Pop! Design Culture Fashion at London’s
Fashion and Textiles Museum is still showing (until 27th
October). Fashionholics are advised not
to miss this exhibition featuring 300 items from the 1950s through to the
1970s. Showcasing the impact of music,
art and celebrity on fashion from rock ‘n’ roll to punk, there are vintage
album covers, retro posters, popular consumer goods and, of course, stylish clothes and unique accessories from the likes of Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood.
Some of ShopCurious’s favourites are the
1960s Mondrian style vinyl coat (above) and Harry Gordon’s disposable paper Eye
Dress, below.
I’m curious to know why
wearing paper dresses never caught on - even in warm countries…
Styles have changed dramatically over the past 300 years, but the tradition of the Royal Ascot race meeting has remained an annual fixture of the summer social season. The event has become an occasion for racegoers from all over the world to indulge in a little English eccentricity – wearing quirky hats, unique accessories and curiously original clothing.
I’m not sure whether Royal Ascot has always been as much about the fashion as the horse racing, but photographic evidence from past decades shows that dressing up has certainly been a major part of proceedings.
In celebration of the 300th Anniversary of Royal Ascot, the display of vintage photographs of royals and celebrities at the event includes this stylish shot of Sophia Loren in a wonderfully wide brimmed hat - along with pictures of some of the more curious clothing, like these over-the-top outfits from the ‘swinging sixties’:
Nowadays with catwalk shows, a Fashion Bar and live televised fashion commentary, Royal Ascot has become a firm favourite with fashionistas and designers alike.
Like most women, I'm not so much interested in the racing as the parade of hats, handbags and amazing attire on show. Apart from the official dress code, the way people choose to ‘dress up’ is a matter of personal taste... On the first day, yesterday, I noticed that flowers were very much in fashion.
I wore Vivienne Westwood with a recycled hat, accessorized with a floral hairslide, found in a drawer just before I left. I jazzed up my look with quirky '70s style snakeskin shoes, a vintage basket bag and a tasseled natural stone necklace from ShopCurious – worn sideways, of course.
Some ladies opted for the retro look – from 1930s floaty tea dress to 1950s prom style.
Others were more fashion forward, like Vivienne Westwood's head of couture, in a futuristic flying saucer hat by Philip Treacy – and a rather arty looking Aussie visitor.
One lady definitely stood out from the crowd in a pearl encrusted, rose-adorned Marie Antoinette style wig. A simple, cat-eared hat by Stephen Jones was also rather different from the mainstream.
Men are able to express their individuality at Royal Ascot too. Photographer, Francis Mander, arrived looking as though he was ready for a spot of farming. And one chap, wearing a pith helmet, had obviously got on the wrong ‘plane.
Some wore exotic headgear and brightly coloured waistcoats.
And David Shilling’s Royal Ascot birthday tribute topper was madly marvellous.
From old to new, there were some blinging accessories on show as well - from rhinestone bejewelled antique watches to crystal covered mobile 'phones.
Best of all, it was a lovely sunny day, and everyone seemed to be smiling…
As part of its Great Transition initiative, the New Economics Foundation (nef) recently held a panel discussion on how to survive financial crisis, climate change and soon-to-be-declining global oil production. One of the speakers was Dame Vivienne Westwood, who helpfully suggested that we stop buying clothes for six months and wear a towel instead of a coat. One of her shrewd observations was “It’s all about do-it-yourself at the moment.”
The DIY design trend has been gaining ground for quite a while now. I’ve participated in this myself, by creating a small range of unique accessories for ShopCurious, including these ‘curiosity clutch bags’, which are made from pieces of recycled vintage fabric, decorated with exotic ‘found’ curiosities - like old brooches, carved jade and unusual pieces of jewellery.
If there’s enough interest, I may create a larger collection – but only using materials that might otherwise be thrown away, or remain unusable unless re-fashioned into new items like these. Anyway, if you buy one of my DIY bags, at least you won't feel guilty about wasting valuable resources, plus you'll be helping to keep small craftspeople employed.
Yesterday my photograph appeared in the ‘What are you wearing?’ column of Sunday Times Style. I was wearing one of my curious hats – a Mad Hatter style creation that was made to my unique specification by talented milliner, Katherine Goodison. I was also wearing a fabulous pair of Vivienne Westwood mauve platform shoes. No, not on my head... at least not on that occasion.
I love theatrical headwear, but it’s not always practical to go out with a precariously balanced hoodoo of haberdashery on one's head. Of course, we’ve a fantastic array of hair accessories at ShopCurious, from simple one size headbands to rare, retro feather hats...
However, I wanted to offer the Curious Cognoscenti something really glamorous, yet also totally comfortable. So I used some DIY design to create these curiously dramatic turbans, which are upcycled from scraps of exotic vintage fabric, and embellished with flower corsages, jewels and feather trimmings. They're available on the website now too.
Turbans were very popular in the golden days of Hollywood. I was wondering if this was because the actresses usually wore wigs and wanted to cover their damaged hair? Turbans are really handy if your hair’s in a bit of a mess – I could certainly have done with one when the photo above was taken.
Turbans are also light to wear and the ones shown here could even be folded up and kept in a handbag, to jazz up an outfit as required.
They're pretty timeless too – and can work as part of a Bohemian casual look, or with more formal, arty attire.
Anyway, I hope you agree that not all hats are mad...
Bustles are curiously unique fashion features. You don’t see many these days, except at weddings, or occasionally as costumes in Victorian and Edwardian period dramas, or gothic horror films. However, the other day I was driving down the North End Road in London’s Fulham, when I spotted a young woman, with a pushchair, wearing a full length skirt with a large bustle. The immediate thought that came to mind was that she must be a fashion designer, or perhaps this is a curious new trend?
Bustles have appeared on catwalks over the past couple of decades – notably from the likes of Vivienne Westwood – but unless worn for a grand occasion, or by those with a penchant for neo-Victorian Steampunk style, they’ve been seen as little more than an avant garde stylistic diversion. Recently, more mainstream, toned down versions of the bustle have been popular sellers at outlets like All Saints and online, at ASOS.
They’re probably not so great for gardening in, but I wonder if we’ll start seeing the full length, Victorian style bustle skirt walking down the high street soon...
The 1990s were all about dressing up. The beginning of the decade was still dominated by power shoulder pads and corseted cocktail dresses. It was the age of the ‘ladies that lunch’, whose ever more extravagant wardrobe needs were catered for by glamorous designers like Isabell Kristensen, shown here on the way to Royal Ascot in the mid ‘90s.
Being amongst the first to realize there'd be a '90s revival, we’ve a simply stunning collection of clothes and matching accessories from the era on sale at ShopCurious. What’s more, now ‘the nineties are vintage’, we’ve decided to slash our Winter sale prices for 1990s fashions from the likes of Isabell, plus many other stars of the decade, like Bruce Oldfield, Julien Macdonald, Celine, Genny, Marni and Voyage.
This lime green satin three piece by Kristensen, for instance, is down from £550 to £350 and there’s a sparkling Swarovski crystal studded Julien Macdonald knitted number (below left) that’s reduced by a whopping £550.
Genny was a very popular label in the ‘90s, and we’ve some curiously classic pieces - including this fabulously sweeping black and white striped, strappy silk petticoat-style dress. There are also some extraordinary shoes by Tom Ford for Gucci, Prada and Vivienne Westwood.
I had my own little excursion back to the ‘90s, when I discovered some rather curious photos – including this one of me looking like a startled ostrich in a hat made by Nicholas Oakwell, pictured above with Isabell (and now a talented designer in his own right). I have a feeling this curious creation is still lurking somewhere at the back of my wardrobe, waiting to be retrieved for current day use. On second thoughts, I think some aspects of ‘90s style are just a tad too scary to even contemplate reviving.
Overcome by seasonal busyness, I barely had time to get a hair cut… However, as I sat next to Rochelle - pictured here with the appropriately named Tangle, the larger-than-lap lapdog, I asked myself the vital question ‘why do people have pets?’ Aren’t pets just an expensive, time-consuming nuisance - an additional distraction, making the normal stuff of life even more complicated? Then I had a Eureka moment: The last decade was probably a great one … if you happened to be a dog. No need to worry about the recession, mass terrorist atrocities, the outbreak of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the tsunami, climate change, or being saddled with massive global debt – not, at least, if you were a dog.
In the New Year's Eve edition of the Daily Mail (see cutting left), there were pictures of Kelly Brook with her newly acquired ‘pug of love’ – aka Rocky. The puppy was a Christmas gift from her boyfriend, Danny Cipriani. Of course, there’s nothing more timeless and romantic than the gift of a puppy – some might say it’s as near as you could get to having your own offspring, minus the physical trauma. However, we should never forget that owning a dog is a huge responsibility – it’s not just for Christmas, it’s for life. But, at least you can sell a dog - or give it to someone with more time and patience, if you find you don’t have the appropriate qualities required for its upbringing.
Over the past decade, especially amongst the well-heeled, dogs have become the style accessory of choice. As a result, the dog business (no pun) has bucked the economic downturn, with significant growth in sales of dog foods, clothing, services and all manner of curious canine accessories. According to estimates from the UK Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, dogs account for £1.1 billion in food sales per annum, while the doggy treat market is worth around £203 million annually. There are hypoallergenic and preservative free animal foods, gourmet/fine-dining pet foods and even specially formulated versions of human Christmas dishes for dogs. Incidentally, around one in three pets in the UK is overweight.
In London, Harrods has recently quadrupled the size of its pet department to 11,000 square feet and hosts an annual pet fashion show called Pet a Porter. According to the Telegraph Magazine, past shows have featured a £250,000 diamond dog collar by jewellery designer, Stephen Webstier, a miniature bridal outfit by Vivienne Westwood and a gold lame jacket by dog-lover, Ben de Lisi.
Stateside, Dara Foster, the self-proclaimed ‘pet stylist to the stars’ says that in the past few years there’s been a surge in people realizing that that their dog's appearance is an expression of their own style.
To this end, America spends approximately $43.5 billion a year on its pets – including luxuries and indulgences such as miniature mansions for cats and dogs at up to $35,000 a pop, on special flights via the cleverly customized Pet Airways … and even on pet plastic surgery.
In December 2009, the publication of the book Dogs in Vogue made it official: dogs are the ultimate fashion accessory. Click here to see some photos from ‘the book that celebrates 100 years of canine chic’. And, if that's not enough, why not join the many (more than 350,000 so far) who have viewed this video of ‘How much is that doggy in the window?’
Our dogs have come to define us, our humanity, our very raison d’etre: The Daily Mail, for instance, states that Kelly Brook’s “transformation from model to A-list actress is finally complete” due to her new pug, “a pet of the sort favoured by Hollywood celebrities.” It adds that “Cipriani’s decision to buy her the dog has led to more speculation about the growing seriousness of their relationship.”
By the way, the latest celebrity pet is said to be the micro-pig – reputedly adored by the Beckhams, Paris Hilton and Charlotte Church … and just what does that say about the style of these stars?
Needless to say, some dogs, like Mr Winkle, have been celebrities in their own right for many years.
Yes, dogs have certainly had it good in the past decade – in the press, you’ll find many examples of animals bequeathed funds in their owners’ wills. In 2007, Leona Helmsley reputedly left a staggering $12 million to her white Maltese dog – substantially more than she left her four grandchildren. Actress Lucy Gordon, 28, who recently hanged herself in her Paris apartment following an argument with her French boyfriend, left a net estate of £71,518, of which some £6,270 ($10,000) was specifically requested to go to “a trust fund for my dog Meelon to take care of her financially to the end of her days.”
According to the American Pet Products Association, 70% of dog owners now list their pet as ‘like a child/family member’. It’s hardly surprising then, that advertisers in the UK should want to offer you the chance to “talk to your dog”. Apparently, there’s “lots more to dog talk than just barking”. A special new guide offers “detailed step-by-step instructions on how to establish a truly meaningful two-way communication with your pet”, which is great if “you’ve always wondered what your dog is thinking”.
For the less dedicated, there’s always the option of a virtual pet. Neopets.com currently boasts around 260 million neo-pet owners…
Alternatively, you might like to invest in a cute little dog that’s a lot less troublesome to maintain, like one of these curiously quirky and collectable vintage pooch brooches from ShopCurious. There’s no need for feeding, walking, or grooming - though you’re very welcome to stroke your dog brooch if you wish, or even to talk to it, if you’re so inclined - after all, you never know what it might be thinking…
I rather suspect that ‘man’s best friend’ might be wondering if the dog of a decade that’s just ended will give way to a howler of one to come.
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