Remember, remember...

The fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

I’ve been trying to find out who wrote the English folk verse reminding us of Guy Fawkes’ plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, but to no avail. The poem appears in various forms, but the key lines have survived the centuries intact. In America the same poem is probably now best known for its use in the V for Vendetta film.

It may not be quite so catchy, but ShopCurious’s Poet in Residence, Matt Bryden, has come up with a curiously thought provoking new poem for Bonfire Night:

In the Field of Les Feux d’Artifices

The difference between les gants and les mitaines

is the space accorded each finger.

A warden tends the blaze of stacked pallets. They give

against each other with the emission of heat.

People disperse and we approach the tether,

regaining our lost degrees through proximity.

I hold a can in my hand,

my jacket holds another.

The light is one with the music –

a blur, momentarily focused as we pause.

Do you?

Fashion's hairy moment

In today’s Curious Trends posts, ShopCurious considers why hair-inspired trends are so happening.

Check out our post on uniquely hairy designer accessories…

Discover why vintage hairdressing dummies have become curiously collectable…

Find out why headdresses are the new fascinators…

And see quirky, cutting-edge examples of exotic headgear in our latest post at The Dabbler.

Will you?

Pumpkin curiosities

Happy Halloween from ShopCurious!

If you’re celebrating on the East Coast of the USA, I hope you’re not inundated with water, or without power  - in which case a pumpkin may prove to be a useful candle holder.

I saw pumpkins masquerading as lots of things in American shops – everything from cooking pots and punch bowls to candles, plates and creatively carved decorative table centre pieces.

Thankfully, there was also the real thing in the form of these wonderfully misshapen gourds. 

And at Sonoma’s Cline Cellars, pumpkins lined the driveway, right up the steps…

… to this curious fellow.

But we Brits are catching up in the pumpkin presentation stakes, as I discovered on a recent visit to Elizabeth King’s delicatessen in Parsons Green (see below).

Not sure this was meant for Halloween, but I love this pumpkin coloured lampshade sculpture (photographed at London's Design Junction) too.

Do you?

Halloween curiosities in San Francisco

I’ve never seen so many skeletons and so much spooky stuff as on my recent visit to San Francisco. The lengths people have gone to in decorating their homes and shops for Halloween is most impressive, let alone some of the outfits I saw  - like this frightening fellow at Fisherman’s Wharf (above).

Cobwebs and coffins are in abundance, along with spiders and other creepy crawlies. Mendel’s Far Out Fabrics and Art Supplies shop encourages visitors to make their own costumes – with some curious examples on show (below).

ShopCurious might have expected to see skulls and bones in the window of Haight Street curiosity shop, Loved to Death...

... but not inside Sausalito pilot houses.

By the way, Sonoma’s Sebastiani Theatre is showing a Witchy Poo Halloween Extraganza this weekend, which promises to be curiously camp as well as creepy.  If you’re in the area, do check it out.

Will you?

PS For a tourist trip that will seriously spook you out: ShopCurious visits Alcatraz in our latest post at The Dabbler.

Vintage fashion catalogues giveaway

In advance of Kerry Taylor’s forthcoming vintage fashion auction, I visited the auctioneer’s new premises in London’s Bermondsey. Kerry was in the process of cataloguing and photographing hundreds of items for the sale on Tuesday 16^th October.

The auction includes everything from 1930s tea dresses and 1950s ballgowns to 1980s Mugler suits and antique Chinese robes. Two of the items - a 1970s tiered John Bates dress, and a 1960s Courreges jacket are pictured below.

Kerry kindly gave ShopCurious a couple of catalogues from previous sales – including one containing photographs of a collection of clothing belonging to Audrey Hepburn. 

These are being offered as a giveaway to one of our readers. Simply leave a comment below before 22^nd October in order to be included in the draw for the catalogues.

Will you?

Supersize staging for Superstar...

The thought of spending Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena seeing a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at London’s O2 Arena didn’t exactly fill me with joy. But I was pleasantly surprised by the updated version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world famous ‘70s musical. The grungy costumes weren’t particularly noteworthy, but the reworking of the show is inspired, set as it is in modern day Britain at the time of the riots – and featuring graffiti-daubed flyovers, CCTV cameras and what look to be the steps of St Paul’s.

The original music was belted out at a decibel level high enough to force our host to wear earplugs. The only respite was when Mel C (as Mary Magdalene) sang I Don’t Know How To Love Him. Tim Minchin, as Judas Iscariot, has a monumental stage presence and Ben Forster plays JC like a seasoned pro - though Alex Hanson, as Pontius Pilate, has the gravitas of someone in rather a different league. In any case, it was Chris Moyles, as gaudily dressed game show host King Herod, whose character, singing voice and red suit stole the show.

At the time of writing there are still tickets available for Wembley Arena on Wednesday 17^th October, plus the production is also touring the UK. If you don’t get a chance to catch it, see ShopCurious’s video of the show’s final moments here:

Will you?