Bell’s – A behind-the-scenes peek at apparel selection
When you step into Bell’s in Old Town Winchester, what you see – the coats, pants, suits, hats, scarves, handbags, ties, shoes, jewelry – are a conscientious compilation of hundreds of thoughtful hours spent, hand-selecting each piece. Six to eight times a year, the Shendow family visits New York City for buying trips for the various seasons. The buying process for Spring/Summer 2015 began the end of July 2014 and the search for Fall/Winter 2015 commenced in January 2015 — almost nine months in advance of the actual wearing season. Irvin, Sarah, Scott and Stephen attend the apparel shows where manufacturers from around the world set up booths at the Jacob Javits Center for buyers to view their offerings. Additionally, they traverse Manhattan, visiting showrooms of certain designers who have a permanent showroom: Robert Graham, Canali, Tommy Bahama, Hickey Freeman, Zanella and Carmen Marc Valvo to name a few. What follows is a brief behind the scenes look at a recent trip to New York in July of 2014 – for the Spring/Summer (s/s) 2015 men’s apparel market. Irvin, Stephen and Sarah went to New York early on a Wednesday to visit showrooms throughout the city. By Friday evening, 27 different showroom appointments had been conducted, with manufacturers like Jack Victor, Hickey Freeman, Canali, To Boot and Boglioli. “The goal, as always, is to sift through the offerings, selecting unique pieces — that when combined with the best of other manufacturers — will present our clients with a unique, cohesive, original collection,” says Stephen. On Saturday, Scott took the train up to NYC while Stephen and Sarah headed home to Winchester — not everyone can be away at the same time. Sunday was the first day of the MRket show, so they headed there the next morning to meet with casual wear manufacturers, Cooper Jones, Left Coast Tee, Bill’s Khakis, Flynt and leather good makers Will Leather. “Some of the Italian and foreign resources do not have showroom representation in the U.S.,” explains Scott. “They only come twice a year for the MRket show. We have appointments with the ones we want to see, but also leave some free time in our schedule to make new discoveries and to find newness in market direction.” That afternoon they headed over to the Robert Graham showroom. Robert Graham’s colorful and unique shirt designs are represented in their showroom – which doesn’t disappoint – it’s like walking into a tropical paradise with its beach theme. As in any meeting, they sit down with their rep who shows each of Robert Graham’s shirts for Spring/Summer 2015. Irvin and Scott make decisions on each...
From Bean to Bar, Chocolatier Serves Up Artisan Chocolates with an International Flair
story & photos by Pam Lettie Chocoholics, take note: Chef Nathan Miller offers quarter inch squares of chocolate nirvana to anyone who wants to taste the difference between cacao grown in Peru versus cacao sourced from Africa. Truth be told, he offers samples to all who want to try his fine chocolates. Miller not only makes his own truffles, chocolate bars and pastries, but also sources his cocoa beans – three or four tons per year – from farm cooperatives throughout the world. The creative combination of flavors and of ingredients grown with sustainable agriculture practices netted Miller a win at the national Good Food Awards in January for his Ghana 70 percent chocolate. Miller says there were about 1,500 entries in the Good Food Awards. He appreciates the challenge of competing, but he also likes to see what people are making and how chocolate is changing. For example, Miller uses a stone cylinder and wheel to grind his beans and bring out different flavors of the chocolate. Some of his chocolates are comprised solely of organic cacao, organic cane sugar and organic cacao butter, a treat for those of us accustomed to mass produced chocolate. The simple ingredients let the skill of the artisan chocolate maker – the bean roaster – shine through. Other of Miller’s chocolates might have crushed house-made gingerbread or locally sourced Pennsylvania pretzels or coffee or chili in the mix. Many of his chocolate bars are named with the source of the beans – Ghana, Belize, Hispaniola, Peru, Madagascar – along with the percentage of chocolate in the bar. Others are named with the special flavor. But the best part of his shop lies in the glass jars lined up behind the counter. Halfway hidden by the counter, the glass jars – ranging in size from a gallon to a less than a cup – house chocolate samples. Miller serves up each sample with a long pair of tongs, happy to discuss his art with the samplers. He says it’s important for clients to be able to try samples of chocolates to taste the flavor and feel the “mouth” of the chocolates. I indulged in many of the delightful morsels. The melt-in-my-mouth sweetness of the buttermilk chocolate, either the 45 or 55 percent varieties, is my choice for the perfect chocolate bar. Both are made from the Ghana cacao beans. Initially, when I slip the chocolate into my mouth, it is just another little lump, but as it warms and begins to dissolve, the flavor of the buttermilk sneaks through. The gingerbread chocolate bar is made from the 55 percent buttermilk chocolate, the Ghana...
Hunting the Right Fit
by Wendy Gooditis photos by Lauri Bridgeforth Watching Karen Ewbank sort through the samples of rich tweeds, it is clear that this determined woman has found a way to gather up the threads of her life and weave them into a beautiful, functional fabric, rather like the gorgeous Harris Tweed she is examining. Her business, Ewbank’s Clothiers, is to make noble custom riding clothes for the discriminating equestrian, as well as elegant custom clothes of all kinds. In her shop/workroom on Route 340 near Berryville, the mannequin sporting the nearly completed scarlet hunt coat appears ready to escort the glimmering mossgreen silk dress on the next mannequin in to dinner at the hunt ball. And heads will turn as they make their entrance! Her clothes are professionally designed, thoughtfully made, and meticulously fitted, as evidenced by the number of return customers she has. It began with a line of clothing she created for stores in Middleburg and Pentagon City. When her riding friends learned of her skill, they began asking for custom clothes. Soon a Master of Foxhounds asked if she would rework the linings in the staff hunt coats. Word got around, and customers began coming to her from various hunts, mostly in the Eastern United States. “We really go out of our way to tailor our hunt clothes traditionally. I studied the highest quality coats made in England and France,” she says. She really does make the most wonderful riding jackets: hunt coats in fabrics light or heavy, scarlet or black; tweed hacking jackets; elegant shadbellies – the curiously named riding jacket with tails, worn with a vest or vest points. She makes custom britches in a number of styles. She makes riding aprons to keep hardy foxhunters warm on brisk winter mornings. She makes correct driving habits for those equestrians who exercise their horses in harness. She even makes the pristine white coats worn by the handlers at hound shows. Her personal experience as a lifelong horseman and avid foxhunter is invaluable in her work: for example, knowing what colors and buttons each hunt displays and how to use those correctly, or what constitutes “correct” in the finicky requirements of a riding habit. Her shop is a place of busy clutter balanced by the direct, detail oriented personality of its proprietor. Ewbank was trained in the art of fashion design at Wellington Polytechnic in her native New Zealand, earning her degree with a particular interest in clothing and textiles. From there she became a theater costume designer, followed by a long stint as a fashion model, from Hollywood to Milan to Paris. And throughout these thrilling...
Sagittarius Spa
by Sasha Braithwaite photos by Monika Wertman According to zodiac description, Sagittarians are independent and adventurous people who have many ideas that lead them to be accepting of change. So when Marsha Knicley-Masood built her Sagittarius Salon and Spa empire named after her own zodiac sign, these traits became a manifestation shown through the growing and successful business that it is today. Marsha is described by her daughter and Sagittarius coowner, Jordon Knicley, as being someone who lives and breathes cosmetology. Her passion and drive took her from 900 square feet of space, two employees and a couple of chairs, and grew into the state-of-the-art business that it is today—a salon, spa and boutique all in one location. Located in the Galleria in Hagerstown, Md., stepping inside is like stepping into a booming city salon with its creative lighting, décor and architecture along with customer service that exceeds expectations. When Marsha opened the salon in 1973, her first goal was to give her customers the best service as well as keeping them up-to-date with the latest trends in hair color and design. Her consistency in this effort and commitment to hard work gave her a reputation that kept her business and clientele expanding. “When she first started the business, she would work 12 hours every day on top of having two children,” Jordon says regarding her mother.s work ethic. “She was here every day, all day, and then her clients would call her and be like, ‘Could you stop by my house on the way home to do a styling for me?. and she would do it. She did anything she could do to make sure people were happy with her work and how she did things.” Marsha.s dream was always to have her own building for her salon and create the design and architecture that she wanted. When her business grew too large for where she was operating at that time, she decided to become partners with plastic surgeon Dr. Henry Garazo, and they built the Galleria in 2005, a mini plaza that houses both of their businesses as well as LJ.s and the Kat lounge. The modern style and architecture she had wanted now adorns the salon, spa and boutique that make Sagittarius the powerhouse that it is today. The Salon itself is spacious and well-lit with 14 styling stations, twelve color/chemical stations, plasma screen televisions, a color and formulating lab and a coffee bar for guests in addition to several other impressive features. Upon entrance, guests are greeted warmly and helpfully by the front desk receptionists, and to avoid any interruptions in customer service, both in...
Battle of the Bakers
Regional pastry chefs to compete against each other in the Valley Chef Showdown Bake-Off at The Historic McFarland House in March. by Meghan Burket, Platinum PR Last fall, The Historic McFarland House wowed us with the debut of the Valley Chef Showdown, a culinary cook-off styled after nationally televised cooking competitions like “Top Chef” and “Chopped.” The sizzling three-round competition was held at the downtown Martinsburg wedding and special-event venue in September. Chef ML Carroll, owner of Canapés Catering in Frederick, Md., emerged victorious over runners-up Chef Ed Matthews, owner of One Block West in Winchester, Va., and Chef Alyson Zimmerman, then-executive chef at Domestic in Shepherdstown, W.Va., to become the first-ever Valley Chef Showdown Champion. In March, the Valley Chef Showdown is returning, but this time, the pie’s the limit. Brad Spates, executive chef at The Historic McFarland House, has announced the next showdown will be a bake-off pitting some of the region’s top pastry chefs against each other. The competition will take place from 2 to 5 p.m., March 7 at The Historic McFarland House. Chef Spates, who’s no stranger to cooking in culinary competitions, couldn’t be happier that The Historic McFarland House is hosting the event. “I absolutely love baking,” he says. “Pastry is where my interest in the culinary arts began so I’m really looking forward to this event.” A Culinary Competition of a Sweeter Flavor Baking isn’t an improvised art, according to Chef Spates. It’s a calculated science. It’s all about the preparation work. Unlike last year’s Valley Chef Showdown, where chefs were challenged to chop, season and cook nearly everything from start to finish right in front of the audience, the competitors will be baking their cakes before the competition actually starts. Since the cakes will already be baked, the contest really kicks off when the competitors begin the process of stacking and decorating their cakes. Attendees will get to watch with bated breath as the bakers move their masterpieces from preparation area to display area, a challenge in itself. At that point, they’ll have two hours to decorate their cakes to perfection while keeping in mind the following rules: Cakes must have a spring theme. Creations must be three tiers or higher. Cakes may not be pre-stacked. Any type of fondant, pastillage, marzipan, pulled-sugar or frosting work must be done during the competition. Contestants’ creations will be judged on appearance, taste and skill, according to Chef Spates. Rising to the Occasion While the process of choosing competitors was still under way at the time of this writing, Chef Spates says two local pastry chefs have been selected to compete in the Valley...
A Bibliophile’s Haven
Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding by Wendy Gooditis photos by Lauri Bridgeforth Bibliophiles are lovers of books, and there are many of them out there. Sometimes they run in families and enjoy the same book for generations, until it becomes so worn the pages are falling out or mildew or pests are wreaking havoc with the fragile old paper. Thankfully, Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding, north of Winchester, Va., is a haven for much-loved books in desperate need of care. Founded in 1991, the business serves a steady stream of private, institutional and government clients. The shop is set at the end of a winding lane in a forest. It is a place of peace and retreat: a perfect spot for the practice of an art which has been honed over all the centuries since Guttenberg built that press in 1450. The owner and founder of the book bindery, Jill Deiss, opens a book which is a reproduction of an early 17th century how-to for the book binder. “We use all the tools illustrated in this old, old manual,” she says. “A plow (for cutting), laying presses, a sewing frame— everything. And we use them every day.” This faithful adherence to the old ways is what has put the book bindery on the map, attracting the custom of prestigious institutions such as the Wharton School of Business, the Manassas Battlefield Park, various colleges and universities, and the United States Park Service. The restoration of Bibles is a big part of the book bindery’s work, and the Bibles they have restored include Robert E. Lee’s Family Bible for Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery and Washington National Cathedral’s pulpit Bible. Some of the most famous – and infamous – names in U.S. history are on the projects which have benefited from the Cat Tail Run treatment: Abraham Lincoln’s bank records for Riggs Bank, John Wilkes Booth’s diary for Ford’s Theater Museum, and works from George and Martha Washington’s own library. The list of historically significant projects is endless, and is endlessly impressive, but the book bindery is also in the business of creating. Various members of the team specialize in different sorts of creation, including the forming of new books, perhaps for a family history or a private collection of poetry. These books are bound lovingly in as grand or as simple a style as the owner’s heart desires – plain gray linen or rich red-velvet brocade. Unpretentious black letters on the spine, or intricate gilt ones. Imagine the thrill of bringing home one’s own writings in the form of a pristine new volume! Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding makes...
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