*Our very own Marcus Stewart, East Coast Buyer and Pop Up Coordinator--dishes on his experiences lending a helping hand at the curating of Lyn Revson's massive closet, eating her favorite sandwich at her favorite diner, and almost drowning in a sea of Hermès handbags. What a good way to go. . . *
My day started out like any other: I woke up, checked my calendar, ate a piece of fruit, hailed a taxi and before I knew it I had stepped into the living room of a tony upper east side apartment and was shaking the hand of the late great Lyn Revson's daughter Susan Walker. She brought me into the living room (Um . . . are those Andy Warhol portraits of Mrs. Revson? Yes, they are.) which was lined with Manolos and Hermès loafers. Pretty chic way to start off the day, no?
But even after that preview, there was no way I could have prepared for the fashion tidal wave which would soon take me out to a very chic sea of style. I looked at Lyn's Galanos gowns, silk scarves galore, custom Norman Norell mermaid gowns, Juel Park lingerie, and even an eye-catching umbrella collection before I noticed the prefect storm: a tornado of Hermès handbags.
I'm talking red bags, blue bags, orange bags, crocodile bags, ostrich bags, Constance bags, bucket bags, ladylike flap bags, asymmetrical shoulder bags, saddle bags, luggage, and pouches. I was told that her love affair with the famed french house was a mutual adoration society.
In fact, Hermès enlisted Lyn's help on a bag they designed for her and wound up selling in stores that featured a diamond clock. The bag, of course, was called, "The Lyn". After viewing Lyn's amazing fashion treasures, Cameron got on the horn and called his friends at W Magazine. Obviously, Lyn's collection more than deserved its fair share of page space.
So, there we all were, Susan, Cameron Silver, Lynn Hirschberg, Lyn's husband, her brother, and me. As Lynn H., Susan and Cameron sat down to discuss Lyn's fabulous life, which you can read all about in her style guide, Lyn Revson's World of Style: How to Join It and Live It as well Lynn Hirschberg spellbinding article on Lyn, I found myself in a room with over 200 pairs of exquisitely crafted designer shoes and a photographer, both of scratching our heads trying to wrap our minds around bringing Lyn's story as well as her seminal shoe collection, to life.
After awhile, Susan suggested that we try one of her mother's favorite places, William Polls on Lexington Avenue. I had never heard of it and I'm not a huge fan of cold cuts or carbs so I was a bit skeptical. Susan assured me that I would love Polls' famous chicken sandwich. So, I had my sandwich just as Lyn always did: with white bread and bacon and . . . I fell in love. With a sandwich.
As I munched on the only-in-New-York-$10.00-rosemary-chips, Susan showed me a letter from a teenage girl who lived in a small town. The girl had seen pictures of Lyn in fashion magazines and newspaper society columns and wrote Lyn with a list of every piece of clothing that she, the little girl, owned as well as, asked Lyn for style advice, because she wanted to look just like Lyn. Lyn kept the letter to her dying day.
The next day, Susan ordered my new sandwich obsession for my lunch. We sat at the table, chowed down and Susan told us about the times when she was a child and felt ill, Lyn would order those chicken bacon sandwiches to make her feel better. Miraculously, those sandwiches were always just what the doctor ordered.
She also told me a story about a time when Lyn was sick and nearing the end of her life. She would only eat from William Polls and wouldn't touch anything from the hospital cafeteria. One day, she wanted yogurt and her son informed her that William Polls didn't make or sell yogurt. Well, Lyn insisted he go to William Polls anyway to get the yogurt. As he knew William Polls didn't have any yogurt, he went to the market and bought a cup of yogurt and put it in a William Polls bag. "See," Lyn said triumphantly. "I knew they would have it."
I also have close relationship with my mother and Susan and talked for along time about the importance of family bonds. As I left the Revson residence for the last time, Susan gave a few gifts from her mother's collection: a black patent leather handbag from the early 20th century she insisted I give to my mother, a pair of Hermès riding pants which she said she knew would be perfect for me as I had expressed interest about learning to ride, and Geoffry Beene coat that she thought would fit me to a T. And it did.
As I left, with my new goodies in tow, I thought about how Lyn had passed along her kindness and warmth to her daughter. Of course, generosity is just about the most stylish thing there is and a person can never have too much.
Until next time, Marcus
