Crackers for Christmas cactus?

Is anyone a grower of cactuses – or should I say cacti? If so, do you have any of the variety that only flower once a year… usually around Christmas time? I’ve been doing a survey of cactuses cacti because they’re such curious plants. I spotted this giant flowering cactus in Sausalito - it must have been at least 10 feet tall.

And below are some scarily spiky cactus leaves seen in Laguna.  I rather like the idea of carving out a message for posterity… but I wouldn’t want to harm the long term health of the natural vegetation (or myself) in the process.

Closer to home, I saw this seriously strange looking specimen at the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Oh, and we’ve got some curiously exotic one-of-a-kind vintage style cactus brooches at ShopCurious. They’re made from upcycled stones, shells and glass - arranged into colourful mosaics by artist-designer Annie Sherburne.

Never mind Christmas, you can give unusual gifts at any time of the year.  And if you’re totally cactus crazy, the British Cactus and Succulent Society produces a quarterly magazine called Cactus World… 

Are you?

Birdland...

Birds are everywhere – all over the world. But some are more exotic than others…

I was entranced by a curiously colourful bird I saw in San Francisco. If you’re curious to find out what it was, read our latest post in The Dabbler.

Meantime, I’ve noticed that parrots and parakeets are popping up all over the place on fashion, jewellery and home accessories. Find out more in our latest Curious Trends post.

And if you’re looking for some arty parrot inspired accessories of your own, do check out these vintage style upcycled jewel brooches at ShopCurious.

Will you?

Slow-tech lifestyle shift?

I was reading Elle Decoration’s recent trend report, which seemed rather like a manifesto for shopping curiously – favouring nature-inspired pieces, along with "humble materials, upcycled treasures and… quilted fabrics."

If you’ve visited central London recently you may not have noticed any move towards frugality, but after the recent riots, we’ve begun to think in a totally different way.




ShopCurious has been pivotal in the shift towards vintage and recycling. We’ve been helping lead consumers towards a less wasteful, more meaningful future - from hi-tech to artisanal; from unnecessary extravagance to provenance…













Trends indicate that a lot more of us are starting to look back to a previous (more reliable) time, when the physical and tangible prevailed… But can we not combine the advantages of modern technology with our old-found knowledge of what works, and what doesn’t, to create innovative, contemporary solutions?




On that note, you may like this curiously quirky, collectable out of print book - Corey Ford’s Guide to Thimking (sic). With over 40 vintage cartoons and groovy graphics on the cover, this ‘humorous handbook for the machine age’ is the height of retroprogressive cool.

Are you?

PS My prescient predictions from September 2010 are also worth re-reading.

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?

Bags of junk for Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentine’s Day! Some think it’s a commercial conspiracy to force unwitting consumers to purchase trashy Valentine gifts…but that rather depends on the type of trash we’re talking about. In one of the most curious new trends, discarded litter and old junk are being upcycled to create collectable clothing, arty accessories and works of design art.

These stunning ‘art bags’ by acclaimed designer, Annie Sherburne, at ShopCurious, are an example of what can be created using found objects. Annie sources high quality vintage handbags, which she embellishes individually, using carefully chosen pieces of everyday junk, worked into painterly collages. As well as bits of vintage jewellery, Annie often uses old watch faces and straps, parts from retro dolls and toys, and quirky tourist memorabilia to decorate her bags.

Incidentally, discarded waste and the filth around us form the subject matter of the Wellcome Collection’s forthcoming major exhibiton, which runs from 24th March until 31st August. Dirt: the Filthy Reality of Everyday Life ‘travels across centuries and continents to explore our ambivalent relationship with dirt’ via photography, cultural ephemera, art, scientific artefacts, film and literature.

Apparently, over half the world’s inhabitants now live in urban areas, and are exposed to the overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and industrial nature of modern life. Dirt poses a significant risk to our health, but is also vital to our existence. The exhibition aims to ‘reveal the fascinating world of filth that remains one of the very last taboos.’

Hmmm, perhaps this wasn’t such a romantic topic to bring up on Valentine’s Day. But then I’m not sure how much fun romance would be without the dirty bits…

Are you?

PS Read more on the messy business of romance in my latest post at The Dabbler.

Swanning around in ballet bling

In the fast moving world of fashion, black swans are already passé. But ballet inspired clothing and accessories are still very much in evidence.

In a new twist on an old idea, Annie Sherburne has created these fabulous ballerina brooches. Their elegant classic swan-style ballet dresses have been upcycled from scraps of original vintage jewellery. The brooches are available from ShopCurious in a range of colours and each brooch is totally unique.



Meantime, here’s some inspiration for later in the year: Ballet dancers not so much swanning as sailing down the catwalk - with balloons as rigging, and billowing, acid bright chiffon dresses as flapping sails...

Dancing en pointe looks a rather precarious business to me… I think it’s curiously clever that none of the girls got into a nasty tangle.

Do you?

PS Check out the crazy new fashion in headwear at my latest Curious Trends post.

Ancient style: found and upcycled

As fate would have it, ancient Egyptian style accessories are all the rage this season. And, if you’re after original Egyptian inspired jewellery, then look no further than ShopCurious. We’ve some lovely pieces that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day and won’t break the bank. What’s more, they’re also curiously collectable, and might even turn into family heirlooms. You never know...









Anyway, these stunningly unusual Nefertiti necklaces have been handmade by acclaimed designer, Annie Sherburne, by upcycling ‘found’ scraps of old jewellery to create an arty mosaic effect. You may not have heard of her, but Annie designed and made jewellery and accessories for Jean Muir for nearly 20 years. A pioneer of contemproary feltmaking, examples of her patterned felt hats can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Musee Des Modes in the Louvre in Paris.




Oh, and if you’re searching high and low for a Valentine gift for the man in your life, we’ve some unique vintage silver and turquoise scarab beetle cufflinks too. The scarab was used extensively on jewellery in ancient Egypt, as a good luck charm to ward off evil - it was seen as a symbol of hope and the restoration of life...

Let's hope that a peaceful resolution to the current unrest in Egypt is achievable.

Will 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?

Retro maps and dashing old dogs

You’ve probably noticed that psychogeography’s in fashion, but did I mention the psychogeography inspired designs by Fake London at ShopCurious? This really comfortable and easy to wear apron style dress, for instance, features a fabulous print of an antiquarian map and the English rose (and there's a scarf in the same fabric too).














Also just in are some new super-soft cashmere cardigans for men, featuring Fake’s trademark Union Jack logo. This cardie definitely qualifies as a timeless modern classic and is a great investment, as it’ll keep you warm for years to come. Something to consider for Fashion's Night In next Monday...



Talking of menswear, I recently produced some of my own DIY design men’s waistcoats, with suede at the front and vintage silk on the reverse side. One of these is made using retro tourist silk scarf fabric featuring a map of Italy. The simple waistcoat style, updated using upcycled offcuts of exotic fabric, looks flattering on everyone from cool young dudes to dashing old dogs.







Which reminds me of the typically quirky Fake London video, showing a British-looking dog getting up to all sorts of curious mischief. Come to think of it a book on the psychogeogaphy of dogs is rather a novel idea. A sort of four legged tour of trees and lamp posts… Might be rather amusing, don’t you think?

Do you?

Mad hats or timeless turbans?

Yesterday my photograph appeared in the ‘What are you wearing?’ column of Sunday Times Style. I was wearing one of my curious hats – a Mad Hatter style creation that was made to my unique specification by talented milliner, Katherine Goodison. I was also wearing a fabulous pair of Vivienne Westwood mauve platform shoes. No, not on my head... at least not on that occasion.









I love theatrical headwear, but it’s not always practical to go out with a precariously balanced hoodoo of haberdashery on one's head. Of course, we’ve a fantastic array of hair accessories at ShopCurious, from simple one size headbands to rare, retro feather hats...







However, I wanted to offer the Curious Cognoscenti something really glamorous, yet also totally comfortable. So I used some DIY design to create these curiously dramatic turbans, which are upcycled from scraps of exotic vintage fabric, and embellished with flower corsages, jewels and feather trimmings. They're available on the website now too.






Turbans were very popular in the golden days of Hollywood. I was wondering if this was because the actresses usually wore wigs and wanted to cover their damaged hair? Turbans are really handy if your hair’s in a bit of a mess – I could certainly have done with one when the photo above was taken.







Turbans are also light to wear and the ones shown here could even be folded up and kept in a handbag, to jazz up an outfit as required.








They're pretty timeless too – and can work as part of a Bohemian casual look, or with more formal, arty attire.











Anyway, I hope you agree that not all hats are mad...

Do you?