Not your Everage style icon...

Happy New Year!

The ShopCurious style icon for 2012 is Dame Edna Everage – for the following reasons:

1) Dame Edna is most admired for her unique sense of style, which has been much emulated. Margaret Thatcher adopted her hairstyle - and her flamboyant clothing and accessories have been widely copied by Madonna and Lady Gaga. A curious trend is that, in 2012, almost everyone will be after a copycat pair of Dame Edna’s trademark curiosity glasses…

2) Edna is knowledgeable on all manner of issues - from fashion and beauty, to gardening and politics – and she's not afraid to speak her mind.

3) She's also a vintage treasure. (Never underestimate the advantage of age – after all, old is the new young).

4) Edna loves flowers too, especially gladioli – and floral inspired fashions are another key trend for 2012.

5) She also has a great sense of humour, which is just what we need in these times of economic uncertainty. Dame Edna’s down to earth opinions are the perfect antidote to political correctness, technocracy and spiritually debilitating celebutarditis.

6) Unlike Madge Allsop, Dame Edna is naturally beautiful, and would never subject herself to plastic surgery or artificial enhancement. “I'm beautiful inside. I think it’s what I radiate that people love. There's an inner beauty there,” she explains on her website.





7) She’s curiously clever as well - according to Wikipedia, “Dame Edna has transcended her modest origins as a satire of Australian suburbia to become one of the most successful, best known and best loved comedy characters of all time.”

Dame Edna is not just a living curiosity with stupendous spectacles, she genuinely has style with brains…

Do you?

By hook or by book...

Today we’re celebrating World Book Day with a collection of cartoons that remains chillingly appropriate.

A copy of the vintage volume, Nature Notes III, personally signed by Peter Brookes, the award-winning political cartoonist for The Times, is available at ShopCurious.

Here is a small selection of Brookes’ curiously clever, nature-themed illustrations from the book:





























A work of art, snapshot of history and collectable heirloom rolled into one, this publication certainly has style with brains.

Do you?

Health, happiness and other heavenly gifts

Whatever your views on the ethics and aesthetics of fashion model and celebrity images (as discussed in my post at The Dabbler), I believe that true beauty comes from within. I refuse to be told how I should look and I don’t believe in dieting. However, I do aim to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with good food and plenty of exercise. With this in mind, I decided to do something a little bit crazy – I took a few days out to attend a juice fasting and detox retreat.











It was here that I discovered how the likes of Kate Moss get their flat stomachs: Curiously, by sticking plastic tubes up their bums and flushing out their insides with twice daily enemas. This was the least pleasant part of my visit to picturesque Littleton Mill in Wiltshire.

Jiva Healing runs rejuvenating retreats all over the world, and if you’re somewhat pressed for time, they’ll help you relax, unwind and clean up your eating act in as little as four to five days.














Environmentally aware Melissa Kendall, who runs the courses is a mine of information on all things eco-friendly as far as far as sustainable living is concerned. She’s also brilliant at whipping up fabulously tasty juice shakes from an amazing variety of fresh organic fruits and vegetables in her impressively equipped farmhouse style kitchen.

















Melissa, formerly an investment analyst for socially responsible funds, is totally passionate in her commitment to environmental responsibility, and instinctively takes each of the participants under her wing. What’s more, she not only grows her own wheatgrass, but magnificently exudes the benefits of a healthy lifestyle too… she certainly has style with brains.














The retreat offers a holistic approach to wellbeing that includes healthy eating and nutrition lessons, along with cookery sessions - and some surprisingly creative ways of using natural, commonly available ingredients to make deliciously wholesome meals. These include a uniquely simple recipe for mouthwatering banana ice cream (containing nothing but bananas). Plus, there’s a chance to concoct your own fruit and veg smoothie. Mine was curiously green.





















There’s also guidance on the psychology of eating, ‘the science of happiness’, gentle daily yoga - and therapists on hand to provide relaxing massages and other treatments to help transport your mind as far away from food as possible.







I was heartened that from my window I could see chickens feeding, potentially within reach, on the other side of the mill stream…Though, fortunately, as the juices are supplemented by detoxifying herbs and nutritional powders, I didn’t once feel hungry.








Anyway, I’m feeling rather angelic, having not yet raided the fridge on my return. I might even reward myself with an upcycled Rococo style cherub brooch from ShopCurious for Valentine’s Day.

Will you?

2011, romantic pink heaven?

Happy New Year!

The ShopCurious style icon for 2011 is Dame Barbara Cartland – for the following reasons:

1) In keeping with our current nostalgia for (and desire to mourn) all things past, she died in 2000 at the age of 98. Death style is the new lifestyle, after all...

2) Barbara Cartland was renowned for her curiously unique, eccentric style and usually dressed in coral pink - a hot fashion trend for 2011.

3) She was a trend setter in other ways too, being one of the first to carry pretty little pooches as fashion accessories under her arm.




4) Dame Barbara was a working woman, with her own opinions and income from her many romantic novels.

5) She wrote extensively on the topics of love, marriage, etiquette and family values (more on this in my post at The Dabbler).

6) She was Princess Diana’s step grandmother (and therefore related by marriage to Prince William, the soon-to-be-married future King of England).

Above all, Barbara Cartland had style with brains…

Do you?

Grace Kelly style: timeless with a quirky twist

Last May, we featured retro fashion and accessories from the 1950s and ‘60s. I was so surprised when I visited the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to discover that some of the pieces on offer at ShopCurious are uncannily similar to those worn by the late filmstar and Princess of Monaco.

Take a look for yourself:











One of the exhibits on show is Grace’s classic black dress, designed by Edith Head for Rear Window (see above). Our original 1950s lace version, left, looks almost identical.






She carried her pet poodle Oliver everywhere, so it’s hardly surprising that one of Grace’s signature pieces of jewellery was a poodle brooch, The fine gold one on display in the V and A’s exhibition (left) is every bit as quirky as our charmingly curious vintage costume pooch.










In this photo, Grace wears creamy white framed sunglasses, just like ours.











And our vintage lilac net skirt looks remarkably similar to this dress, designed by Helen Rose for Grace Kelly in the film High Society. The princess loved pastel shades – and now they’re back in fashion once again.

We’ve even got some opera gloves in the style of those worn by Princess Grace - plus a selection of snakeskin handbags, exotic kaftans and printed silk scarves – all items favoured by one of the most stylish and glamorous Hollywood stars ever.

Grace Kelly simply oozed timeless elegance, but her personality and sense of fun were expressed through unique accessories and touches of individual embellishment. I call that style with brains.

Do you?

PS Look out for our Grace Kelly giveaway - coming soon.

Intelligent design? London Fashion Week goes digital

London Fashion Week’s exhibition has a brand new digital space – where fashion becomes digital art. For the first time ever, there’s also a digital schedule with live streamed fashion shows.

At ShopCurious, we usually create trends rather than following them, which is why we asked members of our group at Polyvore to use their creative skills to make up digital collages showing 'style with brains'. They produced intelligent designs you may not have thought of in your wildest dreams, but are certainly worth considering for the future.

And, finally, a photo of digital diva Susie Style Bubble - just to prove she’s not surgically attached to her computer (only to the digital device at her ear), or is that a laptop she's clutching by her side?

I’d love to hear your views on digital fashion – is it intelligent design? Is this the way of the future? Has it got style with brains?

Do you?

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all our customers and everyone in the blogosphere a curiously cracking Christmas. Here’s a curious card I picked up at my local newsagents-cum-Post Office: Thought you might appreciate a rather quirky take on London in the snow - as it was a few days ago. Not sure if Chelsea has ever looked quite this pastoral, but its prettification has a certain quaint and timeless olde worlde seasonal charm... (by the way, that's not a fashion season I'm referring to and no, this isn't a blog about trends, though nostalgia is pretty big at the moment).








If you travel a little outside London (just 20 miles up the A41 will do) you can find the real thing – as I discovered last weekend when driving to a party in deepest Buckinghamshire. See the photo left (taken from a car window) of the English countryside looking peaceful and serenely beautiful - though it was actually fairly treacherous on the roads.

Thank you for being curious in 2009.

I’m really looking forward to another year of style with brains in 2010.


Are you?

Multi-functional madness?

What is this multi-functional madness? From printers to mobile phones and modern home furnishings: contemporary design is obsessed with the all-singing, all-dancing, all bells and whistles, multi-purpose answer to everything.

I was just reading about a device from BMW that’s a remote locking ‘smart key’ – so smart, in fact, it can also be used as a credit card - and can store electronic information, such as radio stations and contacts' phone/address details. I guess it’s not nearly so smart when it’s stolen?





Multi-functionality does have advantages - for instance, you’ll probably save money by investing in one multi-purpose item, rather than buying several things for separate jobs. The down side of multi-style products is that they often look clunky, or just plain weird, like the ‘hat bag’ or ‘bag hat’ shown here.





The fashion world is responsible for a whole host of curiously creative multi-purpose garments, like the incredible ‘multi-functional cleaning dress’ – perfect if you enjoy wiping your bum across the floor… You never know, it might catch on as a new (though somewhat sartorially inelegant) form of 'statement' exercise?

At ShopCurious, we think we’ve come up with the ideal solution to stylish multi-function dressing, with our reasonably priced range of unique dress-coat-skirt-cape-top-thingys.




Each garment is made from just one piece of fabric that can be worn however your mood takes you. The variety of ways each piece of clothing can be arranged is purely a function of exactly how innovative are...






And, there’s no need to worry about getting in a twist if you’re not feeling particularly inventive, as each design comes with its own instruction sheet for styling options. By the way, if you’re looking for some matching accessories, how about this multi-strand charm necklace, which also doubles up as a belt?



What’s so great about these items is that they’ve all got style with brains.

As for multi-functional madness, do share your thoughts and experiences.

Will you?

Curious statement dressing

Everyone is banging on about ‘statement’ dressing. Fashion Era says "Winter 2008/9 will be remembered as the statement season. Watch out for statement coats and statement fabrics. You will also see statement heels, statement shoulders, statement jewellery and statement hair, together they define the next fashion era as one of classy grown-up clothing! Investment dressing is back."

So is statement dressing tantamount to style with brains? What statement are we actually making through our choice of clothing and accessories ... and why do some of us prefer glamour, whilst others go for grunge?






Style has social and psychological implications. If you think about it, every piece of clothing or accessory makes a statement that’s related not only to its design, shape, colour and fabric, but also to the point in time when it was made and the significance of the item to the wearer. What's more, our choice of clothing also affects the way we feel. These days, almost everyone, subject to the requirements of work and their income, has the freedom to wear virtually whatever they like. Each and every one of us is making a unique statement that’s a snapshot of our personality, our taste and our place and time in history. When we get dressed every day, it’s up to us to choose exactly how curious a style statement we wish to make.





I was talking to an older friend over dinner the other night, who suggested that, in days gone by, a woman’s power was in her femininity. He complained of women today grunge-dressing, drinking, swearing and being “worse than men.” He suggested that, in recent years, women have become un-emancipated – and, due to their lack of self respect, are now treated disrespectfully by men. He felt that even gay men were more enthralled by (and jealous of) the beautifully dressed belles of yesteryear.

Of course, in the distant past, men focused on hunting and protecting their women and children, whereas women were caring and nurturing. In fact, our basic instincts haven’t really changed that much since we were cavemen and women – they’re still based on survival and protection - it's society that has changed dramatically, causing many of us to become horribly confused.





And what has happened in the world of fashion is that we’ve been transported from the elegant feminine lines of the 1940s and ‘50s to the androgynous t-shirts, hideous hoodies, utilitarian trainers, ripped jeans and rucksacks of today. I suppose this has a lot to do with women seeking equality and wanting to wear the trousers … but, despite men’s growing ‘metrosexual’ tendencies, I’m curious to know why we don’t see more of them wearing skirts? Let’s face it, in the fashion stakes, the sexes remain far from equal!








Anyway, I’d just like to mention this heavily beaded (and fabulously shoulder padded) vintage ‘statement’ jacket, designed by Diane Freis at the height of the 1980s power dressing era, (and available at ShopCurious), as a perfect illustration of the sort of garment that might appeal, if you like to stand out from the crowd. It’s got a fairly masculine, boxy shape, but with glittery sequins and beads in a riot of crazy colours. It’s clearly designed for the woman who wants to show she’s in charge, but still be womanly - a curiously clever style statement if ever there was one, don't you think?

Do you?