Crowning curiosity?

Did you know that the Imperial State Crown travels in its own carriage (along with the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State) ahead of the monarch to the State Opening of Parliament?


You may have spotted this crown today, being worn by The Queen, as she led the procession through the Royal Gallery to the House of Lords for the official occasion.











Prior to decimalization, a crown also used to be a coin (worth five shillings in old money) - before it was reissued as a 25p piece. A new £5 crown was issued by the Royal Mint from 1990, and a special Diamond Jubilee coin in this denomination is now available.

Sadly, the half crown coin (as shown here), was discontinued in 1970, though the 10p coin looks rather similar.








Anyway, old or new, most coins are still worth collecting - at least for the moment…
 
So, whether you’re a budding numismatist, or just saving up for a rainy day, how about this curiously collectable 1953 coronation souvenir crown-shaped money box from ShopCurious?
 
I think this characterful vintage heirloom could prove to be quite a good investment in its own right – though unfortunately you won’t be able to wear it.

Will you?

Travelling in arty Aussie style

The curious incident involving Monsieur Depardieu reminds me how much air travel has changed over the past few decades. An in-flight experience used to be the height of luxury (and politeness), but these days on board lavatories are just as bad as they are on inter-city trains. On my flight back from Spain this week, one loo had soap and no hand towels, whereas the other had hand towels and no soap.

Anyway, I’m glad to be back because I wanted to show you this rare reminder of the air travel style of yesteryear. I love the curiously arty design of this Qantas airline souvenir from ShopCurious. The vintage silk scarf is colourfully printed with bold images of tourist destinations from around the world. Funnily enough, the clashing colours remind me of the outfit worn by Australian nomad, Trudi, whose photograph appears in our latest Curious Trends article.





Talking of memorabilia, do have a read of my RetroProgressive post on the official merchandise for the London 2012 Olympics over at The Dabbler today – and let me know what you think of the uniquely contemporary designs.

Will you?

Never on a Sundae?

As mentioned in my post at The Dabbler, I’ve fallen madly in love with the late 19th century mandolin I purchased recently. A few days after buying the balloon-backed beauty, I stumbled upon a quirky little retro holiday souvenir that has a very similar shape.












I think the colourfully hand painted instrument, now available at ShopCurious, is originally from Greece. A list of Greek stringed instruments indicates that it may be something called a Sazi.



I haven’t quite mastered the mandolin yet, but perhaps I don’t need to, as some instruments play music all by themselves…

The mini mandolin-style memento isn’t quite as in tune with nature as the self-playing musical masonry that’s appearing in communal spaces the world over. In fact, it sounds curiously like the chimes from a traditional British ice cream van.

Anyway, here’s the original version of the tune from the 1960 film, Never on Sunday (with English subtitles). This fabulous old clip has Melina Mercouri waxing lyrical over the sensual delights of the Athens Port of Piraeus…

Are you?

Taking the commemorative royal biscuit

In the previous post I forgot to mention some other useful gifts at ShopCurious: These characteful retro souvenir tins, commemorating royal weddings have just arrived. Not only do they come in handy for storing biccies and/or collecting curious stuff, but they’re also likely to appreciate in value - especially in view of the forthcoming demand for royal wedding memorabilia.









Despite the monarchy’s wealth and status, even Prince William and Kate Middleton seem to prefer life’s simple pleasures over the pomp and circumstance of ceremonial occasion. It’s a touching tribute to both Princess Diana and his future wife that, as someone who could have his pick of virtually any piece of designer jewellery in the world, Prince William chose to give Kate Middleton his late mother’s engagement ring as a gift of his love.






And it’s also a testament to the Prince and his future brides’ commitment to their country and its economic wellbeing that they’ve chosen to have a very formal and very public wedding. I don’t think Kate will be making her own wedding dress, but it’s good to note that our prospective King and Queen are a resourceful couple, who understand their duties and responsibilities - and seem genuinely able to identify with the thoughts, feelings and opinions of the average British citizen.























Anyway, I don’t care what anyone else says or thinks about previous royal weddings, I find Wills and Kate totally charming. And now I’m off to have a celebratory cheap and cheery cuppa. In fact, I was going to ask you to join me in commemorating the royal occasion by dunking a biscuit or two from one of these curiously collectable tins…but somebody seems to have eaten them all. You look awfully guilty…

Are you?

For the love of Sweet Charity

I once asked the film director, Oliver Stone, to name his favourite film. Mr Stone has a reputation for being something of a misogynist and probably needed no excuse to look down his nose and sneer at my “stupid question”, telling me in no uncertain terms that he had “hundreds” of favourite films. Well, so do I, but I can say with absolute certainty that Sweet Charity is, without exception, my favourite film of all.

In fact, I recently booked tickets to see a new production of the musical version that’s on at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London SE1, starring Tamzin Outhwaite in the lead role. However, I don’t think anyone could ever match the exceptional performance of Shirley Maclaine as Charity Hope Valentine in the original film.







Sweet Charity is about so much more than the fabulous party dresses, memorable songs, outstanding dance routines and curiously captivating plot: In 1957, Federico Fellini directed a comedy drama, Nights of Cabiria, based on the amusing tales of an ‘Italian gamine’. Bob Fosse was so impressed by the film preview, that he stayed up for 48 hours, filling many ashtrays, to conceive and choreograph the Broadway show version of Sweet Charity. In 1967, Universal purchased the film rights to create Sweet Charity, ‘the musical adventures of a girl who wants to be loved’, directed by Fosse. The film’s a real weepy, especially if you’re the sentimental sort, so remember to keep a box of tissues handy…




Charity Hope Valentine, played by Maclaine, is a dance-hall hostess who longs to settle down with the man of her dreams. A tale of mankind’s lost innocence, the film’s essential beauty lies in Charity’s faith in her fellow human beings, in her unfailing trust and openness. Despite and because of her generous heart and enormous passion for life, she is a hapless victim of reality: the corrupt world we live in and the materialistic values of society.






Vulnerable to men who cheat and take advantage of her, the film charts the ups and downs of Charity’s relationships, including a hilariously anti-climactic fling with Vittorio Vitale - played by the divinely smooth Ricardo Montalban, and a wedding to the love of her life, insurance salesman, Oscar – played by John McMartin, which ends in tragedy. However, even when she’s at rock bottom and has nothing left to live for, having lost everything she holds dear to ‘the fickle finger of fate’, Charity never loses hope… which, to me, is key to appreciating the depth of this film and its tragi-comic portrayal of the human condition.






If you’re a lover of retro fashion, lavish interiors and late 1960s nostalgia, you’ll also appreciate this original souvenir programme from the 1969 film, Sweet Charity, that’s available at ShopCurious. It covers the film’s history and introduces each member of the cast, which also includes Sammy Davis Jr, famously starring as a psychedelic underground religious leader and the awesomely stylish dancers, Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly. There are photos from all the song performances including ‘If My Friends Could See Me Now’, ‘The Rhythm of Life’, ‘I Love to Cry at Weddings’ and ‘Hey Big Spender’.













































There’s also a section on the making of the film and the key people involved, including Fosse, the playwright Neil Simon and the composer, Cy Coleman. I particularly enjoyed learning about the set design and reading the piece on Edith Head, the Chief Costume Designer for Universal City Studios. Ricardo Montalban was apparently so impressed with the costumes that he purchased all his clothing from the film and is quoted as saying, “ The designs are very special and the tailoring is finer than any outfits I’ve ever worn.” Miss Head, who authored books on ‘dressing for success’, was also responsible for a new jewellery innovation in the form of diamante tattoos.






The Sweet Charity programme would make a wonderfully individual and unusual Christmas gift, or could form an incredible source of inspiration, if you’re involved with fashion trends or interiors. Of course, as it’s also highly collectable, a film buff might like to consider this niche publication as an investment. I suspect that a piece of cinematographic heritage as uniquely rare as this might even appeal to Mr Stone.

Do you?

PS If you’re tempted to get this film on DVD, please beware, as the laserdisc version has an alternative, happier and less inspiring ending than the original video recording.