Olympic comforts

One of the more curious pre-Olympic news items has to be the story about the regulation pillows that have been issued to British athletes by team officials to help them in their quest for medals. Apparently more than 500 "feather-like-down" pillows, made by Christy, Queen Victoria's favourite textile group and supplier of towels to Wimbledon, have been shipped to the athletes' village ahead of the team's arrival.





It's the first time that the British Olympic Association has issued pillows in the official kit bag. Simon Clegg, the team's chef de mission, explained that "Quality of sleep is so important, particularly for high performance athletes. Anyone who travels knows what impact a bad pillow can have in terms of pains and a poor night's sleep...They have had the opportunity to train on their pillows for the past fortnight". Extra long mattresses have also been provided for especially tall athletes - mainly swimmers and rowers.




What about the rest of us watching the Olympics from our sofas at home? May I suggest some stylish cushions from ShopCurious to help maximise your viewing experience. These unusual oriental inspired mini works of art by StyleCurious featured designer, Laura Berens, will ensure that you are sitting comfortably and in style.






If you can prize yourself away from your computer - unlike this computer addict in China - original, but rather sad.

Will you?

Fans of cool style

Fans are a stylish way of keeping comfortably cool during the hot weather we're experiencing and that visitors to the Olympics in Beijing are likely to encounter. They're also a tried and tested method of creating a bit of breeziness too, having been around for quite a while - at least 3,000 years in fact.

If you haven't visited the Fan Museum at Greenwich, I highly recommend it. You can learn all about the history and even the anatomy (left) of the fan. The first types of folding fans were inspired by those brought in by merchant traders from China and Japan. Fans were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and continued to be imported from the Far East, as well as being produced in Europe.

Fans were originally associated with nobility, but gradually became more widely available - though they've always remained something of a fashion statement, if not a showcase for artists ( another case of fashion meeting art in history).


We've got a selection of vintage fans on sale at ShopCurious: from the decorative hand painted oriental variety to dramatic flirty feathered types. These unique accessories make an exotic addition to any outfit and are also great as an unusual gift.

Peacock feathers were often used to embellish Chinese fans (see above right). In China, the peacock is a symbol of beauty and dignity. An old Chinese legend tells the tale of a daughter of a top military commander who painted a peacock on an ornamental screen and promised to marry the first man who could hit the peacock twice with arrows whilst running. This resulted in the curious term "Selection by hitting the bird screen" - a Chinese euphemism for finding a husband.

For some modern day advice on this, click on the pic to the right. Alternatively, you could simply use your fan to create an air of mystery and allure ... and await the response.
Will you?