Vintage Scout games...

A slightly longer than expected break from blogging to spend time with my ailing father, who sadly died a couple of weeks ago…

 
 
Anyway, it’s good to be back. You may wish to check out our latest Curious Trends posts.

And if you want to know what Prince Harry has in common with the Boy Scouts, take a look at my post today over at The Dabbler.


 




Talking of Scouts, we’ve some curiously collectable Scout memorabilia at ShopCurious, including vintage books that will come in handy if you’re organizing your own alternative Olympic Games – or are already suffering from games nostalgia.

Are you?

Art, romance and rad royal photography

It’s not easy to link this item to our theme of birds and bees. However, some of Cecil Beaton’s best known photographs of Marilyn Monroe show her holding a little bird on one hand. This seems curiously appropriate, as in Middle and Far Eastern cultures, birds are often viewed as symbols of immortality and, in some religious traditions, each bird represents a departed soul. Oh, and there’s also a famous photograph of Cecil Beaton wearing fancy dress, including bee-embroidered breeches. There you go… Now that’s out of the way, what I’d actually like to talk about is the latest exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum – Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration.




Apparently, Sir Roy Strong once described the relationship between the Queen and Beaton as “the greatest alliance ever forged between crown and camera.” Beaton was instrumental in shaping the iconography of the royal family in the pre-TV era. With his love of lavish costumes, dressing up and fascination for the rich and famous, he flitted effortlessly into the grandiose world of the House of Windsor. But it was his degree in art history, combined with an exceptional creative talent that enabled him to produce some of the most enduring photographs of the British Monarchy.

Although Cecil Beaton was best known as the outstanding royal photographer of his age, he was also a highly regarded fashion photographer and film designer, which probably accounts for the supremely elegant styling throughout his work.


There’s a wonderful photograph of the Queen in a diaphanous gown, set against a winter scene of ice skaters, that's reminiscent of a painting by Rex Whistler. Curator, Susanna Brown, says that the gossamer gown may symbolize the start of a new season – a summer after the long winter of war – and that this photograph could also be a tribute to Beaton’s good friend, Whistler, who died in battle in 1944.


Many of Beaton’s portraits were inspired by the works of great artists including Gainsborough and Fragonard, but he was also a prolific artist himself – producing drawings, paintings and illustrations that were displayed in various exhibitions and books. Some of Beaton’s scrapbooks are also on show at this exhibition, along with his old Rolleiflex camera and other memorabilia – including a personal album of illustrious visitors’ signatures and sketches by the likes of Dali, Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Queen Mother and Greta Garbo:

One section of the exhibition is dedicated to coverage of the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. The V&A have also made a film, which includes an interview with two of Beaton’s Coronation Day assistants, John Drysdale and Ray Harwood, marking their first reunion after 60 years. Ray is said to have confessed that is was he, not Beaton, who actually took the famous photograph of the Queen against the backdrop of The Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.










This ‘Sleeping Beauty’ baby photo of Prince Charles and Princess Anne is one of my favourites. It’s interesting to note how the style of photography had changed by the time Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were born. I won’t give away any more – but do go along, as these photographs are some of the most charming and romantic royal images you will ever see.



And you may wish to check out the assorted books, Coronation memorabilia and collectable vintage photographs of the royal family available at ShopCurious too.

Do you?

Curious shopping trends

It’s dark by 4.0 pm, it’s raining, and the high street is a depressingly familiar sight...

But what would you like to see instead of the bright lights of Poundland?

This weekend ShopCurious has an alternative shopping showcase:





At Curious Trends, we’ve a feature on one of London’s most unique curiosity shops – LASSCO at Brunswick House. This architectural salvage emporium is perfect for anyone renovating a home, or simply on the look out for quirky antiques and retro memorabilia (though probably not for a pound).

Over at The Dabbler, we visit curiously colourful and retro-progressive Brixton Market, where you’ll find slow food, ethnic homewares and fabulous vintage fashion.

And we also take a peek at the hi-tech future of retail – just look at this virtual Tesco Homeplus store in South Korea. People in Seoul are shopping from the walls of the subway…

Are you?

New antiquarian style

A growing fascination with curiosities and collecting means antique style clothing and accessories are starting to appear everywhere. Judging by some of the fashions seen on catwalks, we’re about to experience a Miss Havisham inspired phase of dressing.

Dishevelled Dickensian drapery, curious hats and quirky accessories, old fashioned curiosity brooches, bejewelled and beringed gloves will feature.




















Miss Havisham’s look is available at ShopCurious. From great-grandmother style brooches to Victorian photographs in curiously collectable union cases, check out our unique selection of vintage memorabilia and curios.

Will you?

PS And embellishment will be everywhere – see our latest Curious Trends post.

Travelling in arty Aussie style

The curious incident involving Monsieur Depardieu reminds me how much air travel has changed over the past few decades. An in-flight experience used to be the height of luxury (and politeness), but these days on board lavatories are just as bad as they are on inter-city trains. On my flight back from Spain this week, one loo had soap and no hand towels, whereas the other had hand towels and no soap.

Anyway, I’m glad to be back because I wanted to show you this rare reminder of the air travel style of yesteryear. I love the curiously arty design of this Qantas airline souvenir from ShopCurious. The vintage silk scarf is colourfully printed with bold images of tourist destinations from around the world. Funnily enough, the clashing colours remind me of the outfit worn by Australian nomad, Trudi, whose photograph appears in our latest Curious Trends article.





Talking of memorabilia, do have a read of my RetroProgressive post on the official merchandise for the London 2012 Olympics over at The Dabbler today – and let me know what you think of the uniquely contemporary designs.

Will you?

Tourist memorabilia: trivia or treasure?

Whenever I go away, I like to visit any flea markets and curiosity shops in the area, so I can rummage for quirky vintage bits and bobs. However, there’s really no need to go abroad, as local junk shops and car boot sales are perfect for sourcing retro holiday souvenirs – which have become curiously collectable of late.

A few of the pieces I've found are now available at ShopCurious: I tried to sift out the most tasteful items - including a beautifully hand painted cigar box, a characterfully antiquated Flamenco dancer, and a fabulously fierce looking doll in traditional Spanish dress.


























































Many such curiosities are probably unwanted gifts. But what is it that compels people to bring back these kitsch mementoes from their travels? And what’s the most curious thing you’ve been given by someone returning from foreign parts? Do tell…

Will you?

Fairy dust, fireworks and fragrant fantasy

There’s been no escaping the American influence in London over the past couple of days. At Clerkenwell Design Week, next to a sign saying ‘beware of pedestrians’, who should I bump into but Buzz Lightyear (courtesy of MJ Creative Imaging).

Disney’s films have been popular with designers this year. At Milan Design Week, Tron Legacy was the inspiration behind the TRON designs CORIAN retro-futuristic living room exhibit.









By curious coincidence, I was also invited to a launch event at Disney’s new showcase store in Oxford Street, which has been two years in the making, and opens on Saturday.






The store is more of an interactive experience than a shop, and even incorporates a theatre with free events. Every day, there will be an opening and closing ceremony, where a child is chosen to open or close the rope barrier with a giant key.











On entering the store, there’s a 28 foot high castle, with animations and music controlled by an iPod Touch. I was treated to a private display of thunder and lightning, fairy dust and fireworks by Disney’s marketing man, Jonathan Storey.

To coincide with the launch, there’s a new fragrance, called Imagination – the scent of possibility, the smell of the enchanted forest, a whiff of Neverland… With wild mint, watermelon, forest flowers, vetiver, sequoia and moss amongst its ingredients, it’s actually got rather a pleasant, leafy and refreshing aroma, with hints of wild berries. The candle, room spray, hand and body lotion and hand wash are colourfully packaged and reasonably priced too.












The tall, charming and beautifully bouffant blogger, Prince Cassius, was amongst those assembled to sample the scent.






I followed Tinkerbell’s Pixie Dust Trail to the Disney Princess Magic Mirror. Here children can wave a wand to watch one of five short stories, apprearing magically before them.







The back of the store is bursting with London themed Disney memorabilia.




















And, lurking amidst the animated trees was another Buzz Lightyear – as each of the members of staff is named after their favourite Disney character...




















I'm still a great fan of Minnie Mouse – if you are too, do check out the curiously collectable vintage Fiorucci Minnie Mouse sweat shirt at ShopCurious.

Will you?

Curiosities of musical art

An aging population, a fascination with vintage style and our nostalgia for slower, less frenetic, times have contributed to the growing popularity of retro sounds and musical curiosities.

The influence of Cubism in contemporary design art is also having a curious effect upon our perception and treatment of musical instruments.









At ShopCurious, we’ve unearthed some unusual pieces of musical memorabilia that will be appearing on our website over the next couple of weeks. Fans of old style rhythm & blues, and quirky kitsch, will appreciate this collectable set of hand painted, ceramic musicians.

























I love the curiously characterful faces of the members of this band – each one is totally unique. Dressed in fashionable red, these colourful figurines will jazz up any home décor scheme...

Even grungy greige.

Will you?

Curiously cutting edge royal memorabilia

Wedding cakes are a curious phenomenon and a rare opportunity for bakers to go totally over the top. But Royal wedding cakes take the biscuit in terms of elaborate decoration and conspicuous excess.

If you’re following the Royal Wedding news, you’ll have heard that William and Kate have opted for ‘his and hers’ wedding cakes. Hers will be the official multi-tiered fruit cake, decorated with edible flowers - representing the emblems of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland...










His choice, of an unbaked chocolate biscuit cake by McVitie’s, is not quite as curious as it seems: In 1923, The Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later George VI and The Queen Mother) picked the Scottish company to make their cake, in recognition of the bride’s Scottish roots.





So, what are we to expect? The ‘bride cake’ for Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840 was nearly 3 metres wide and weighed more than 135 kg. Even the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s 2005 nuptials boasted a cake that included 1,080 eggs, 100 kg of marzipan and 36 bottles of booze.

A fair part of any royal cake will be sliced up to be presented in commemorative tins for the guests. A piece of cake from the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana fetched £1,000 at an auction in 2008.




Of course, every wedding cake also needs an appropriate knife, and we may have found just the thing: This curiously collectable vintage cake knife from ShopCurious commemorates the Queen’s Coronation in 1953.

Presented in its original gold and red embossed box, this charming piece of cutlery is in excellent condition, and would make a lovely wedding gift - though I’m not sure it was designed to cut through a cake made from frozen chocolate biscuits.

Are you?

Bags of junk for Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentine’s Day! Some think it’s a commercial conspiracy to force unwitting consumers to purchase trashy Valentine gifts…but that rather depends on the type of trash we’re talking about. In one of the most curious new trends, discarded litter and old junk are being upcycled to create collectable clothing, arty accessories and works of design art.

These stunning ‘art bags’ by acclaimed designer, Annie Sherburne, at ShopCurious, are an example of what can be created using found objects. Annie sources high quality vintage handbags, which she embellishes individually, using carefully chosen pieces of everyday junk, worked into painterly collages. As well as bits of vintage jewellery, Annie often uses old watch faces and straps, parts from retro dolls and toys, and quirky tourist memorabilia to decorate her bags.

Incidentally, discarded waste and the filth around us form the subject matter of the Wellcome Collection’s forthcoming major exhibiton, which runs from 24th March until 31st August. Dirt: the Filthy Reality of Everyday Life ‘travels across centuries and continents to explore our ambivalent relationship with dirt’ via photography, cultural ephemera, art, scientific artefacts, film and literature.

Apparently, over half the world’s inhabitants now live in urban areas, and are exposed to the overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and industrial nature of modern life. Dirt poses a significant risk to our health, but is also vital to our existence. The exhibition aims to ‘reveal the fascinating world of filth that remains one of the very last taboos.’

Hmmm, perhaps this wasn’t such a romantic topic to bring up on Valentine’s Day. But then I’m not sure how much fun romance would be without the dirty bits…

Are you?

PS Read more on the messy business of romance in my latest post at The Dabbler.

Pink chintz and charming country style

I’m saving the middle part of my Christmas story till later, but early in the New Year I spent a couple of days visiting friends in rural Derbyshire. I wanted to share this with you first, because if you happen to find yourself in that part of England, I’ve discovered a rather lovely place to stay:

I can thoroughly recommend Park View Farm near Ashbourne. An eclectic mix of granny’s attic style meets faded chintzy boudoir chic, this has to be amongst the most charming Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the country.
















There’s a creaking wooden staircase, four poster beds, free standing roll-top cast iron baths and the main house is adorned with characterful vintage prints, chiming clocks and quirky curiosities.


The traditional pink chintz curtains made me feel completely at home – I have a feeling they’re made from the same Laura Ashley fabric I had in my flat in the late 1980s.















There are wonderfully dated festoon blinds, which are perfect for collecting Jack spiders, so they don’t nibble you in the night. A painting of a curiously cute rabbit hangs above the loo - and, amidst the memorabilia, there are even some old fashioned costume prints to keep us fashion hounds amused.












If you’re in a big party, there’s plenty of accommodation in additional guest cottages with pretty names like Honeysuckle Cottage, curiously appropriate since honeysuckle pink is Pantone’s colour of the year.













There’s also a large breakfast table, where you can congregate for a home-cooked breakfast that (to borrow a word from Jamie Oliver) is utterly delish… What’s more, the table is beautifully set with Willow Pattern crockery, plus there are crystal serving bowls and twirly-stemmed antique candlesticks.




















In terms of practical comfort and simple but stylish home decoration, you can’t go wrong with a country farmhouse style kitchen, especially if you actually live in a country farmhouse and can look out of the window onto an authentic field of grazing sheep.

The host and hostess are a lovely couple who are polite, friendly and amazingly available for a chat at the same time as running a farm and preparing a full English fry up (with mouth-meltingly buttery mushrooms, freshly laid eggs and unusually tasty wholemeal toast). Radio 3 burbles along in the background, though apparently the cows in the milking parlour prefer Classic FM.








Anyway, if you’d like to ‘get the look’ we’ve some uniquely arty Willow Pattern placemats at ShopCurious, along with this fabulous antique porcelain cherub mirror. Perfect if you’re suddenly feeling all romantic.

Are you?