Curious shopping trends

It’s dark by 4.0 pm, it’s raining, and the high street is a depressingly familiar sight...

But what would you like to see instead of the bright lights of Poundland?

This weekend ShopCurious has an alternative shopping showcase:





At Curious Trends, we’ve a feature on one of London’s most unique curiosity shops – LASSCO at Brunswick House. This architectural salvage emporium is perfect for anyone renovating a home, or simply on the look out for quirky antiques and retro memorabilia (though probably not for a pound).

Over at The Dabbler, we visit curiously colourful and retro-progressive Brixton Market, where you’ll find slow food, ethnic homewares and fabulous vintage fashion.

And we also take a peek at the hi-tech future of retail – just look at this virtual Tesco Homeplus store in South Korea. People in Seoul are shopping from the walls of the subway…

Are you?

A curious sense of deja vu

Sometimes when I read the newspapers I get a curious sense of déjà vu. Take this evening when I actually managed to get hold of a copy of the Evening Standard – no longer available from any local newsagent I have ever been to, but always a much prized read.

When I saw that Meg Mathews referred to her new home (sadly damaged in a recent fire) as her ‘pop box’ I was reminded of some articles I’d just published (see the previous post). And, of course, of my former boutique Fashion Gallery, as shown in this photograph from 'vintage' magazine Woman's Journal (circa 2000), with its spiral staircase - plus some curiously colourful floral wallpaper in the background.




Decipher eye-roglyphics – ah yes, we’ve covered curious eyes and all things Egyptian in recent Curious Trends posts.

“V&A has a ball with posh frocks of past 60 years” – well, we’ve been wearing posh frocks for ages (though perhaps not quite that long). And what’s more ShopCurious is selling some wonderful ballgowns and dresses by the likes of royal couturiers Belville Sassoon and Gina Fratini amongst others.

As for India Knight’s Passion for Pink in her Chalk Farm home - we did suggest that Barbara Cartland would make the perfect style icon for 2011.

So who is our icon for 2012, and what trends will we be predicting…

Curious?

Are you?

Curious folk trends

Does anyone remember the vintage BBC children’s television programme called Tales from Europe? There was a scary Soviet version of The Snow Queen – and the strangely haunting Singing Ringing Tree. I mention this because folk tales have been a major source of inspiration for fashion and home accessories designers’ forthcoming collections.

At ShopCurious, we’ve also got a bit of a folksy theme in the run up to Christmas. Our curiously colourful hand painted Babushka dolls (right) make really unique tree decorations, and would be great as an unusual gift.



We’ve also got a selection of dramatic vintage gowns for dressy Christmas parties – including fabulous, folk-style pieces from Gina Fratini and Thea Porter Couture.

Anyway, here are some little snippets of the Snow Queen - and the (not so) New Adventures of Heidi, to get you in the mood for what’s to come…

Are you?

Fireworks and reflections

With rain forecast, I was expecting Bonfire Night to be a total washout. But I was pleasantly surprised to see one of the most spectacular fireworks displays ever (well, since the last most spectacular one anyway). And not a drop of rain.

London’s Hurlingham Club fireworks take some beating – especially if viewed from across the river. Best of all, you don’t have to be a member of the club, and second best of all, you get to see twice the fireworks for your money (in fact for no money, as it’s free).

The reason I say twice the fireworks, is because there’s also a reflection in the River Thames. It’s not quite the same as being there, but these photographs, which remind me of something from a Turner painting, will give you an idea…



























And here's what the fabulous finale looked like:

By the way, shadows, reflections and outlines are some of the curious trends that ShopCurious predicts we’ll be seeing much more of in fashion and interiors over the coming seasons. It’s all to do with having the curiosity factor…

Do you?

A time for heroes...

I bought a Poppy from Gunner George yesterday. Last year he raised £6,278.42 for the Poppy Appeal.

Why did this bring to mind the old fashioned curiosity shops (something of a dying breed) featured in Philip Woolway’s photography at ShopCurious? Curiously, amidst all the clutter of one such junk shop, stands a rather forlorn looking portrait of David Beckham. The image is called A Time for Heroes.








It’s good to remember who the real heroes are... lest we forget.

Will you?

Halloween fashion and fitness fun

My efforts to avoid Halloween related activities over the weekend were thwarted. What I love about sporty people is that they’re always ready to make an occasion out of any opportunity, especially if it involves dressing up and having fun.

Even after two hours of Zumba partying, the fabulous folk at Maloca in Putney were happy to pose for a photograph in their strangely sweaty Halloween outfits.






















And at my local gym, curiously creative Terry (formerly a fashion designer) from the front desk had produced a work of art from a pumpkin, as well as re-styling the fixtures and fittings, with the addition of spiders, zombies and other corpse-like curiosities.






















Our lovely instructor, Kien, also got into the spirit of things by handing out horribly unhealthy sweets at the end of a Body Attack class. How thoughtful…

Anyway, now I'm going to try and hide myself away from trick or treaters for the rest of the day. If I wear a designer morphsuit no one will see me, will they?

Have a happy Halloween!

Will you?

PS Check out ShopCurious's latest Curious Trends post for more quirky, cover-up clothing…

Let them eat Dodo cake...

Last night’s Experimental Food Society event at the Victoria and Albert Museum was full of surprises – even for ShopCurious.

Curious culinary trends included food landscapes and architecture, vegetable cupcakes and edible fashion.

But it was remarkable sugar artist and cake sculptor, Michelle Wibowo, who stole the show. Who would ever have imagined that a curiously cute kid with a passion for baking would grow up to create a severed head cake for a Halloween birthday party?


























Wibowo's latest curiosity cake creation was a giant Dodo, made especially for the Experimental Food Society’s annual ‘Spectactular’ in London last weekend. I say was, because last night we ate it.

And here she is performing the cutting ceremony:

I bet you want to know what Dodo tastes like?

Do you?