Fine Cars and Pool Tables

I am Savin, pronounced like the word "saving", just without the g. I love film; vintage;architecture; kindness; charactere; gentleman's attire; cardigans; ties; scarves; sophistication; elegance; class; intelligence; tea; coffee;cooking; Los Angeles; San Francisco; New York; Rio; Paris; Rome; Copenhagen; Europe; Brazil; Asia; Lao Tzu; Hokusai; Korean food; Japanese food; Paul Newman; pool tables; lighters; the classics; fine watches; fine leather goods; Persols; oxfords; brogues; wingtips;suits; cigars; fine cars; nights with the guys; technology; calligraphy; Katakana; Kanji; Hiragana; Mandarin; Hangul; Farsi; Arabic, Italian; Portuguese; Spanish; French; German; Swedish; Danish; other cultures, languages, and cuisines; world history; furniture; Steve Mcqueen; the 1920's through 2011; LPs; all music; The Getty; German cars; fountain pens; masculinity; femininity; balance; Yin and Yang; Feng Shui; the Masons; geometry; God; Buddha; Zarathustra; Pretty much anything. My tumblr is an escape from th mundane and an expression of me.

Note: I own none of the images I post, unless otherwise stated

showslow:

Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori paints three-dimensional goldfish using a complex process of poured resin. The fish are painted meticulously, layer by layer, the sandwiched slices revealing slightly more about each creature, similar to the function of a 3D printer. I really enjoy the rich depth of the pieces and the optical illusion aspect, it’s such an odd process that results in something that’s both a painting and sculptural. Wonderful.

(via h3xu5)

I stare as you probe me-study, observe me-and can’t help but sweat. Please stop, I plead. Your silver lab goggles reflect as you continually bob your head up and down to take notes.You laugh with your colleague as I try to escape, desperately looking for a way out.

Why do you poke me with those tools? Why must you invade my life? Why do jab and tease me with your intellect, only to expect me to guide you? Why do you dissect my past? My current emotions? My general being?
You act as if you are completely justified for your actions, your “duty”. How in the world someone could justify your treatment?

You think I am here for you in your own perfect environment, your controlled scenario-your home field. How is this fair? How at all can you justify your treatment?

But then when you go home to your sub-par and decrepit apartment, you forget about the data- the observations; the torture, the unfair treatment; the voyeuristic pleasure you get out of seeing me squirm in your toxic cage, the invasive probing you do to violate my sense of self-and ultimately me

Why can’t you see? I am not an experiment in a test tube. Don’t pretend to be curious, don’t expect me to do some stupid trick on command, don’t act as if I am some mundane scientific examination. I am not some abstract concept to study.

I am an actual human being capable of understanding. I have tangible scars, mixed emotions, and occasionally logic. Unfortunately, you’ll never understand that. You’ll never understand what it means to be human.

Somebody loves you if they don’t mind the quiet. They don’t mind running errands with you or cleaning your apartment while blasting some annoying music. There’s no pressure, no need to fill the silences. You know how with some of your friends there needs to be some sort of activity for you to hang out? You don’t feel uncomfortable just shooting the shit and watching bad reality TV with them. You need something that will keep the both of you busy to ensure there won’t be a void. That’s not love. That’s “hey babe! I like you okay. Do you wanna grab lunch? I think we have enough to talk about to fill two hours!” It’s a damn dream when you find someone you can do nothing with. Whether you’re skydiving together or sitting at home and doing different things, it’s always comfortable. That is fucking love.

—Thought Catalog, How To Tell If Someone Loves You  (via seaof-gold)

(via dotdotd)

mediumaevum:

Dancing and singing (also known as “peasants returning from work”)

Ma Yuan (China, ca.1160-1225)

Ink and color on silk, 192.5 × 111 cm

Born in what is now the city of Hangzhou, Ma Yuan (ca.1160-1225) is not only the great master of Southern Song painting, but for the quality of his drawing and the variety of his compositions he should also be placed at the pinnacle of Chinese painting from any era.

Read more

(via c-f-o-c)

putthison:

The Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirt Series, Part I

If I could only wear one shirt style for the rest of my life, it would be, without a doubt, the oxford cloth button down (or as it’s also known to style enthusiasts, the OCBD). The OCBD is perhaps our country’s greatest sartorial contribution. As the story goes, it has its beginnings in 1896, when Brooks Brothers‘ John E. Brooks (who was the grandson to the founder Henry Sands Brooks) saw polo players in England wearing shirts with two buttons at the front to secure their collar tips. This prevented their collars from flapping into their face while they were playing. Men had many ways of securing collars at this time of course – collar pins, wire contraptions, and heavy starch, for example – but this was the most practical for sporting purposes.

John E. Brooks was quite enamored with the invention, so he sent a sample back to his main store in New York City with instructions to have the collar copied exactly, down to every last measurement. In 1900, the company put the new collar style on their ready-made sport shirts. These were called “polo shirts” for their polo-inspired collars. Not too long after, the polo collar was put on white cotton cheviots (also known in the trade as “oxford”) and the American OCBD was born. 

The shirt was almost an instant classic. By 1915, it was a fashion staple for men at almost every East Coast college, and by mid-century, it spread West. Bob Newhart named his first record album after them. Politicians wore them while kissing babies. Style icons Paul Newman, Miles Davis, and Gianni Agnelli were all regularly seen in them. They became something of a symbol of all that was good: casualness, youth, education, trustworthiness, dependability, sport, and professionalism. They were something a man could wear in the country or city, in sport or business, on weekdays or weekends. 

Unfortunately, the OCBD has been modernized, and a lot of what enthusiasts found charming about the original version has mostly been strangled out. At the heart of this transformation is the collar. The original collars had long points and were made without any interlining. This resulted in a very unique, soft roll that would change depending on the wearer’s position, movement, and even the way he happened to tie his tie that day. It was asymmetrical, wrinkly, and frankly even a bit messy looking. But therein lies the charm. These days, most button-down collars are lined (some heavily) so they look more “controlled” and “perfected.” Many also have shorter collar points. Some are so short that there’s no roll at all when the tips are buttoned; the points just lay flat against the body, like a regular point collar with two buttons sticking out. The death knell, I think, was the introduction of the non-iron oxford cloth, which lacks any of the individual expression, casual ease, and lived-in look that made the original oxford charming. The combined effect of all these things is shirts that look a bit lifeless. As one of my favorite blogs, Heavy Tweed Jacket, once wrote of it, “one might say that contemporary shirts […] are almost too well-made.”

Indeed, few people make the original OCBD like they used to, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t great options still worth buying. And the OCBD is still one of the most versatile shirts one can own. It’s something you can wear underneath rustic tweeds, navy blazers, softly tailored suits, or fuzzy sweaters. You can even just wear it alone with a pair of trousers and some loafers. A blue semi-spread collar shirt is arguably just as useful, but I’ve never worn one that has brought a smile to my face like a good OCBD. There’s just something about that collar roll and traditional American spirit.

So as an ode to my favorite shirt, I thought I’d do a series of posts on OCBDs. A few friends have generously lent me their vintage Brooks Brothers shirts, which I’ll take pictures of and describe, so people can see how the “genuine articles” have evolved over time. I’ll also do a quick review of something around ten or so different OCBDs, at every price point, so people can figure out who they can turn to in case they haven’t yet settled on a favorite maker.

Get ready for some OCBD adulation. 

(via theartofthegentleman)