FASHION AND MODE

Posts Tagged ‘travel’

A statement bag, or a full grain leather briefcase, is an important piece of accessory for individuals who mean business. Think quality, style, and professionalism all rolled into one. Nothing perhaps says a person has arrived than a put-together look that includes quality corporate wear with a focused simplicity, elegant footwear, and a well-constructed leather briefcase in soft, supple leather.

Whether you’re young and aspiring to climb up the corporate ladder in a few years, or a ranking CEO and traveler who are out to clinch more power deals, a roomy leather bag that’s luxurious to the touch and which has c-h-a-r-a-c-t-e-r written all over it will accompany you through the challenging times ahead.

Exceptional quality full-grain leather briefcases utilize a unique tanning process. The result: leather goods with a burnished tip. Full-grain leather can be dyed or given an aniline finish. The translucent dye brings out the natural color markings.

Men and women who know how to make fashion work for them and shy away from scruffy or inferior-looking accessories consider a high quality full grain leather briefcase a sound investment. Serious corporate movers and shakers as well as the leisurely set generally find such versatile (and also eco-friendly as far as some styles are concerned) bags worth more than passing attention.

Beyond storing work essential like documents, business cards; gadgets like cell phones and laptops; personal effects and travel mementos (for those who travel a lot), a leather briefcase with quality workmanship mirrors the user’s refined taste. On top of that, the brands and styles that reflect superior quality offer many years of use, too.

If you happen to take a close look at the neat and classy dressers in your firm, you’ll notice how they’re not even into ostentatious corporate gear and travel essentials. More often than not, the sleek dressers go for durable-looking leather bags and briefcases with a classic, elegant design and no-nonsense sensibility.

As fashion designers nowadays are coming out with clean yet energetic collections in apparel and accessories, using shiny fabrics and elaborate details, and working the street style in many fun and interesting ways, one thing has remained constant. The good old reliable leather briefcase with its slick and powerful attitude has remained an essential wardrobe staple.

Interestingly, quality leather goods these days are built not just for masculine attention and use but also for the fearless females who embody urban glam on and off-hours. Indeed, generously sized handbags and full-grain leather briefcases with subtle metal hardware accents can let today’s fashionable ladies arrive wherever they want to go – in style.

So if you’re intent on moving up to a position of higher rank in your organization or you simply want to give in to your desire to have a convenient leather carryall, you know what to do. Splurge a bit on the roomy full-grain leather briefcase you’ve been eyeing for some time now, and add a touch of wit and chic, not to mention texture and polish, to your overall look, and tote along all that you want to carry.

One of the few restaurants in the country to be immortalized in a Sinatra song, the Pump Room in Chicago is now a hot spot once again. The Pump Room was one of the first quality restaurants to open in Chicago after the end of Prohibition, and soon became a Windy City icon. In addition to Sinatra (who sang the praises of the place in the classic song Chicago), the place was a favorite hangout of a lot of famous people including Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis and numerous others. The Pump Room, named after a spa in Bath, England, remained open long after the giants that once graced its premises had left. Unfortunately, time took its toll on the legendary establishment, and its culinary fare was soon surpassed by the fine dining scene exploding in Chicago and characterized by uber-chef Charlie Trotter.

The Pump Room opened in’38 under the ownership and management of Ernie Blyfield. Blyfield’s inspiration for the name and ambiance of his restaurant was an 18th Century London pub frequented by celebrities and nobility, including Queen Anne. The ‘Pump Room’ moniker came from the hot drinks ‘pumped’ into the cocktails of its customers.

The Chicago Pump Room was a smashing success from the time it opened. It’s most desired table reserved for ‘A list’ celebrities was Booth #1, which for a time may have been the most sought after table at any dining establishment in the country. Booth #1 at various times hosted Frank Sinatra and his associates, Bogart and Bacall, Judy Garland and daughter Liza Minnelli, John Barrymore and countless others.

Blyfield died in’50, but the Pump Room remained a Chicago hot spot and hosted a new era of superstars including Mel Brooks, Beverly Sills, Paul Newman, Robert Redford. More recently, Michael J. Fox, Eddie Murphy and Mick Jagger have made appearances. A funny story involves former Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who was refused entry for not wearing a jacket. The incident was commemorated in the title of his next solo album No Jacket Required which has since sold over– million copies worldwide and launched Collins into solo superstardom. Following its release, the Pump Room sent Collins an apology”and an appropriate jacket so that the incident wouldnt be repeated.

The Pump Room was purchased by a large restaurant management group in the late’90′s. They spent a lot of money to renovate the facility, overhaul the menu and hire a top flight chef. While the Pump Room’s golden era trade mark flaming food served on a sword was a tragedy of city fire codes, the menu is now on par with any in the city serving a sophisticated interpretation of classic American cuisine. In addition to the revamped cuisine, the Pump Room upgraded its wine offering and expanded the bar area.

Current Executive Chef Nick Sutton has continued the restaurant’s tradition of excellence. The big draw of the Pump Room, however, remains the amazing sense of history that the dining room offers. The realization that a who’s who of civilized American culture from Bogart and Clark Gable to Sinatra and Jackie Gleason broke bread in the room is a pretty amazing vibe. The good news is that the Pump Room again offers the quality of food and service worthy of such icons, and is a victory for culinary excellence amid the national infestation of mediocre chain restaurants.

Mitsuharu Misawa died in Hiroshima, Japan earlier this year less than a week before his 47th birthday. Akitoshi Saito hit a back suplex on Misawa, which appeared to knock him unconscious. Medical staff attempted to revive him in the ring, but when CPR failed he was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Initial reports in the Japanese media suggest that he was pronounced dead at the hospital, but a number of eyewitness accounts have speculated that he may have died in the ring.

That’s at least a small bit of solace amid the tragedy of Misawa’s death–he died in the ring doing what he loved, and what he did better than just about anyone on the planet. Not like Owen Hart died in the ring, doing a stupid stunt in a silly character that he was reportedly assigned as punishment for refusing to go along with a storyline he felt demeaning, but working the kind of brutally stiff, athletically realistic match that got a generation hooked on Japanese wrestling.

Misawa was a top level high school wrestler, and that got him noticed by All Japan Pro Wrestling majordomo Shohei Giant Baba. He made his professional debut in’81, and got his first big break in’84 when he was chosen as the second Tiger Mask replacing Satoru Sayama. In’90, he had his longtime tag team partner (and occasional rival) Toshiaki Kawada unmask him.

Misawa would wrestle as himself from then on, and become an even bigger star in the process. In June,’90 he became one of the top stars in All Japan Pro Wrestling when he defeated Jumbo Tsuruta. That match was his first main event appearance at the famous Nippon Budokan. He soon faced Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen in an unsuccessful challenge for the title, and would become the biggest star in Japanese pro wrestling for the next decade.

He had legendary battles against Kawada, Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, and Steve Dr. Death Williams in singles competition. Misawa would continue as a mainstay in AJPW until the early part of this decade. After the death of Giant Baba, he left to establish Pro Wrestling NOAH. He would serve as the companys president while wrestling a full time schedule until his untimely death.

Japanese pro wrestling served as an introduction for many American fans into shoot fight sports and MMA. Before the Internet, fans would trade videotapes to stay up on the latest matches from Japan and along with Jushin Thunder Liger and The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh it safe to say that Misawa is one of the wrestlers most responsible for getting a generation of American fans hooked on the product. Were it not for the subculture he created in America, later wrestling promotions like Ring of Honor and MMA promotions like the UFC wouldn’t have had a ready made audience to tap into.