Tailored and timeless: Oakwell Couture

 

Omg! London Fashion Week starts tomorrow. I always forget which season it is and which season is coming up, though I’m not sure that’s so important?

Just before my recent break from blogging, ShopCurious was invited to British couturier Nicholas Oakwell’s glamorous catwalk show at Claridge's. It’s so refreshing to see stylish and timelessly elegant clothing that is simply impossible to replicate in chain stores or on the internet. And to see a salon complete with grand piano, dressed with orchids - and scented by Roja Dove candles.

The workmanship that goes into creating these garments is extraordinary. Oakwell’s latest collection combined Art Deco elegance with vintage Victorian touches.Couture dresses and jackets featured feathers, fur, frills, pleating, bold geometric designs - there was also ruching, and even the odd ruff (not sure if that’s an Art Deco, or even a Victorian fashion trend for that matter). There were also retro hair rolls aplenty. But my favourite dresses were the ones that sparkled… Yes, I’m a sucker for sequins – and chandeliers - just see how they shine in my video:

Will you?

PS Here’s Oakwell Couture's video of the complete collection (without the added shimmer!)

Goodbye to the Games...

  

I feel rather sad that the London 2012 Olympics are almost over – not least because the traffic in town will start to return to normal. It seems to have been remarkably light for the duration of the games, at least in the west of the capital.

But if you haven’t quite had your fill of sport this year, ShopCurious recommends another exhibition at The Design Museum:

Designed to Win runs until 18th November and is all about speed, power and performance. You’ll see everything from Formula 1 cars to designer training shoes, starting blocks, racing bikes and paralympic kit – including wheelchairs and running blades.

 

 

I won’t be too sad to say goodbye to these curious fellows - though I’m not sure who’s scarier in this photograph...

Are you?


PS If you're well and truly Olympicked out, why not join in our debate on monogamy and marriage over at The Dabbler.

Digital experiments with crystal

An exciting new exhibition opens in London tomorrow, focusing on the changing nature of our relationship with objects over time. ShopCurious takes a tour of Digital Crystal: Swarovski at the Design Museum in our latest Curious Trends post. Meantime, here are a few taster images of some of the designers with their exhibits, photographed by David Levene for Swarovski.

Pandora by Fredrikson Stallard

Blur by Philippe Malouin

Holo Center Table by Marcus Tremonto

The Monument by Hilda Helstrom

Osmosis Interactive Arena by Arik Levy

By the way, there’s a lot more to see at the Design Museum.  It’s all good - and definitely worth a visit.

Will You?

A winning wardrobe

I haven’t watched any of the Paralympic Games yet, but I hear we’re winning lots of medals. On the night of the opening ceremony, I was out at an event launching something entirely different – the new BuyMyWardrobe pre-loved luxury designer fashion website.

I stayed long enough to hear owner, Kai's speech about the "luxe recycling revolution," and to do a little bit of networking.

I met the lovely shoe blogger Sabrina Johnson of Sabrina Suggests and bumped into Stella of Stella’s Wardrobe (check out the cute new illustrations on her blog).
 

 

In honour of our paralympic athletes, I thought I’d wear my Union Jack dress, teamed up with a recycled vintage bag from ShopCurious. I wasn’t the only one dressed patriotically: A curiously charming kilt-wearing milliner insisted on having his photograph taken with me.

Then I dashed home to catch the remainder of the Paralympics opening ceremony. Read my review (including views on the Paralympic uniforms) in today’s post at The Dabbler.

Will you?

The vintage art of typewriting

I was moseying around an antiques fair in Buxton Pavillion Gardens in Derbyshire over the weekend, when I stumbled upon a curiously characterful vintage find..

.An Underwood portable typewriter, still in its carrying case – and bearing the original warranty. This magnificent machine must surely have been the iPad of its day?

There’s no date on the typewriter or the case, but the dealer suggested this model dates from around 1929. Unusually, the shift and caps keys are in Eastern European typeface - can someone please let ShopCurious know which language this is?

Anyway, it brought back memories of layers of coloured copy paper – yellow, pink, green and blue… and multiple Tipp-ex papers to erase errors.

Oh, and forget iPad art a la David Hockney: What about this story from Oddity Central about Paul Smith, an artist with severe cerebral palsy, who creates the most extraordinary art using an old fashioned typewriter.

Who needs modern technology…


Do you?

Vintage Scout games...

A slightly longer than expected break from blogging to spend time with my ailing father, who sadly died a couple of weeks ago…

 
 
Anyway, it’s good to be back. You may wish to check out our latest Curious Trends posts.

And if you want to know what Prince Harry has in common with the Boy Scouts, take a look at my post today over at The Dabbler.


 




Talking of Scouts, we’ve some curiously collectable Scout memorabilia at ShopCurious, including vintage books that will come in handy if you’re organizing your own alternative Olympic Games – or are already suffering from games nostalgia.

Are you?

Medal-worthy or mundane?

There’s nothing curious about Stella McCartney, except that her newly opened store in London’s Fulham Road is curiously large – especially at a time when so many of the older established shops in the area (think Betty Jackson) have closed down.

Of course, McCartney has a famous father, whose voice seems to have gone off the boil at bit – though I suppose Hey Jude does have an Olympic chorus at the end... With all her unnatural advantages, I was trying exceptionally hard to not like the Olympic designer du jour - until I heard her in interview, earlier this year, at the Vogue Festival.

What a lovely lady – so down to earth and supremely sensible sounding.

Anyway, ShopCurious would like to hear your views on her designs. Personally, I find them magnificently mundane. But perhaps you think they’re medal-worthy?

Do you?