Accessories in abundance at LFW

When is a lampshade not a lampshade? When it’s a fringed dress, hung from the stone staircase at Somerset House. I spotted lots of unique accessories at London Fashion Week.

Like this hand-sculpted metalwork and leather cape by jewellery design-duo Yunus and Eliza,

cutesy Perspex hair bands and epaulettes from Little Shipa,

arty headwear by Stephen Jones,

illuminated shoes by Liam Fahy,

and quirky handmade bags by Benedetta Bruzziches.

This time there seem to be more accessories than clothes at the exhibition – perhaps related to the growth of online shopping?

Unusually for London, there seem to be plenty of empty parking spaces too…  By the way, I am wearing a vintage men's Playboy shirt, hand painted and embellished platform shoes, with a handbag and sunglasses from ShopCurious..

Will you? 

Curiously poptastic!

Pop! Design Culture Fashion at London’s Fashion and Textiles Museum is still showing (until 27^th October).  Fashionholics are advised not to miss this exhibition featuring 300 items from the 1950s through to the 1970s.  Showcasing the impact of music, art and celebrity on fashion from rock ‘n’ roll to punk, there are vintage album covers, retro posters, popular consumer goods and, of course, stylish clothes and unique accessories from the likes of Mary Quant and Vivienne Westwood. 

Some of ShopCurious’s favourites are the 1960s Mondrian style vinyl coat (above) and Harry Gordon’s disposable paper Eye Dress, below. 

I’m curious to know why wearing paper dresses never caught on - even in warm countries…

Are you?

Curiously colourful rowing fashions

If I told you I’d tickled Sir Steve Redgrave’s ear with a feather, you might get the wrong idea. But the problem with ‘substantial’ fascinators is they sometimes get in the way. I was at Henley, on the lookout for curiously colourful fashions, when I bumped into the Olympic rowing superhero at the Leander Club. He towered over me, even in my skyscraper heels, and we had a ffffascinatingly close encounter.

It’s so exciting when men make an effort to dress up – and Henley Royal Regatta is an occasion when they can go overboard (not literally, I hope). Rowers seem to go to all sorts of lengths to look original. One fellow had even cut up his old school curtains to create a strikingly unique Hampton School jacket (below).























Under a table, I spotted these fabulous socks, worn by an ex-naval officer, in port red and starboard green. I wasn’t so sure about the shoes though…


There were the usual striped ensembles – including some with very distinctive buttons.
























And there were plenty of unique accessories...

















... from brightly coloured watches to curiously clashing ties, preppy waistcoats and suave cravats.


















I bumped into my old friends from Bedford Rowing Club, whose flower corsages were wilting a little in the sun.



















And for some, the heat of the day was all a little too much.

Not so for 99 year old Rex (below) who kept me amused for ages with tales of Henleys past - and he'd been visiting the regatta since 1936!








By the way, in case you’re wondering about my unusual charm necklace, it was one from ShopCurious, which can also be worn as a belt.

Oh, and you can read more about the Henley dress code over at the Dabbler.

Will You?

Hats, history and racing fashion

Styles have changed dramatically over the past 300 years, but the tradition of the Royal Ascot race meeting has remained an annual fixture of the summer social season. The event has become an occasion for racegoers from all over the world to indulge in a little English eccentricity – wearing quirky hats, unique accessories and curiously original clothing.

I’m not sure whether Royal Ascot has always been as much about the fashion as the horse racing, but photographic evidence from past decades shows that dressing up has certainly been a major part of proceedings.




In celebration of the 300th Anniversary of Royal Ascot, the display of vintage photographs of royals and celebrities at the event includes this stylish shot of Sophia Loren in a wonderfully wide brimmed hat - along with pictures of some of the more curious clothing, like these over-the-top outfits from the ‘swinging sixties’:
















Nowadays with catwalk shows, a Fashion Bar and live televised fashion commentary, Royal Ascot has become a firm favourite with fashionistas and designers alike.














Like most women, I'm not so much interested in the racing as the parade of hats, handbags and amazing attire on show. Apart from the official dress code, the way people choose to ‘dress up’ is a matter of personal taste... On the first day, yesterday, I noticed that flowers were very much in fashion.




















I wore Vivienne Westwood with a recycled hat, accessorized with a floral hairslide, found in a drawer just before I left. I jazzed up my look with quirky '70s style snakeskin shoes, a vintage basket bag and a tasseled natural stone necklace from ShopCurious – worn sideways, of course.




















Some ladies opted for the retro look – from 1930s floaty tea dress to 1950s prom style.




















Others were more fashion forward, like Vivienne Westwood's head of couture, in a futuristic flying saucer hat by Philip Treacy – and a rather arty looking Aussie visitor.




















One lady definitely stood out from the crowd in a pearl encrusted, rose-adorned Marie Antoinette style wig. A simple, cat-eared hat by Stephen Jones was also rather different from the mainstream.




















Men are able to express their individuality at Royal Ascot too. Photographer, Francis Mander, arrived looking as though he was ready for a spot of farming. And one chap, wearing a pith helmet, had obviously got on the wrong ‘plane.




















Some wore exotic headgear and brightly coloured waistcoats.




















And David Shilling’s Royal Ascot birthday tribute topper was madly marvellous.



















From old to new, there were some blinging accessories on show as well - from rhinestone bejewelled antique watches to crystal covered mobile 'phones.


























Best of all, it was a lovely sunny day, and everyone seemed to be smiling…

Are you?

Age, vanity and upcycled old bags

Nietzsche said, “the vanity of others offends our taste only when it offends our vanity.” The word ‘vanity’ as we know it, didn’t develop narcissistic undertones until the 14th century. Excessive pride in appearance and conceitedness are usually frowned upon, yet seem to have become de rigueur in today’s fashion focused world.







But, “modern excesses of body shape and fashion are not a recent phenomenon,” says Dr Ulinka Rublack, teacher of early modern European history at Cambridge University, and author of Dressing Up:Cultural Identity in Renaissance Europe. Apparently, even in the 15th century, people aspired to an elongated, delicate and slim silhouette. With the development of international trade by merchants from around the world came new fabrics and techniques for cutting and sewing, along with unique accessories such as hats, bags, gloves and hairpieces. And Renaissance art was the ‘new media’ of its day – a way of being noticed and admired by others.



July 1526, Mattheus Schwarz, of the Fugger family in Augsburg, commissioned a naked image of himself looking fashionably slim. In fact, during his life, Schwarz commissioned 135 watercolour paintings in various outfits, which were compiled into an album called the Klaidungsbuchlein (Book of Clothes), which is currently housed in a museum in Brunwick. From the book, we know that Schwarz carried heart shaped leather bags in green (the colour of hope) when courting. In later images, he wore black, as opposed to the red of his youth, so as not to apear like mutton dressed up as lamb.




Talking of of which, I thought you might like to see these vintage vanity cases by uoldbag from ShopCurious. Each one is an upcycled old bag which has been individually embellished using iconic images from vintage magazine cuttings to create decorative decoupage. A stylish alternative to bland modern travel bags, they’re also great for keeping lots of girly bits and pieces. They’d make an extravagant and unusual Mothers’ Day gift too, in which case they’re probably best described as ‘retro’ rather than ‘old’. You don’t want to offend Mum’s vanity on her special day.

Do you?