Style blitz hits Shoreditch

After it was decimated by bombs during the London Blitz, much of Shoreditch was rebuilt in soulless 1950s and ‘60s style. However, in recent years, the area has re-emerged as the inspirational new design hub of our capital. Artsy, vibrant and full of innovative young designer-makers, the area is enjoying its newfound status as the global centre of all things creative, cultural and cool.

With London Fashion Week almost upon us, and London Design Week (or London Design Festival as it now seems to be known) just ahead of that, this is the perfect location for a celebration of creativity at one of the most exclusive and stylish events of the Autumn/Winter season – The Shoreditch Ball.




On 15th October at Shoreditch Town Hall, local celebrities and the East End fashion cognoscenti will attend a night of culture, dancing and cabaret. A very special art, furniture and fashion auction is being hosted by Adrian Biddell of Sotheby’s, featuring work donated by local artists, fashion and furniture designers – reflective of the original creativity for which Shoreditch is renowned – and raising funds for local causes (Charity, TLC Care and local cultural hero, Chris McMuck). You can even bid for lots in the auction online, in advance. In view of the Pope’s impending visit to London, some of the items seem curiously appropriate.




The JAM Cross is a crucifix light, glowing pink and blue, inspired by the Las Vegas wedding chapel. Made in frosted Perspex and measuring 152cm x 92cm, this global symbol, drenched in meaning and iconography, is an exploration of religious taboos and fashion.







Pakistan based Alixandra Fazzina’s ‘Maternal Mortality’ is one of ten limited edition photographs of a startling image (reminiscent of the Madonna), conveying the perils of childbirth in Afghanistan.







However, if these themes are a little too heavy for you, the auction will be followed by some jazz- with singing by Natalie Williams, dance music from the twelve piece Ray Gelato Giants and DJ sets from none other than the East End’s resident fashion starlet, Pam Hogg.

So put on your sparkly tights, (I suggest the luxury edition Lourdes design from Bebaroque at ShopCurious) and let’s go out and party! I’m in favour of any opportunity to help promote the work of talented young designers and artists… as well as having fun for a good cause.

Are 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?

Multi-functional madness?

What is this multi-functional madness? From printers to mobile phones and modern home furnishings: contemporary design is obsessed with the all-singing, all-dancing, all bells and whistles, multi-purpose answer to everything.

I was just reading about a device from BMW that’s a remote locking ‘smart key’ – so smart, in fact, it can also be used as a credit card - and can store electronic information, such as radio stations and contacts' phone/address details. I guess it’s not nearly so smart when it’s stolen?





Multi-functionality does have advantages - for instance, you’ll probably save money by investing in one multi-purpose item, rather than buying several things for separate jobs. The down side of multi-style products is that they often look clunky, or just plain weird, like the ‘hat bag’ or ‘bag hat’ shown here.





The fashion world is responsible for a whole host of curiously creative multi-purpose garments, like the incredible ‘multi-functional cleaning dress’ – perfect if you enjoy wiping your bum across the floor… You never know, it might catch on as a new (though somewhat sartorially inelegant) form of 'statement' exercise?

At ShopCurious, we think we’ve come up with the ideal solution to stylish multi-function dressing, with our reasonably priced range of unique dress-coat-skirt-cape-top-thingys.




Each garment is made from just one piece of fabric that can be worn however your mood takes you. The variety of ways each piece of clothing can be arranged is purely a function of exactly how innovative are...






And, there’s no need to worry about getting in a twist if you’re not feeling particularly inventive, as each design comes with its own instruction sheet for styling options. By the way, if you’re looking for some matching accessories, how about this multi-strand charm necklace, which also doubles up as a belt?



What’s so great about these items is that they’ve all got style with brains.

As for multi-functional madness, do share your thoughts and experiences.

Will you?

Curiously crafty knitted chairs

The ubiquitous plastic chair comes in all shapes, colours and sizes. Whilst many have attempted to re-design its form, resulting in all manner of cool, ‘designer’ versions, few have been creative enough to look beyond the actual fabric of the chair itself.









Here’s an example (left), where a plastic chair has been recycled to create a rather curious looking piece of furniture … it’s intricate, arty and fairly pleasing to the eye, but I’m not sure how comfortable this chair would actually be to sit on.





The Brazilian Campana brothers have inventively embedded plastic chairs in what appears to be natural wicker to create a sprawling, organic-form sofa – perfect if you have plenty of room, or your own art gallery to put it on display.









Yuvinia Yuhadi, a recent graduate from London, has come up with a rather more practical solution in the form of these curiously quirky hand-knitted chair covers - now available online at ShopCurious. They’ll transform any standard plastic garden chair into a cozy and inviting armchair.





Collectively branded as ‘the not-so-ubiquitous knitted chairs’, each of the covers has been lovingly handmade by an eclectic group of passionate knitters from around the world. The designs currently for sale include a cable-knit version, based on the traditional gentlemen’s club style leather armchair, a lacy-knit nature inspired design and a racy-knit laced up mini-length number.

If you can’t afford to buy one of the ready made versions, there’s even the option to knit a cover yourself, with free patterns provided by the designer.



This would probably be a lifetime’s work for me, although I did manage to knit the odd scarf back in my dim an distant school days ... however, if you’re the crafty type, who’s willing an to take on a challenge and dedicated enough to see it through to completion, then this could be just the thing to while away the winter hours.









And I don’t think there’s anything more innovative-but-sensible that you could do with a plain old plastic chair.

Do you?

The eye of the beholder

Is the fact that something's new, quirky and individual enough to make it desirable? I think not. Ultimately, it's all a matter of taste.

Putting together a load of innovative and unusual pieces of clothing or furniture isn't necessarily going to make for a stylish or harmonious look. Creating something that's unique and beautiful has much more to do with having a flair for fashion, an eye for aesthetics and to being able to mix and match chain store pieces with designer, vintage and antique one-offs in a very clever way. It's about looking much more carefully at the way we buy, collect, wear or display things for our wardrobe, home and lifestyle. It's not about buying what's new and different, but about a new and different approach to buying.



Sarah Mower writing for the Sunday Telegraph (fashion supplement, March 2008) says, “This emerging pattern is more akin to the way wine connoisseurs operate: the idea of ‘laying down’ a smart buy to wear later – at the exact moment when its attractiveness is at its optimum… What this kind of purchasing entails is regarding your clothes as a personal collection, an in-depth, stylistic work-in-progress rather than a quick in-and-out medium slavishly reflecting every passing trend.” She adds, “Having looked at all of the shows, the one thing that struck me as transformative was the creativity that has suddenly broken out in jewellery: necklaces, pendants, brooches, bangles and hair ornaments…


An extraordinary, well-chosen chunk of jewellery can stretch a wardrobe, change the sense of clothes you already own, go back into its box, hibernate and then come out to perform again years later. In other words, it meets all the criteria for fashion that is special, surprising, long-lasting and personal – an ideal addition to a lifetime’s collection.”

As Vivienne Westwood says in her World's End Manifesto :"We have a choice to become more cultivated and therefore more human...In pursuit of culture you will start to think. If you change your life, you change the world.”

Will you?