On My Radar: Things To See This Fall

Happy Fall! I have to admit this is my favorite season & not the least because there are so many cool cultural things to do. I say “cultural” with a small “c” because of course I have to include guilty pleasures ie; returning TV shows & design books — nothing too high brow on my list! ENJOY!!

First up - I’m counting down until the Downton Abbey movie hits theaters nationwide on Sept. 20th!! (sooner in many areas)….

I mean how perfect is Mary as a flapper?! Beyond chic.

Apparently Downton Abbey will have a visit from the Royal Family in this new plot scenario, so you know the place will be gleaming!! Speaking of Royals, The Crown (Netflix) returns on November 17th….

I’m sad that Claire Foy has aged out of the role of the Queen, but her replacement Olivia Colman coupled with Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret looks like inspired casting choices.

If all that 1960s luxe style gets you in the mood for that era, you’ll want to check out the Christie’s auction of American icon, former European princess, Lee Bouvier Radziwill’s estate coming in October (NYC):

(Source: Getty Images)

Although her older sister Jackie was way more famous, Lee’s unwavering support of fashion and design endured across 2 continents for a VERY long time and inspired lots of young creative people along the way….

Her Paris apartment, with signature color pink….

More of her Paris apartment.

I haven’t been able to order an auction catalog yet but can’t wait to see what lots will be in the sale!

The museum exhibit I’m most excited to see is Edward Hopper & the American Hotel at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond (October 26th - February 23rd).

The exhibit is the first exploration of Hopper’s pictures (paintings, drawings) done in hospitality settings - hotels, motels, restaurants - and helps us understand those choices of location via diaries and records that his wife Josephine provided. I feel like I knew the name “Edward Hopper” (my dad’s favorite artist) since before I could read, so this will be a treat!

Above is a very Hopper-esque painting my dad did in Dublin, New Hampshire (coincidentally of the house owned by the official biographer of the Wyeth family, who have underwritten the VMFA exhibit).

What to read? The two titles I’m obsessing over already are: textile designer Lisa Fine’s “Near & Far: Interiors I Love” (Vendome) and Tom Scheerer’s “More Decorating.”

Like her textiles, Lisa’s eye for design includes a lot of pattern & happy jumble of color.

Both titles come out later this month & I’m glad to share that I’ve been given some extra copies for Elegant Mayhem readers! Follow me on Insta (@elegant.mayhem) & I’ll be announcing a contest soon.

I could go on & on (The Harriet Tubman biopic movie is coming out soon….there’s an amazing pop-up shop of potter Francis Palmer at Pentreath Hall shop in London….Loi Thai & other designers have a Showhouse in Bar Harbour Maine that’s still up for few more weeks) — but alas, you may have other things to do today that float inside my cluttered & overstimulated mind!:)

Enjoy the season & DM me on Insta if you have other ideas to add to the list of “cultural” happenings.

Cheers & thx for reading!!

Lee