Bootsy & Voysey

London, 2001:
She was standing next to an early '70s Triumph Spitfire with blinking emergency lights.  Broken down during afternoon rush hour and taking up an entire lane in a traffic circle somewhere in Mayfair.  Cell phone to an ear, she looked exasperated and... on hold.   Red shoulder length hair bounced as she turned her head just as the cab I was in passed by.  She was dressed in a white silk blouse,  boot cut  jeans and suede paddock boots.  I'll never forget her -- Not that I think of her everyday.

But I was reminded of Bootsy when I saw these -- Maloles Lola M87 -- Sounds like something from Formula 1.

Doris Leslie Blau is a rug dealer in NYC and I've fallen hard for their English Arts and Crafts rugs since they first emailed me a sampling late last Summer.  There's a wide line between American and English A&C.  Not a fan of the former but a big fan of the latter. And while their A&C collection is not for the weak of heart or GS-5 park rangers, there are some fantastic deals on their web site…like this wonderful navy and red kilim. 

If you're thinking of something special for a lady friend and you're pressed for time, DLB has created a story for you.  The Maloles echoing the  CFA Voysey rug.  Maybe you could buy her a Triumph Spitfire as well.

Maloles Lola M87 Boot $430 here

1910 Arts & Crafts Rug (12'7" x 10'8") $45,000 here

Triumph Spitfires for Sale  $4,500 - $32,500 here

Hardmeyer's Cock

From, 'The Swiss Poster' by Bruno Margadant, 1983


A Swiss dealer convinced me to buy this, Robert Hardmeyer's Cock.  I wasn't crazy about it at the time and really wanted an Agfa poster by Leupin but the dealer sold me with, "Hardmeyer is the birth of the Swiss poster."

It hangs in my NY apartment, and in the years I've been here, no one has said a thing about it.  And that's a good thing --  Because it says so much without uttering a word.

I bought it when I was throwing money away like a paratrooper in a Panamanian whore house --  But looking at it today... and knowing its story...I feel like I saved it somehow  -- My Cock in a starched white shirt. 

It's not quite history...almost 110 years. But it's getting there.  Still....it looks like someone just imagined it yesterday...

That's what I like about it. 

"Is this the only protection you have?"

Swiss Poster, 1948  
 
Shortly after my divorce I became obsessed with Swiss posters.  They were massive things, usually 50"x35" and amazing value for the money.  There were a number of sources I bought from but my favorite dealer was in Chicago on South Michigan Avenue.  He told me all he knew about this poster of an umbrella was it had something to do with insurance.

 I had a client who was Swiss and at lunch I passed her the listing for the poster and asked if she would translate.  "Is this the only protection you have?" she told me and jotted the translation down as she took a sip of wine.  She pushed the listing back at me and said, "You should hang it over your bed."

Straight Guy's Guide to Interior Design

Fabulous over the couch

Hotter Than A Scalamandré Zebra

The straight guy's guide to interior design. Coming soon.