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?

Happy birthday Shakespeare...

And happy St George’s Day too!

As well as being Shakespeare’s official 448th birthday, today is also the start of the World Shakespeare Festival, part of the London 2012 Festival of events – the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, which will see artists from all over the world participating in a UK-wide festival this summer.



Much curiosity surrounds Shakespeare’s life. We’re not even sure which day he was born on, though he is thought to have been baptized on April 26th, so has been given the honorary birthday of 23rd April – St George’s Day - which, curiously, is also the date of his death.

Another strange myth about Shakespeare is that he was actually an Arab. In the Middle East, he is referred to as Sheikh al-Zubair, which apparently means Sheikh Prickly Pear... I wonder what the residents of Stratford-upon-Avon would have to say about that?!

Anyway, if you’re a lover of Shakespeare’s plays, you may be interested in a collectable piece of royal memorabilia at ShopCurious. This book was presented to guests attending an evening hosted by Prince Charles (as President of the RSC) at Buckingham Palace in 1993 to celebrate the work of William Shakespeare. It was a star-studded event, full of notable theatrical types, who are all listed, along with the names of the distinguished attendees. I’m sure it will be of great interest to collectors of vintage theatre souvenirs – and those curious to find out who was on the guest list…

Are you?

Fashion your diary...

I mentioned (in August 2010) that books are the new fashion – it’s all part of the move towards ‘slow style’. This probably explains why Selfridges has erected a library in its Ultralounge, with 15,000 books to choose from as well as library classes – including 'stories about fashion' coming up this Wednesday 22nd.





And in the Wonder Room there’s a curious contraption that’s a cross between a Mousetrap game and a lottery ball spinner. 30,000 balls inside are giant-sized versions of the ones you get in bubblegum machines and contain fortune cookie style cards, each of which has a message linked to a unique word.



I have to say I was a little miffed when my friend’s card said ‘2012 is going to be LUXURIOUS for you,’ whereas mine read, ‘Welcome to the NEBULOUS new you.’ That must account for my failing eyesight and inability to focus my camera correctly…















Anyway, I suppose getting young people to sit down and read a book, rather than indulging in yet more reckless consumption, is a good thing? However, I don’t think teenage blogger, Stella of Stella's Wardrobe, would agree. When I bumped into her at London Fashion Week, she was just back from Top Shop, where she’d been through retail hell to snap up one of the more expensive limited edition Mary Katrantzou dresses. Yet she still looked like an angel - in fact, she was even wearing a halo.

Judging by her uniquely colourful style, I think Stella may like some of the books we’ve got at ShopCurious. Well, they’re notebooks-cum-diaries actually… with quirky, retro illustrations interspersed with daily, weekly and monthly pages and places where you can compile your own lists, charts and jot down everything that’s useful to you.

































Actually, they’re perfect if you’re thinking of writing your own book. Your curiously stylish memoirs, perhaps?

Are you?

Does happiness have a price?

Curiously, the Royal Academy of Arts isn’t making too much of a fuss about the Haunch of Venison Gallery's Krug Happiness Exhibition. Leading designers and celebrities are donating items for sale - all proceeds going to the Academy's coffers (and all publicity to the sponsors and donors).

So is happiness really a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes? Is this what we are striving towards... the stuff of our innermost dreams and desires? Really?

With global economic problems affecting all of us, we may not think there’s much to look forward to in 2012. But the New Year is a time for resolutions - and making the right changes can help us to live happily ever after... yes, even without the luxury designer trimmings.

It’s not just our financial system that’s changed dramatically in recent years, social structures have been smashed up too – without recourse to moral or familial ties. Rules and responsibility don’t seem to exist any more. We feel like we’re victims… but aren’t we actually the culprits?

Why can’t we be accountable for our actions? And why don’t we work together to help make the world a better place for all of us (so long as we can agree on exactly what that entails).



It’s never too late to start over again, but changing directions is always going to involve taking some risks. And we have to be brave…

I’ve read a lot of personal development books in my time and, after a while, they all start to sound the same. However, this book (left) takes rather a unique angle – helping us to develop “the habit of curiosity.” Did you know that curiosity is both a cure for boredom and the key to discovering what we really want? Georges Philips' book is full of useful ideas and exercises to help us crystallize our ideas – and, most importantly, to put our plans for the future into action.

For those curious to become happier and more successful, we’re giving away a signed copy of this life-changing book. To enter the draw for a free copy of a signed edition of Georges Philips’ transformational book, simply email us at info@shopcurious.com, quoting Change Directions by 31st December.



Oh, and do take a look at the Action for Happiness website too - their video says that, in terms of happiness, we're stuck in the '50s - well, I suppose we can always sell our memories:-)

Will you?

PS I’ll let you know shortly what new directions ShopCurious will be taking in 2012…

Glitterati, glamour and mystique

I wandered around the National Portrait Gallery’s Glamour of the Gods exhibition behind two elderly ladies, curiously amused by their oohing and aahing. Like teenage girls unable to keep a secret, they simply had to know the name of ‘that gorgeous chap on a motorbike’. I told them he was Steve McQueen, but was a little befuddled, as his photograph didn’t appear to be on display… They were reduced to a state that can only be described as ‘gaga’ by photographs of the male filmstars and celebrities of yesteryear – Elvis Presley had them in raptures...

Sharing their excitement was rather fun, though the seventy or so stunning vintage prints from John Kobal’s archive are probably enough to get anyone going. Dating from around 1920 to the 1950s, the images are of movers and shakers in the creative and performing arts, along with key members of the Hollywood glitterati.





And they are beautiful. With a beautifully illustrated catalogue to match. Though we’ve also a finely illustrated photography book at ShopCurious: Filmstar Portraits of the Fifties (published in 1980), has no fewer than 163 glamorous photographs of the stars – introduced and edited by none other than John Kobal himself.










It’s strange, but today’s stars do absolutely nothing for me. Yesterday, Nespresso sent an email to ‘follow George Clooney in Costa Rica.’ I can think of nothing more dull – especially as I rarely ever drink coffee. Yet I could look at the glamorous photographs in this exhibition all day. Perhaps it’s about more than just glamour… I suspect being ‘godlike’ has quite a lot to do with the curiosity factor.

Do you?

Eccentric travels in time and space

What a fabulous idea: an exhibition dedicated to eccentricity. Pop down to the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford for some ‘unexpected objects and irregular behaviour.’

Hear stories of the eccentric owners of some of the extraordinary items in the museum’s collection. Plus, there’s a whole programme of events running through the summer – and, in case you’re away, the show’s open until 16th October, 2011.






Talking of the history of science, we’ve a beautifully illustrated, curiously collectable out of print book at ShopCurious.

Even the notion of landing on the moon would have been considered somewhat eccentric when this book was published in 1961, but soon we’ll be holidaying in space…

Anyway, Timothy’s Space book would make a lovely gift for an inquisitive child – or for anyone who’s incurably curious.

Are you?

Regal fashion and Regency style

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," wrote Jane Austen in the opening lines of Pride and Prejudice. With the Royal Wedding almost upon us, I decided to take a look at wedding fashion. It’s rather curious that the Regency period has had such a lasting effect upon formal dress styles. This is something you can read more about in my Retropgressive post today at The Dabbler.






I also wanted to mention some vintage fashion books that are new in at ShopCurious. These include James Laver’s classic volume on Taste and Fashion and Margaret Rothwell Lane’s Half a Century of Fashion.








For royal watchers, there’s also a curiously collectable book called The Queen’s clothes, which demonstrates how much the Queen’s wardrobe has reflected her various roles as a working woman.











All the books have fabulous illustrations and photographs, documenting garment styles, accessories, shapes and colours through the ages. I always enjoy seeing how fashions used to be and how much they’ve changed over time…for better or for worse.

Do you?

By hook or by book...

Today we’re celebrating World Book Day with a collection of cartoons that remains chillingly appropriate.

A copy of the vintage volume, Nature Notes III, personally signed by Peter Brookes, the award-winning political cartoonist for The Times, is available at ShopCurious.

Here is a small selection of Brookes’ curiously clever, nature-themed illustrations from the book:





























A work of art, snapshot of history and collectable heirloom rolled into one, this publication certainly has style with brains.

Do you?

Designer books - a curious new fashion trend

We haven’t heard much from Mr McDowell lately – perhaps he’s away on holiday, or working on a new book. Colin McDowell’s thought provoking posts are a far cry from your average fashion blogger’s fantasy affairs, which I suppose is what comes from being one of the most knowlegeable and eloquent fashion journalists in the world.

Here’s a snippet from one of his more recent posts:



“It seemed natural after all that to set off up Fauborg Saint-Honoré and hit the shops. My two male companions were in crazed must-have-it buying mood and egged each other on to buy … anything as long as it had a scary price tag, which meant everything, in fact. Respectively they bought a denim shirt and a pair of trainers (at a cost of over €700) and a pair of trainers and drop-crotch pants (close to €1000), all of which will be totally out of fashion in a very short time. Which is what being a fashion person is all about.”

Colin, I agree. It does seem that for many of us, ‘fashion’ has become a byword for overpriced designer label goods. What’s more, the strong pull factor of branded fashion in popular culture has got everyone trying to cash in on the latest faddish trends...Is brown the new black? Is short the new long? Are books the new trainers?

Come to think of it, astonishingly expensive designer books, a sudden demand for built-in libraries, ‘bibliotherapy’, book inspired artworks and home furnishings are just a few of the curious trends spotted by ShopCurious lately. I know we can't wear books, but expect to see book print fabrics, book inspired accessories and all manner of bibliomaniacal creations on the catwalk.



Oh, and over at The Dabbler, you can find out what us retro-progressive types make of stylized new additions to the book world.

Anyway, I guess it's all good news as it means we’ll be reading more... so I hope you’re feeling suitably bookish?

Are you?

Iconic decade of design revisited

'Retro style and design' is currently the name of the game. I certainly enjoyed travelling back to yesteryear for a blast from the past with a modern day twist, when I read a this ‘fab’ new book.

Dominic Lutyens and Kirsty Hislop have really captured the Zeitgeist of the seventies in their glossy tome – 70s Style and Design. Focusing on the key trends of the era, their book is a visual demonstration of just how vitally important the period was for the creative arts.








From pop art, post modernism (so that’s what inspired those chairs?) and derivative timeless style (think la Belle Epoque, The Jazz Age and the Surrealist movement) - to the origins of eco-friendly cool: this beautifully illustrated coffee table style bible of the 70s has them all.







With curiously appropriate 1970s style pull out pages, the colourful volume is a roll call of pivotal designers – and not just of fashion, but a lifestyle. Yves St Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Bill Gibb, Biba, Laura Ashley and Fiorucci to name but a few – many of whom, as individuals or labels, are now making a comeback.
















By the way, if you’re a lover of ‘70s style and design, check out the vintage shoes new in at ShopCurious, including the design shown left, from Biba (soon to be reborn at House of Fraser), and a highly collectable pair of de Havz by stalwart style leader of the ’70 and ‘80s scene, Terry de Havilland.




Anyway, as I was saying, if you'd like to see‘70s illustrations, magazine photos and some of the most amazing art, architecture and design of the day, this book is a must.

Of course, for all 40-60 somethings who lived through the decade, it’s essential reading and will bring back fond memories of peace symbols and liberation – both for women and men - plus platform shoes, floaty dresses, punk style piercings and uncontrollably contagious disco fever.





























The ‘70s was a decade of many incarnations all rolled into one, and was hugely influential in terms of interiors and design. I think a similarly eclectic mix of styles is something we’ve also experienced over the past decade…

Do you?

Non-salad days

Have you ever had one of those days when you’re feeling pretty dreadful and possibly a little hung over, (as I was after an evening out with friends who were over from Dubai) and, to make up for it, you eat you eat and eat… and EAT!








I can’t tell you what I had for breakfast because I don’t actually remember, but I’d imagine it was somethingorother comforting like Marmite on toast. Then I had a meeting at Borough Market. A cup of coffee hardly ever passes my lips, but on this occasion it was very strong, neat stuff with sugar.




Afterwards, I suddenly felt like exploring the market, but I couldn’t cast my eyes beyond the signs for pig farmers and free bones (presumably for dogs, or stock, rather than weird voodoo ceremonies).











Focusing on the burly guys chopping up racks of ribs and tearing dead animals apart was well nigh impossible in my fragile state.


However, some of the more voluble stall holders managed to lure me over to try out some curries.











Yes, at 11.0 am I was sampling the delights of Thai and Malaysian chicken dishes, full of spices and …



by the time I reached the Caribbean curry my vision was somewhat out of focus and I was beginning to feel a little queasy (though don’t get me wrong guys, the flavours were totally delicious!)








Next port of call was a café on the main road, where I steadied myself with a mid-morning vegetarian calzone toasted sandwich. Yum.








Actually any carbs would have done the trick, but this certainly hit the spot and I was ready to make the trip back to my office, where I polished off a bag of salt and vinegar crisps on arrival.




You’re probably feeling as ill as I was by now, just reading this. Nevertheless, I put in a good afternoon’s work before heading off for … a fish and chip supper at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Perfect!








Armed with my curiously cheap ticket, I entered the hallowed ground, where men strode purposefully towards dinner.








Although dizzy with expectation, it was probably not a good idea to look up at the towering floodlights...












However, the space age stands and media centre were really impressive. Not sure what the bell is for.








Inside was… fish and (not so authentic or hand cut) chips with divinely mushy peas. I didn’t really want you to see the dollop of butter on the side of my plate - evidence that I'd greedily tucked into some bread beforehand too...



And all watched over by arty portraits of cricketing heroes like Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Imran Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and this curiously cricket ball coloured, bare-chested man below, who I think is Brian Lara?









The only thing missing was vinegar.





It was such a pleasure to retire home to bed, though on the way back I stopped to admire this wonderful monument to the marvellously curious game – now also played at night.

It really was rather special and worth remembering – perhaps in a Cooking up Memories journal from ShopCurious. Do check out these lovely books – they’re great as gifts and are totally priceless.

By the way, have you ever had one of those days? Surely I’m not the only one - do tell...

Will you?