The Great Gatsby premiered this past weekend, and so in honor of all the glitz, glamour and oh-so fashionable wardrobes that came with it, we present our favorite vintage Crane & Co. ads from one of our favorite eras. We think Daisy and Jay would approve.
We like to think this is the kind of note Daisy would have written to her cousin, Nick, enticing him to return to New York for an evening (or evenings) of Champagne and boisterous banter into the wee hours.
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Moms come in all shapes and sizes. So do their personalities. We’ve identified some of our favorite moms — past and present — and matched them with the Crane stationery we thought one might find in their writing desk. Be it traditional, classic, elegant or sophisticated (or perhaps all of the above), we like to think we have correspondence that fits every mom’s distinct style.
For the lady who likens herself to…
June
She bakes. She knows how to fold a fitted sheet. She always has a tissue handy. For the Mom who fancies tradition and treats, a classic motif a-la our hydrangea is certain to make her swoon.
Jackie
She makes hostessing look effortless. Her social calendar is always full. You routinely raid her closet. For the Mom who fancies the classics and Capri, an elegant flourish is sets just the right tone.
Diana
She’s as at ease in diamonds as she is in riding pants. However her children are her favorite accessory. For the Mom who fancies the finer things as well as the little things, a gold monogram fit for a princess.
Angelina
She is effortlessly stunning. Though making time for her family is always her most beautiful quality. For the Mom who fancies sophisticated style and summers on the Siene, a monogram with oversized flourish in a hue most magnificent will earn a kiss.
Need more Mother’s Day gift ideas? Email our Crane Concierge at concierge@crane.com.
J. Saunders likes organization. He listens to Podcasts on the subject. He has “medium term goals.” And he was just hired as Crane Stationery’s Director of Operations. The Maine native is in the process of moving from Kennebunk, Maine — where he managed William Arthur’s amending and boxed product manufacturing — to North Adams, Massachusetts, where he will be in charge of all manufacturing. Which, of course, will require a lot of doing what he enjoys: organizing.
A box of new personalized stationery is always a treat, and we’re sure you can’t wait to start corresponding. But what to do with the half-used box that simply can’t compete with your new ‘stash’?
Do a little good for the environment (Earth Day is April 22nd) and your karma by donating your old stationery somewhere special. We asked our friends on Facebook for suggestions on where to donate, here are their stellar ideas:
Crane & Co. has been advising enthusiasts of classic correspondence for more than a century. In our archives is proof of this: petite, elegantly covered books boasting topics such as “Visiting Cards for Men” and “Country House Stationery.”
We’ve continued such advice in the form of the Blue Book of Stationery and the Wedding Blue Book, revising as decades have come and gone to reflect the ever-changing times.
Some advice — the importance of thank you notes, the use of “honour of your presence” for a church wedding to name a couple — has proved timeless. Other advice, however — addressing wives who are also medical doctors, a brides’s monogram using a hyphenated last name — has been added, updated and, sometimes, scrapped altogether.
While we value tradition, we also embrace the kind of change that still feels correct and special. And so when online invitation purveyor Paperless Post approached us to partner on a collection of wedding stationery suites, we made sure that every design was a perfect blend of the online invitation company’s fresh, modern aesthetic and our timeless, classic elegance.
Lauren Kay will write you a letter: All you have to do is ask. The New York resident has penned requested missives to her childhood sitter’s daughter and a high school boyfriend’s little sister, just to name a couple, as well as unrequested — yet very much appreciated, we’re sure — ones to her own friends and family. One can read about her correspondence escapades — and request one of his or her own — on her few-years-old site, Letters From Lauren. Here, Nora Ephron’s biggest fan talks big zip codes, love letters and her favorite scene from When Harry Met Sally (hint: it doesn’t take place in a diner).
When did your interest in the epistolary world begin?
It all started with box of Crane & Co. engraved ecru stationery, a gift from my grandmother. I was nine. It came with a fancy pink pen, which I was only allowed to use for proper correspondence. In hindsight, it was all a ploy to get me writing thank-you notes (I grew up down south where manners were practiced with emphasis). But it worked! And I’ve been writing letters ever since.
Our Crane Concierge receives quite a number of queries from correspondents about what type style they should use for their personalized stationery, wedding invitations, etc. And while there are certainly guidelines for pairing the proper type style to the occasion, one’s personality should also help dictate how text will appear on paper.
Below is a sampling of type styles and the type (no pun intended) of person who may fancy such a style. For those of you who would like to use a similar style on our paper, we have also provided the codes for the lettering that best matches each one.
Didot: LET511; Sheila: LET718; Futura: LET608; Edwardian: LET708; Charter Roman: LET511; Trade Gothic: LET618; Chevalier: LET507; Bickham: LET704; Baskerville: LET516
Have a question about stationery etiquette or style? Email our Crane Concierge at concierge@crane.com.
1. Pearl White Large Correspondence Card with Dinosaurs Motif 2. Pearl White Note with Lion Motif 3. Hand Engraved Pearl White Tiverton Note 4. Personalized Pearl White Kent Sheet with Flower Motif 5. Bouncing Kangaroo Note 6. Koala Thank You Note 7. Happy Whale Note
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When Wedding Guide magazine contacted us to ask us a few questions about RSVP etiquette, we of course happily obliged. After all, receiving — or, rather, not receiving — responses from invitees is an issue most couples find themselves dealing with, and considering we wrote the book on wedding etiquette, it was only appropriate that we weigh in…
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Our Crane Concierge spends her days offering etiquette advice of the epistolary variety to brides, businesses and everyday correspondents alike. We thought we’d share a handful of recent queries. If you have a question for our Concierge, email her at concierge@crane.com.
NICKNAMES
How do I include a nickname with my name on stationery? I am known by the nickname in my community, i.e. Susan Hindle (Su) George. Would this be acceptable? Or is there a better way?
If your correspondence will be mostly personal and not professional, I would suggest using your nickname (Su George), as this is the name your friends and family know you by. If, however, you will be using it for professional stationery as well, I would suggest using your given name and — for your personal notes — signing with your nickname.
