Sea shanty style

Get out your old Blue Peter badges, retro sea shanty style is the latest trend to inspire fashion and interior designers.

In case you’re wondering, sea shanties are ‘work songs that were used on the square-rigged ships of the Age of Sail. Their rhythms coordinated the efforts of many sailors hauling on lines.’









They are rarely used today, perhaps because modern rigging doesn't require many people to be working in the same rhythm for long periods. However, shanties are much loved by modern sailors, folk musicians and specialist choirs.





I may not be joining in the singing part, but we’ve got our own selection of maritime design art at ShopCurious in the form of quirky accessories for the wardrobe and home. Salty old seadogs will love our vintage maritime brooches, featuring Dutch barges and galleons – and this curiously collectable early Royal Navy anchor pin.






For the professional collector, we’ve a couple of fabulous Victorian hand carved conch shells. And we’ve added to our range of retro Perspex paperweights, with some rare, nautical curiosities from Portugal.









So, are you ready to have fishermen the world over as your new best friends?

Are you?

Christmas crustaceans and curious gifts

All things aquatic are suddenly in fashion. First there were flesh-eating fishes, as I discovered when I sampled the skin nibbling skills of rufa fish on my much-walked, swollen feet earlier in the year.

Now marine life is everywhere. John Galliano has even created an oceanic inspired Christmas tree at Claridge’s.

Not that I’m complaining, as I'm a great lover of seafood - shellfish in particular. But Christmas tends to be a time for feasting on poultry and game, along with pates, hams and other cold meats.

I was thinking how lovely it would be to have a nice plate of fruits de mer for Christmas Day lunch instead of the traditional, bog-standard turkey. Or, if it’s still bitterly cold outside, perhaps something a little more warming like a classic lobster thermidor…





If you’re also tempted by alternative seasonal dining options, we’ve an appropriately unique retro lobster plate set at ShopCurious. Produced by renowned American ceramicist Brad Keeler, the serving platter features an enormous lobster in a curiously captivating dark coral red glaze.







And, whilst we’re on the subject of Christmas and crustaceans, we’ve plenty of other gifts worth shelling out on too. Our selection of jewellery made with natural curiosties includes this fabulously dramatic cowrie shell and silver bangle.

The smaller cowrie shell rings are also very striking and totally timeless. In fact, they're perfect for any occasion from a Christmas party to a New Year holiday in the sun.

Bet you’re by salivating now?

Are you?

PS For more curious Christmas gift ideas, visit The Dabbler.

Shell out on style

The treasures discovered on my recent visit to the V&A textile stores (click on the pics to enlarge) included a surrealist style 'ceremonial hat for eating bouillabaisse'.






Dating from 1936, this extraordinary hat was made by Eileen Agar, a friend of Salvador Dali. Now specially boxed up, and carefully kept in a temperature controlled, secure environment, the elaborate shell and coral encrusted curiosity must surely be worth a bob or two...


However, in addition to the quirky fish bone decoration, I couldn’t help noticing a couple of rather tacky plastic things (see right) attached to the hat, that looked suspiciously like Christmas cocktail party swizzlers – were they really from the 1930s?





This made me wonder if the vintage (1990s) anemone adorned hat lurking at the bottom of my wardrobe was, perhaps, just a tad more tasteful?







Anyway, as we’re talking about crustaceans, I thought I’d mention Caroline Perrin’s magnificently stylish shell creations, several of which are now available at ShopCurious.

Each of these exquisitely handmade, decorative shell boxes is totally individual - and completely covered in naturally beautiful seashells, sourced from remote beaches around the world.





If you’re able to shell out a little more than usual, I can guarantee your mother would love one of these as a really special gift for Mothers’ Day.








Timeless in style and useful too, these boxes are just the sort of pieces that should be highly collectable in years to come. Gimmicky fashion is fun, but fine quality craftsmanship, authentic materials and simple, practical design may prove to be a much more sensible investment.

Will you?

Memorable staycation?

One of the things that 2009 will be remembered for is the Great British staycation. I wouldn't say that I’m already looking forward to next year’s - but, hey ho, my Bank Holiday staycation in Cornwall was fun at the time... And I discovered that you don’t have to spend a fortune to appreciate nature’s treasures, good food and simple local pastimes. The far South of Cornwall is quite a fair distance though – by car, it’s at least a five hour journey from London and can be up to seven on a Bank Holiday weekend - so, is it worth the drive?



I'd say yes, but only if you’re staying somewhere really cosy and inviting, so at least you can escape from those pesky torrential downpours and dry off properly before venturing out again. If you’re curious, like me, you’ll be familiar with the unpredictable weather patterns of our ‘temperate’ climate: It's probably best to take an eclectic mix of clothing to cover yourself for all eventualities, (for the average weekend, around a dozen different pairs of shoes, flip-flops, sandals, boots and trainers should be sufficient!)




In my opinion, it’s worth spending a little bit more on a nice hotel, a luxury holiday cottage, and/or some fancy meals out - just think of all those savings you’ll be making on the fare, new beachwear and the numerous spray tanning sessions you'd have needed to prepare for maximum exposure on distant shores.






I can strongly recommend the Driftwood as being one of the most warm, comfortable and friendly hotels in Cornwall. The cliff-top location is breathtakingly beautiful, with pretty gardens leading directly down to the sea.




The adjacent beach is scattered with rocky granite outcrops and quirky little smugglers coves to snuggle up in out of the wind






What I really like about this hotel is that the décor is so authentic: taking full advantage of natural, locally sourced materials like shells, stones, fir cones and, you’ve guessed it… driftwood. Plus the food is great too.






It’s also a useful base, with lots of interesting things to see and do nearby.






If you want to avoid the queues at the Eden Project, why not spend a day crabbing at Place Manor instead? You can take the ferry from St Mawes – though be prepared for a choppy crossing at any time of the year.


















As well as visiting tourist attractions such as stately homes, I’m always curious to check out local events - like sailing regattas, art gallery exhibitions, antiques fairs and treasure hunts. Traditional British Bank Holidays can be interminably dull, especially if the weather’s bad, but there’s usually something interesting – possibly even entertaining – going on somewhere.








I stumbled upon the bunting festooned streets of Portscatho, where crowds of people had gathered to watch the regatta and participate in a grand sand castle making competition. All proceeds raised from the event were donated to charities like the RNLI.






As well as the dinghy racing, there were some amusing games to occupy the kids and this group of groovy rockers (left) were playing in a makeshift concert dome, conveniently erected outside the local pub.





Alternatively, you might like to go for a windswept walk along the coastal path, or do a spot of rock-pooling. Another practical pastime is collecting stones and shells as memorabilia of your adventures by the sea - and, if you're feeling really creative, you could even use them to make your own piece of design art.

Buying small souvenirs of your trips, or as gifts to take back to your friends and loved ones, is also a way of remembering happy times. Rather than splashing out on something trashy, why not look for a collectable curiosity to remind you of your travels - like a vintage shell box, or, if you’ve been on holiday to Spain, how about this quirky ceramic jug (left) from ShopCurious.




Your chosen keepsake may cost a bob or two, but the memories come totally free of charge. Now that’s what I call a real bargain.










Do you?

Naturally sensible style - it's Hatastic!

I thought I’d celebrate a lovely late summer day in London by waxing lyrical about the wonders of nature here along the River Thames. The other day I spotted a dragonfly on my terrace, which was a really wonderful surprise – and makes up for the legions of nasty mosquitoes and irritating little flies that seem to come our way. This year there have also been quite a few more butterflies, although apart from the odd Red Admiral, it’s mainly been Cabbage Whites (click on the pics to enlarge).


There are plenty of birds by the river as well. There were goldfinches nesting in my sixth floor olive tree - and we even had a visit from a friendly robin the other day. Down on the river, there are wagtails, swans, cormorants, ducks, geese, seagulls, crows and herons – plus massive flocks of starlings and swallows that flit from bridge to bridge and across the rooftops every evening at this time of year (see above) ... though I'm never quite fast enough to capture the perfect photograph of thousands in flight.

I won’t mention the pigeons as, thankfully, they’re probably better catered for elsewhere in town – or in the nearby park, where I’ve seen a lady throwing bag loads of breadcrumbs to them.


Talking of which, my mother recently went on holiday to Devon and came back laden with bursting plastic bags full of huge pebbles and shells from the beach, which she collected for me to 'decorate' my outdoor plant pots with (thanks Mum - good job you didn’t go abroad, as the plane would probably have fallen out of the sky under the weight).




Equally inspired by nature is the inventive British milliner, Chloe Haywood, whose Hatastic! fascinators are currently available at ShopCurious. If you’ve a late summer wedding to attend, a dressy garden party, or any posh event, (indoors or out), one of these beautifully handmade creations could be just the thing to set off your outfit.



The hats are individually made using recycled pieces of vintage fabric and quirky bits and bobs found by the designer – and each one is totally unique, so you won’t suffer the embarrassment of someone else turning up in the same design. Eco-friendly, reasonably priced and totally timeless, these curiously cute little fascinators simply ooze sensible style. What’s more, they’re really unusual too, so you’re bound to end up with lots of interesting comments from all sorts of curious types…





In the words of that great social butterfly Oscar Wilde, ‘there’s only one thing worse than being talked about …’

Are you?

Wish you were here...

Actually no, I wish I was there… back in the day when Nelson’s Monument in Great Yarmouth (the precursor to Nelson’s Column in London’s Trafalgar Square) was surrounded by cobbled stones. I’ve just searched on the internet and discovered (courtesy of Google Earth) that the road is now a common tarmac and the very stylish old warehouse buildings that once surrounded this awesome and curiously undiscovered landmark are now rather nasty looking light industrial units. Apparently, the ferry across the river Yare at that point no longer exists – but does anyone else in the blogosphere have fond memories of that delightfully cute little rowing boat?





It doesn’t get much better than when you are 8 years old and on holiday at your grandmother’s in glorious Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk. Mine lived in an annexe to my aunt’s house - formerly the Globe Inn, where it was said Nelson once stayed – and that was reputedly haunted (how cool is that?) Added to this were the attractions of plentiful supplies of sand, sea and Della Spina ice cream, plus divinely doughy smells wafting over the garden wall from the nearby Matthes bakery.





Great Yarmouth and Gorleston were resorts that were really in their heyday before I got to know them – during the 1950s and early ‘60s – so I decided to take a look at how they used to be. Here are some of the pictures I found on the internet. Plus this wonderful 1950s tourism video.





Noodling around on the net, I discovered that the iconic statue of Nelson was actually built before Nelson’s Column in London. Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk and his first sailing was from Great Yarmouth. After the victory of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where Nelson died aboard the Victory, the townspeople of Great Yarmouth erected a statue in his honour. The 160 foot column was built to be seen from all sides of the town, though I'd hazard a guess that the magnificently monolithic power station now wins hands down - (note chimney on horizon in this pic).




The statue in London was built slightly later, by clearing some slums to create the open space now called Trafalgar Square and copying Great Yarmouth’s original version, but making it a few feet higher – and, therefore, more important (it was in London, after all!) ... and, besides, the seaside town later spawned a host of other famous landmarks.





The best thing of all for me as a child, was that Nelson's extravagant monument was on the way to the Pleasure Beach ... A place where you could enjoy the scariest of rides and the most curious of excitements – and, if you were lucky, take home a few interesting curiosities, ranging from candyfloss and bars of rock to goldfish in little plastic bags, ornaments made of shells and paperweights – plus star prizes that might include collectable seaside chinaware and dressing table sets.




Now sought after by the fashion and style conscious, an eclectic selection of these retro treasures is currently available at ShopCurious. Today they make rather unusual gifts, or uniquely quirky ornaments for the home – what's more, many of these are collectors' items that could turn out to be a great investment too.







By the way, do let us know if you’ve got any vintage seaside memories you’d like to share.

Will you?