pounds.

Further fun reading:

The 50 Best Stately Homes according to the Independent.co.uk

Top 11 Stately Homes in England

And how sad is this? A memorial to the lost houses of England.

{ Into the Book }

I use this blog often as a laundry-list of sorts, a place to compile my favorite websites, people, ideas, etc. I have gotten into a bad habit of writing novella-esque entries... very time consuming and resulting in an average of 1.5 posts a month.

Not today. Today is a To-Do list of books I have seen lately that I "need"... so I don't forget.

First up:

Flair was just featured in the Velvet and Linen blog, and I am in love. All things about how to entertain. Elegant table settings, invitation etiquette, place cards, party favors... fabulous.

Next:

Philippa Gregory is to the history nerd what John Grisham is to the law school graduate.
I'm sure some members of academia would dismiss Gregory's books as fluff because they stray here and there from reality...
but really, it takes the charm out of a love story when you know that the dashing prince took a bath maybe once a year.

This one is on Eleanor of Aquataine, an often-overlooked character of Great Britain's 12th century royalty.

Next:

The B.C. + Parties = Happiness.





One of my favorite contemporary theologians has a commentary to the Bible. I always love reading the footnotes in Scripture; sometimes they give me a unique perspective on an old story, and always give me a deeper understanding of the Word.





I think the title of this one says it all.





Just found this one, and I think I want it too. Dorothy Draper's decorating style fascinates me.



Last but not least:

One of my best friends has given me a project for the summer, and that is to help her 5 year old boy decide on a "theme" for his room. I have already offered up these two ideas...

And for whatever reason, both have been shot down.

Too juvenile? Maybe.
Impractical? Yes.
But aren't they pretty?

Thus it's back to the drawing board for me and my 5-year-old client.

{ Riches to Rags in Camelot's Backyard }

I'm really excited about this post. It's a topic I wanted to write about before this blog actually existed, because it inherently has all the traits that I wanted my Joie de Vivre posts to contain:
fun, fascinating, lovely, sometimes tragic and always romantic, extraordinary things.

I wish I could tag all relevant words on this topic, but I can't. I want to make tags like these:

Propriety and Rebellion.
Present and Past.
Wealth and Poverty.
Stagnation and Ambition.
Celebrity and Obscurity.
Freedom and Captivity.
Sparkle and Decay.
Fantasy and Reality.

(You get the idea.)

All these are contradictions, but somehow they all fuse together to become the story of
Grey Gardens.


And now is the perfect time to post, since my mom and I recently celebrated Mother's Day by seeing a local (and fabulous) production of Grey Gardens.

Last year, I read an article about an HBO movie starring

Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore.
I love them both, and I love period dramas based on true stories...
so of course I had to see Grey Gardens.

A side note: I always somehow end up doing WAY too much research after I see a "true story" movie, because I just have to know more about the real people in the stories. Examples:
Miss Potter. Amazing Grace. The Other Boleyn Girl. Capote. Finding Neverland.
(Did you know the real-life inspiration for Peter Pan committed suicide?! That burst my bubble a little.)

But back to the topic at hand.

One thing that makes this story so intriguing to the public is that the two pricipal characters, mother and daughter Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and daughter Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale were aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

Edith's husband, New York City lawyer Phelan, purchased the gorgeous East Hampton beach estate as a summer and entertaining home for the family. Big Edie was a beautiful free spirit, who like all wealthy wives kept a house and a busy social calendar, yes; but went against the grain of the cordial entertaining formalities (light gossip and dirty martinis) and gave live performances of her favorite songs with the help of her loyal accompanist, George Gould Strong.

Little Edie was known as "Body Beautiful Beale" and was on track to become a well-married society woman herself. She claimed to have marriage proposals from the ill-fated Joe Kennedy, Jr., and J. Paul Getty, among others. She also had unconventional aspirations like her mother-- a dancer, or perhaps Broadway star.
But while a debutante, Edie mingled with the beautiful and wealthiest of East Coast society.

Edie, age 8 or 9


Debutante and "Body Beautiful Beale."

Spread in Italian Vouge

In 1932, Phelan left his theatrical and at times uncouth wife Edith with a small trust fund and.... Grey Gardens.

I think I see the ghosts of Miss Havisham and Estella peeking around the corner.

After a brief stint in NYC, Little Edie moved back in to take care of her mother. They would live there, alone, for decades; and the once beautiful Hamptons home fell victim to the reckless hands of Neglect, Compulsion, and Squalor. Infested with fleas, overrun by cats and racoons (and thus their carcasses and waste), filled with garbage and decay, without running water... A sparkling palace left to deteriorate quietly to an unrecognizable shell.

Big Edie rarely got out of bed; Little Edie lost her hair from alopecia. They ordered sparse groceries and at times ate "pate" meant as cat food. In the fall of 1971 and throughout 1972, their living conditions were exposed as the result of an article in the National Enquirer and a cover story in New York Magazine after a series of inspections (which the Beales called "raids") by the Suffolk County Health Department.

With the Beale women facing eviction and the razing of their home, in the summer of 1972 Jacqueline Onassis and her sister Lee Radizwill provided the necessary funds to stabilize and repair the dilapidated house so that it would meet Village codes.

Albert and David Maysles became interested in their story and received permission to film a documentary about the women, which was released in 1976 to wide critical acclaim. Using a direct cinema technique, the women were left to tell their own stories. Little Edie fashioned outfits from skirts as scarves, upside down sweaters, and vintage brooches, and reminisced about time with Joe Kennedy, Jr. and the Barbizon Hotel. Big Edie belts out some of her favorite songs and cooks corn on a hot plate next to her bed. They fight, they sing, they love. And they get their long sought-after fame, in a film that has launched a thousand franchises.

Edie at the time of the Maysles documentary, 1976

Some call it exploitation, some a train wreck you just can't look away from; others call it a celebration of individuality, contentedness, and female independence. Regardless, there's no disputing it's a cult classic and a story that intrigues many (like me) still today--

Just look at the musical, the documentaries, the coffee table books, the bobble head dolls (really-- click the link if you don't believe me), the haute couture fashion shoots and ready-to-wear collections, coloring books, buttons, fan clubs, and abundance of online websites dedicated to Grey Gardens.

Below, the HBO promo starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.

And one of my favorites: the real Little Edie in her own words on the "best outfit for today."
She has an enviable confidence and innovation in fashion:
"My costumes? That's a protest against having worked as a model for the Establishment, believe it or not. A lot of models feel that way. Sometimes their lives are protests against having worked as models. Besides, I didn't have time taking care of mother to get out and buy any clothes. So I used what was left of mine and mother's in the attic." - Little Edie




For more information on Grey Gardens, check out these great links:
http://www.greygardensonline.com/
http://www.greygardens.com/
http://greygardensnews.blogspot.com/
A house tour of Grey Gardens today: http://lxtv.com/openhousenyc/video/10233

Grey Gardens circa 2005, restored to its former glory.

Little Edie sold it after Big Edie passed away, on the condition that it not be torn down.
"All it needs is a coat of paint!"


True Glamour Never Fades.

{ The Original Designer Label }

The other day my boyfriend and I were watching Pawn Stars on the History Channel. (Yes, Pawn Stars. That's a whole separate post.) If you're not familiar with the show, essentially people come into this Las Vegas pawn shop trying to hawk their treasures. I've seen everything from a quilt made of over 200 patches of celebrity autographs, to a faux Renaissance jousting lance. The employees then decide if they'll buy, and how much they'll pay. (The guys that work there totally play up to the reality TV of it all... they'll crack a joke and give a sideways glance to the camera, and you just wait for the "Did ya get that?") There's a grumpy grandpa that owns it that never says anything nice. And there's this guy named-- Arthur-- or something? But they call him "Chum Lee." Because he's of Asian descent. Really?)

But I digress.
On one episode, a guy brings in a gorgeous, weathered, and very antique Louis Vuitton traveling trunk. He had apparently bought it for next to nothing at an estate sale, where he said it was in the basement to be thrown away. That trunk encompassed all that I love about antiques-- you can let your imagination run wild with scenarios and stories where your piece is a character. For this particular trunk, I picture its owner as a Gibson Girl-esque shipping merchant's daughter, who wears long gloves, and hats with feathers, and smells like lavender and soap.

The trunk was covered in LV's signature monogram canvas, and the corners and lock were protected by beautifully patina-ed leather. The best thing about it, in my opinion, were the faded stickers from cargo holds around the world. Oh the tales it could tell.

I found this to be a great opportunity to educate my boyfriend on the history of Louis Vuitton. As his eyes started to gloss over, I told him that:

LV was originally a high-end luggage line and began in the mid-19th century.

And, Did you know that the famous monogram canvas design was inspired by Japanese art?

ANDDDD, That it is the most counterfeited brand in fashion history? (He proudly stated that he knew all about Louie-vee-tie-wans. Sigh.)

Then he cut me off. So I will take the rest of this little lesson on Louis Vuitton here, to my happy place. Because to me, Louis Vuitton is the epitome of timeless style and luxury; deserving of so much more than to a sad plastic hook in a van on Canal Street... or worse, this.

The real Mr. Louis Vuitton was born in 1821 in Jura, France. At the age of 14, he literally walked 200 miles-- on foot-- to Paris, where he became an apprentice of a luggage maker. By 1854 he opened his own high-end luggage shop, and gained international recognition after winning at multiple World Fairs. (Fun fact: Vuitton made some of the first flat-topped trunks; prior to this, trunks were rounded and thus could not be stacked on top of one another.)

It was for one such exhibition that Vuitton created a beige and brown stripe design, to hinder counterfeiting... which was already becoming a thorn in the LV brand's side. After the death of Louis, son Georges Vuitton took the company worldwide; by 1896 the monogram canvas as we know it today had evolved, and the Louis Vuitton Company soon saw stores everywhere from Buenos Ares to New York.

By the 1930s Gaston-Louis Vuitton, grandson of Louis, was heading a company that was broadening its product line. In the 1950s the canvas leather was revamped in order to better accommodate production of smaller leather goods such as wallets and handbags. Audrey Hepburn was a fan-- and there's really no more powerful definition of chic than that.

In 1987, the Louis Vuitton of my generation was formed: LVMH. Moet et Chandon (champagne) and Hennessy (cognac) merged with Louis Vuitton to form the luxury goods conglomerate. Purses & cocktails... rhythm & blues... Fred and Ginger.... they just go together.

The Louis Vuitton brand has managed to stay afloat in the ever-changing drifts of fashion trends. It has been translated into the languages of fashion geniuses such as Marc Jacobs and Takashi Murakami, resulting in cherry blossoms patterns and Crayola-splashed graffiti. But underneath the sparkle of Amarante, Pomme de Amour, and Perle Vernis lies the same simplistic brown symbol that covers the trunk owned by my Gibson Girl.

Thank you, Mr. Vuitton, for making that 200-mile hike to Paris. We sure are glad you did.

{ A Little History Lesson }

"Divorced, beheaded, died; Divorced, beheaded, survived."

Now that's a martial track record to write home about.

Regardless (or maybe because of?) his love life, I am always drawn to anything to do with the Tudors-- today, I'm talking specifically about the wives of Henry VIII. While this topic didn't make the initial "lovely" list to blog about, one of my best friends has encouraged me to post on this topic. And today, I am stuck at home sick so .... blame her and the antibiotics if this one is a snoozer ;)

Can you imagine marrying someone knowing he could wake up one day and decide he doesn't like you... then have your head cut off so he could check his status box as "single"?

Here they are. Mrs. Henry VIII 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

My interest in these queens started in college with dissertation on Elizabeth I's leadership style.* (*Copies of this are available for your summer beach reading list, please let me know if you want one.)

Elizabeth I was an extraordinary monarch; she ruled with an unprecedented style that was somehow innate in her personality. I wanted to know more about her, and how she became the Queen she did-- so I went a generation back, to her parents, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

I started with this book, written by Alison Weir about all the wives of Henry VIII (because, after Anne Boleyn was gone, Elizabeth had to call the rest of these ladies "stepmom.") While I admit I'm a history nerd, this one is written to appeal to a wider audience and if you're interested in these stories at all, this would be a great book to pick up. It stays historically accurate while still keeping a narrative tone. And the historiography is fantastic-- I love reading Henry's love letters to his wives. He had game.

I went to see The Other Boleyn Girl with two of my friends, and upon exiting the theater one of them (the one that requested this post, may I add) deemed the movie "the most depressing thing I've ever seen." She then continued with, "That is so unfair, he could just have her killed like that."

While I hate that it was a downer for her, it's proof that the story is timeless.