Boring, blinging or black?

A wave of ‘ennui’ is said to be afflicting the population of our great metropolis. Quite mystifying, considering the number of things to do in and around London - let alone a whole world of wonders available online.

Could this be why black is back in fashion (was it ever out?) Are we bored with colour?

Anyway, a growing trend, originating from custom car workshops in the USA, is the dull black paint job.




Personally, I find the morbid matt look more sinister than stylish. I asked a few people they thought of curious car colours and opinion seemed to be divided: hairdressers loved the stealthy black finish, whilst cabbies found the look not quite to their taste. One mentioned he’d seen a matt black Bentley with fluorescent orange stripes down the sides, which he found particularly unattractive – though perhaps these were 'be seen at night' rather than 'go faster' stripes?



In any case, earlier this week, an article in the Evening Standard described the lusterless look as “the hottest trend in Hollywood”, mentioning Ferraris, Aston Martins, Rolls Royces, along with the likes of David Beckham and Lindsay Lohan. It all sounds suspiciously faddish to me – and surely another example of unnecessarily disposable style? I also think it looks totally ugly, and probably gets dirty and marks really easily. No?



To me, matt black falls into the same category as those curious chameleon colour-changing cars – usually Minis or TVRs (like the one above) that I’ve seen on the streets of London. If way-out wheels are your thing, why not get a uniquely painted vehicle for free by working for one of your local estate agents? Or, if you’ve really got money to burn, go the whole hog and opt for a brazenly blinging liquid silver, chrome, gold, or rhinestone studded finish - intriguingly rare, and certainly more eye catching..

Talking of bling, I just wanted to mention that the amazingly arty, handcrafted City Rings by talented young jewellery designer, Alina Jessipovich, at ShopCurious are now available at a whopping 70% off in our Summer sale – down from £875 to £262.50.

And, for what it’s worth (hem hem), the car I lust after is a seriously stylish retro1950s 300SL Mercedes – in boring old metallic silver, or classic red.

However, cool cars don’t have to cost the earth...










I spotted a curiously characterful old hippy bus rattling down the road the other day. On the back in large, hand painted letters were daubed the words ‘Warning: may contain nuts’. Now, I find that far from boring…

Do you?

Timeless city style...

Our cities are in a constant state of flux. Acting as a hub for residents and commuters alike, major cities are, by definition, ever-evolving through time…Yet, if we consider the history of art, architecture, design and the prevailing culture and tastes of significant cities around the world, we soon discover that their essential character hasn’t changed so much over the years. Each of our great cities is imbued with a timeless style of its own.






In fact, I was just looking up ‘timeless cities’ on the internet and, perhaps appropriately for the times we find ourselves in (and the time of year) the first thing that popped up was something called Timeless Jerusalem (beta), which describes itself as’A 3D virtual city of History, Identity, Learning and Fun’. Built using the Second Life technology platform, the website claims that “Virtual worlds are widely hailed as the future of the Internet.” This one proposes to offer religious and spiritual education and to address the ‘challenges of youth identity development’- whilst, of course, enjoying the benefits of a mercenarily monetized business model.



The second listing by the search engine was a book entitled Timeless Cities: An Architect’s Reflections on Renaissance Italy. Judging by this inclusion in the line up, fantasy hasn’t quite become fact yet, though if we believe everything we read, we’re rapidly headed in that direction - the realities of geography and nature willing! By the way, if you want a sneak preview of our virtual future, I’d recommend you take a look at what the Metaverse Roadmap envisages for us.






Anyway, all this is a rather long-winded introduction to the rather curious, eco-friendly ‘city rings’ that are currently available at ShopCurious. Each of these fantastical creations is made from ‘found objects’ coated in silver and gold, with semi-precious additions to the otherwise quirky array of components - including pencil sharpeners, bottle tops and hair slides. The rings are the uniquely arty interpretation of famous cities, according to innovative young jewellery designer, Alina Jessipovich.




I’ll leave you to work out which cities are represented…and to make your own conclusions as to whether their style is truly timeless.

Will you?