NYC: Scalamandré by Lenox Collaboration

The main purpose of our trip up to NYC was to attend the launch party for the Scalamandré by Lenox collaboration. These two venerable companies have combined to present five iconic patterns from Scalamandré’s extensive archives and create a fresh new collection of china, glassware, flatware and accessories. The result is a great success.

To launch the line, five decorators, Jamie Drake, Kathryn Ireland, Richard Mishaan, Charlotte Moss and Bunny Williams, each created a window at Bloomingdale’s flagship store on Third and 59th. I am using the press shots of the windows, because, as you might understand, it’s very difficult to shoot huge glass windows at any time of the day or night because of the reflections. I am also providing the accompanying text, which explains every aspect of the windows much better than I ever could!

Let’s look at these wonderful windows.

Jamie Drake selected Lenox’s striking Stravagante pattern, a hyper lush, ravishingly drawn Italian Baroque still life based on a document from Scalamandré's Medici Archives. In a distilled, graphic and dreamlike tableau, Stravagante imaginatively comes to life with five winding, serpentine stems, tendrils and leaves covered in Scalamandré’s Citrine Upcountry cotton velvet and Rasone, a solid cotton sateen. Five electric blue Morning Glory blossoms in the blue cotton Cento are adorned with butterflies and bear Stravagante plates.

A painted English stately home with a requisite fountain and lake is the charming backdrop for Kathryn Ireland’s picnic vignette. Appointed with the enchanting Love Birds china pattern, this perennially fresh design is from one of Scalamandré's earliest and most cherished reproduction fabrics. Her inviting plein-air tablescape features pillows covered in Scalamandre's Love Birds, Bizarre, Sami Ikat and Lillian. A tablecloth in blue Serendipity is layered with a coral strié lampas, Uppsala and at the cloth’s edge, is a fetching parasol covered in Sami, in blue. A one-hundred-percent beautifully drawn linen, Baroque Floral is draped over the picnic basket.

Richard Mishaan created a chic, urban dining aerie to showcase those iconic Zebras that once graced the walls of the late, lamented Gino's Restaurant in New York City. Lithely eluding arrows with grace, speed and endless charm, Scalamandré’s irrepressible Zebra wallpaper in the signature Masai red serves as dramatic backdrop for an intimate dinner. A complement of Zebra china, accessories and giftware is set on table with a red silk tablecloth of Scalamandré’s Shangri-la overlaid with the finely woven Herringbone di Lusso. Two cubes upholstered in the graphic Zebra linen emerge from under a console and a three-paneled screen featuring a dozen Zebra Accent plates finishes this dramatic and swank vignette.

Bouvier, based on a superb 18th century French design from Scalamandré and known as Jardin de Tuileries, has graced the homes of some of America’s great style doyennes, among them Jacqueline Onassis, Bunny Mellon and Marie Harriman. Designer Charlotte Moss took her cue from Jacqueline Kennedy's childhood in East Hampton and created an equestrian scene with boxwood hedges, pole jumps and an impromptu luncheon. Bales of hay serve as seating and are covered with tufted cushions of Scalamandré’s smart outdoor Boxwood Stripe. Miss Bouvier’s monogrammed quilted horse blanket is made of navy Guadeloupe with brown detailing and a monogram. An awning, also fabricated in the navy Guadeloupe appears above this sophisticated, sunlit setting. Placesettings of Bouvier and a complement of serving pieces, flatware and silver are displayed on a folding table.

Renowned designer Bunny Williams created an exuberant, tour de force homage to Lenox's Toile Tale. Adapted from Scalamandré's Pillement Toile, the pattern features a fanciful Chinoiserie landscape of enchanting flowers, fretwork, figures, pagodas and parasols. Framed by antique gilded palm trees, a carved and painted curio pagoda cabinet showcases a selection of Toile Tale’s captivating dinner plates, bowls and accessories. Suspended above, a host of multi-colored silk lanterns herald the Chinese New Year. Scalamandré's warp silk Paradiso covers the upper walls and the striped silk Sunset adorns the lower third, each anchored with elegant fretwork molding. Turkish floor cushions covered in Scalamandré's luxe Tigre finish this exotic, enticing meal for two.

I have to say that Bunny Williams’ window was my favourite, mainly because of the level of detail in it. From the whimsical paper lanterns to the vases and dragon on the floor, every inch was very well thought out.

Throughout the party space at Bloomingdales, there were tables set with the china, glassware, cutlery and accessories from the collection, which made it a lot of fun.  All of the fabrics used for the tablecloths were from Scalamandré.The lighting wasn’t the best for shooting these tablescapes, and there were nearly 300 people at the event, so getting good shots was virtually impossible!

The silks of the tablecloths really set off the china patterns to their best, especially this great herringbone with the iconic zebra pattern.

The damask of the Love Birds pattern was very subtle against the stripes of the silk.

The party was lots of fun, and I even saw some people I knew from the blog-world there, which made it even more fun!

All in all, a great time was had, and we were delighted to be included at this fun event!