Antiquated Traditions: Polo
It's Wemple's Polo Bar
San Diego, California, USA
Researching history, art and vintage fashion finds is great fun. While the reading and writing is interesting and fruitful, we must find tactile ways to apply our learnings. After weeks spent researching a topic at 21st & 18th, it seems necessary to apply my findings in a fun, almost frivolous way. This led me to add Antiquated Traditions (We Must Resuscitate), to our library of newsletter segments at 21st & 18th.
In Antiquated Traditions we apply our research to an Experience. It might be hosting a tea party, Slim Aarons inspired photo shoot or styling opera gloves in 2023.
Antiquated Traditions is always unexpected and usually quite fun.
Why is the equestrian lifestyle motif so timeless?
I happened upon the answer to this question last week, while riding.
It was morning, middle of the week and as the polo season has wrapped and most of the horses are on holiday (in the pastures) there were just a few of us at the Farm riding, caring for the horses, working…everyday horse stuff. It was quiet and peaceful.
In that peace I was riding, alone and not playing polo just riding - back to basics sort of a thing - and as I was riding, cantering around the track in the process of getting warmed up, I realized why the equestrian lifestyle has transfixed all of us. Has, in some way or another, interested us. The western or english riding cultures, polo, wild horses, horse racing, English riding fashion, cowboy boots and bolo ties - the list goes on. We cannot help but be completely intrigued by the horse.
Why? Why does there appear to be magic in the horse?
Because horses represent freedom.
Freedom. Freedom! Yes, I figured it all out that riding, being with horses, watching horses, emulating equestrian style is magnetized by the idea and feeling of freedom. The cowboy is free roaming the western plains, the wild horse is free galloping over hills, the horses pulling your carriage are transporting you somewhere (anywhere!), the race horse galloping 40+ mph is so powerful you might be flying, just maybe?
To me the greatest luxury in the world is freedom. A particularly potent idea given what is happening in the world, in Ukraine and Gaza, and with elections, in many countries on deck. For me, and perhaps you, freedom of speech, time, will, religion, creativity, romantic and financial freedom are the luxuries, the luxuries I most covet and work towards.
When I am riding, and particularly playing polo, I feel complete freedom. You cannot be on your phone or looking at a computer, you are typically alone partnering only with your horse and while riding you become completely aware of the elements: is it windy? Hot? Cold and raining? Is the turf wet? Or crunchy beneath hooves? Riding forces you to be present, an ever difficult task with all of our connectedness in this world, and that presence combined with the power of your partnership with your horse, this huge, impressive and strong animal, is exhilarating. It is empowering. When I was riding last week, I felt so alive and positive and happy. I just felt free.
That feeling of freedom makes me believe anything is possible. This is how I want to navigate life and who I want to be.
is not an equestrian magazine (though never say never) but it is a world I created and a community I set out to build for the sake of freedom. Creative freedom to explore history, art and fashion in a quirky, different way with like minded individuals with the goal of finding levity and escape the day to day into a different world and time. Reader, I hope you feel a moment of suspended freedom reading my articles.For Antiquated Traditions: Polo I wanted to do something wacky. Always having been intrigued by the American cocktail party of retro days gone by, the cocktail party became my base for this Experience, and Polo being our focus at present on
, I immediately thought of The Polo Bar by Ralph Lauren.Welcome to Wemple’s Polo Bar
This article and Polo Week happened to coincide with one of the most important holidays on my calendar, October 21: Hallowemple, aka the day my husband, Wemple, was born.
Now this is perfect, because not only does Wemple appreciate The Polo Bar and is a major lover of NYC but he is a polo husband thrust into the equestrian world and mystified (or steamrolled) by the breadth of it. I knew he would love and appreciate the complex irony.
Wemple is a classic guy. He has a head of hair that could only be described as Hugh Grant in Notting Hill meets Leonardo Dicaprio’s hair line meets a Swedish youth. His style is somewhere between Dead Poets Society, a Grailed street west ad, classics from Bing Crosby’s closet and a Drake’s sample sale. Oh, and there will always be penny loafers. When it comes to eating and drinking, he loves everything - save for rum - and will try anything once. Social Wemple? He is the most social person I have ever met and adores, no, requires, verbal jousting.
If you are thinking that Wemple is an enigma, you are right, the only way to describe him is to say, he is Wemple.
So I have an Antiquated Traditions: Polo article to pull together for
plus it is Wemple’s birthday, and I am thinking a cocktail party meets The Polo Bar but need something more original than that.After loads of meditation, I came upon it. A themed dinner party as complex as Wemple: Slim Aarons meets Frank Sinatra meets The Rat Pack.
How did all of that come together? Scroll to see for yourself.
5 Tenants of a 21st & 18th Polo Inspired Dinner Party
1. Surprise
Wemple’s Polo Bar was a surprise.
I had been planning for weeks, and given our theme required some major fashion consideration, rather than Wemple walking into a surprise party, I told him the news two hours before the party commenced.
2. It is the Little Things
Entertaining is complete pleasure for me, it is an opportunity to show those closest to you how well you know them and how much you care about them and appreciate their time.
For Wemple’s Polo Bar, I knew if the setting, food, music and everyone’s fashion was calculated enough we would all time travel to the mid 1900s and it would feel oddly spontaneous, like it was not really planned at all.
With that, I opted for bamboo folding chairs, which felt so Slim-and-Frank-in-Palm-Springs, kept everyone seated together with two 6 foot rectangular tables, and strung the dinner table together with the gifts table and Wemple (he wore black watch trousers) by maintaining a strong inclusion of black watch and plaid prints.
On the table were pictures of Wemple, family, polaroids from over the years, mini polo mallets I swiped from the actual Polo Bar, and hand painted candles that I whipped up a few days prior to the event. Our centerpieces? Fruit and veg from Wemple’s favorite farm: Chino Farms1, the epic family run farm stand in my hometown of Rancho Santa Fe.
Wemple loves to drink wine from short crystal glasses, so rather than classic wine glasses and accompanying water goblets, I paired considered yet random glasses from our home together. Plates were mismatched, a mix of Spode and Lenox. We used vintage white napkins, infinity napkin rings (go love) and each guest received chopsticks for our impending Shanghainese feast. Under each plate, I placed trivia and questions, all about Wemple, that guests took turns reading during dinner. This is a great dimension to add to your next dinner party as they help keep conversation flowing and involve everyone in the group.
Oh, the menus. I used left over invitations from our wedding reception and hand wrote them. Thank you & goodnight.
3. Lighting is Everything
Wemple’s Polo Bar at dusk, with natural light and candles
Wemple’s Polo Bar post-dinner at nighttime with candles and the light from within our home providing majority of our light
When I told Wemple about his surprise party and the evening to come, one of his only requirements was, “After dinner, we are only lighting the house with candles.”
If you know Wemple, you know he lives for Danish hygge, and his time spent living in Denmark and visiting, a lot, since is always highlighted by sitting in Danish places: restaurants, bars, homes, hotels, in low glowy light from candles. Wemple loves candles, he is obviously a romantic - I did mention he has a Dead Poets Society streak in him - and I was going to grant this birthday wish of his.
After dinner, all of our guests came inside, to a card table (formerly our dining room table) and dessert consisting of Scotch, vanilla sheet cake and canalés, all set within a shadowbox of hygge. We have a small home, so lighting it with candles was not too difficult.
Pro tip: I keep tea light candle refills, from Ikea, behind my picture frames on our bookshelf so when your candles are burning low, you can easily replace them without your guests noticing.
4. Goody Bags Exist for a Reason
On each guest’s seat at our dinner table was a white paper goody bag with a big ‘SW’ painted on the front. The bags held chocolates and sweets and guests were instructed to take the fruit and vegetables from the table’s centerpiece - all from Chino Farms - with them after dinner wrapped.
Goody bags are a thing for a reason…don’t let the art of the goody bag die.
5. Game Time
After dinner and dessert we played games.
When entertaining, and in this time of iPhones and Apple Watches, it feels especially important to keep your guests engaged and, most importantly, on theme.
Well, Frank Sinatra did not have iPads at his home in Palm Springs (lucky, Frank) and my attempt to lure guests from the urge to scroll was to offer a little competitive action in our parlor.
For Wemple, that meant: fishbowl2 , as he can never get enough of the game.
Teams were Ladies v. Gentlemen. Ladies crushed. And the men drank scotch to ease their sorrows. We enjoyed a homemade brown butter vanilla sheet cake3 alongside locally baked canalés - true delight!
Wemple’s Polo Bar was a complete success.
Guests left full, with smiles on their faces and in attire that would have been out of place anywhere else and, critically, Wemple went to sleep feeling special and celebrated. Me? I went to sleep with chapped hands from all the crystal we stayed up late hand washing, but also thinking how fun it is to activate your life in unique ways. The freedom I felt in planning, keeping the secret of and executing Wemple’s Polo Bar was like drinking ice cold water when you are parched - my creative soul needed it. I love bringing dreams and history and art to life.
For you, Reader, what’s your take away?
Let me make this simple: Next time you are planning to have guests over, do something a bit different.
Use your holiday plates and flatware, break out the nice glasses, dress up, plan a game, serve cocktails, press play on Frank Sinatra radio rather than something contemporary. Time travel a little because, why not, you can.
21st & 18th will return next week with Meet the Expert: Polo, featuring an interview with a polo playing expert and leader in the sport. Subscribe below to receive Meet the Expert and all 21st & 18th newsletters direct to your inbox.
Until then, stay well,
LLW
Chino Farms is legendary, Alice Waters is a patron. Watch this YouTube video for an intro to their story.
It’s sort of a combo of charades and gestures while testing your memory. Don’t know the game? Write me and I’ll explain
See here for the recipe. Note: I opted to replace the frosting in the recipe with homemade vanilla bean whipped cream