Gifts of love and remembrance

Love is enduring: love remains, after all else has gone...

The inspiration for Hannah Whyman’s beautifully handmade curios, currently available at ShopCurious, comes from Victorian memento mori jewellery. These curiously unique accessories, often in the form of ornamental lockets, included photographs of the dearly departed, sometimes with carefully preserved furls of hair.







The Latin phrase memento mori literally translates as, “remember you must die” and, in past times, served as a reminder of our mortality, of human frailty and the awful consequences of wrong-doing, or transgressing the moral code of a religion. The concept has been a motivation for art and artefacts, including jewellery, since antiquity.





The prospect of death emphasizes the transience of earthly pleasures and achievements, and the ultimate emptiness of life’s luxuries and fleeting indulgences. The enduring power of love in the face of otherwise insurmountable obstacles, forces of nature - even death - is a common theme of many great literary works and cinematic masterpieces, like one of my all time favourites, Dr Zhivago.

What better gift than a special keepsake to remind one of the lasting strength and beauty of love? These exquisite, individually handcrafted pieces are made with loving care, from recycled miscellany - like antique postcards, glass flowers, curiosities, charms, Victorian lace and vintage Valentines. What’s more, they make the most wonderfully romantic Valentine gifts - full of quirky, homespun charm and precious memories. If you’re looking for a timeless, heirloom gift, for future generations to cherish, then look no further.

And remember - true love is forever...

Will you?

Punk style love

Could the global recession have sparked off the new trend of fashion featuring national flags? In the UK, our Union Jack flag gained pop-art style status in the 1960s. Then, from the mid-1970s, punks adopted the flag, making it the object of their disaffection towards the prevailing culture and the establishment. Punk-style clothing and accessories have reappeared over the years in various, increasingly commercial, guises. However, only a faithful few have maintained a life long love affair with all things punk.




I spotted punk devotee, Rob, (left), at my local art school. He was wearing the classic punk uniform of bondage trousers and brothel creepers (both pin-striped in this case - see below). I was curious to know what he did with his hair when he went to bed. Did he flatten it down, or cover it up so as not to poke his partner in the eye during the night? Rob matter-of-factly informed me that when he went to bed he simply went to sleep. He wasn’t overly chatty, so I thanked him for allowing me to take his picture and hastily made my retreat.







In the late ‘70s, punks, infamous for promoting anarchist messages in their music and accessorizing their clothing with anti-establishment symbols, were seen as being aggressive types – “keep out of the way of those punks”, your mother might say. It’s rather ironic that, nowadays, far from being seen as a threat, old-style punk rockers are considered to be an established part of our British heritage.



When you look back at video footage of punk rock bands, like the Sex Pistols, the members actually look quite clean-cut young chaps…rather like older schoolboys trying to be a little outré in their dress. Perhaps it’s the influence of glam-rock, but the jumpers in this clip of God Save the Queen look positively camp, compared to the popular impression of punks as snarling, hostile aggressors. Just because they’re making a radical cultural and fashion statement, doesn’t mean that punks are necessarily antagonistic people. Most of them are probably just as peaceful and friendly as Rob.

I’ve also noticed that, although many punks choose extreme hairstyles, clothing and unusual accessories, (like safety-pin piercings), they don’t always look as though they feel entirely at ease with their appearance. Even now, several decades after the arrival of punk, and with totally outrageous designs on catwalks the world over, punks still seem a tad uncomfortable in their own skin. I wonder if it would help punks feel more comfortable and accepted, if they knew we actually regard them as something akin to national treasures?




Anyway, back to trends, and flags…. and ShopCurious, where we’ve got a fabulous vintage Union Jack enamelled ring with faux ruby gem-stones: Perfect if you’re looking for punk-style Valentine gifts, or just feeling slightly overcome with patriotism or nostalgia.

Are you?

Slow love - it's groovy baby!

Though I’m a little too young to remember, there are plenty of references in music, literature and other art forms to the ‘groovy love’ that students, hippy and free-spirited types enjoyed in the 1960s and ’70s. To ‘make love not war’ sounds like a sensible way of saving money – and, possibly, lives... but could there be curiously karmic consequences to all this free love?




The other day I was at a dinner and, seated around my table, were seven other women of a certain age. It transpired that six out of eight of us were childless. You tend to find that women who’ve artfully (…or perhaps I should say artificially) avoided having children are relatively well educated, compared to a social underclass that, in the main, continues to do what comes naturally with wanton abandon. But whose choice is cleverer?

What lessons have any of us really learned from our newfound sexual freedom? Why doesn’t the constant pressure for progress take into account things that simply can’t be changed – namely, the basic facts of our biology: women have babies and men don’t.

It can be fun trying to bend the rules, but words sung by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders in the ‘60s hit The Game of Love seem cruelly pertinent:

The purpose of a man is to love a woman,
And the purpose of a woman is to love a man,
So come on baby let's start today, come on baby let's play
The game of love, love, la la la la la love

It started long ago in the Garden of Eden
When Adam said to Eve, baby, you're for me
So come on baby let's start today, come on baby let's play
The game of love, love, la la la la la love

Come on baby 'cause the time is right
Love your daddy with all your might
Put your arms around me, hold me tight
Play the game of love


Shortly after this recording, the Mindbenders lost Wayne Fontana, moving on to find a new and Groovy Kind of Love. Meantime, as we cyber-speed our way towards St Valentine’s Day, I thought you might appreciate this nostalgic flashback to slightly slower grooving times.

By the way, we’ve got some original, hippy chic-style slow design in the form of these curiously cool retro shades at ShopCurious: They’d be great as a Valentine gift, for someone who'd appreciate a rose tinted view of the world, or who just happens to be feeling groovy...

Which reminds me of that song by Simon and Garfunkel, telling us we’re ‘moving too fast’:

On recent viewing, many wives and children (and songs for wives and children) later, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (as seen in this video) are beginning to look rather like the oldest swingers in town. Perhaps they could do with slowing down, along with the rest of us. Surely, the true game of love involves savouring every moment and everything that life has to offer… and taking time to consider the consequences of our actions?

Will you?

Accessories of love?

I was going to talk about the forthcoming celebration of Burns Night, of revelry and all sorts of quirky, fun accessories like sporrans, kilt pins and brooches. However, the horrors in Haiti have thrown me completely off kilter (excuse the pun). This sort of occurrence makes us reassess our lives. What really matters – our family, our friends, our material worth? It makes me wonder if even our clothes are important, let alone the concept of fashion, or jewellery.

Why isn’t there a universal set of rules in the event of a natural disaster? Why should anyone be reduced to an anarchic, Lord of the Flies type, scenario? How about a job for everyone in an emergency situation – and some guidance as to what to do if everyone else around us dies? Meantime, we're left feeling pretty powerless, after being told there’s nothing we can do to help survivors across the sea - apart from sending money - when what we’d like to offer is tangible love and support like hugs, food, water, shelter and hot baths.

Of course, a few decades ago, we wouldn’t even have known about distant seismic activity, until it was far too late to be of any assistance. The problem now is that, despite all our economic and technical progress, and all the power of modern communications, we’re still at the mercy of our geography and the earth’s basic elements. The best we can do is to educate and co-ordinate ourselves to try to cope as effectively as humanly possible in natural disasters – though, surely, more could be done in the way of teaching, organization and self-sufficiency?

Which brings me back to the ancient Celts. They coped with adverse weather conditions and difficult terrain and survived long before and after the Romans left our shores. Their society was based upon class and kinship, on tribes and clans – the very structures that seem to be neglected today. Hardly surprising then, that gang culture should be emerging out of the fragments of our former society?





I’ve digressed quite a lot, so I’ll get back to my main point, that the embellishment of clothes is a luxury. Accessories aren’t essential, so why not recycle them and invest in vintage bags, belts, jewellery and adornments? For instance, I can recommend this stylishly-plumed, old-fashioned Scottish kilt pin from ShopCurious, if you’re planning a bit of a highland fling on the 25th, and you don’t want your kilt flying open all over the place.







Anyway, I’ll leave you to slope off to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond for a spot of haggis to consider this food for thought. I expect you’ll be taking the high road…

Will you?

Back in London, city of snow...

Last night I sat snuggled up in a warm cinema and, amidst a symphony of snivels from the audience, was mesmerized by scenes of sunshine pouring over the parched coastal terrain of Southern Australia. It was a harsh reality to wake up to snow in London this morning. Apparently, last night was Canberra’s warmest in 27 years...









I had a meeting in the City, so used the opportunity to take a few snaps of London, as I travelled along – it looked really beautiful in the snow. I might even use one of these for next year’s ShopCurious Christmas card.







Anyway, in case you’re curious, the film I saw was The Boys Are Back, and is based on the memoirs of journalist, Simon Carr. It stars Clive Owen as a sports reporter and father, struggling to bring up his young son, following the death of his wife. It’s essentially a film about the grieving process and the psychological effects of abandonment and bereavement upon children.

As funny as it is moving, the film, due out shortly, is definitely worth a visit to the cinema for - especially if it’s nice and cosy inside. Wrap up in warm clothing, buy some popcorn and escape to sunnier climes – but do remember to take your hankies.

Will you?

Sale-ing back to the nineties

The 1990s were all about dressing up. The beginning of the decade was still dominated by power shoulder pads and corseted cocktail dresses. It was the age of the ‘ladies that lunch’, whose ever more extravagant wardrobe needs were catered for by glamorous designers like Isabell Kristensen, shown here on the way to Royal Ascot in the mid ‘90s.











Being amongst the first to realize there'd be a '90s revival, we’ve a simply stunning collection of clothes and matching accessories from the era on sale at ShopCurious. What’s more, now ‘the nineties are vintage’, we’ve decided to slash our Winter sale prices for 1990s fashions from the likes of Isabell, plus many other stars of the decade, like Bruce Oldfield, Julien Macdonald, Celine, Genny, Marni and Voyage.




This lime green satin three piece by Kristensen, for instance, is down from £550 to £350 and there’s a sparkling Swarovski crystal studded Julien Macdonald knitted number (below left) that’s reduced by a whopping £550.


Genny was a very popular label in the ‘90s, and we’ve some curiously classic pieces - including this fabulously sweeping black and white striped, strappy silk petticoat-style dress. There are also some extraordinary shoes by Tom Ford for Gucci, Prada and Vivienne Westwood.















Later in the decade, styles became much less formal and structured - the trend towards more organic clothing being led by the Mazzillis, of Voyage fame - along with other newcomers, such as Christa Davis, who also specialized in bias-cut designs, hand-dyed and recycled fabrics.




I had my own little excursion back to the ‘90s, when I discovered some rather curious photos – including this one of me looking like a startled ostrich in a hat made by Nicholas Oakwell, pictured above with Isabell (and now a talented designer in his own right). I have a feeling this curious creation is still lurking somewhere at the back of my wardrobe, waiting to be retrieved for current day use. On second thoughts, I think some aspects of ‘90s style are just a tad too scary to even contemplate reviving.

Do you?

The curious art (and psychology) of giving

Did you receive any really curious gifts over Christmas? The gifts we're given sometimes say a lot more about the giver(s) than they do about us. I decided to take a closer look at a few of my Christmas gifts and carry out a little analysis, based upon some of the principles used to select the unique and unusual gifts on offer at ShopCurious.







1) Book entitled Liberty by Garrison Keillor:- The curiously colourful and arty cover is certainly impressive and definitely gets my vote. The giver must know that I've rather a soft spot for Keillor’s quirky fictional community of Lake Wobegon, otherwise the choice of author seems a little off-beat, or perhaps I should say unique. Not a signed collectors’ edition and will probably be read once only, but afterwards, can always be passed on to friends, relatives, a charity shop, or the local recycling centre. Should be an entertaining read... I'll let you know.





2) Buckingham Palace soap-dish and facecloth:- This certainly made me laugh, especially as it’s so typical of the givers – no, not the Queen and Prince Philip, but let us call them Lord and Lady B. The soap actually smells rather nice, in an undistinguished, soapy sort of way - and this would look great in a country/seaside cottage. I’m not sure quite how it will work in a modern apartment – but perhaps it’s something for the guest loo… Not of immediate investment value, but maybe one for the time capsule?




3) Cream bangle bearing the words ‘frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn’ (also bearing a rather regal crown logo – what does this say about me?) :- This bracelet has instant amusement appeal, especially as it’s curiously appropriate to wear whilst toiling over the Christmas lunch. I have a feeling this may be one of those expensive designer accessories that’s probably much sought after in certain circles, but once worn and seen by everybody, the joke may start to wear a little thin. Perhaps the giver was motivated by one of my six secrets of timeless style: "Don’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks – what you wear is entirely up to you - your personal style is timeless." As for longevity, this item may have limited value as vintage plastic-posing-as-scrimshaw costume jewellery in decades to come.



4) Ion activated liquid heat pack for shoulders and neck:- This is a really useful gift for someone who sits for hours on end in front of a computer, or insists upon subjecting their body to grueling exercise classes. As I'm guilty of both these pastimes, this will be very much appreciated (plus it could also double up as a hot water bottle during the freezing weather). And it's also divinely lavender-scented. The pack is activated by pressing a disc inside, whereupon a chemical reaction takes place and the liquid inside gets hot, staying warm for half an hour or so. The pack then has to be boiled to de-solidify the contents before using again. That sounds a little inconvenient – and I guess this is something of a depreciating asset, as it will suffer some deterioration at every boiling and eventually have to be thrown away … hmm, despite the ‘natural ingredients’, I’m not sure exactly how eco-friendly this one is.



5) Silk scarf, designed by Grayson Perry for the Tate Modern:- Wow! This gift is curiously cool, quirky, cultured, fabulously arty and amusing! Apparently, in the Second World War, pilots were given maps printed on silk to help them escape if they were shot down over enemy territory. The scarf is billed as a ‘social and cultural map to help aspiring artists navigate the hostile territory on their way to being accepted by the establishment’ – and depicts the many famous artists who can help them live along the route.









More than a tad autobiographical, this scarf is a work of art, with provenance and real investment potential – so possibly already selling at a premium on eBay. A collectors’ item, rather than something to wear, this timeless piece (so long as it’s not eaten by moths or dribbled with soup), wins hands down over some of my other gifts – as can be seen below (marks out of 5 in each category):

	Book	Soap dish	Bangle	Heat pack	Silk scarf
Unique	1	1	1	1	4
Practical	3	3	2	5	3
Timeless	3	2	2	0	4
Curious/quirky	2	2	3	2	5
Investment potential	0	1	1	0	5
Amusement factor	4?	3	3	2	5

Totals: book 13, soap dish 12, bangle 12, heatpack 10, silk scarf 26
All scores subjective (try it yourself)

Not wishing to lose any friends, I'd better point out that, ultimately, it’s not the gift that counts, but the thought. I'd like to sincerely thank the givers referred to above: You know I love you all dearly - and I'm looking forward to many more of your distinctively different gifts in years to come … though, curiously, I tend to find there’s often more pleasure in the giving than the receiving.

Do you?