Dear ESB: What should we register for?? (Plus a giveaway from Pierrepont Hicks!)

hiya,

I'm trying to put together a wedding registry for myself and my man and we are struggling to decide what to put on it. My mom is a potter and has already given us tons of plates and mugs and bowls, and is making us a bunch more over the next few years, so a matched set of everyday dinnerware is not necessary (and not our style anyway). We are not huge bakers, so we don't need that huge kitchenaid mixer that everyone wants.  

We have a close friend with a lovely high-end home goods (and jewelry, but that can't go on the registry, alas) shop and are setting up a little registry with her, plus we've got a MyRegistry site set up to aggregate items from the web, where we've put up the requisite food processor, some Reidel wine glasses, some long-coveted blankets, Santa Fe Stoneworks fanciness, a drill... We also have a cash "future adventures" fund for people to contribute to, as well as a few charities we'd like people to donate to in our name, so perhaps we should just leave it at that and move on to other things (like sending out our paper invitations, oops).

But I don't want to be too casual about what is, for practical purposes, a rare opportunity to make the transformation from having a big kid house to a Grown Up house. Any suggestions? We've been to enough weddings to know people always put flatware/silverware on the registry... And we should probably replace the hodgepodge set we've accumulated over the years mostly from stealing from dining halls, friends and neighbors... But we don't know anything about flatware/silverware and what differentiates good from bad. Should we put on stuff for our dog and cat? Would that be weird?

Our general parameters for buying things are that we try to buy from independent shops in person (Brooklyn) or online, made-in-usa or fair trade/well-paid workers, etc. Unfortunately, unlike the areas of clothing and food, where we have our go-to favorite and trusted brands/stores, we don't know where to go for feel-good but also attractive and high quality homegoods (that's why we will not go the etsy route--no offense to those few gems who use that selling platform despite the shoddy company it puts them in). 

We also don't want our registry to be totally out of reach to our guests. Cost-wise, we usually spend $100 on gifts for our friends getting married (and that's a joint present from us as a couple) and wouldn't want others to spend more on ours...

Any advice? Items? Kitchen/household gold standards we would be fools not to ask for?

-- Having trouble asking for stuff for the first time in her life

*****

Coupla things we registered for that we use the shit out of: All Clad pans (made in the USA), a Henckels chef's knife and a pair of Wüsthof kitchen shears (both made in Germany). No idea what to tell you about flatware. I inherited my grandmother's silver, which we use every day because why not.

Who's got an opinion about flatware?

Recommendations for must-have registry items?

Just want to yell at the nice lady for registering for cash?

Mrs. Pierrepont Hicks has offered to give away a blue Backseat Blanket (100% Minnesota-made) to one lucky reader. Offer your two cents in the comments by 12pm on Friday and I'll select a winner at random.

p.s. pls do not register for gifts for your PETS. that would indeed be weird.

Pierrepont Hicks FW 2012 + A Giveaway!

**closed**

In honor of H and my fourth anniversary (FOURTH ANNIVERSARY!) @mrsphicks offered me this amazeballs Spider tie to give away to one lucky reader.

Okay, so maybe the giveaway actually has nothing to do with our anniversary. Maybe Katherine just wanted to show off the new collection.

Anyhoo.

Leave a comment below (why you like ties, or why you like men in ties, or why you like women in ties, or just "Pick me!") by 12pm PST on Aug 20 and I'll select a winner at random.

Meet My Chukkas

Can a woman who owns a caftan *also* rock chukka boots?

The answer is a resounding YES.

My friend Katherine (of Pierrepont Hicks fame) asked me if I'd like to test drive a pair of chukkas from @mrsphicks, her most excellent new line of menswear-inspired footwear for women.

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY ever since my desperate attempt to get a pair of free Bensimons.


I know. Sad.

Anyhoo. My chukkas arrived two weeks ago, and I basically haven't taken them off since.

Srsly. They are now MOLDED TO MY FEET. So fucking comf.

I've been hoping for a little rain to test em out in, but it keeps clearing up on me before I ever make it out of the house. I guess I'll have to report back.

Katherine linked me over to this "Save Your Suede" handbook, but she's not making any guarantees about water-proofed-ness. Me, I plan to rough it. The rain doesn't come down all that hard around here. And only wusses protect the suede on their CHUKKAS.

The shoes themselves are guaranteed for life. If you find a defect or in two years the soles wear a little too much, you can send them to straight back to @mrsphicks herself and she will fix em up. No charge.

p.s. Burnt orange suede chukka coming soon....

The Thunder

Is that tie pure sex, or is it PURE SEX?

Shop Pierrepont Hicks

HELLO Striped Bridesmaids' Skirts

I have been full-on obsessed with stripes for the past week.

The Flynn Skirt + Full-Length Flynn Skirt from Anne M Cramer are answering a question I didn't even think to ask. 

Many thanks to my lady Katherine at Pierrepont Hicks, who is always looking out for me. I almost asked her if they would do wide-striped groomsmen's ties to go with. D'you think that would be too much?

The Best Cotton Tie

Of course our pals (and ESB sponsor) Pierrepont Hicks made GQ's list of The Best Cotton Ties for Summer Suiting. In my opinion, no one else on the list even comes close.

Shop the Buzzy Two Tone (Handcrafted in 100% Italian cotton) right here.

Admire the hotness

Hot-ness.

From Pierrepont Hicks's Spring Lookbook.  
______________________________
Yes, PPH is one of my rad new sponsors. No, they did not pay me for this post.

Dude, you should get married in this.

Limited edition nautical bow tie made from vintage fabric. 

(By Pierrepont Hicks, obv.)

Mac's Groom's Kit

A Camel Hair tie can feel just as formal as a tux...

1. Camel Tie from HATCHERY Label coming this fall from Pierrepont Hicks.  Our new luxury line will include cashmere ties and Italian cotton pocket squares. Navy suit from Ralph Lauren.

2. Orvis Boot Camp Belt

3. Brooks Brothers Ribbed Crew Socks in orange

4. Taylor Stitch custom shirt

5. ipod shuffle full of ocean sounds for airplane

6. Born Shoes Kilbury

7. Barbour Quilted Vest

8. Doane Paper notebooks

9. McMillan Old Hunting tartan scarf - we had these made as gifts for our guests in both McMillan and MacDonald (Kat's maiden name).

Thank you thank you Mac and Kat!

Kat's Travel Staples

1. J.W. Hulme co. Sporting Originals luggage - no rollers

2. Dubarry Boots

3. White jeans - you can dress up any outfit with these

4. No. 7 Illumination lotion

5. Rosebud Salve

6. llbean Camo Tote - washable

7. Calypso Celle Dale Top

8. Santa Maria Novella Honeysuckle - my only fragrance

9. Chanel Red Lipstick - again, dress it up in a pinch

10. Barbour Quilted Jacket

11. My Kindle - I read The Atlantic Monthly on it as well as The Trad

12. Kick ass heels preferably red - these are from TOAST UK

Even though there's a pretty strict read the printed word mandate around here, I'm willing to forgive Kat the kindle for travel. I mean she's got to keep up with the blogs. Speaking of blogs, Pierrepont Hicks has a rad one, with much groom style inspiration to be had.

Guest Post: Kat of Pierrepont Hicks

To get to the Isle of Mull, our friends and family had to fly into Scotland, via Edinburgh or Glasgow, rent a car, drive to the West Coast town of Oban, where they would catch a ferry to Craignure, the tiny ferry landing town on Mull, one of the Hebrides inner isles.  The drive from Craignure is 45 minutes North to Tobermory, on single lane roads that have little shoulders known as "passing points" where you basically pull off to let someone pass you (or let someone not hit you head on, as in the case of our guests who drove about 20 mph pissing off the locals who whiz along these roads at 80 mph).  I should mention they have an annual car rally on Mull where people race and pull all kinds of Luke Duke moves in their banged up mini coopers.

By having a destination wedding, the goal was to have only those who really and truly wanted to be there - there. And so it was.  49 of our friends and family showed up. They showed up kind of pissed off. There were guffaws at our reception dinner when Mac gracefully thanked everyone for coming.  "I think everyone has experienced that feeling on vacation, when you end up somewhere amazing, like Mull, and you wish you could magically transport your friends and family to share it with-" "Magically!??" my uncle chortled from across the room.

Throughout the hundreds of hiccups (maid of honor's hair dryer blew out half of the town’s lights Friday night, my mother announced morning of the wedding that the English boxwood I thought was so quaint along our dining tables "smells like cat pee," and the usual drunken endeavors of goofy friends in kilts), Mac glided through making frizzy guests laugh and angry innkeepers smile. We woke up pretty much the entire sleepy town of Tobermory, inadvertently, with our American-ness.  I remember one lovely little old man walking along the dock next to me, the morning of our wedding, as I breathed in the crisp salty sea air, hot tea in hand: "I can tell you're American because you people bring your massive cups of coffee everywhere."  We tried to fit in, but if you've ever seen the film "Local Hero" – it was kind of like that.

As the weekend progressed, my mother's luggage lost still on the morning of, I started having a physical reaction to the stresses through blotchy hives caused I believe by the close range of my family members (extended and in-laws) on an island with nowhere to run.  But Mac remained calm the entire time.

Coming up: Kat and Mac (the wife and husband behind my all-time favorite ties) have each put together lists of their destination staples.

"Nothing too fancy," says Kat.

bring the THUNDER

Was that you groaning out loud? Sorry. I guess I'm a little out of practice. 

Anyhoo, get your pre-orders in for the Thunder necktie from Pierrepont Hicks. Srsly. 100% English silk, hand-sewn in the USA. In stock July 1.

The reversible Thunder Bow is pretty sweet too.

Note to my dad who told me the blog is too materialistic: WHY ARE YOU STILL READING?

Reversible Bow Tie by Pierrepont Hicks

The bow tie trend seems to be kicking into high gear all of a sudden. Can't say that I mind.

Order directly from Pierrepont Hicks here.

Via all plaidout. Obv. Happy blog birthday, Max! Now will you please grow back your mustache?