Guests for the Holidays? Help keep their toothbrushes tidy with this Victorian English ironstone toothbrush caddy, made in the 1880's. The maker was Edge, Malkin & Company in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England (the locus of much Nineteenth-Century British ceramics industry). The transfer pattern is called "Dacca," named after the Colonial Indian city (now Dhaka, Bangladesh). More broadly, the Dacca pattern satisfied the Western taste for Asian-inspired decor, especially in ceramics. The pattern fits squarely within the Aesthetic Movement of the Late Nineteenth Century. Ironstone is a type of pottery developed in England in the 1810's. It was a durable, hard-wearing, cheaper alternative to fine porcelain—suitable for mass production and ideal for decorating through transfer printing. Transfer printing, first developed in the...
Shaving brushes—good shaving brushes—are labor intensive and costly to make. Clusters of hair (whether synthetic, real badger or some other animal hair) are tied into knots and set within the brush handle (while carefully creating the classic dome-form brush shape). A good brush may last a man most of his adult shaving life—if he takes care of it. And the most important thing he can do is to rinse the brush and hang it bristles down, which allows the water to drip out of the handle (that it will not rot all those delicate knots). A nice brush stand is a good step in this protective direction.
When I was a boy (in the Sixties and Seventies), soap-on-a-rope was THE classic Father's Day gift. And it wasn't precious or expensive. I know; I used to buy it for my dad! Alas, today, soap-on-a-rope is very hard to find. I suppose that there is a level of handwork involved (inserting the rope?) which makes it far more costly than traditional bar soap. Furthermore, young men today seem to like body wash and liquid soaps. I guess soap-on-a-rope is a vestige of times past. Lucky for me, I seem to like all things "times past." The soap-on-a-rope shown here was made in Portugal by Claus Porto. It is in their classic Musgo Real ("Royal Moss") fragrance, a masculine blend...
In 1887, two German businessmen, Claus & Schweder, formed a soap and fragrance company in Porto, Portugal. Over the decades, the company—now called Claus Porto—made fine bath products for Portugal's carriage trade. Some families commissioned their own custom soap fragrances, milled and packaged specifically for their household. Claus Porto's Musgo Real range (that is, "Royal Moss") was born in the Art Deco Thirties. The classic, original fragrance (shown above) is a masculine blend of patchouli, neroli, bergamot, lavender, violet, vetiver and musk. The 3.4 ounce bottle of aftershave comes in an Art Deco inspired bottle. Note that fragrance is labeled and sold within strict industry (and legal) guidelines, based on the percentage of essential oil in the formula (in order: aftershave,...
With just a few days left before Christmas, let's focus on those last-minute items—those perfect stocking-stuffers which round-out the holiday offerings. Soap-on-a-rope is the classic gift for Dad. Father's Day, Christmas, Dad's birthday: all occasions when another bar of soap-on-a-rope would be met with his gratitude and a hearty exclamation, "My favorite!" But soap-on-a-rope has become increasingly hard-to-find. Part of the reason is the rising popularity of bodywash and the fact that making soap-on-a-rope is a labor-intensive, expensive process. This line of soap, from Portugal, is called Musgo Real (or "Royal Moss"). It's maker, Claus-Porto, once made custom soaps for the aristocratic families of Portugal (each family had a custom fragrance, color and embossing). This classic fragrance is a clean,...
From Portugal's oldest soap and fragrance company—founded in 1887—comes this classic Musgo Real ("Royal Moss") aftershave. We've been selling it at LEO Design for 25 years and it continues to be a favorite. Click on the photo above to learn more about it. Fragrance designations (like "Eau de Toilette," "Cologne" or "Aftershave") distinguish the percentage of fragrance within the product (from highest to lowest). Furthermore, "Aftershave" usually has an astringent and moisturizing base which closes the pores, moisturizes the skin (a little) and helps prevent small nicks from becoming infected. Aftershave has the lowest concentration of fragrance, meaning that it won't smell as strongly (or last as long) as Eau de Toilette or Cologne. That being said, the fragrance concentration...
What’s a Tsar to do? Try as he might, his people just wouldn’t modernize! Peter the Great had an idea. On this day in 1698, Tsar Peter I levied a tax on all men who insisted on wearing a beard. Clergymen and peasants were exempt from the levy but everyone else had to pay. Men […]
Soap-on-a-Rope has always been a Father's Day favorite. I remember buying a bar for my dad when I was a young boy. There's something so manly about it—the no-nonsense practicality, the simple functionality, and, of course, the lingering masculine smell. Hanging from the shower head or water tap, a bar of the soap will stay handy and neat (never dissolving into a slimy goo). Alas, making soap-on-a-rope is a labor-intensive (and vanishing) tradecraft. Luckily, our soap maker in Portugal, Claus Porto, still makes the suspendible bars. Click on the photo above and learn more about it. Other Musgo Real products are also offered on-line—as a gift pack or a la carte. More Father's Day gift ideas tomorrow. LEO Design's...
Perfect for Father’s Day: a collection of classic men’s Musgo Real products from Claus Porto, Portugal. He’ll start in the shower with the body soap, shave next with the luxurious shave cream, and finish-off with a splash of the aftershave. These products will help make his mundane morning ablutions a little less tedious, a little […]
Founded in Portugal in 1887, Claus Porto makes a range of fragrance and bath products—including their classic Musgo Real collection. Shown above, the classic aftershave—which I've been selling for 23 Christmases. In our on-line shop, you'll also find their shave cream, their soap-on-a-rope, and a special men's grooming gift assortment. Click on the photo to learn more.
LEO Design's Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed. While we contemplate our next shop location, please visit our on-line store which continues to operate (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
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D. R. Harris (not Doctor Harris) was founded on fashionable St. James’s Street, London, in 1790 and has been a fixture there ever since. In the Eighteenth Century, when there was not much distinction between barbering and medicine, it was common for a customer to patronize the same professional for his shaves, his cologne and his […]
Bem Vinda! Welcome to Joana from Claus Porto in Portugal—who visits our store for the first time today. Although I’ve been selling their products for over twenty years, we’ve been serviced by an American rep, not top management from “the home country.” The American rep has now retired from the line and Joana is taking-over […]
Perfume has long been a favorite Mother’s Day gift. How about a perfume bottle? These crystal vessels, hand-blown in Sweden in the 1950’s and 1960’s, take the form of gourds, pears, and more-classic geometric or teardrop shapes. Each has a little stopper which doubles as a perfume dauber—some daubers are long, some daubers are short. […]
Just in: a nice collection of Swedish Mid-Century crystal perfume bottles. Made by Orrefors or Kosta Boda in the 1950’s or 1960’s, each piece is a rather remarkable work of craftsmanship. Shown front-and-center, a pear-shaped bottle, whose stem has become the perfectly-fit bottle stopper. Other shapes exhibit various degrees of glass cutting and geometry. A […]
