Yesterday marked the 140th birthday of the 501 jean. Yes you heard correctly-140 years. Levi Strauss & Co made its first pair of jeans in 1873, 20 years after Levi himself arrived in San Francisco and opened a wholesale dry goods business. They were patented as “waist overalls” with one back pocket (with Arcuate stitching design), a watch pocket, a cinch, suspender buttons and a rivet in the crotch.

Over the years, the design and cut of the jeans has been altered, but not all that much. The Levi 501 is a testament to the power of timeless American design. It’s the reason why thrifters buy old pairs in consignment shops and why Levi Vintage Clothing (LVC), has been reproducing various 20th century models, to the delight of aficionados.

Quite simply, the 501 is eternal. It looks just as good today as it did 50 years ago on icons like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. It’s why you can find guys in Williamsburg in 2013 wearing them, attempting to replicate the way turn of the century miners did. They were good enough for cowboys and for factory workers, for punks and for preps, for dads and for sons. Democracy at its finest. Jean lover or not, the power of the design is something we can all aspire to.

Happy Birthday 501.

Marilyn Monroe in Levi 501s

Vintage Levi Ad

Vintage Levi jeans ad

This weekend, we checked out the first annual Collective .1 Design Fair at Pier 57. The fair aims to present “a cohesive, curated selection of contemporary design and historical pieces from around the world.” The idea began with a select group of designers, curators, collectors and gallerists, who recognized the need for a new commercial and educational platform for the collector and connoisseur.

Headed up by architect and interior designer Steven Learner, magazine editor Sarah Medford and Fair Manager Helen Toomer, Collective pulled from New York’s creative community to form its Design Council, which featured designers from Jamie Drake and Victoria Hagan, to actress Julianne Moore and Editors Margaret Russell and Adam Rapoport. Founder Steven Learner sought to focus exclusively on 20th and 21st century material, as current design fairs in New York are antiques based with a small section of contemporary and vintage work.

Part art gallery/ part furniture show / and part lounge; the select group of exhibitors made excellent use of the raw industrial feel of Pier 57.  From provocative (Sebastian Errazu’s “Blow-Me” Fans) and thoughtful art installations (Gaetano Pesce’s retrospective) to the exceptional VIP lounge (furnished by our friends over at BDDW), to the all black Ping Pong table by Snarkitecture; Collective truly had something for everyone, even youngsters (Kinder Modern made their debut with a “Kid’s Area”). Check out some of our favorites below.

Snarkitecture “Slice” Ping Pong Table

Archery targets and side board by BDDW

Bicycle by Shinola, a Detroit based company that specializes in accessories. All Made in USA.

Lighting, dining table and shelf by BDDW

Gaetano Pesce’s installation at Collective DF

The Great Gatsby hits theaters nationwide today, and

1. Cinematography/Style:

2. Acting: Plain and simple, Leo never does a bad job. Lurhman’s choice of DiCaprio as Gatsby caught some early heat but I expect him to be pretty powerful as the man with the cool shirts. Let’s not forget this story is really about Nick Carraway. Much like

3. Wardrobes and Set Design: As fashion historian Deirdre Clemente pointed out for The Atlantic, Baz Luhrmann took more than a few bold sartorial choices in portraying the period. It’s important to note though, he is fully aware of all of the historical inaccuracies you may see. The film couldn’t be more well researched, and these changes we made in order to modernize the story.

The costumes of The Great Gatsby will not withstand the rigors of academic analysis, but who cares about “real” history, anyway? The film’s costumes entice and inspire—boater hats, bejeweled headbands, fringed frocks, and all. Just as Gatsby’s lavish lawn party aimed to lure Daisy across the bay, Luhrmann lures a modern audience to listen once again to a story they’ve heard before.

We are thrilled to announce that Housing Work’s 9th annual Design On A Dime Benefit, raised $1.1 Million Dollars to fund the completed Jefferson Avenue Residence opening this summer, and to break ground on the Hull Street housing opening in 2014. The announcement, which came last week, was record breaking, and a testament to the talented individuals and generous groups that were involved!

Both of these initiatives will provide resources for the thousands of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. A BIG thanks to everyone involved, and congratulations to the new owners of our three donated pieces. Hat’s off again to  Marc Houston, Kati Curtis and id810 on creating unforgettable vignettes!

The 3-day interiors sale and reception was attended by over 3,000 people who shopped 62 rooms designed with floor to ceiling product for sale at deep discounts by some of the world’s top interior designers.

Here’s a shot of Marc Houston‘s space, featuring our Chair no. One Eighty. Two in Charcoal.

And one of Kati Curtis Designs‘ Space…

And some shots of Virginia and Jessica of id810…

Can’t wait for next year!

Our CCO, Brady Wilcox, was recently profiled by Curbed.com, as part of their “Clocking In” video series. The series, currently in its second installment, spends time getting to know “behind the scenes” people in the industry.

According to Curbed, it’s aim is to explore “one individual’s artistic contributions to the great, wide “wheel” of design; in other words, cool stuff cool people create.”  It was great have the Curbed team check out our newly re-designed showroom, and to hear more about Brady’s design philosophy, and the creative process of creating our roll-tufted Chair no. One Twenty Four.

Check out the video below, and head to Curbed to see the rest of their series.

Clocking In With Brady Wilcox of the New Traditionalists

Last night, we swung by Housing Work’s Design On A Dime event at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea to check out some of the 50+ designer vignettes. The spaces were inventive, quirky, and interesting; and it was great to catch up with some of our favorite designers and other industry friends. You can see all the pics of the event on our Facebook page, but here’s a few of our favorite shots. The free public sale continues today and tomorrow, so be sure to swing by and get some of these pieces for a steal!

A glimpse of Kati Curtis Design’s vignette, which featured our shearing and leather dining chair!

Gladiator statue in bronze.

John Eason’s vignette

Wizard of Oz themed room from Tiger Lily’s of Greenwich

A quick shot of our cabinet in id810′s lovely little vignette.

Custom orange bar cart.

An Eames chair in the Bloomingdales booth…

Mercedes Motoring founders J.G. Francis and Sean Johnstun, image from NYTimes

I recently came across a feature in NY Times Magazine about two guys in Glendale, California with an insatiable obsession with vintage Mercedes cars. In wandering around Manhattan or any of the outer boroughs, its not uncommon to stumble upon an exceptional old car; most of which you can find on our Instagram feed-this was different.

Holding the belief that the cars that Mercedes produced between 1968 and 1985 are the best mass produced automobiles ever made, the duo of J.G. Francis and Sean Johnstun founded Mercedes Motoring, a boutique restoration company.

After buying a 1979 300 SD for $700 and restoring it, J.G Francis delved into the world of classic Mercedes Benzes, with the philosophy of making the next one even better than the last.  He also believes in how his work helps the enviroment, as re-using a reliable, safe and fuel efficient car is preferable to building a new one. They are pieces that are classic and beautiful, filled with character, and appreciate with time. They search the country for cars that have low mileage and original paint and interior (in addition to other factors), and begin restoring them back to factory condition, which typically takes 6-8 weeks.

They have already restored pieces on the website to choose from, or you can email them directly with exactly what you are looking for and they will go and find it. It’s a pretty cool concept, and the results are absolutely stunning.

Next Thursday (4/25) is Housing Workss Design On A Dime benefit at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. In it’s 9^th year, the event features more than 50 top interior designers, who create vignettes using merchandise donated by industry vendors. That merchandise is then sold for 50-70% off retail. Proceeds go to Housing Works, which is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. It’s an great cause, and always an awesome event, which we have been involved with since our inception. This year are thrilled to have donated to 3 different designers’ vignettes.

MEET THE DESIGNERS

Kati Curtis Design

Kati Curtis is known for her distinctive and contemporary design, often rooted in the personality of her clients or the history of the space. She has employed her uncompromising aesthetic in both residential and commercial interior design projects. Kati received her training at Savannah College of Art and Design, and worked at numerous international architecture and engineering firms across the country, before forming her namesake firm (formerly Nirmada), in 2005. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times.

Our Credenza no. Eight Forty in a Kati Curtis Design Project.

Kati Curtis Design’s Central Park West Project

In addition to teaching at the New York School of Interior Design, she volunteers at the Design Industry foundation for Aids. In her vignette for Design on a Dime, she drew inspiration from the zeitgeist spawned by a recent popular and scandalous novel, envisioning a room that was bold, daring, sexy and magnificent.

For the vignette, we donated our Chair no. Forty Five, a Nordic inspired piece with fashion details. It is upholstered in Shearling and tomato leather, and boasts a high back with accented antique brass buckles. The vignette will also feature donations from ABC Carpet and Home, Serena & Lily, Arteriors Home, Trove and Madera Home. Follow Kati on twitter here.

Our Chair no. Forty Five in Shearling and Tomato leather

Here is a preview of Kati Curtis’ vignette…

A Preview of Kati Curtis Design’s DOAD Vignette

Marc Houston Lifestyle & Interiors

Marc Houston creates intelligent and inventive spaces that are visually stimulating and inviting. With years of experience in interior, lighting and furniture design, Marc’s invigorating aesthetic is a product of diverse cultural and artistic influences derived from life on both sides of the Atlantic. He received his design training at the University of Maryland and Chelsea College of Art and Design, and currently manages and contributes to a wide range of projects and concepts in the US, Great Britain, Italy and Malta. His work has appeared in Washington Home and Design and Apartment Therapy. You can follow him on Twitter here!

Our Bed no. Sixteen. Two in a Marc Houston project

Marc Houston Lifestyle & Interiors

A Marc Houston Project featuring our Armoire no. Five Sixty Four at right

For Marc’s vignette, we have donated our Chair no. One Eighty. Two. Inspired by Raoul’s on Prince Street, it features a wood wrapped oak frame in a Silver Color Cerused Black finish. It is upholstered in Charcoal Leather with a grid piping detail.

Our Chair no. One Eighty. Two

id810 design group

Interior Design Duo ID810 creates beautifully unique and playful spaces, tailored to the personal style of their owner. With backgrounds in architecture and communication, Jessica and Virginia’s balance of thorough planning and a passion for the unexpected give their projects a feeling of modern, unpretentious luxury. You can follow them on Twitter here.

an id810 design group bedroom

a pair of ducduc regency cribs in a id810 nursery

For id810′s vignette, we have donated our Cabinet no. Two Thirty Five. Bench made from Maple sourced from New England, the cabinet  features a hand applied Fine Linen Bone White frame and Classic Glaze Black with Chili Box and brass hardware.

Our cabinet no. Two Thirty Five

Here’s what Virginia and Jessica had to say about their upcoming vignette, which also features merchandise donated by Patterson, Flynn, Marset Lighting, Rearview Modern and William H. Jackson Co-

“Cabinet No. Two Thirty Five was our first acquisition and ignited a firestorm of ideas regarding what our room could be. Inspired by the mix of finishes within the piece and its plethora of functions, we set out to design what we originally thought would be a masculine Living Room. The next item on the agenda would be to secure a fireplace donation as we typically integrate them into our designs whenever possible. After the seal of approval was put on the oversized fireplace, we honed in on our other statement pieces and that’s when this very masculine space took a turn down Feminine Lane.  Mesmerized by the lines and array of colors found in one of our donations quickly followed by a Wearstler rug we refused to pass up…the room developed into a feminine space with an edge.

The red found in Cabinet No. Two Thirty Five was the spring board for our color palette and also saw its way into the development process  of the custom wallpaper we designed for this project specifically. After many rounds of both design and color analysis, the final product exceeds our expectations and is certainly a homage to our woman-kind.

We hope our visitors and donors will be thrilled with the results…make sure to stop on by for a special treat as well.”

A Preview of ID810′s Design on a Dime Vignette

The Opening Night Reception, on April 25th, will be attended by hundreds of design VIPs and designers. Guests will get a first look at the room vignettes and enjoy preview shopping, cocktails, hor d’oeuvres and live entertainment. The public sale is on Friday April 26th and Saturday April 27th.

Tickets are on sale now! We can’t see what these three, as well as the other host of talented designers have brewing next week!

I recently seized the opportunity to get out of the city and head upstate to Bedford-my hometown, and the headquarters of tie-maker General Knot & Co. I had initially met founder Andrew Payne at the Pop Up Flea in December, yet this the first time I got a chance to see the designer and fabric collector at his home/textile library to learn more about what makes him tick, and why General Knot is so special.

A brand that we have had our eyes on since it was founded a few years back, General Knot makes hand-made neckwear from dead-stock vintage fabrics, right here in the states. The result is beautifully contemporary pieces with a playful old school flare that are not only well made and eccentric, but also incredibly limited edition. An avid collector before he started churning out ties, Andrew scours the northeast searching for fabric to be used for his line. Often, that fabric is found in very small quantities, making each design even more extraordinary. So not only are you wearing something made from materials that could date as far back as the Great Depression, but you’re simply not gonna find any other guy wearing the same one. Each tie is stamped with the quantity that each piece of that fabric produced, which is typically around 10.

As a result, Andrew’s business model is a bit peculiar. Whereas most designers of clothing envision and design a piece first, AND THEN source the fabric, Andrew does just the opposite. What he produces and how much of it he will make is completely dependent on what he is able to find hidden in estate sales or vintage stores across the country.

Payne, a fashion industry vet whose design resume spans from Perry Ellis and Polo Ralph Lauren to Macy’s, claims that fabric has quite simply, “always been his thing.” This fabric, however holds a special place in his heart, as each and every one comes with a story. His fascination with history (the year it was made, what it was made for, the patterns, and why were they are a certain size, etc.) is what constantly fuels his search.

I found it particularly intriguing to hear him speak about the creative distinction between his prior work “designing for someone else” and his new and true passion of “designing for himself.” Whereas a designer who “designs for someone else” must be constantly tweaking and tempering their graft, while projecting their own aesthetic onto a larger, more defined palette, General Knot is truly a space in which he can wholeheartedly trust into his eye. And while unconventional, his process is quite simple-accumulate as many beautiful fabrics as possible, and afterwards figure out how and where they can be applied. His mantra is “trust your eye and keep collecting,” and eventually it will find a home.

Payne also has a very specific perspective on his customer, as he aims to make “the tie you don’t have to wear.” Quite simply, these aren’t boardroom ties, or at least your traditional boardroom. He makes them with a personality and an occasion in mind, then focuses on scale, size and color when deciding where each fabric will be applied. Payne believes that “if you try to be everyone’s tie maker, you’ll never be anyone’s tie-maker.” Many are florals and pastels that you would likely only find at a summer barbeque, while others are solid color chambrays, with outrageous skinny ends, which you could hide in the keeper (the small loop of fabric behind the front blade) while at the office, but then expose when you hit the bar-a versatile piece of neck wear indeed.

We also spoke about quality, craftsmanship, and the reason behind making his products in the United States. To Andrew, it’s quite simple: the hand made tie will always outlive the mass produced tie, and with some of the best tailors and craftsmen right here in the states, why not take advantage of such a great American resource. It is one of the many things that contribute to the character of his line, which will not only turn heads on the street, but give you something to talk about at your next cocktail party.

It’s worth noting though, because of the limited quantities of his designs, stock on his web-store moves pretty quickly. He also has branched out to skinny ties (which you can find in GQ’s Spring Trend Report), kid’s ties (Little Knot), and does custom orders for weddings.

Thanks again for having me Andrew and keep up the good work!

Stay tuned for future obsessions of ours…

Our Showroom Sample Sale is coming to an end, and there are still plenty of pieces available-at a discount of up to 75% OFF.

With only a few days left, I’ve highlighted some of our favorites…

Chair no. Twenty Nine. Two comes wood wrapped in Maple sourced from New England and the Mid Atlantic, with a hand applied Mink on White Fine Linen finish. Each piece of wood is hand selected for an individual product based on desired grain character. This modern take on the Wingback chair was inspired by the Soho House, and is upholstered in Sapphire linen. (65% OFF-Retail Price: $8,665 / Sale Price: $3,033)

Taking inspiration from Dan Tana’s, this dining chair in upholstered in Brown Zebra Hide, and features a modern wing detail and an exposed oak wrapped frame, with a classic cerused finish. There are two available. (60% OFF-Retail Price: $4,000 Sale Price: $1,600)

Our Chesterfield inspired Bar Stool makes for a luxurious drinking buddy. Tufted in Echo Blue Marlin, it features a wood wrapped back and base, hand finished with a silver solid color glaze on oak. It also has mismatched “M&M style” buttons. There are two available. (55% OFF-Retail Price: $4,085 / $1,838)

Inspired by Fifth Avenue, this nightstand/side table is bench made from Maple sourced from New England and the Mid Atlantic. It features a hand applied classic color summer plum frame and classic color pre-dawn sky drawer face. The hardware is antique brass. There are two available. (60% OFF-Retail Price: $2,415 / Sale Price: $966)

Side Table no. Twelve is inspired by the West Village. Bench made from North American Black Walnut, it features a High Gloss finish with satin nickel hardware. (60% OFF- Retail Price: $2,125 / Sale Price: $850)

All sale items and pricing can be viewed over on our Pinterest page here.

If you are interested in learning more about those products, or our full line of furniture, contact our client services group at clientservices@thenewtraditionalists.com or at 212.226.1868. The Sample Sale ends Friday.

Cheers!