California dreamin'

The British weather can be so depressing. Ever since the clocks changed and the evenings got darker, I’ve wanted to be somewhere else. What's more, today - Friday 13th - it's raining buckets, and gales are forecast for later. I decided to cheer myself up by looking at some photos from a couple of months ago, when I spent a few days in California to celebrate my birthday.

I stayed in Southern California at the Montage Laguna Beach – a hotel of understated character and charm, with exceptional service, a stylish spa and superb cuisine.

Some of the hottest things about this part of the world (apart from the weather) are:



1) The beautiful light. This area is bursting with art classes and galleries. Artists go to great lengths to capture the colours of the sky and the light on water – some to the point of being stranded by the sea!

There are magnificent sunsets and clear, moonlit skies at night.... and there’s not much that beats sitting round an open fire and looking at the stars.























2) The natural beauty of the coastline - Sweeping sands, bird of paradise flowers, palms, bougainvillea and agave… I even spotted my dream house on a cliff top, high above a rocky outcrop (see right).







3) Beach bums and hawkers. Only joking, you won’t see any here – being California, everyone has to be on their best and most eco-friendly behaviour. And there are hunky life guards to watch out for you too – hello boys!








4) Arty, alternative stuff - from this distinctive ceramic mural on a poolside wall (left), to sculptures and contemporary art in the refreshingly individual local shops. Plus, it wouldn’t be California without something 'New Age' going on in the neighbourhood...
























5) And, last, but not least, there were rabbits! Yes, curiously cute little bunnies hopping all over the lawn.







If you like these photos, I’m sure you’ll appreciate some of the quirky accessories at ShopCurious, like this retro, recycled US car number plate bag that’s just perfect for fun holidays in the sun.







Anyway, before I get too carried away, I'd better click my fingers to bring us back to rain-drenched London …or perhaps you prefer the Californian climate?

Do you?

Ultimate style statement?

Where do you store your memories? Do you have a box of old photographs in your attic, or is your life uploaded for all to see on Facebook? Have you ever written a diary? Do you have a secret place where you stash away the most treasured keepsakes from your past? If not, each of these beautiful ceramic sculptures by Fabienne Auzolle, available at ShopCurious, has a hidden compartment for mementos and cherished pieces of personal history.

You've probably heard enough of my memories, but before I introduce a new theme, I’d just like to take a brief look at a huge topic with so many avenues and permutations I can feel the wires in my brain starting to fizz.



Everyone is different and we each have our own contribution to make to life on planet earth. We all like to have our individual say and to consider ourselves unique in terms of our style, clothing, personal taste and preferences. However, there are so many of us that we usually fall into certain categories in terms of our likes and dislikes. Some of us prefer rock music, others jazz, or classical; Some of us are vegetarian, whilst others are rampant carnivores, or suckers for seafood; Some of us choose to shop at chain stores, others buy only original vintage accessories, or nothing but the latest designer handbags … and so on.





The one thing that’s different about each of us, is the eclectic mix of tastes and experiences that goes towards creating our own unique set of memories. Whether you jot things down in a notebook, write your memoirs, or squirrel souvenirs away in a special hiding place, the person your memories have most significance to is you. That being said, these days there’s a trend towards sharing everything – memories included. The proof of this is in the sheer volume of celebrity autobiographies, photo-caching, video broadcasting and the like.



Could this be part of a major revolution, not just in the way we choose to express ourselves, but also in the way we wish to be remembered by future generations? Modern innovations such as ‘digital time capsules’, like Diary of Mankind, the one I set up a few years ago, are seen to be ways of preserving our thoughts, wishes and memories for posterity. But will evidence of our mass online collaboration, our creative efforts and our achievements outlast us, let alone immortalize us for centuries to come? And, if so, what about the mistakes we made, will they be there for all to see as well?

Our current fascination with family history, ancestry, antiques, old photos, curiosities and all things retro reflects our appreciation of the memories, style, taste and contributions of previous generations. As for our own legacy, well, what do you wish to be remembered for …

the children you gave life to, or brought up, the work you did for charity, the money you left behind, the cars you owned, your final blog post, the book you wrote, your favourite celebrities, your sporting achievements, the pupils you educated, the parties you went to, the best film you ever made, the people you helped, the bands you liked, your fashion sense, the extraordinary things you invented, the meals you prepared, your size 8 figure, your creativity, your charm, your uniquely eccentric approach to life, your inimitable style, the huge stone angel at your graveside?

What sort of statement will you make with your life?

Please do send your thoughts and comments.

Will you?

Paris party people

I took a whirlwind trip to Paris for the end of Fashion Week. It was even shorter than I’d planned due to problems with the Eurostar and endless taxi queues. I did find time to squeeze in the odd party, though.

Here’s top mover and shaker (hence two photos!) of the French fashion fair scene, Xavier Clergerie, who hosted a ‘premiere classe’ bash. I love the way he looks so stylishly French. And the arty vintage silk scarf looks totally fabulous.

I noticed that quite a few of the men in Paris were wearing rather distinctive silk scarves – like the wonderfully charming New York based singer, Faze, pictured left. The multi- talented Mike Sylla of Baifall Dream, who made the most delicious mint tea for us, was also sporting his own trendy scarf.

I hope they all know that we’ve got a wide selection of vintage silk scarves for sale at ShopCurious, as well as quirky vintage ties and curiously English recycled vintage silk cravats.

There were lots of party people I didn’t know, but they all looked to be having a great time – and in some cases they were really letting their hair down (or shaking it up as the case may be). Do let me know if you can identify any of those pictured here, including the flag-wearing Brit … and apologies if you were caught unawares.

I later bumped into this curiously dressed chap in black designer PVC. Perfect attire for Friday 3^rd October - la nuit noire peut-etre?

And I finally met up again with the elusive M. Bonnet, pictured here in his workshop the morning after the night before (hence the uber-cool dark glasses). He kindly informed me, as I snapped merrily away, that I had become like the Japanese - some of whom, I have to admit, do seem to have bizarrely obsessive relationships with their cameras, especially when it comes to fashion.

But I was just soooo curious to see all the fascinating stuff in the hub of creativity that is his studio. It reminded me of one giant art installation with unusual hidden treasures like this unique, neigh(!) iconic sculpture... I think Crazy Horse might be an appropriate title?

Do you?

Fountains and florals

What a marvellously sunny day it’s been. Very unexpected for the time of year and almost warm enough to swim Brideshead-style in a fountain. I’ve already mentioned the incredible Brihi-Riachi wedding that I attended in the South of France a few weeks ago, but I thought you might like to see the beautiful floral arrangements … and the fabulous display of fountains.

Villa Ephrussi overlooks the bay of Villefranche, but it’s on a headland giving spectacular views out across the water in two different directions. The website says that ‘nine heavenly gardens are adorned with patios, fountains, ponds, flowered and shaded paths.’ There was also a sculpture exhibition on at the time, by an artist called Nathalie Decoster. Her sculptures of man and nature depict ‘souls balancing on the edge of time’ and lead us to question the headlong rush of modern life and ‘focus anew on the essential values of life’.

We arrived in this picture of perfection with its large calm and still pools of candlelit water, to strains of a jazz saxophonist and the distant popping of champagne corks. As guests were still arriving, I managed to take a few snaps – but, when modern life allows, I’d rather like to return and take some time looking around the gardens properly.

I walked through the stylishly set tables with their designer floral decorations to the main house, where I popped in to visit the ladies powder room (shame the French still haven’t mastered the luxury loo) – and when I returned everyone was saying “you missed the fountains!”

A wonder of gushing and burbling water had spluttered into life in my absence and enormous arcs of refreshing water were now dancing before me.

Ross mistook this for champagne.

Influenced by Ms Decoster’s curious creations, I took a moment to reflect on ‘man’s unequal struggle with time’. Yes, this is a location far from the realities of everyday existence where one can easily escape into a place that ‘hovers somewhere between lightness and awareness’. Better zip back to frenzied, fast-paced London life and get on with some work so I can afford to spend another moment in horticulturalists’ heaven.

You might even be inspired by our stylish floral designer vintage fashion to buy something beautifully unique from ShopCurious and help towards my next trip.

Will you?

Plucked from the earth

In keeping with our nature theme, here are some natural materials in
the form of stone pendants, available at ShopCurious, photographed against tropical palm trees that curiously now grow rather well in central London. This one is an ammonite fossil - a stylish one of a kind piece that's a limited edition once in a lifetime find and a collectors' item.






To the right is a natural mixed wood sculpture, the sort of thing you can expect to pay oodles of money to have on display alongside your furniture in a stylish modern eclectic home. But if you simply go for a walk in the woods, or along the coast, you can appreciate the natural beauty of nature without paying a fortune - and you'll probably see all sorts of unique and fascinating curiosities.


Depending on which part of the world you're in, you might stumble upon labradorite - it's really unusual and rather overlooked - which means that it's not yet as expensive as some other stones. We have some extraordinary pendants made from this remarkably beautiful mineral - each an individually handcrafted work of art.




Labradorite was discovered in the late 18th century in Labrador in Canada and is sometimes called opaline feldspar, because depending on its type, it resemebles opal or moonstone in the way it reflects an array of colours: blue, green grey, purple occasionally even yellow and bronze. This unique iridescence is known as 'labradoresence'.

Labradorite is thought to have fallen from the Aurora Borealis. Eskimos believed that the Northern Lights were trapped in the rocks off the coast of Labrador, but were set free by their ancestors, who broke off the rocks with spears - however, some of the lights remained trapped in the stone (as labradorite). Labradorite is believed to be a protective stone and is said to help one 'hear the message of spirit guides'. It's also said to be able to help the wearer to realise and achieve his/her destiny. Whatever its properties, there's no doubt that this special rock has a very captivating appearance - and when fashioned into original jewellery pieces, the stone looks both stylish and highly individual.












As do these one of a kind natural wooden sculptures. You'd need to splash out quite a bit to have one of these in your sitting room. Alternatively, you could just camp out in the forest... and go and see what you can find.

Will you?

New designers?

At part 1 of the New Designers exhibition in Islington's Business Design Centre yesterday, I was totally overwhelmed by the extraordinary wealth of talent displayed by young designers from around the UK. I was also stunned by the incredible array of stuff on show, from the huge selection of exquisite and professionally produced textiles to some rather primary school inspired ceramic pieces.

I was curious to spot the emergence of any design trends, but was hard pushed to find anything totally new. I did notice that some of the prints are more intricately patterned and that a paler colour palette/more floaty theme is in evidence, after last year's bolder and brighter look. Some of the woven textiles are utterly fabulous. In fact, there are so many wonderful fabrics, wallpaper and applied designs on display that they probably deserve a book rather than a blog - you'd better go and see them for yourself!

As for the rest of the exhibition - it's certainly an eclectic mix. There's a big 'handicrafts' type feel - think arts and crafts, William Morris and basket weaving. Here are some of the things I spotted:










The Middlesex stand (no reference to Lords cricket ground intended) featured some curiously colourful accessories, furnishings and art installations. The upholstery (see above) was very Designers Guild meets Roche Bobois, if you're into that sort of thing.

There was a Barbie-inspired wardrobe (left), the stuff of dreams if you're a six or seven year old girl ... and a rather rude-but-amusing tartan affair (right) which should be x-rated, so email ShopCurious with proof of your age if you want to see a larger-sized version.

I found the enormous jewellery offering rather uninspiring. I am in no doubt as to the exceptional quality and precision of workmanship in some of the fine jewellery pieces, but there was little that really stood out from the crowd. Some of the quirkier items included a couple of twisted metal trees (as shown), which the designer, Jennifer Millar, described as 'communal jewellery'. How long do you think they'd survive in your local park? And there was the delightfully suave and deliciously photogenic Patrick Mavros (pictured here) with his resin and gilded metal rings, necklaces and bracelets some of which light up at night... a bit like Star Trek's Eymorg control bracelet - beam me up Scottie.

Several people have used bits of plumbing equipment and taps to create weird and wonderful sculptures. Richard Tarek Doss from the Royal College of Art has incorporated oxygen cylinders into one of his pieces (see above right and right). Molly Harwood (left) uses cast glass and metal components to "represent vital organs within our body.... visual metaphors that aim to challenge emotions surrounding our inner workings and mortality."Could this be the start of a hot new trend, or is it just the outward manifestation of some bizarre fetish?



On to glass and ceramics, where again I felt I'd seen it all before - for instance this banana style chandelier (left), though I did quite like the familiar looking ceramic Madonna with child by Rebecca Kindred from Swansea (right).







Much more commercial, and fun too, is a range of plates (see right and below) printed with pictures of left over dinners - Britain's Dinners II by Damaris Booth - you can choose from Roast Dinners, Chinese, Curry, Fish and Chips, Pizza and Bangers and Mash. I do detect a whiff of patriotism creeping into some of the designs...






My verdict on part 1 of the New Designers exhibition - it's a veritable dog's dinner. If you've been along, or are planning to visit, I'm curious to hear your comments too.
Will you?