Mary Katrantzou’s Red Typewriter Dress and the Olivetti Lettera 35 That Inspired It

About a year and a half ago, J and I found ourselves with two Lettera 35s - the Olivetti we loved so much, we purchased it twice: one in Switzerland, and the other from France via the Venezuelan embassy (a thrift store find). We decided to keep the Lettera from Paris, which had a more interesting personal story attached to it. Keeping both hefty machines was not an option, so we set about selling the Swiss keyboard Lettera 35. These typewriters, bulky and heavy but with a modern streamlined design, come in a beige/ off-white color that is not all that inspiring. To spruce it up a bit, J painted it scarlet red, and I took a few photos for the blog and an auction listing. Predictably, it sold fairly easily and we sent it off to a happy buyer. I thought we had heard the last of it...

Photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, photographer: dpa / Facundo Arrizabalaga

Until a few weeks ago, when Richard shared the story of a typewriter dress that had gone on the runway at London Fashion Week, and was being written up in the news. Now, as a collector and enthusiast of a largely-forgotten technology, I’m always excited when typewriters turn up in the media because more people will be intrigued, even if temporarily. This means a few more collectors welcomed into the fold, a few more people who remember the joys of typewriting and seek out a machine for their own use, and, ideally, fewer incidents of keychopping as whole typewriters become more valuable. So, while I have no claims of sartorial expertise, seeing a typewriter on the runway in such a visible venue seemed to me a very good thing.

Photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, photographer: Morgan O'Donovan

Looking closer - as we collectors all are inclined to do - I wondered which red typewriter the designer had depicted on the dress. It wasn’t the obvious Olivetti Valentine, which has black keys and no ribbon cover. Still, there aren’t very many natively-red typewriters, so it was just a matter of time before we identified this one! Richard’s eagle eye spotted the Swiss QWERTZ keyboard, which got me to thinking there was a good reason why it seemed familiar... it took a few seconds for me to provide a positive identification: this was, indeed, our hot-rodded Olivetti Lettera 35. Fancy that!

Dress photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, taken by : Olivier Claisse/firstVIEW

Obviously, the image I took - I still remember setting my coffee table in front of our window to catch the best light on a cold December day - was not exactly what had been used on the dress. From what I could tell, the ribbon cover was enlarged to meet the keyboard, removing the Lettera 35 badge, the carriage and platen were not depicted, and the keyboard area was also a bit different, not true to life. Still, it was easily recognizable to me, especially because Olivetti did not, as far as I know, make any Lettera 35s in red. Of all the red typewriters to choose for her print, the designer had picked a one-of-a-kind, custom-painted machine.

Photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, photographer: Morgan O'Donovan

In the past, I have gladly allowed my images to be used elsewhere on the Internet, when asked: the PEN International advertising campaign and the Collectors’ Weekly website, for example. Of course, many eBayers and Craigslisters have helped themselves to my pictures in the past, but I have ignored those. This was a special situation because the image used was not exactly my picture, and it was also being used in an international fashion show that made headlines all over the internet, a new first for me. Exciting, and surreal. After the show, I wrote to the designer, Mary Katrantzou, inquiring about the red typewriter used on her dress. 
 

Photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, photographer: Morgan O'Donovan

Born in Greece in 1983 (coincidentally my birth year as well) and currently based in London, Mary Katrantzou is noted in the fashion world for her lush digital prints, and she was awarded the Swiss Textiles prize in 2010. Before I contacted her, I took a look at her previous work to get an idea of what she does, and I was impressed by her creativity and vibrantly colorful aesthetic. Mary was quick to respond to my inquiry, and confirmed that my picture had been used as an inspiration for her design, which she painted digitally from scratch before integrating it into a print that was used for her now famous dress. It appears my red Lettera 35 is in great company in terms of items that have inspired prints for Mary’s clothing: in the past, she has also referenced Fabergé eggs, Qing dynasty bowls, and iconic perfume bottles. This particular collection for Fall/Winter 2012 features spoons, coat hangers, pencils, and wristwatches in addition to the red typewriter, the theme being “everyday items”.

Photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, photographer: Morgan O'Donovan

The way I see it, this one dress represents a very small part of her entire oeuvre, so if she needed a picture of a red typewriter to make her collection complete, I am glad I could help out, even inadvertently. If this design resonates with Mary’s customers, perhaps the Typosphere will gain a few visitors. At the very least, I have another story to tell about Retro Tech Geneva and the fun surprises that come with blogging about typewriters. Mary offered to make me a typewriter dress of my own, which I accepted. I should add that it will be quite the departure from my usual simple wardrobe - besides which, me wearing a typewriter dress would be like David Beckham wearing a suit plastered with footballs! However, it will be fun to have one, and if it fits, I might even wear and photograph it for the site. She also shared with me a few pictures of her collection, taken backstage by photographer Morgan O'Donovan, to use for this post.

Photo from Mary Katrantzou's F/W 2012 show, photographer: Morgan O'Donovan

The Greatest Day in Geneva Typewriter Hunting History, Ever.

I had the kind of day today that every collector surely dreams about - and it has left me on a high after a rather dull week. In fact, I had been worried about my typewriter-finding mojo lately; I found myself antsy for something thrilling to come my way, and as fate would have it, today was my lucky day. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing ultra-rare, but a big enough deal that I think March 10, 2012, will go down in my typewriter-collecting history as A Very Special Day.

Let's start from the beginning, in which J and I set off on our usual Saturday flea market saunter. Halfway around the market, I am sure it will be another day to write off like last week was: there was the usual Mignon (I believe it's been more than a year since we first photographed it), then the predictable Hermes parade, this time a Hermes 2000 and a Hermes Media 3. But I'll save those pictures for another round-up, because when we rounded a corner of the market, J spotted a Valentine on a table in the distance, and we were instantly plunged into typewriter paradise!

As we moved closer and I counted the number of typewriters set up on the seller's tables, my heart raced - there seemed to be so many, I didn't know where to look! When all was said and done, though, there were seven typewriters - a reasonable number, but definitely the most I have spotted from one seller in one day, plus four empty typewriter cases, and three or four mechanical calculators.

What was even more impressive, though, was the variety and sheer quantity of typewriter-related materials: boxes and boxes of spare parts - segments, type slugs, type bars, platens, platen knobs, carriage return levers... everything you could think of, and I didn't even dig all that thoroughly (trust me, I wanted to spend all day with those boxes!). Then there was a good bit of literature, and some tools - it soon became apparent that we had stumbled upon the remnants of a typewriter dealer's store. First, the typewriters:

This '40s Royal portable was the first one I photographed - clean, beautiful, and tempting, but a bit larger than the portable typewriters I usually favor and the black crinkle paint didn't do much to draw me in. My favorite part is the contrast of the square shift keys with the remaining round keys.

Smith Premier in an unusual grey color (it is a re-branded Remington Portable No. 2). I have been looking for one of these for a while - the No. 2, that is - so as soon as I saw this one I decided it would be coming home with me. This made me especially happy I didn't pick up that Remington Portable No. 3 a few weeks ago! Glad I trusted my instincts on that one.

Speaking of No. 3s, the seller had one too! So this makes the second Remington Portable 3 spotted at the same market in less than a month... I'm just beginning to appreciate the popularity of Remington typewriters (well-deserved, I might add). I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked exploring each individual machine, but this one looked well-preserved too and I'm sure it worked fine.

Despite the unusual name badge (instead of the painted decal these often come with), this Hermes 2000 was the least interesting of the lot - to me, at least. I forgot to take down the serial number for Georg, and I'm sure he will stop by and ask me about it in three... two... one....

A fine Royal No. 10 rounded out the selection. The Olivetti Valentine has already been pictured, and the seventh typewriter was an AZERTY-keyboard Remington Noiseless 7 in grey crinkle paint that I only just realized I forgot to photograph. A curious passerby was testing out the keys, so I moved on to look at the other machines and then forgot about the Noiseless. Ah, well.

Empty typewriter cases - the first for a '40s Hermes 2000, most probably; the second for an Olympia Splendid; and the third for... an Underwood/ Royal portable (I think).

There were dozens of these red boxes that originally contained Hermes silk ribbons and were now filled with complete sets of type bars (the few I opened all seemed close to pica, but it would have taken hours to go through everything). An amazing embarrassment of riches - too many, really, for me to take advantage of. What would I do with all of these? I wished my fellow typospherians could have been there to take their pick!

The one spare part I did keep an eye out for was Hermes platen knobs, but these - in a box with a bunch of platens/ carriage parts - are not for Hermes and I think whatever typewriter fits them is more likely to be a standard than a portable.

Another box of type bars, type slugs, and brand new (but rather large) platens. I didn't pick any of these up because I figured they would be as rock-hard (due to age) as any of the others I had, plus the chances they would fit anything would be pretty slim since I didn't have any measurements at hand. I was hoping the ribbon boxes contained actual ribbons, but they were all chock-full of spare type slugs.

The seller was engaged in a lengthy telephone conversation while we explored his boxes, but once he was done, we approached him and he turned out to be very friendly. He told us these had all come from a typewriter repairman, now in his 90s, who had retired from the business 20 years ago and was now clearing out the rest of his store. We were both thrilled that there was a typewriter repairman in Geneva, even if he was retired, but the fellow assured us he was in no state to receive visitors, sadly.

 

An assortment of tools that could come in handy if only I knew what to use them for!

So, to wrap it up: J was very intrigued by a bilingual French/German typewriter repair instruction manual, and I was fixated on the Smith Premier, so we bargained with the seller to get them both for CHF 50. A bit more than I wanted to spend on a typewriter, but I've been having a dry spell and feeling generous, plus I appreciated the seller's friendliness and I was thrilled to find myself surrounded with all this fantastic typewriter history. 

A final shot as we left his stand - in the foreground is the Remington Noiseless I neglected to get a solo shot of.

As the first sale of his day, the seller was pleased to spend time speaking with us - he also seemed impressed by our knowledge of - and passion for - typewriters. He offered us several more of his wares: in particular, he was very sure we would not regret taking home the gigantic Smith Corona sign! I assured him we wouldn't know what to do with it, or have anyplace to put it.

Then we moved on to the Valentine typewriter, which I looked at longingly while asking him whether he had noticed it was broken (the carriage drawband was long gone, a very significant problem). Still, the Valentine always makes sellers see dollar signs, so I didn't even want to imagine what he would ask for it. Besides, we already had one, this one would be a pain to fix, and we weren't really interested. Nevertheless, I couldn't help gazing longingly at this red icon, never before sighted in a flea market, intact with ribbon covers, manual, and original brush.

"You know," the seller suddenly spoke up, "I'm sure this is a rare typewriter and it can fetch some money. But I don't know enough to fix it, and perhaps you could? Even if it turns out to be seriously damaged, you could still keep it as a decorative object. And if you fixed it, you could sell it and make a nice profit! Actually, someone offered me thirty francs for it this morning and I refused. But you... you can have it for ten."

CHF 10?! J and I looked at each other - we didn't need to think about this long. We would have purchased the ribbon covers alone for that price (ours is missing one). So, we handed him the cash and rushed home, each with a typewriter in hand, barely believing our luck. At home with the haul:

Olivetti Valentine S - for $10, you wouldn't turn it down either! Has some work to be done before it types again, but we are looking forward to giving it our best shot. Fortunately, we have a working one to use as a reference. This Valentine is in surprisingly good cosmetic condition, considering - yes, there is a lot of grime that will need to be cleaned off, but it seems to be all surface dirt and the type slugs are spotless. Will keep you all posted on the progress, of course.

A better look at the Smith Premier's unusual color scheme. I am so excited about this little beauty, you have no idea!!! It popped up at just the right time - after I admired Ton's Remington Portable No. 2, lusted after Robert's "Crocodile Dundee" Smith Premier Portable, and wondered aloud about this strikingly-hued Remington Portable No. 1 on eBay. This seems like the perfect amalgamation of all of those.

I'm planning to scan and PDF as much of this textbook as I can and share it via ScribD or Google Docs, but till then, here are a couple of previews. It was published circa 1942, and a good half of it is devoted to discussions of various metals and their properties! Not scanning that half, that is for sure :)

The typewriter section contains much intriguing information, including the most thorough pictorial guide to typewriter ribbon spools of all shapes and sizes that I have ever seen.

Once I had come home and unburdened myself, it was all I could do to restrain myself from turning right back around and returning to the treasure trove! But I thought I had better take some time to soak it all in, share the story with you, and then nose around the next time I am in the market to see if there is anything left we could look through. Even if he does manage to off-load everything else, I'm confident we made judicious choices and won't regret anything we left behind.

A very satisfying day, indeed!

Typewriter Ephemera: Remington Junior/ No. 3 User Manual (German)

 

It is not often that I censor myself for the blog. Anything I think up and type is immediately scanned and posted - after all, typing is hard (and occasionally deafening!) work. Other than the letters I send to fellow typospherians who kindly write to me, pretty much everything I compose on a typewriter ends up here as a typecast. 

This weekend, though, after having spent several hours composing a lengthy essay about my thoughts on copyright infringement and fair use, especially as pertains to a recent incident involving this blog, I re-read my work and thought better of it. Too long, largely unnecessary, and not as positive in spirit as I would like to keep this space. 

So I shall keep that to myself for now and share with you a partial scan of the manual that came with my Remington Junior (hopefully, this qualifies as fair use!). 

 

This manual is actually intended for a Remington Portable No. 3, which my Remington Junior is a variant of, only with fewer features. Although I don't speak German and understand little of it, I absolutely love the old-timey illustration style, which for some reason call to mind the old Home Economics textbooks I looked through as a child.  

 

My own Remington Junior has the decal on the paper table, and the keys are black with white lettering. This No. 3 is exactly like the one I left behind at the flea market a couple of weeks ago (she says, with a twinge of regret). 

 

I did briefly consider getting the No. 3, if only to make up for "deficiencies" in my Junior like the lack of a right-hand carriage release lever, but it hardly seemed worth the trouble of keeping a virtually duplicate machine just for that.  

 

I find the Remington Portables in general to be quite well-made and very nice to write with. I have a No. 1 I have been neglecting for a while, ever since Georg gave it to me last summer, but that is only because I am considering a paint job for it and would like to finish that before showing it off.  

 

Most of these pictures depict a Swiss-German keyboard, a remarkable level of personalization for a machine that was bought in Zurich. 

 

The shop where this was purchased, Anton Waltisbühl & Co. in Zurich, seems to have been a major distributor for Remington Portables in Switzerland. Eight out of ten - that I have seen, including the flea market find - bear the label.

 

I like that even for the German manual, they retain their original English motto for the typing sample: "To save time is to lengthen life", it reads.