Recently I rewatched BBC’s 2016 series, War & Peace, starring Paul Dano, James Norton and Lily James. Funnily I revisited this classic during Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day. It felt like an anecdote to becoming Christmas-movie-fatigued. I’m glad I rewatched because I found something peaceful in this ominous, sad yet lavish and romantic yet heartbreaking tale by Tolstoy. Inspired by this rewatch, I’ve been re-reading my Pocket Russian Reader, a rare book acquisition years ago from Powell’s Books in Portland; it features excerpts from the moody Russian greats.
If you’re craving some time travel but feeling lazy, I give you 5 series you need to rewatch immediately:
War & Peace, 2016, BBC, Available on Amazon Prime Video
Buccaneers, 1995, BBC, Available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV
21st & 18th tip: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THE 2023 BUCCANEERS REBOOT ON APPLE TV. It is so tragic, yes, the prior utilized caps lock was required. Though if you’re looking for a huge laugh, read the comments and ratings on this terrible series based on the plot of the beloved Edith Wharton novel: IMDb user reviews
An unfinished Jane Austen novel set in an imaginary beachside town with a hunk of a leading gentleman? So excellent. Just watch it. Don’t expect classic Austen, because you won’t get it, however it is well done because Masterpiece really doesn’t miss.
Hotel Sacher, 2016, PBS Masterpiece, Available on PBS
Do you like cake? Imperial Vienna? Mysterious stories with German subtitles and a lot of opera and philosophy references? Bonus points for attractive Austrian and German men in well tailored suiting! If you answered yes to the above, Hotel Sacher is for you. It’s a limited series in two long parts. It’s very good, though quite emotionally tangling - existential yet makes you still want to be a Hungarian princess. Curious, I know.
The Riot Club, 2014, Available on Amazon Prime Video
This is not a series, so forgive me for breaking my own rules, but it is a fun, coming of age dramedy tinged with snobby tragedy. It’s set at Oxford and follows the goings on of the young men in an infamous secret society. Between the plot, yikes behavior of the characters and a young Douglas Booth and Sam Claflin you will be seduced by this movie and then questioning your integrity. When I recently rewatched The Riot Club I literally paused the movie after the awful pub dinner party scene - all I was really looking for was a long look at these handsome young British men…sue me, I’m a sucker for a man in white tie.
W(else)IOW:
Henri Matisse
Color! It’s winter and I am craving color. I’m particularly drawn to orange and pink right now. Funnily enough, scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter for a look at my Christmas present from Wemple - have I been influenced?!
Woman with a Hat, Henri Matisse, 1905, Oil on canvas, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Henri Matisse has always been one of my favorite artists. Matisse was a French visual artist, who lived from December 1869 to November 1954, known mostly for his paintings and recognized by his unmistakable draftsmanship, use of color and fluid strokes. He sort of graduated into his intense use and application of color, in the early 1900s leading the art movement of Fauvism, a style of painting characterized by vivid expressionistic and unnatural use of color popular in Paris from 1905, Fauvism had a strong influence on later artists, particularly German expressionists. (Also me, have you seen the 21st & 18th logo?) When it’s cold outside and the joy of the holiday season has left me, I need spurts of intense energy to get me buzzed on life - Matisse is doing that for me, again. It’s exciting - like seeing your crush in the hallway at school.
Mrs. Richard Brinsely Sheridan’s Hair
Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Thomas Gainsborough, 1785 - 1787, Oil on Canvas, National Gallery of Art
Ever since I powdered my hair in December 2023, I can’t stop coveting Mrs. Richard Brinsely Sheridan’s grey billowing locks as immortalized by Thomas Gainsborough in his 1785 portrait of the lady. Recently I’ve also been daydreaming about the years I lived and worked in Washington DC, and this painting hangs within the National Gallery of Art. Some of my fondest memories are personal moments spent in the Gallery with the great-paintings and featured women, like Mrs. Sheridan. If you are curious how I went about setting and powdering my hair: email me and I will share the goods: lauren@21stand18th.com.
I’ll be running down (almost) Everything I Wore Last Week on Instagram in the coming days: Follow me here and 21st & 18th here to stay in the know on WIOWStyle.
WIOWHome
Covering furniture in fabric
Before
After
Last weekend I covered a 4’ tall jewelry chest that I’ve owned since I was a tween (literally) in a beautiful tapestry fabric I purchased for another project. I had too much fabric and had been planning to refresh this piece. It was an incredibly fun project that, surprisingly, only took one full day of work, approximately 8 hours. I will be posting the details of this project in our Patrons only Slack channel. If you are keen to join 21st & 18th House2, become a paid subscriber below.
On deck at 21st & 18th…
Later this week: VintageFindsTV on YouTube (Subscribe here)
Next week: Vintage Finds feat. Heirloom Silver
For 21st & 18th Patrons: A deep dive on Imperial Russia
Ensure you are subscribed to receive 21st & 18th’s weekly newsletter direct to your inbox. For those of you who made it this far, see my recent gift from Wemple below, aren’t they delicious?
Thanks for reading. I’m looking forward to chatting again soon,
