A curiously British Jubilee

It wasn’t jolly boating weather, but we made the most of it. In true British style, and with stiff upper lips, we partied in the rain and battled against choppy waters to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The River Pageant was a colourful spectacle, though I can’t imagine what it must have been like down there on the water. Fortunately, we were able to enjoy the proceedings from some of the best seats in town – in an apartment overlooking the River Thames.

We didn’t have huge flags (unlike some of our neighbours), but I hung up some bunting, and wore an original vintage Union Jack flag fashioned into a dress – plus my nails were painted red, white and blue…

 Even the men dressed up in patriotic colours.

Foodwise, my Coronation chicken (see ShopCurious post above) was a great success. Mounds of sandwiches were consumed, cake stands emptied, and Scotch Eggs scoffed by the dozen. Curiously, my token tin of Spam remained unopened.

Towards the end of the party, I was flagging as much as my dress. I was so relieved to eventually take off my shoes. Unfortunately, unlike the Queen, I hadn’t had anyone wear them in for me. And I’d creatively customized them with red rose hair accessories, which cut horribly into my toes…

 

But it must have been a good party, because when the flag-waving masses departed I was still smiling… just like Her Majesty.

I’m left thinking how lucky us Brits are to have such a wonderful (and reassuringly resilient) monarch.

Are you?

Hotbed of vintage colour

As the temperature in London rose dramatically over the weekend, Wayne Heminway’s Vintage 2011 at the Southbank Centre provided added rays of sunshine. I don’t think I’ve seen so many smiling faces at the Royal Festival Hall since Robert Mayer’s concerts for children many years ago.

On Saturday, there was a lovely juxtaposition of quirky retro style mixed with ‘60s Pop Art, ‘70s psychedelica and ‘80s disco. The result was a cacophony of colour - and trends indicate that this sort of effect is likely to be a big influence for the coming season.



























From juke boxes to glitter balls, the vintage vibe was curiously colourful across the board. Even the 1940s styled Clore Ballroom (above left) looked ultra-fashionable. In some ways it was a natural extension of the exciting new wave of design unleashed at the time of the original Festival of Britain. But it was also a contemporary continuation of the unique mix of cultures and talents for which our British Isles are so famous.

I was intrigued by the way men and women dressed for the occasion. The 1950s male ideal of 'health and strength' (see below) didn’t appear to be in evidence, but there were certainly some uber-cool disco dudes on the scene...
























Along with plenty of authentic retro fashion...




















And I loved the old fashioned interiors, some of which were created using items from the Hemingways’ private collection.




















Mr Hemingway was on fine form as he introduced the Soul Revue (more on this in a forthcoming post). Though perhaps he could have done with a little retro styling?




















Skylon's bar created vintage inspired cocktails to celebrate the festival... I'll leave you with the wonderful view from Skylon at sunset.
















By the way, gentlemen wishing to get the ‘hot vintage’ look might like the fabulously funky retro silk tie by Pierre Cardin at ShopCurious (shown above).

Do you?

PS See more vintage men’s fashion in my latest RetroProgressive post on swimwear at The Dabbler.

Chameleon-cool light sculptures

Moving swiftly on from curiously colourful clothing to vibrantly coloured lighting…

A curious trend in lighting design is that lamps are becoming more sculptural. These days, many lights are more akin to sculptural works of art. Designers are also lighting up interior furnishings so that pieces of furniture double up as lamps too. Coloured lighting effects are looking to be especially popular.






Our latest StyleCurious interview features the wooden designs of inventive designer-maker, Graham Marjanovic, whose unique light sculptures are now available at ShopCurious.

Graham’s lamps are cleverly designed to combine the natural beauty of sustainably sourced organic wood with colour-adjustable LED lighting – so you can change the colour of your lighting to suit your mood:

Will you?

Curiously colourful rowing fashions

If I told you I’d tickled Sir Steve Redgrave’s ear with a feather, you might get the wrong idea. But the problem with ‘substantial’ fascinators is they sometimes get in the way. I was at Henley, on the lookout for curiously colourful fashions, when I bumped into the Olympic rowing superhero at the Leander Club. He towered over me, even in my skyscraper heels, and we had a ffffascinatingly close encounter.

It’s so exciting when men make an effort to dress up – and Henley Royal Regatta is an occasion when they can go overboard (not literally, I hope). Rowers seem to go to all sorts of lengths to look original. One fellow had even cut up his old school curtains to create a strikingly unique Hampton School jacket (below).























Under a table, I spotted these fabulous socks, worn by an ex-naval officer, in port red and starboard green. I wasn’t so sure about the shoes though…


There were the usual striped ensembles – including some with very distinctive buttons.
























And there were plenty of unique accessories...

















... from brightly coloured watches to curiously clashing ties, preppy waistcoats and suave cravats.


















I bumped into my old friends from Bedford Rowing Club, whose flower corsages were wilting a little in the sun.



















And for some, the heat of the day was all a little too much.

Not so for 99 year old Rex (below) who kept me amused for ages with tales of Henleys past - and he'd been visiting the regatta since 1936!








By the way, in case you’re wondering about my unusual charm necklace, it was one from ShopCurious, which can also be worn as a belt.

Oh, and you can read more about the Henley dress code over at the Dabbler.

Will You?

Perennial Summer style

At this time of year, it’s nice to wind down and relax in the sun, but in the Caribbean the sun shines all year round, and the curiously slow pace of life is a major attraction for tourists.

Looking out over London’s cloudy grey skies, I’m dreaming of the lazy days I spent a few months ago at the charming Antiguan resort of Galley Bay – a beachside paradise that’s a haven of eco-friendly style, with smiling, helpful and warm-hearted staff.

One day, I was soaking up the sounds of the sea over lunch, when a fashion show suddenly popped up in front of me. How refreshing to see naturally beautiful models of all shapes and sizes wearing swimwear, sarongs and brightly coloured holiday fashions.

It’s hardly surprising that the Caribbeans are so big on colourful clothing, what with all the amazing colours of nature in and around their stunning tropical islands.
































Anyway, I thought it would be rather fun to show the Maggio sisters’ handcrafted recycled jewellery from ShopCurious alongside the outfits I saw on the uniquely Caribbean catwalk.



The hand painted earrings with scenes from Italian gardens are curiously complemetary - but for a pretty finishing touch you could also add a locally picked flower, worn as a corsage.








By the way, the dresses are from a boutique in Heritage Quay, St John’s, called ‘gingerlily’ that specializes in casually elegant clothing for women, using cool and comfortable fabrics like linen, cotton and silk. And the menswear is available at a store called Nautica.

















And, how about some floral holiday nails too?




















I’m not entirely sure about these as men’s accessories – perhaps this single blossom earring might work… What d’you think?













Do you?