http://www.ShopCurious.com/ http://twitter.com/ShopCurious
Showing posts with label Zandra Rhodes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zandra Rhodes. Show all posts

Friday, 24 June 2011

Timeless textiles



QR codes remind me of the classical inspired look of former RCA graduate (now honorary fellow and visiting professor), Sue Timney, whose work was recently on show at London’s Fashion and Textiles Museum.

Back in the early 1980s, finding someone to buy your designs meant trekking half way around the world – in her case to Japan, where her printed silk scarves, shirts, ties, ceramics and stationery were snapped up by luxury retailers, enabling her and ex-partner, Grahame Fowler, to expand their Timney-Fowler business in the UK. Since 2001, Timney has concentrated mainly on private and commercial interiors projects, and is known for her distinctive monochrome styling. She’s also designed restaurants and styled Joseph’s interior shop, ‘Pour la Maison.’








































The exhibition featured a lot of her 1990s work, which was developed for fashion and interiors, using images recurring throughout the cut out work of Timney Fowler – statues, architectural details, cutlery, furniture, clocks, musical instruments, animals, heraldic symbols, kitchen implements and decorative frames.







































Clocks and clock faces have been something of a trademark of her style between 1985 and 2010. Many of the clock images are based on an original art deco railway clock, which was also on show at the exhibiton. Astronomy is another theme she’s interpreted in her uniquely bold manner.





























Emma Shipley’s printed textiles, currently on display at the RCA show, are equally stunning. Her drawings are inspired by botanical illustrations. Some are drawn by hand using graphite pencil on hot pressed paper to assure a ‘quiet asymmetry’, and other designs are developed using a computer, programmed to incorporate a random element into the process.



























As it happens, founder of the Fashion and Textiles Museum, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, is also an RCA graduate. And, if you’re looking to invest in a piece of vintage textile design, we’ve a curiously collectable 1970s Zandra Rhodes painted lady silk scarf at ShopCurious.

Are you?

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

From gift to heirloom: collecting for posterity


This month our theme is collecting and I’ll be suggesting some ideas for unique and unusual gifts that aren’t just for Christmas.

I was recently asked to list my top tips for creating an heirloom legacy by a fascinating new magazine called Eulogy. You can read the magazine online, including my article, Heirlooms: A Legacy of Love - a ten point check list for buying collectable items with the potential to become a valuable legacy for your family or loved ones.

Best of all, I got to hear from world renowned fashion designer, Zandra Rhodes CBE, about her heirlooms and the legacy she plans to leave to the public via her Fashion and Textile Museum in London. You can read the whole interview on the Eulogy Magazine website.

"Fashion has only relatively recently been considered as an art form in its own right and of interest from an historical and investment perspective,” so talking with fashion museum founder, Zandra, was very illuminating. It was especially useful to hear her expert advice on what to look out for when collecting vintage clothing.

Collectable curiosities and antique finds with provenance are also becoming increasingly sought after as gifts. It makes a refreshing change to receive something with timeless style that doesn't get thrown out as soon as it goes out of fashion.

And, talking of provenance, earlier this week I received an email from a kind lady in the north of England about a pair of 1930s retro prints by Lilian Rowles at ShopCurious. She identified the baby in the blue print (left) as a relative of Lilian Rowles, who was born in 1933, and who apparently only had dark hair until she was 9 months old - which dates the picture to between 1933 and 1934. What’s more, the baby’s daughter now runs a fabulous vintage shop called The Cloth Shed – and you can read more about Lilian’s artwork on her charming blog.

Anyway, I’m curious to hear about your heirlooms and the legacy you’d like to pass on to future generations – do you have a collection of your own, or any items of special provenance you’d like to tell us about?

Do you?

Friday, 18 September 2009

British bulldog days



London Fashion Week got off to a sparkling start today, with everyone really curious to see what the brand new venue looked like.






The size and grandeur of the Natural History Museum was always going to be hard to beat, but the awesome backdrop of the River Thames and the London Eye from Somerset House is simply breathtaking. The sun shone too, which made it even better.

Delicious canapés were served by pretty and polite waitresses - though some hip, happening folks (see left) took the less healthy lunch option.


The furnishings had a retro feel. Seeing this TV took me back in time to the days when I watched Andy Pandy in front of a flickering black and white screen. I can’t ever recall seeing a Bush television quite this large, though – could this be a newly assembled imitation version … oops, sorry, a quirky piece of design art?



This 1960s table, right, looks pretty authentic though, in fact my parents had one almost exactly the same.



The courtyard is a fabulous location for the LFW tents – whilst you’re waiting for the shows, you can also indulge in a spot of al fresco champagne quaffing – it’s simply de rigueur daaaahling! But best of all, in my opinion, is the view of the river - I was constantly drawn to it, despite the clothes .





Even though the hedonistic days of the bull market are long gone, there’s still the odd doff of a hat to the good old days (see above right). As well as the new generation of designers, I was pleased to see that there were some old faces too - including one of my all time favourites, Zandra Rhodes.





However, it tends to be eco-friendly fashion that attracts the most attention these days ... and the Chairman of the British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman, launched Estethica - the ethical exhibition - this afternoon, to a flurry of interest from the press.

Whilst I’ll miss the old LFW site, I’m really impressed with the new setting – it somehow seems a touch more homely and inviting than before. It’s slightly academic though, as I’m off to California for a few days tomorrow.





I might even meet up with Timmy Woods, the Beverly Hills based designer of this limited edition British bulldog bag that’s now available at ShopCurious. There are only ten of these original hand-painted bags in the whole world … and Michelle Obama has one of the other nine. I think the Swarovski crystal studded Union Jack is very appropriate, though I have a feeling that our Great British bulldog days may be numbered.

Do you?

Monday, 20 July 2009

Zandra Rhodes and the art of colour



I’ve been doing some research on Zandra Rhodes to try and find out more about a rather remarkable vintage bag that’s available at ShopCurious. The shoulder bag in question features what, in my opinion, is the most extraordinarily beautiful design of a woman’s face, (shown right) – surely this is one of those iconic images in fashion?







The colour that most people would associate with Ms Rhodes is probably the shocking pink shade of her hair. However, her incredibly arty textiles often display a riot of garish colours in surprisingly unexpected combinations. Zandra Rhodes isn’t just a fashion designer, she’s an artist, using cloth as her canvas - and every piece she creates is a unique and timeless work of art.









I found these photos of garments featuring Zandra’s famous ‘Chevron Shawl’ print in a highly recommended book – Zandra Rhodes: a lifelong love affair with textiles. Click on the pics to enlarge.













I’m sure this must be the same print that appears on the ‘painted lady bag’, suggesting that it was designed around 1970 and that it’s highly collectable.










By the way, I think Zandra Rhodes is a creative genius and a living legend.

Do you?

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Colourful characters in fashion





Money can’t buy you style …

Style is about being just a little bit different - and it also has a lot to do with expressing your true personality. Don’t feel you have to conform to what anyone else is wearing (though it's probably best to follow your office dress code, especially in these market conditions).









Celebrities are often fashion victims because their clothes are invariably chosen for them by others – like personal assistants or well intentioned friends. Not everyone has Patricia Field as their stylist and hapless celebrity fashion victims are always turning up on the pages of trashy tabloid magazines with their clothes wearing them rather than the other way round.

Of course, there are also seasoned style queens, like legendary American fashion designer Mary McFadden, left, who I accidentally stumbled upon at private party in London recently. Illustrating the irrelevance of age vs. style, Ms McFadden still cuts the mustard in this floaty and folksy ethnic silk ensemble. In Mary’s case it appears perfectly effortless, but there’s much more to being a colourful character and showing true style than you might think: it helps if you have a natural flair for fashion and there's a real art to mixing colour.





The curiously colourful and very arty Yasmina (who you’ll be seeing more of later) definitely isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd and express her preference for bold acid colours and accessories – all done in a highly creative way and resulting in a quirky, but seriously cool look.





Less colourful, but still characterful is one of the outfits I feel most comfortable in – it’s an amazing vintage Zandra Rhodes silk chiffon cactus print dress - though perhaps the vintage Dior sunglasses from ShopCurious make me look a tad Dame Edna-ish…The shoes are interesting: they’re actually Miu Miu from the mid 1990s, but d'you think their design might have been inspired by the work of a famous English cobbler?



I salute Beth Ditto, seen here at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Preview in June, for her stylish, brightly coloured clothing, even though she doesn't conform to the media image of bodily perfection. This magical mauve number, accessorized with a simple statement necklace, a crisp bobbed haircut and 1970s glam-rock inspired makeup simply oozes authentic taste and style.











Being confident with your appearance and your individual sense of style is one of the keys to looking and feeling great, whatever your gender, age or size. And having the odd imperfection can be a great advantage – after all, you don’t want to look the same as everyone else.

Do you?