Goodbye to the Games...

  

I feel rather sad that the London 2012 Olympics are almost over – not least because the traffic in town will start to return to normal. It seems to have been remarkably light for the duration of the games, at least in the west of the capital.

But if you haven’t quite had your fill of sport this year, ShopCurious recommends another exhibition at The Design Museum:

Designed to Win runs until 18th November and is all about speed, power and performance. You’ll see everything from Formula 1 cars to designer training shoes, starting blocks, racing bikes and paralympic kit – including wheelchairs and running blades.

 

 

I won’t be too sad to say goodbye to these curious fellows - though I’m not sure who’s scarier in this photograph...

Are you?


PS If you're well and truly Olympicked out, why not join in our debate on monogamy and marriage over at The Dabbler.

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?

Medal-worthy or mundane?

There’s nothing curious about Stella McCartney, except that her newly opened store in London’s Fulham Road is curiously large – especially at a time when so many of the older established shops in the area (think Betty Jackson) have closed down.

Of course, McCartney has a famous father, whose voice seems to have gone off the boil at bit – though I suppose Hey Jude does have an Olympic chorus at the end... With all her unnatural advantages, I was trying exceptionally hard to not like the Olympic designer du jour - until I heard her in interview, earlier this year, at the Vogue Festival.

What a lovely lady – so down to earth and supremely sensible sounding.

Anyway, ShopCurious would like to hear your views on her designs. Personally, I find them magnificently mundane. But perhaps you think they’re medal-worthy?

Do you?

Hunting for curious eggs?

Have you been searching for eggs on London’s Faberge Big Egg Hunt? I wasn’t especially looking out for them, but on stumbling upon my first egg, I excitedly entered the keyword into my mobile phone, as requested. I promptly received a congratulatory message - which kindly informed me “This text cost £3”. Anyway, I’m sure it’s all for a good cause…












What with the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics this year, many of the eggs seem to be London or British inspired – though I was wondering if the butterfly themed number outside Scott's (restaurant) might be a Scotch egg?





The highest concentration of eggs seems to be in Mayfair, where those wishing to disport their wealth generosity must have had the battery hens on overtime. I think I read somewhere that the eggs are being sold off at a charity auction today. According to the website, Marc Quinn’s miminalist-looking contoured egg (see below left) has the highest bid so far.










Oh, and in Selfridges, there’s an interactive egg, which you can help decorate with your picture, by visiting Facebook.


























Meantime, at ShopCurious, we’ve our own curiosity egg in the form of a vintage porcelain hatching turtle. This quirky little fellow is curiously collectable - so perfect for an egg collector, or someone hunting for unusual Easter gifts...

Are you?

A vintage London Fashion Week

There's a fresh new feel at London Fashion Week, with a pared down, more grown up exhibition. The A/W 2012 offering includes more structured tailoring, together with some beautiful, high-quality fabrics, garment and accessory finishes. As predicted, there is also something of a vintage vibe going on – though I'd describe it as more Ye Olde England meets a 1950s nature-inspired mash-up at the 2012 Olympics. What completely bowled me over is the range of decades and cultures represented by the designers and their work. It only goes to prove that London is a veritable melting pot of cosmopolitan retro futurism.








Curious highlights include wearable art by Japanese designer, Ryohei Kawasnishi (pictured on the right in this group photo), which is inspired by the aftermath of last year’s earthquake: A dirt and dust-caked, matted tangle of recycled fabrics form jackets and ponchos, which are hung like pieces of decaying meat from gantries, bathed in eerily luminous, post-apocalyptic light.










































They couldn’t be further removed from Orla Kiely’s tea dance classics... Super-prim prom dresses worn with bobby socks that shimmer under flashes of light from a dance hall glitterball. Check out ShopCurious’s video here:

If there were more hours in the day, I’d love to share more of my Fashion Week finds. But I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until next time…

Will you?

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?

Unique charms of cycling in London

Looking for something to do this weekend? If you’re feeling very brave and don’t mind getting wet, why not take one of the new Barclays Boris bikes for a spin around London?







You could visit a museum – not the British Cycling Museum, as that’s in Cornwall, which would be a bit of a trek.

Better still, could park your bike at a docking station and pop in to one of the many arty events going on in London this weekend. I’d suggest Ceramic Art London at the Royal College of Art.







Here you’ll find handcrafted pottery, ceramic sculptures and all sorts of quirky pieces from a range of accomplished professional designers. I particularly like Kate McBride’s Olympics inspired tableware. Her collectable hand painted Velodrome bowl has cyclists racing around the circuit as spectators look on.






I’ve heard there’s an art to cycling in London: You probably have to be very careful – and wear something suitably protective. How about this Guiding Light curiosity charm necklace by Cartography40N74W at ShopCurious? It comes with a Jesus charm, helpful prayer (inside a miniature pair of binoculars) and a handy pen knife, just in case you get a puncture or need to carry out any emergency repairs.









Alternatively, you could stay at home, safe and out of the rain, and do something curiously creative - like upcycling some old clothes, or designing your own London bicycle – see my latest post at The Dabbler for further details and inspiration.

Will you?

Olympic comforts

One of the more curious pre-Olympic news items has to be the story about the regulation pillows that have been issued to British athletes by team officials to help them in their quest for medals. Apparently more than 500 "feather-like-down" pillows, made by Christy, Queen Victoria's favourite textile group and supplier of towels to Wimbledon, have been shipped to the athletes' village ahead of the team's arrival.





It's the first time that the British Olympic Association has issued pillows in the official kit bag. Simon Clegg, the team's chef de mission, explained that "Quality of sleep is so important, particularly for high performance athletes. Anyone who travels knows what impact a bad pillow can have in terms of pains and a poor night's sleep...They have had the opportunity to train on their pillows for the past fortnight". Extra long mattresses have also been provided for especially tall athletes - mainly swimmers and rowers.




What about the rest of us watching the Olympics from our sofas at home? May I suggest some stylish cushions from ShopCurious to help maximise your viewing experience. These unusual oriental inspired mini works of art by StyleCurious featured designer, Laura Berens, will ensure that you are sitting comfortably and in style.






If you can prize yourself away from your computer - unlike this computer addict in China - original, but rather sad.

Will you?

Fans of cool style

Fans are a stylish way of keeping comfortably cool during the hot weather we're experiencing and that visitors to the Olympics in Beijing are likely to encounter. They're also a tried and tested method of creating a bit of breeziness too, having been around for quite a while - at least 3,000 years in fact.

If you haven't visited the Fan Museum at Greenwich, I highly recommend it. You can learn all about the history and even the anatomy (left) of the fan. The first types of folding fans were inspired by those brought in by merchant traders from China and Japan. Fans were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and continued to be imported from the Far East, as well as being produced in Europe.

Fans were originally associated with nobility, but gradually became more widely available - though they've always remained something of a fashion statement, if not a showcase for artists ( another case of fashion meeting art in history).


We've got a selection of vintage fans on sale at ShopCurious: from the decorative hand painted oriental variety to dramatic flirty feathered types. These unique accessories make an exotic addition to any outfit and are also great as an unusual gift.

Peacock feathers were often used to embellish Chinese fans (see above right). In China, the peacock is a symbol of beauty and dignity. An old Chinese legend tells the tale of a daughter of a top military commander who painted a peacock on an ornamental screen and promised to marry the first man who could hit the peacock twice with arrows whilst running. This resulted in the curious term "Selection by hitting the bird screen" - a Chinese euphemism for finding a husband.

For some modern day advice on this, click on the pic to the right. Alternatively, you could simply use your fan to create an air of mystery and allure ... and await the response.
Will you?

Preparing for Beijing

Only ten days to go to the Olympics, so I thought we should have a few blogs about getting ready for the big event. I'm afraid we aren't currently selling any respiratory masks, but wholesale suppliers are welcome to get in touch.

What we do have is a wonderfully unique ammonite pendant, which could come in very handy. Apparently, the original discus used by ancient Greeks in their Olympics was a fossilized ammonite. So, if your local pub is running an Olympic quiz offering a gold medal to the winner (might be worth a bob or two these days) then do remember this curious bit of trivia.

It's also worth noting that the pentathlon was introduced for the first time at the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC, probably by the Spartans as a method of training soldiers. It consisted of running the length of the stadium, throwing the spear, the discus and wrestling (did they miss one out?) Anyway, now we have the modern pentathlon and the throwing events seem to be reserved for the decathlon - if that's not too ancient an activity for this year's Olympic Games ... I can't spot it on the schedule of events can you?

I'm beginning to feel exhausted just thinking about all these sports. I hope the athletes are getting some good rest in before the competition begins. In preparation I'd recommend a long relaxing soak with an exotic bath salt infusion from ShopCurious.






Afterwards, they can pop on a stylish vintage embroidered Chinese silk dressing gown for a spot of meditation before bye-byes (not forgetting their hot water with honey and lemon of course).

Do you?