David Bowie Is: Living curiosity and fashion legend

Peter Frankopan, a Historian at Oxford University, writing for Huffpost Culture, compares Bowie to a living saint: “I'll be packing off my students to see it - if they can get tickets, that is,” he says, “as it is the perfect example for anyone wanting to understand medieval religion. The record-breaking crowds that will flock to see the show will be like pilgrims visiting a shrine of an important saint: here is the outfit Bowie wore when he sang Starman on Top of the Pops; there are the lyrics, written in his own hand, for Rebel Rebel. There is the printed itinerary of the train journey across the eastern US, with stop-offs to the end of the line before the rest of the trip was by car and van. They are like relics belonging to a holy man, objects to be admired.”

You have to be pretty saintly to stand in a queue for an hour to see an exhibition  - and that was just on the preview day.  But it’s well worth it to see the costumes alone – many of them designed or co-designed by Bowie himself.

The fashion legend and living curiosity that is David Bowie started out as plain old David Jones in London’s Brixton. He passed his 11+ but, instead of going to grammar school, attended Bromley Technical High School, where he specialized in music and art. He says that if he hadn’t become a singer, he would like to have been a writer. The V and A’s Bowie Is exhibition (in partnership with Gucci) is a testament to Bowie’s skill as a multi-disciplinarian - as a lyricist, musician, artist and fashion designer. Above all, it illustrates the extent of Bowie’s impact on style and culture – an influence spanning over five decades.

Many of Bowie’s 1970s costumes were inspired by the space travel that captured the popular imagination of the day – from Willy Brown’s late 1970s jumpsuit with le Corbusier-inspired line drawings that Bowie wore as Major Tom to the quilted two piece suit he performed Starman in (above), and set designer Mark Ravitz’s avant garde outfit for the Man Who Sold the World.

But the inspiration for Bowie’s dress came from a multitude of other sources too – including the film A Clockwork Orange, the glam rock genre, edgy Weimar Republic cabaret, Japanese kabuki, German expressionist films and Hindu style bindis (like the colourful third eye on the cover of Aladdin Sane).  

Standout items include a replica of the Ziggy Stardust bodysuit designed by Bowie and Freddie Burretti, and an appliqued satin cloak and platform boots by Kansai Yamamoto – not forgetting Yamamoto’s extraordinary Tokyo bodysuit at the show's entrance (above top). Yamamoto famously declared that his clothing suited Bowie because his designs could be worn by either sex. Curiously, the Japanese words on Yamomoto’s cloak spell out David Bowie, but translate as, ‘one who spits out his words in a fiery manner.’

Other famous costumiers include Thierry Mugler, and Natasha Korniloff - responsible for Bowie’s curious 1973 cobweb costume with fake hands. The cobweb costume originally had a third hand, which grasped at the crotch, but this was censored for an appearance on television - and gold leggings were added to preserve decency. Korniloff also created Bowie’s naval look (1978) and his famous Pierrot style costume (1980).

The late Ola Hudson, mother of Guns N Roses' Slash, was another regular contributor to what is now Bowie’s fashion archive (and reputedly his lover too). Alison Chitty’s design for Screaming Lord Byron (1984), Freddie Buretti’s Ice Blue Suit (below) for Life on Mars (1972) and Ravitz’s ‘skirt suit and poodle’ for an appearance by Bowie on Saturday Night Live are among the unique outfits. There’s a fab black suit with a frilled shirt by Georgio Armani from the 1990 Sound and Vision tour, a blue silk suit by Hedi Slimane – and accessories include a single dangly earring by Vivienne Westwood.

A wardrobe mood board (from 2003?) list Bowie’s school-boyishly svelte measurements: chest 34.5 inches, waist 26.5 inches and neck size 14. Being so trim may well have contributed to Bowie’s longevity as a performer and fashion icon.

From the mid ‘90s, Alexander McQueen was a significant contributor to the Bowie wardrobe too. It’s a shame you can’t see some of the fabrics more clearly, as parts of the exhibition space are presented like a dimly lit music venue, but McQueen’s designs include a number of frock coats, brocade jackets, a tyre-print suit and a Bowie’s famous Union Jack coat for the Earthling album cover (co-designed with Bowie in 1997).

Finally, ShopCurious has some tips for visiting the show: Leave longer than you anticipate for a visit to this exhibition – especially if your car is parked on a meter. The headphones supplied to all visitors take a little getting used to – if you find yourself stuck with Gilbert and George, just press the magnifying glass symbol (seemed to work for me, anyway). Oh, and be prepared to queue.

Will you?

Fantasy fishing powered by human curiosity

Last night I attended a charity preview of the new British film, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – in aid of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park... Not such a tenuous connection as you may think, as sculpture isn’t naturally associated with Yorkshire. In fact, you may be inspired to travel up north to experience the first major UK exhibition of Miro’s sculpture, set amongst 500 acres of Capability Brown style grounds that are probably unaffected by the hosepipe ban.



And if you’re looking for somewhere to stay, how about Holdsworth House, a rather grand Jacobean Manor - with curiously reasonable room rates.

Alternatively, you may decide to head off to Scotland, where there’s also plenty of water, to try your hand at some salmon fishing. Fly fishing gets a curious makeover in the new film based on the book by Paul Torday:

Having read the book when it first came out, I was expecting something a little more touching – even spiritual - from Lasse Hallstrom (director of the award winning Cider House Rules, amongst many other films and videos). The characters portrayed by the star-studded cast are suitably endearing, especially Kristen Scott Thomas as Patricia Maxwell, but the condensed version with its updated script seems somehow watered down. The book was compelling enough to read in barely more than one sitting, whereas the movie lumbers along like a salmon struggling for its life. Nevertheless, the ‘visionary’ sheik is convincing, despite his far-fetched ambitions. Though his natural powers of insight, presumably acquired from thousands of years of Middle Eastern philosophical tradition, are not conveyed nearly as well as in the book.

The positive message is that fishing is a great leveller, overcoming distinctions of class, colour and creed. Having a dream and the determination and ability to see it through are paramount – ie faith transcends purchasing power. And no amount of money will make a seemingly impossible project work if narrow minded civil servants don’t possess sufficient curiosity to look beyond the world they live in.

This story captures the essential conflict between scientific and human endeavour. The sheik’s wealth can’t buy something that’s not physically possible, but faith and a conviction in belief can go a long way towards getting anything imaginable done. The rest is pure luck. Or is it?

Anyway, if the film spawns a sudden salmon fishing frenzy, ShopCurious has just the thing – a pair of vintage fly fishing hook cufflinks. You never know, they may even turn out to be especially lucky.

Will you?

Collecting green glass

Bored with the monotony of mass production, Dutch designer, Klaas Kuiken, has developed a new technique for glassblowing, using a specially adapted oven and a compressor. With his method, glass bulges more where the bottle walls are thinner and less where they are thicker. This results in a totally unique shape for each bottle, using exactly the same raw materials and process.






Kuiken’s green glass collection, shown above right, looks even better when the bottles are lit from behind, producing a mysterious, watery reflection (left).












If you’re interested in starting your own glass collection, we’ve a rare curiosity at ShopCurious. This collectable malachite glass scent bottle, made in 1930s Bohemia, is something of a vintage treasure. The Lalique style flacon is beautifully moulded with a depiction of a young girl and a fawn.




The image and colour of the glass are curiously appropriate for spring. This would make a totally unique seasonal gift – as well as being a prized heirloom. And, like so many things, it looks even more beautiful in the sunshine…

I just hope we get a few rays over the holiday weekend.

Do you?

Arty, edgy and in demand...

Does anyone else have a soft spot for old gasometers? These photographs were taken in Hackney. You can read more about Empress Coaches, shown here (and featured in the film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), at Spitalfields Life.






















I didn’t see any coaches, but I did spot this curiously arty ice cream van parked in a street nearby.





















Oh, and apparently, there’s a planning application to build an 18 storey block on this site… eek!


Another potential victim of developers is a little known shrine called Cross Bones, located in the shadow of The Shard. Read more about this in ShopCurious's post at The Dabbler.

And just across the road from the memorial this lovely, though rather neglected, old building (below) sits next to Borough Market. The sign says ‘goods inwards’ – which in a few years time will no doubt have been replaced by ‘luxury goods outwards’.












London is a constantly evolving curiosity. I hope it's changing for the better.

Do you?

Hunting for curious eggs?

Have you been searching for eggs on London’s Faberge Big Egg Hunt? I wasn’t especially looking out for them, but on stumbling upon my first egg, I excitedly entered the keyword into my mobile phone, as requested. I promptly received a congratulatory message - which kindly informed me “This text cost £3”. Anyway, I’m sure it’s all for a good cause…












What with the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics this year, many of the eggs seem to be London or British inspired – though I was wondering if the butterfly themed number outside Scott's (restaurant) might be a Scotch egg?





The highest concentration of eggs seems to be in Mayfair, where those wishing to disport their wealth generosity must have had the battery hens on overtime. I think I read somewhere that the eggs are being sold off at a charity auction today. According to the website, Marc Quinn’s miminalist-looking contoured egg (see below left) has the highest bid so far.










Oh, and in Selfridges, there’s an interactive egg, which you can help decorate with your picture, by visiting Facebook.


























Meantime, at ShopCurious, we’ve our own curiosity egg in the form of a vintage porcelain hatching turtle. This quirky little fellow is curiously collectable - so perfect for an egg collector, or someone hunting for unusual Easter gifts...

Are you?

Curious Fashion Weekend

We’re having a bit of a fashion moment this weekend… In my post at The Dabbler last week, I considered the myth and madness of the catwalk fashion show. Private salon style events have recently been popping up all over the place and trends indicate that these are rapidly becoming a more exclusive alternative to the traditional designer runway presentation.


















Some of the more intimate fashion events I’ve attended recently include Nicholas Oakwell’s couture show (albeit on a cosy catwalk) at Claridges, where jewel-themed canapés echoed the inspiration for the collection… See ShopCurious’s exclusive video of the finale here:

And a Fashion Fringe presentation, featuring Alice Palmer and other designers at the Corinthia Hotel, hosted by silver-tongued fashion journalist, Colin McDowell, coincidentally pictured above top (who informed me that he's hoping to start posting on his blog again soon). The event was also a showcase for two of the hotel’s most prestigious penthouses (see images in today’s post at The Dabbler).










Anyway, if you’re not off to London Fashion Weekend, here’s an alternative suggestion: Why not visit the UK’s biggest J-culture event, Hyper Japan, at Earl’s Court? There’s a Japanese street fashion show at 2.0 pm today, followed by the official World Cosplay Summit UK preliminary. I may go along out of curiosity.

Will you?

Reality checkpoint: curiously convoluted thoughts on thinking

I didn’t make any resolutions this year, but if there’s one thing I’d like to do, it’s to trust my intuition more. Do you ever have those moments when you feel as if a greater force is trying to get a message across? The sort of times when everything seems to somehow be linked together, and falls serendipitously into place?

It happened to me this week. First I went to see The Iron Lady at the cinema. The film has had mixed reviews, though there’s a general consensus that Meryl Streep’s performance is outstanding. Personally, I liked the way the storyline focused upon human elements as well as history - the struggle of womankind in a man’s world, the juggling to make ends meet (with the application of home economics to the nation’s finances), the balancing act of marriage, and of bringing up a family – and, above all, the complications of ageing and death (a reality for each and every one of us). There was one line in the film which particularly stuck in my mind – it was when Margaret Thatcher said, “what we think we become.”

I was reminded of this again, when, a couple of days later I attended a talk by renowned astrologer, Shelley von Strunckel. One of her observations was that 2012 is going to be “a year of thinking.” In relation to this, she quoted the famous line of Jacob Marley’s ghost in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: "I wear the chain I forged in life…I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?"

I considered this as I watched a curious new ‘reality’ television show called the Fat Fighters on Channel 4. I wondered if the fact that, to quote TS Eliot, “humankind cannot bear very much reality,” accounts for the extreme things people do to change their appearance, even their essential character, out of fear, self-loathing or vanity…

Then at a new play called the Art of Concealment, about Terence Rattigan, (read ShopCurious’s review in the following post) the main character says, “plays aren’t real but can contain more reality about human nature than anything else.” So is this unreal reality the sort of reality that humans can bear?

And how do we measure our reality? “Am I really living, or just surviving?” asks student jewellery designer, Jelka Quintelier, an exhibitor at the Royal College of Art’s current show. Her reality is ‘cycling and recycling.’ She sources things for recycling, whilst cycling from her home in Brick Lane to college in South Kensington, and has made a primitive looking tool from shards of glass - pieces of broken bottles that are regularly strewn across the street outside her flat by drunken revellers.

I reflected back in time to my own student days in Cambridge, where a local curiosity is a lamp-post called Reality Checkpoint (see photo above right). How does my reality compare to Jelka’s? Or Terence Rattigan’s? Or Margaret Thatcher’s unique experience? And does our reality even matter, so long as we are happy? That being said, what makes us happy? Is it a trip to the cinema? A nice box of chocolates? Being thin? Getting drunk? Running the country? Creating an artwork?

Or is happiness just a state of mind?


And if we create our own reality, I suppose we can simply think ourselves happy? Or think whatever we want - and that’s exactly what will happen…

Just trust your intuition.

Will you?

Not your Everage style icon...

Happy New Year!

The ShopCurious style icon for 2012 is Dame Edna Everage – for the following reasons:

1) Dame Edna is most admired for her unique sense of style, which has been much emulated. Margaret Thatcher adopted her hairstyle - and her flamboyant clothing and accessories have been widely copied by Madonna and Lady Gaga. A curious trend is that, in 2012, almost everyone will be after a copycat pair of Dame Edna’s trademark curiosity glasses…

2) Edna is knowledgeable on all manner of issues - from fashion and beauty, to gardening and politics – and she's not afraid to speak her mind.

3) She's also a vintage treasure. (Never underestimate the advantage of age – after all, old is the new young).

4) Edna loves flowers too, especially gladioli – and floral inspired fashions are another key trend for 2012.

5) She also has a great sense of humour, which is just what we need in these times of economic uncertainty. Dame Edna’s down to earth opinions are the perfect antidote to political correctness, technocracy and spiritually debilitating celebutarditis.

6) Unlike Madge Allsop, Dame Edna is naturally beautiful, and would never subject herself to plastic surgery or artificial enhancement. “I'm beautiful inside. I think it’s what I radiate that people love. There's an inner beauty there,” she explains on her website.





7) She’s curiously clever as well - according to Wikipedia, “Dame Edna has transcended her modest origins as a satire of Australian suburbia to become one of the most successful, best known and best loved comedy characters of all time.”

Dame Edna is not just a living curiosity with stupendous spectacles, she genuinely has style with brains…

Do 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…

Fireworks and reflections

With rain forecast, I was expecting Bonfire Night to be a total washout. But I was pleasantly surprised to see one of the most spectacular fireworks displays ever (well, since the last most spectacular one anyway). And not a drop of rain.

London’s Hurlingham Club fireworks take some beating – especially if viewed from across the river. Best of all, you don’t have to be a member of the club, and second best of all, you get to see twice the fireworks for your money (in fact for no money, as it’s free).

The reason I say twice the fireworks, is because there’s also a reflection in the River Thames. It’s not quite the same as being there, but these photographs, which remind me of something from a Turner painting, will give you an idea…



























And here's what the fabulous finale looked like:

By the way, shadows, reflections and outlines are some of the curious trends that ShopCurious predicts we’ll be seeing much more of in fashion and interiors over the coming seasons. It’s all to do with having the curiosity factor…

Do you?

Let them eat Dodo cake...

Last night’s Experimental Food Society event at the Victoria and Albert Museum was full of surprises – even for ShopCurious.

Curious culinary trends included food landscapes and architecture, vegetable cupcakes and edible fashion.

But it was remarkable sugar artist and cake sculptor, Michelle Wibowo, who stole the show. Who would ever have imagined that a curiously cute kid with a passion for baking would grow up to create a severed head cake for a Halloween birthday party?


























Wibowo's latest curiosity cake creation was a giant Dodo, made especially for the Experimental Food Society’s annual ‘Spectactular’ in London last weekend. I say was, because last night we ate it.

And here she is performing the cutting ceremony:

I bet you want to know what Dodo tastes like?

Do you?

Contemporary curiosities

The pop art and punk of postmodernism have morphed into a new (albeit retro-progressive) age of crafting and collecting.

But what started out as a genuine curiosity for naturally beautiful, or unusual, things and their provenance has become something of a preoccupation with packaging rather than content. Have you noticed how so many things appear inside domes these days – or encased in resin?

And what constitutes a curiosity anyway? Just because something’s unusually large, or very tiny does that mean it’s especially unique or valuable?




Postmodernist media-led consumerism segued into the electronic age of the internet – so will the new age of rummaging for ‘found’ objects, and recycling, pave the way for another reinvention of communications networks and social structures?

ShopCurious spotted some curiously crafty postmodernist-influenced creations at the London Design Festival - Tine De Ruysser’s bank note jewellery and wall art amongst them. But, beyond postmodernism, is there room for a whole new exchange mechanism - something like a bartering based economy? Will money itself eventually become something of a curiosity?



Latest trends aside, we seem to be moving into uncharted territory. I have a feeling that our lives are about to become a lot more curious…

Do you?

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?