An Indian spring?

It’s the first day of Lent, but Lord knows, we could do with some colour and laughter in our lives at this time of the year - and where better to get a dose of sunshine than the vibrant, teeming-with-life streets of India: “You won’t see better for your grey pound,” as the film says.

Evocative strains of Strangers in the Night may dupe you into thinking that this is a feelgood film for the over 50s. But there’s something for everyone at the The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – chiefly a busload of award winning actors ready to make us feel happy, whether we are old, gay, underprivileged, disabled, bereaved, post-menopausal, ostracised by our family, or whatever…

It’s quite a lot to take in, but I bet you come out smiling at the end - especially as the film offers us the chance to "travel to the top of the mountain" and live life to the full. “It’s never too late to change,” as we said a while ago at ShopCurious.




Though before you cash in and dash off on a soon-to-be-senior-citizens' tour of the great sub-continent, whilst Europe implodes, why not just step back and reconsider your responsibilities…

Will you?

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?

Silly season curiosities - the Smiley ring

I was first introduced to Smileys in the 1970s when they came over to the UK as a novel curiosity from America. They soon became a universal symbol for friendship, happiness and peace – bringing with them the rather irritating strapline, Have a Nice Day!

In the ‘70s there were two main types of Smiley face fashion ring available. One was yellow with black markings for the eyes and smile. Some of these were ‘mood’ rings that changed colour according to how you were feeling. Hmmm...



The other was silver coloured and sometimes made from recycled cutlery. The original retro Smiley ring from ShopCurious (in these photos) may well have been created from a stainless steel spoon. It’s usefully adjustable, so should fit most fingers - or toes, if you're that way inclined.

At the height of the fad in 1972, apparently around 50 million Smiley buttons were produced. However, the genuine rings are now rather rare, so look no further if you’re after some inexpensive heirloom jewellery.



Anyway, the most comprehensive information I could find on the history of the Smiley appears in an early 2009 article about the film Watchmen, written by Jon Savage in The Guardian – and is recommended reading for the uninitiated.

Over the decades, the Smiley has had many incarnations from advertising campaigns to Acid House associations - and is now digitalized as the emoticon.

So, what d’you think of these perennially sunny smiling faces – quite cool, a bit of silly fun, or curiously sinister? Do let me know.

Will you?

Sao Paulo - city of colour

If you love colourful places, you’re bound to be attracted to the bright lights of Brazil. I was totally wowed by the wonderful colours of Sao Paulo, when I stayed at the Hotel Unique earlier this year.









The hotel has been described as “an urban work of art”, “an architectural landmark” and a “reference in global hotel design”. The Unique was designed by Brazilian architect, Ruy Ohtake – and the unusual apartment style rooms were decorated by Joao Armentano.


Key features are the round porthole style windows (left), Brazilian wood floors in the rooms - and an incredible rooftop terrace, where you’ll find the most amazing crimson coloured swimming pool (right). The hotel is also very eco-friendly, with self-sufficient energy and a private supply of pure water.





The restaurant and bar are colourful by day, but at night, they come into their own as a showcase for the city’s beautifully illuminated skyline.




I asked Brazilian jewellery designer Marcelle Lawson-Smith to recommend some fashionable places to visit and soon discovered that colour abounds in other parts of Sao Paulo too. The popular Jardins area houses some stunning shops and restaurants, including Galeria Melissa – famed for its quirky plastic shoes, here displayed in futuristic plastic bubbles set against an African inspired backdrop – complete with life size models and photograhs of big game animals.

Brazilian style green foliage even extends indoors, with many restaurants housing a plethora of plant life. These include the romantic Figueira Rubaiyat, with its ancient, gigantic central fig tree and the modern Arthur Casas designed restaurant, Kaa, where tropical vegetation even grows on the walls.




If you’re big on design art then Sao Paulo’s also the city for floor to ceiling cocktail bars and amazing oversized handmade wooden furniture.





The old part of town is just as colour-infused – like the bustling municipal food market, with its exotic fruits and magnificent, huge stained glass windows.







Emerging areas, like the Italian suburb of Vila Madalena, (a bit like London's Notting Hill before it became world famous), have amazing character and curiously cool graffiti that would put even Banksy to shame.






This is the place to find great home furnishings, retro accessories and colourful clothing - like Farm’s Brazilian beach and casual wear (unfortunately no photos allowed). The outside of this hippy-chic boutique is also swathed in greenery, and there's a rather magical butterfly tree in the courtyard.






Food in Sao Paulo is as vibrantly vivid as the rest of the surroundings. The sushi at the Hotel Unique is highly recommended, as is the seafood at the Figueira restaurant. By the way, did you know that Sao Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan?





Finally, an enormous, brightly painted statue of St George and the Dragon takes pride of place at the Unique hotel entrance. I discovered that it’s probably not just beacause Saint George is the patron saint of Portugal – he also happens to be the patron saint of the Corinthians of Sao Paulo football team (in fact their ground is called St George’s Park).















So, if you’re into delicious food, stylish fashion, design art, football and fun, ShopCurious highly recommends a visit to this city of many colours.

Will you?

Zandra Rhodes and the art of colour

I’ve been doing some research on Zandra Rhodes to try and find out more about a rather remarkable vintage bag that’s available at ShopCurious. The shoulder bag in question features what, in my opinion, is the most extraordinarily beautiful design of a woman’s face, (shown right) – surely this is one of those iconic images in fashion?







The colour that most people would associate with Ms Rhodes is probably the shocking pink shade of her hair. However, her incredibly arty textiles often display a riot of garish colours in surprisingly unexpected combinations. Zandra Rhodes isn’t just a fashion designer, she’s an artist, using cloth as her canvas - and every piece she creates is a unique and timeless work of art.









I found these photos of garments featuring Zandra’s famous ‘Chevron Shawl’ print in a highly recommended book – Zandra Rhodes: a lifelong love affair with textiles. Click on the pics to enlarge.













I’m sure this must be the same print that appears on the ‘painted lady bag’, suggesting that it was designed around 1970 and that it’s highly collectable.










By the way, I think Zandra Rhodes is a creative genius and a living legend.

Do you?

Graduating in colour

Thought you might like to see some of the curiously colourful textiles designed by up and coming graduates at the New Designers exhibition in London. We’re so lucky to have such incredible talent in this country – it’s totally awe-inspiring!

Here are some more of my favourites:






Believe it or not what looks like a photo of an amazing abstract painting (left) is actually a fabric - with an ice cube as its photographic subject. The print on the right reminds me of 'harvest festival' - very fecund in a DH Lawrence meets arts and crafts sort of way.










There were plenty of retro influences for wall adornment in the form of 'keep the British flag flying' seaside wallpaper (left), and a wonderfully bold bright collage of multi-coloured Victorian medals and commendations., (right).












Watch out, Mr Peacock, there’s some serious competition on the left: I picked out this fabulous peacock blue embroidered silk with you in mind! I have a feeling you'll like the glam-rock gold and glitter design on the right too?















You can see how some of the designs would work on garments - some are divine as art, but possbily a little less delectable as dress. Personally, I think these fabrics are great, though they could be a little too busy for clothing. What do you think?









By the way, if you’re a fan of graduations in colour and everything unique then you’re bound to like the arty Murano glass rings at ShopCurious.

You might also like to take a look at some of the trends in graduate fashion – I loved these quirky coloured faux dreadlocks, right – and how about these for a wacky pair of shoes? (see below)






Actually, these were an exhibit, curiously called ‘Shoes for housewives’... They have a certain distinctive style, but not sure they'd be so comfortable for running around the back yard with a broom. Any housewife out there brave enough to try them for size?

Are you?