Living curiosities at London Fashion Week

It’s not difficult to capture the essence and diversity of London Fashion Week when all around are designers, exhibitors, photographers, students, bloggers and visitors… Some are pictured here in photographs by ShopCurious.

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New dandy style - fashion for gentlemen

London Collections: Men should have its name changed to Gentlemen's Fashion Week, if yesterday’s Savile Row showcase at Spencer House is anything to go by. The event was an elegant display of all things uniquely British and beautifully made – interiors, furniture, art and afternoon tea, as well as men’s tailoring, hats, shoes and accessories.

The presentation, sponsored by The Woolmark Company, was a reminder of the fact that London is still the world capital of masculine style – as it has been for over two centuries – certainly way before Downton Abbey (the television series at least).

A mix of models and ‘London men’ were dressed by Savile Row Tailors, from Ede and Ravenscroft (established in 1689) to Richard Anderson (opened in 2001). The outfits were styled by Jo Levin of GQ Magazine, with accessories from the likes of James Lock and Co, John Lobb Ltd and Holland and Holland.

A delicious tea of sandwiches, mini-cakes and cocktail curiosities was served, washed down with Nyetimber English champagne and King’s Ginger from Berry Bros and Rudd – or a nice strong cuppa.

Spencer House, described as London’s “most magnificent 18th century private Palace,” belongs to the Trustees of the Spencer family and is open to the public on Sundays. You can also hire the venue for private events. I can confirm that it is even more spectacular when lit up by candelabra for a dinner, plus you get a private tour of the house and a box of Spencer House chocolates when you leave. Even the loos are curiously splendid!

Anyway, getting back to fashion… Shopcurious noticed that some of the male guests, like Masahiro Murase (below), wearing Celine, had their own arty and original interpretations of gentlemanly dress.

But British dandy style doesn't have to be traditional...

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Pumpkin curiosities

Happy Halloween from ShopCurious!

If you’re celebrating on the East Coast of the USA, I hope you’re not inundated with water, or without power  - in which case a pumpkin may prove to be a useful candle holder.

I saw pumpkins masquerading as lots of things in American shops – everything from cooking pots and punch bowls to candles, plates and creatively carved decorative table centre pieces.

Thankfully, there was also the real thing in the form of these wonderfully misshapen gourds. 

And at Sonoma’s Cline Cellars, pumpkins lined the driveway, right up the steps…

… to this curious fellow.

But we Brits are catching up in the pumpkin presentation stakes, as I discovered on a recent visit to Elizabeth King’s delicatessen in Parsons Green (see below).

Not sure this was meant for Halloween, but I love this pumpkin coloured lampshade sculpture (photographed at London's Design Junction) too.

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Craft a curious beetle

From bees to bugs...

If you’ve read our latest StyleCurious post on Anna Collette Hunt’s curious infestation, you may have been wondering about the app we mentioned. We’re pleased to inform you that the Stirring the Swarm iPhone or iPad app is now available to download free here:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/stirring-the-swarm/id499841767?ls=1&mt=8

The app was developed with funding Anna received from Made in the Middle. It features her original story alongside images of the first installation. There’s also a tour schedule, providing information on where you can see the Swarm exhibition. And the app also has a secret section, which can only be unlocked at the shows, to trigger interactive activity.


My favourite feature is the app’s “beetle builder activity, where users can create their own magical hybrid insects from mixing and matching ceramic body parts, combined with hand drawn elements which were part of the research for the project.” It’s great fun designing and naming your own insect, and uploading it to the online Facebook gallery. Anna hopes to use these insects to create a viral swarm - an online infestation to mirror the physical body of work.

Both the Stirring the Swarm ceramic installation and the new app will appear in an upcoming experimental exhibition at the National Craft and Design Centre, called Concrete Canvas, which is inspired by the online phenomenon of geocaching.





Meantime, an exclusive selection of Anna’s work is available at ShopCurious, including beetle brooches, insect trophies and boxed sets of ceramic curiosities. Each piece is a totally unique, handcrafted work of art – and also collectable as a memento of Anna’s award winning installation. Of course, you can always create your own souvenir (or even your own swarm) using the curiously cool beetle building app…

Will you?

Snowbirds in London

London is a curious place after snowfall. A deathly stillness descends upon the city, as the usual sounds of cars and planes all but disappear.

ShopCurious ventured out before most people were out of bed, to track down curiosities of the cold snap. A few early birds were up to catch the fresh snow and make the first snowman.

No one had yet spotted a solitary traffic cone – the perfect prop for a curiously creative snow sculpture. See if you can find it in the pic below:


The recreation ground, that on Sunday mornings would normally be full of bleary-eyed dads who've been packed off with the kids, was eerily deserted.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, fearless fitness-obsessives risked hypothermia to participate in an early morning military-style bootcamp.

And the park benches would have been covered in virgin snow, except that birds had walked over them...


















In fact, I even spotted a new variety of snowbird, complete with dinky wings and a cute little tail (see left).

Talking of snowbirds, I think I got my timing wrong – I should have stayed in sunny Florida. Oh, and check out this strangely snowy video clip of the 1969 song, Snowbird, by Canadian singer, Anne Murray:

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Hearts, lovebirds and Valentine curiosities

I’m recently back from a trip to Florida, which was somewhat more eventful than anticipated (nothing to do with the primaries, or romance for that matter…) I’ll tell you all about it later. I just wanted to add a quick post to let you know about some of the unique gift ideas that ShopCurious has lined up for Valentine’s Day lovebirds.

As it happens, our theme for February is birds and bees – and some of the birds are to be found on Annie Sherburne’s artfully handcrafted Valentine hearts. Her Rococo style brooches and pendants, made from hand-embossed gilt, are intricately decorated with a myriad of upcycled jewels – including vintage glass flowers, pieces of crystal, abalone and pearls.



























































However, the main reason I chose these pieces of jewellery is because of the charming ‘lovebirds’. Though on closer inspection, I think they may actually be swallows. Did you know that swallows swallow insects in mid-flight? Hopefully not bees… But they look curiously cute and romantic together anyway, don’t you think?

Do you?

From blogging to jogging...

I’m taking a bit of a break from blogging this month, to recharge my batteries after the busy Christmas period. Last year I went on a juice fast and yoga retreat, but this year I’m contemplating a slightly gentler, French-style programme of healthy living, which you can read about in my latest post at The Dabbler.

In my efforts to find some suitably chic footwear for my new fitness regime, I designed myself a pair of ShopCurious Shox at Nike ID. I wanted to make them totally unique - I doubt that anyone else will be opting for this curiously clashing colour combo...




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PS I’ll be back very shortly with some new curiosities for Valentine’s Day. Be first to see them, by signing up for our monthly Curious Cognoscenti Newsletter here.