Delight in the Details: Encylopedia of the Exquisite

Of all the many things there are to give and receive, my favorite in either category is books. And on an ocassion when my list to Santa is growing with each latest release, topping my list to give (since I've already received my very own copy) is the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins.

Jessica took a page out of the compendiums on eccentric exotica and curious artifacts from the 16th century, and presented her own curation on aesthetics and lifestyle and everyting, wel,l exquisite—from the origins of the Japanese kimono (page 97), to anecdotal descriptions of lightening (page 109) and boudoirs (page 28), to a historical brief on the concept of a weekend (page 252)—all in a fashion that is vintage yet new, enlightening yet highly engaging. It's the kind of book that can be treated both as amuse bouche and dessert and (if there's the luxury of sneaking in a lazy late afternoon) everything in between.

I know Jessica from my years at WWD and W: I marched into the Los Angeles bureau as she was off to the main office in New York. She later moved to Paris to serve as W's European Editor, then wisely left the whole rat race-in-heels to get grounded in India before returning home, falling in love and settling in on the Blue Hill peninsula in Maine. Not that she has totally said ta-ta to all the glam. Like yours truly, however, it's about moderation: Jessica now writes for Vogue, and covered the collections this year for vogue.com.

But it's this latest bit of ink that's making its mark. Jessica dished out five for La Vie En Rose:

La Vie En Rose: In your introduction, you open with how you've been collecting exquisite treasures since you were a child. What prompted you to do this book now in your life?

Jessica Kerwin Jenkins: After many years in journalism, my file full of exquisiteness was getting bursting! But the project happened pretty naturally when I decided to put fashion journalism on the back burner for a while. When I was traveling in Southern India I went to see someone who does cranial-sacral therapy. (Why not?!) She asked what was my biggest passion in life, what I really liked to do. To my surprise, I said "research." Could anything sound more dull? But I do love sleuthing around in libraries and archives like a dorky Nancy Drew, hunting for strange and beautiful stories and unearthing amazing tales that make my heart thump.

LVER: Considerable research when into each, succinct entry. What was a surprising discovery?
JKK: Anything research that resulted in what felt like a dead end, or felt too predictable, got tossed out, and I hope that each of the 100 entries offers its own surprise. For example, there's an entry on Red Lipstick. We all know what that is, but the thing that was interesting to me about red lipstick was how it became a symbol during World War II. The Nazi party banned lipstick early on, insisting that every proper frau should remain plain-faced. On the other hand, the Allies did everything they could to maintain a steady supply of red lipstick. They believed that beauty was defiance, and that lipstick could keep morale high, even in dark times. I was thrilled to find evidence of that not only in general historic sources, but in the journals of a British housewife, who very consciously wore lipstick throughout the war.

LVER: And a favorite discovery?
JKK: I know that learning all about the Bon Chrétien pear (aka the Bartlett) and its royal French pedigree has changed the way I look at pears now. It's given that tasty snack a glamorous new identity and turned a rather democratic object into something precious.

LVER: For all its appearances as something of a vintage treasure, how do you see this book in modern life?
JKK: For me, this book, as an encyclopedia, is something like an anti-Wikipedia. The internet holds an unlimited source of knowledge. You can find basic information about anything you're curious about there. What felt more right, and more fresh, to me was creating a place for curated knowledge, limiting the scope and bringing a certain eye to that field of knowledge, but also tracking down the esoteric, fascinating information that you'll never find online.

LVER: What's next for you?
JKK: I'm beginning just now to work on a new project. I think in some way I was holding my breath, waiting for this book to come out, before I could move on. It's really exciting to get back into my research, especially as I have no idea where it's leading me yet. It's a bit unnerving, but also so magic.

Kerwin Jenkins portrait by Sinclair S Smith Exquisite author Jessica Kerwin Jenkins photographed by Sinclair Scott Smith