Exhibition in right royal fashion

Not only is the House of Hardy Amies the pinnacle of stylish decoration, but it also has a wonderful energy and a lovely staff - with the potential to be the source of inspiration to aspiring Amies’ of the future. Moreover, to celebrate the first visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the house in July 1950 (when she was still a Princess), a new exhibition in the Archive Room at No.14 Savile Row features previously unseen sketches, documents, original pictures, letters and garments belonging to members of the House of Windsor. When I took a sneak preview, I found myself signing the visitors’ book directly after members of the Windsor family...





‘The House of Windsor in the House of Hardy Amies’ was officially opened by HRH Princess Alexandra at the end of June 2010 and can be visited until the end of the year, by appointment only. The exhibition features rare sketches of creations produced over 40 years of collaboration with HM The Queen as well as original and duplicate items made for The Queen and other members of the Royal Family – including HRH Princess Michael of Kent (a muse to Sir Hardy Amies), Lady Diana and the Duchess of York. A photograph of the house’s latest muse, Lord Frederick Windsor, is also on prominent display.

One of the main highlights is an incredible giant-sized album, in which Amies collected images and swatches of the various outfits worn by The Queen over a period spanning several decades. This provides a curiously fascinating history of royal dress though the years, as well as an insight into the media coverage of fashion and social reporting during the period.






Amies’ interest in maintaining the photo journal appeared to wane in the latter years, as evidenced by the increasing dearth of photographs in the oversized album...









and the replacement of carefully handwritten pen and ink italics beneath old fashioned cuttings from the daily press by haphazardly placed Post-it notes, atop picture stories from the likes of Hello Magazine.



What I really love about the Amies house is that’s it’s a place of real character. It also seems to reflect the essential character of its clientele – even HM The Queen: The warmth of her personality, along with genuine sincerity and kindness, positively shine out from the letters exchanged between Her Majesty and Sir Hardy Amies.

The house is full of quirky curiosities, like the collection of royal biscuit tins, similar to the ones available at ShopCurious, celebrating HM The Queen’s Coronation in 1953, royal weddings and other regal occasions. Apparently, the heirloom tins were used by Hardy Amies’ couture seamstresses to store their buttons and sewing threads – and now they take pride of place amongst the exhibits.









If you’re able to a secure a place on one of the exclusive private viewings, I’d highly recommend a visit to this extraordinary showcase of our national heritage. What’s more, this retro royal fashion extravaganza is bang on trend.

Are you?

The beautiful flag

Britain’s once again under the spotlight in the sporting fixtures, which, translated into fashion terms, equates to the Great British flag (and all parts thereof). Our little island’s colours are appearing everywhere, as flags are waved for the vehemently revered football and tennis stars of this quirkily sportsmanlike state.












Just a week ago, at Royal Ascot, flags and patriotic colours were very much in evidence on hats, dresses, accessories - and even picnic floral displays, as England played their rather disappointing game against Algeria.




Now, of course, the mood is altogether different – and even Andy Murray’s won at Wimbledon. Let’s see how England fares today...











And, if our need to sport the Union Jack should sadly wane, there’s always the chance that a royal wedding is in the offing, to keep the demand for flags buoyant...



I rather fancy that bits of memorabilia and mementos of our glittering past, like this 1981 vintage royal commemorative tin from ShopCurious, could become extremely popular and desirable in future, as curiously collectable heirloom pieces - and to remind us of our peculiarly unique heritage:














being such good old sports...

Are you?

British tea time treasures

Here in the UK, we’re currently suffering from stresses and strains on all fronts:

Firstly, if you’re an England supporter, you’re understandably going to be feeling a little depressed at the moment.

There’s also the added worry that our economy is headed down the tubes – and the potential implications of the Chancellor’s emergency Budget on our finances is rather vexing (I’m still curious to know exactly what it means for me.. are you?)



Plus, now it’s Wimbledon fortnight too - so we’re going to be agonizing over Andy and fretting about the weather forecast for a while.

Thankfully, us Brits have a universal panacea to all our woes in the form of the great British cuppa.





However, just in case our manifold troubles are causing you to feel a little less patriotic than usual, I’d like to suggest a little teatime jollification. Why not celebrate British heritage by investing in one of these curiously collectable vintage royal commemorative tins from ShopCurious?







They make perfect tea caddies and are great as biscuit tins too… What’s more, these sorts of heirloom collectibles can often turn out to be quite a wise investment.







Best of all, the beaming monarchical faces adorning these splendid tins will have you gloriously grinning with pride as you sip a cup of strong tea and dunk a few biccies –









unless, perhaps, you prefer to toast Her Majesty with a glass of cider…


Do you?