Wednesday 30 May 2012

And They're Racing..............SOLD

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series .....

Unfortunately your scribe has spent a far greater time in the Supreme Court than anticipated but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The Justice system has once again proven that it protects the innocent and it prosecutes the guilty.  The way it should be.

All of this court room shenanigans has of course meant that your scribe has missed his pilgrimage to the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky this year.  An abominable state of affairs I know, but alas these things occasionally come along and rock the boat.  This year of course saw record attendances and the race was won by an American thoroughbred called "I'll Have Another". This magnificent colt also won the Preakiness Stakes in New York giving I'll Have Another two wins of the "Triple Crown" races.  A not so spectacular breeding history has stopped this colt from winning millions and he was bought at auction as a youngster for only $11,000, but not by me unfortuantely.  The Derby is one of the greatest races for a horse to win and now I'll Have Another is in the history books.   Here he is romping hom......


In front of a record crowd of 170,000 odd punters, the bookies had I'll Have Another starting at 15:1 odds.  Not a bad investment for mine.  Your scribe started on "Daddy Long Legs" at 30:1......never mind!!!!


We had Mohammad Ali as our Link Man of the Day some time ago as an Honourable Kentucky Colonel and all round great Link Man.  Today we honour yet another famous Kentuckian of our times.....George Clooney.  Anyone who has ever been Batman of course automatically confers Link Man Status but George with his humanitarian and charity efforts deserves the nod for today.  Born in Louisville, the home of the Kentucky Derby simply nails this one for him.  Arise George, you are our Link Man of the Day.


Today's Links were acquired during the Kentucky Derby festivities week a few years ago.  They are generally worn with a Colonel's shoe string tie but on the week of the Derby they have to be worn with a Hermes silk neck tie with bridle motifs and a Savile Row pure cotton shirt.


Til Later




ONWARD

Thursday 24 May 2012

People in Glass Opera Houses..........SOLD

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.  

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series .....

No trip to Venice is complete without a trip to the Cini Foundation on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and a trip to the Island of Murano to search for Murano glass cuff links.  Canal cities are your scribes favoured cities and I am off to Osaka again soon for the annual pilgrimage to that fine city.  But back to Venice.


One of your scribes favourite books on Venice is "City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt.  Some of you might know him from the classic Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil but it is Falling Angels that is a wonderful travelogue of Venice shortly after the wonderful Opera House La Finice burned to the ground from a tragic fire in 1996.  The fire burned for over a month and was one of the great fire tragedies of our time.


They say that all of the glass produced by Murano glass makers in the two years after that tragic fire are artistic attempts to catch the colour of the flames that leapt many metres in to the sky above Venice.  The glass makers of Murano, in despair that one of Venice's major landmarks was burning to the ground, over the years have all paid tribute to the wonderful building by attempting to replicate the colours of the flames that night.


 The Cini Foundation is a must for the lovers of fine art and music particularly that of Giuseppe Verdi.  The Cini Foundation is located on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and is a short gondola ride across from St Marks Square in Venice proper.  The Giorgio Cini Foundation is a non-profit cultural institution and was constituted by Vittorio Cini, in memory of his son Giorgio, with the aim of restoring the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and of creating an international cultural centre that would re-integrate the Island into the life of Venice. A day there is a day well spent believe me.....

Todays links which predate the devastating fire of La Finice are Murano glass and were acquired in Murano on a passing trip through Venice many years ago.  They are worn with a Brooks Brothers cotton shirt and a Salvatore Ferragamo silk neck tie with gondola motifs.

 Til Later




ONWARD

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Tusk Tusk..........A$45

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.
 
Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series .....

Your scribe has an acquaintance that has a collection of wonderful silk neck ties that all sport elephant motifs.  Every conceivable fashion house and label is represented in this vast collection of pachyderms on silk.  Your scribe has one or two and they are generally saved for the days that I sport my elephant cuff links.


We have mentioned Jane Russell in dispatches but another favourite brunette is Elizabeth Taylor.  Dame Commander of the British Empire and all round stunner.  Over her career she amassed three Oscars, two BAFTA's and two Golden Globes and she has no less than 75 TV and film credits to her name.  She was also notorious for having had 7 husbands of which she married Sir Richard Burton twice!!!!  She certainly was one of the last great old time movie stars of the movie "system".  She played alongside some of the all time Hollywood greats such as James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman and Spencer Tracey to name just a few.


Your scribe has a few favourites starring Lizzie but she was at her most stunning in the film Elephant Walk.  Sitting back the other night on a rainy Sunday with nothing better to do your scribe was surprised to see Elephant Walk on the TV guide so I sat back and watched one of the classics.  Set in Ceylon in the 50's Lizzie is co cast with one Australia's finest Peter Finch.   Whilst not a true classic, the angry elephants at the film's climax is something to behold and had me searching for the old elephant links that I had acquired many years ago in Portobello Road in London.



These groovy silver links were found in small fashion stall filled with 50's and 60's fashion wonders and today they are worn with a Simon Carter of London cotton shirt and a maroon silk Brooks Brothers neck tie with elephant motifs. .


Til Later




ONWARD

Friday 18 May 2012

Wonders of the World..........SOLD

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.  

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series .....

Your scribe's offspring call today's links the "Madonna links" which I think refers to the Madonna pointy bra stage set as designed by JP Gaultier.  Like the Roboto Man links, these are never to be worn when on a date, as any swift movements could take out an eye....they are sharp, cumbersome and at times lethal, as they are very sharp and pointy!!!!

We seem to be doing a bit of revisiting this week and so I thought I would revisit one of my favourite cities....Cairo.  They say a city really hits its straps after a millennium or two and Cairo is certainly one of the oldest cities we have.  My pyramid links today are a reminder of how old that wonderful city is and that wonderful landmark the pyramid of Cheops......Lets recap yet again. Our mention of Pharaoh in our blog dispatches, King Tutankhamen was Pharaoh in or around 1,332 BC.....one of the first recorded Pharaohs was Na'Rmer around 3,100 BC and the man for whom they built the great Cheops Pyramid was Pharaoh Cheops in 2,613 BC.  By your scribe's maths that make the Great Cheops Pyramid around 4,625 years old......


Your scribe has a policy that precludes golf unless it is played during work hours.....your scribe considers golf a professional pursuit!!!!  But if you are ever to see the Great Pyramid of Cheops there is no better place to see it than on the 18th fairway of the Mena House golf course.  Mena House is located at the natural border of the Nile green belt and the edge of the Sahara.  Cheops rises some 150 metres and for millennia was the tallest and largest man made structure ever.  To see its majestic beauty as you drive your ball down to the 18th hole is truly one of the wonders of the world.


These links were found in a small men's wear store tucked away in a Sydney back street that was unfortunately closing its doors....the fate of many bespoke retail situations one fears. They are blue glass and sharp as all hell!!!!

Today they are worn with a tailored cotton shirt and a blue silk Ralph Lauren neck tie.


Til Later




ONWARD

Wednesday 16 May 2012

If the Crown fits.............A$125

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.  

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series .....

One of the world's truly great collections of "crown" or "royal" jewels is to be found in the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.  Unlike most other Royal Houses, the Tsars of Russia had a new and more glamorous set of crowns, orbs and sceptres, crosses, chains and other royal regalia made at every inauguration.  Each Tsar had his own personal set of crown jewels. 

This wonderful collection in the Armoury includes pieces dating back to the Tsars of the 12 century.  There are gold thrones, diamonds and every conceivable jewel and precious metal is represented.  There is more bling in this place than you will ever see anywhere else on this earth.  It truly is a marvellous collection.


For those lovers of heist movies a quick glance at the strong rooms, doors, alarm devices, detection and movement sensors and armed personnel would make this also one of the best guarded collections in any museum as well.

Your scribe spent some months in Moscow some time ago and there are some past entries that detail the wonders of Moscow.  It's a wonderful town but make sure you're not there during winter. Unfortunately your scribe has been there for two winters in what one compatriot described as the coldest winter since Hitler.....and Napoleon before that!!!!!!!!


Today's links are nice novelty crowns and they are antique Russian silver.  They are quite unique and always get comments. I found them in a lovely little shop in Sydney Australia.  They are worn with a tailored cotton shirt and a Moschino silk neck tie with pentagram motifs.


Til Later




ONWARD

Sunday 13 May 2012

A Bee C..........A$105

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.  

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series ....

Well your scribe has been on the trails the past week and has been somewhat preoccupied with a Supreme Court matter that has taken up all of his time.  It's a long winded affair and may take some time to conclude but your scribe has all faith in the judicial system and even more faith in its appointed advocates, judges and jurors.  A hearty thanks for the many comments and well wishes and again apologies for the lack of notice....these things have a habit of creeping up on you and one is never truly organised as well as one would hope to be.

Whilst the legal and court system will rarely fall in ones favour due to luck, your scribe is a suspicious type and over the past week of sittings your scribe has reverted to his "lucky" links to see him through.  Please consult past entries for a reminder of those "lucky' links.

One thing that the legal and court system can boast is that all things can take what appears to the normal being as an eternity.......the wheels of justice move slowly, and your scribe considers that a good thing but its not much fun being caught up in it all.  There is jargon, procedure and precedents that are most admirable but gosh it can grind you down.  Your scribe at such times has now reverted to the occasional phone application and blog on the sly and hopefully not in the sight lines of His Honour!!!!


One blog article that caught your scribes interest was the plight of the honey bee.  Recent years have seen a steep and disturbing global decline in world wide bee populations -- some bee species are already extinct and some US species are at just 4% of their previous numbers.  They are dying in the billions and no one really knows why, scientists have been scrambling for answers over the past two years.  Some studies claim the decline may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals. T he sad truth is.....if there are no bees there will be now food.  Bees don't just make honey, they are vital to life on earth, every year pollinating 90% of plants and crops. Contact your local authorities and representatives and voice your concern.....sometimes this is the only way that things get done and are rectified.


Today's links were a gift from an old acquaintance that was an amateur apiarist.  Reading the plight of the humble bee in my court down time has had me dig out these little beauties.  The are amber and solid silver in a honey barrel motif and are worn with a Brooks Brothers cotton shirt and a sky blue Chanel silk neck tie with bee and bee hive motifs.

Til Later


ONWARD