You may notice some new images gracing the pages of the Stanley Lewis website.  So many thanks to our great friend and host for the day, Christopher!  His impeccable taste, adventous lifestyle and  indisputable talent for always having an eye for something ‘special’, resulted in us being completely surrounded by the most amazing collection of antiques and artifacts I have ever seen!  A simply breathtaking and perfect setting for a Stanley Lewis photo shoot.  Thanks again Christopher “…Champagne darling…?”

                                                                     Take a peep at some of the ‘off camera’ moments. 

Jeremy patiently waiting...

Jeremy serenades the crew

The end of a long day...

Perfetto!

A photo shoot is always a rather unpredictable and time challenged experience, but ‘our’ Jeremy;  creator of Yellingbo Gold Olive Oil, mentor to some ‘very’ important  people, singer extraordinaire, sometime actor,  contributor to Stanley’s Articles,  gorgeous face of Stanley Lewis, and most importantly friend, as always,  embraced the occasion in delivering a magnificent result.  Jeremy serenaded Emma (makeup artist to the stars!) with an outstanding rendition of ‘Feelings’.  Naturally this was accompanied by his faultless performance on the Baby Grand!  (Is there anything this guy can’t do…???) 

And what is a photo shoot without the photographer!  Yatzek, a man of few words, stayed focused and captured some wonderful moments.  His tireless patience was tested continually with our often distracting banter. Grazie mille Yatzek!

Until next time…

Anne

Today’s pace of life is hectic for everybody.  Driven by a need for fulfillment, but a fulfillment of what?  We seem to have come full circle with confusion between needs and wants. Stanley Lewis tries to represent the equilibrium we all  so desperately search for.  A place where life is proportioned and quality time is a reality not a frustration as it so often is.  The harsh reality came soon after my mother died.  Desperate to keep busy and bury my emotions, I successfully hid for the next 10 years in a flurry of deadlines and self made goals. I held a 50hour+ position as a Retail Fashion GM, a position I had held for 10 years ; Stanley and I did the ‘sea change’ relocation in search of ‘balance’ and to be closer to my father, which in fact added an additional 3 hours travel time to each day.  Get the picture!  On top of which as keen property investors, weekends were spent at endless open for inspections in search of golden opportunities! As Stanley had 4 children from a previous life, this added to the adventure and the madness of weekends as we set upon unsuspecting Real Estate agents.  And there’s more…I traveled frequently with my work and spent countless hours in transit lounges  admiring many of the well groomed men in suits. One day it dawned on me as to what was the missing link in men’s fashion and what was really letting men down in dressing.  We all know the devil is in the detail, but did you know approximately ninety percent of all men in suits, no matter how expensive and how polished their accessories are, let themselves down in the sock department.  It appeared to be a case of ‘If I can’t see my socks, then no one else can’.  Wrong!  And how many well dressed suits are let down with the careless addition of misunderstood accessories who, in their own right are magnificent but when put together without thought or consideration are a disaster.  Unbeknown to me at the time, this was the beginning of Stanley Lewis and my search for the best gentlemen’s accessory makers in the world  had begun.  Naturally our destination was Italy.

While searching for this so important balance in life, it suddenly hit me one day.  My father had moved an hour away which made quality visits difficult.  We had purchased an 11 acre seaside farm about half an hour drive from him and I had naturally insisted on landscaping and livestock – hence, ‘the girls’ – 4 beautiful Scottish Highland cattle.  On one of our weekly visits to my father, we sat in his sunroom and enjoyed a cup of tea.  As we had been farming I did not have a watch on.  While my father was talking, I watched the shadows move slowly across the floor realizing it would soon be time to leave; we had an hours drive ahead, supermarket shopping to do and hungry mouths to feed before I could even think about ‘relaxing’ by searching for hot real estate opportunities, email possible leads to birth Stanley Lewis, and finally to sleep. With shame I realized I had only one part of me listening to my father’s magic words – I was so engrossed in time and having to leave I was missing what was really important.

Driving 1200 kilometers a week was not ‘balance’, and keeping so busy that important things in my life like quality time with my father, became an interruption.  Something had to go. It was time to throw caution to the wind… we sold the farm, I resigned my post of 21 years and looked at life for all it really had to offer.

Today Stanley Lewis is 18 months young. It takes us 5 minutes to get to the office. We no longer invest in real estate and take only a ‘casual ‘interest in what is happening.  Stanley’s children are all grown up.  I indulge in Yoga classes 5 times a week and have a very active social calendar.  But most importantly, my father now lives 12 minutes away by car and we visit him every second day for ‘quality’ visits.  Yes, we are still handicapped with how fast the hours go by and in particular with Stanley Lewis being such a young company, each day brings new, exciting and challenging experiences.

But I do believe, I finally found my balance. Have you found yours?

                                  Until next time….

                                                            Anne

On average we make about 6 to 8 trips per year with destinations varying according to our requirements. This year our New Years Resolution was to reduce the amount of flying and therefore reduce our carbon footprint.  Naturally Italy is always the number one destination. Most of our time is spent in North Italy where the majority of Stanley Lewis suppliers are located. I would like to introduce two of the most important cogs in the Stanley Lewis wheel who are instrumental in delivering our handmade woven silk neckties, our pochettes and our scarf collection. We believe it important to share the relationships behind what is the Stanley Lewis brand.

In today’s world we are all time challenged but there will always be time for The Oyster & Ostrich Team! This very special (and secret) team consists of Stanley and I and two other very important team members. For this story and we shall call these team members Giovanni and Lorenzo. Giovanni (The Ostrich) is one of the world’s most reputable silk makers and Italy’s most colorful character. His lackadaisical mane of hair, manicured beard and piercing brown eyes (yes, I am in love) only adds to his already charismatic charm. He weaves his magic for Stanley Lewis silk and linen cloth as well as for many other world famous men’s luxury fashion brands. Giovanni’s office is located in the heart of Como, Italy, while he lives on the lake with his bella donna Simona and piccolo bambini Dolce -Perfetto!

Lorenzo (The Oyster) is our brilliant tie maker who has an unblemished reputation for his quality handmade ties (the same cannot be said for his reputation with bella donnas who silently weep for his presence! Lorenzo is hot and single and seems determined to stay that way with his chiseled body and seductive manner!). Also located in Como, Italy, Lorenzo can take full credit for the impeccable workmanship displayed in producing the Stanley Lewis pochette and scarf collection as well as his handmade ties.

Lorenzo and Giovanni have become very good friends as well as business partners. We meet after business is done and dusted and share good food, great wine and an extraordinary friendship. We laugh beyond normal boundaries where emotions are sometimes so high - we cry! It is a rare and valuable relationship ‘The Oyster & Ostrich Team’ have – completely priceless!

‘ The Oyster & Ostrich Team’

Until next time…

Anne

 

                         

Until next time…

Anne

Let me give you a brief insight into how Stanley Lewis began; In my previous life I spent far too much time sitting in transit lounges, watching with both admiration and appreciation, those well dressed execs in their bespoke suiting, magnificent silk ties, Egyptian cotton shirts, designer cufflinks and then disappointment as I would scroll down and discover the inevitably mismatched, often pilled, navy, black or charcoal socks! Ugh! Why do men go to so much trouble and expense in getting the look right only to lose it in the detail?

This is where Stanley Lewis makes a difference. Stanley Lewis does care about the detail in designer dressing and with the introduction of Italian made socks replicating the silk design of our hand made Italian ties, we now have men thinking before they don that humble sock and destroy what has been in the past like an incomplete opera!

Finally no longer will those so often mismatched and boring socks be the focal point when seated. Our designs and colors are purposely created to inspire even the dullest suit by injecting a balance between the tie and sock never previously seen.

Men’s Style magazine says “…This makes so much sense it beggars belief it hasn’t been considered before. A man who takes care in the details can now pull his socks up to the standard of his tie, in one step…”

Stanley Lewis believes in the importance of presentation whether it be personal or material. The Stanley Lewis boxes are individually hand made with meticulous care and attention and have received accolades globally. Our cufflink box deserves special mention as it has been hand crafted in leather and suede by one of Italy’s finest.

The past 3 years have been focussed on developing and expanding the Stanley Lewis collection of unique gentleman’s accessories. Our recently introduced cufflinks are of 925 silver and handmade by the best craftsmen in Italy. The unique designs of Cabochon and Intaglio, use mythological gods to reflect an era of romance and seduction. This rare and exquisite craft dates back as far as the Mesopotamians and requires a technique and skill exclusive to the Tagliamonte family. Stanley Lewis and Tagliamonte work proudly together in the creation of these masterpieces.

Our first Pochette and Scarf range will be available soon.

Personally, one of the amazing highlights of the Stanley Lewis journey has been the cementing of long term business relationships with some of Italy’s most gifted craftspeople; proudly we now call many of these people friends!

In keeping our commitment to deliver a brand that is innovative and exciting, the Stanley Lewis website has been created to deliver you a truly unique and informative experience.

Our aim has been not to be just a Shopping Cart site, so each month all registered readers of the Stanley Lewis website will receive a new article via email from our Stanley’s Society section. We have invited some amazing people to share their wealth of knowledge and wisdom with you. We hope you enjoy reading this section as much as we have enjoyed its’ development.

And finally, we are extremely excited about the introduction of the Stanley’s Society Philanthropic section. We are currently in dialogue with many charitable institutions across the world and hope to have more information to give you in the next month or two; after all, Stanley Lewis is ‘Inspired by the need for balance’.

Until next time…
Anne