My mate Gemma recently sent me an email entitled, "Don't tell me to keep fuckin calm!!!!" in response to the interior world's love affair with the now ubiquitous Keep Calm and Carry On poster. Shortly after, she designed her own reply and posted it on her Flickr account:
She's not the only one getting her knickers in a knot over this British WWII reproduction ... check out the snarkiness going on over at Apartment Therapy, where admittedly every cool apartment and its doghouse seems to have a "Keep Calm" hovering somewhere between their Saarinen tulip table and Eames plastic rocker.
You may remember that I was also pretty excited when the first wave of Keep Calms came out. I first fell for the poster when I spied it at the V&A Museum shop soon after I had moved to London from Australia. In its original red design and within the context of the museum shop, I thought it was clever and unique and brought a smile to my newbie expat dial.
Since then, the trend has exploded and you can now purchase apricot-coloured (apricot?) Keep Calm posters from Etsy, as well as whole host of merchandise ranging from sweatshirts to tote bags.
The latest online shop that’s got everyone talking is UK-based Present & Correct. And rightly so – it’s a veritable treasure trove for stationery fiends and those with a penchant for good design and vintage paper ephemera. The best part is that stock is constantly updated (ahem, every Wednesday) with new finds sourced from around the world, like these delightful animal growth charts from Melbourne:
I'm also loving Present & Correct's inhouse designs, including their A-Z Endangered Species of the British Isles (fast becoming a modern design classic) and their new range of greeting cards.
Just in time for London Fashion Week, Ms Fifi Lapin - the most fashion-forward bunny in the city - has launched her very own website and online shop. There's a brand new t-shirt as well as an excellent range of drawings and limited edition prints. Prices start at US$30 for a print, and US$45 for the t-shirt.
Oh Marylebone, how I do love thee? Let me count the ways.* Actually, I’ve already waxed lyrical several times over some of the ways – via some of the best independent shops in London that call Marylebone home. And here’s another one to add to that list: Content Beauty/Wellbeing (quite a timely addition being Organic Fortnight and all, making a visit to Imelda Burke’s luxury eco beauty boutique all the more relevant).
Content Beauty/Wellbeing is the first of its kind in London, with a carefully edited selection of certified organic skincare and make-up gracing its certified sustainable wooden shelves. You can rest assured there’s not a smidgen of synthetic nasties in here, with Imelda paying more than lipservice to her ecological commitment. Not only does she choose each brand for their superior organic properties, but she also thoroughly investigates their eco-credentials through each stage of production.
It’s impressive stuff, and so is the boutique itself, with cupboard doors made from recycled vending machine coffee cups, and vintage powder compacts serving as door handles. It’s a curiously inviting modern space, where the minimalist sexy black walls (organic paint, natch) merge with a collage of found objects, old-fashioned botanical illustrations, Victorian postcards and pressed flowers. I also love the collection of Imelda’s vintage hand mirrors from the 20s and 50s, which are hung on the wall next to the Jane Iredale make-up counter. Such a lovely way to admire your new look.
Then there’s the 1920s photo album/sketch book which Imelda found at a market and uses as the store’s mailing list book. Flick through the pages of customers’ details and you’ll find the odd page with an endearing drawing or painting by the original owner.
Check out the website for online shopping and more info about the treatment room downstairs which offers excellent Dr Alkaitis facials (as Jess G. from Cult Beauty said, it’s the only place in London to get them).
* With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who is actually a former resident of Marylebone (at 50 Wimpole Street) and married Robert Browning at St Marylebone Parish Church.
Emilio Pucci silk bird print dress, £950, from Browns. (I know, it's hardly credit-crunch-sensitive, but a girl's gotta be inspired - and dream - right?)
Browns 24-27 South Molton Street London W1K 5RD Tel. 020 7514 0016
A/W 2008 Marni has arrived online, and I'm lusting over the new line-up of chunky bracelets, each with Marni's trademark retro-inspired graphic simplicity and contrasting colours and textures. The horn and resin pieces are particularly exquisite, and I love the cotton-covered pieces as well. According to Marni, their jewellery is "handmade in Italy using only natural and creative materials coming from all over the world." I'm not sure if that means the horn has been ethically sourced, but here's hoping.
Danielle Proud, interior designer, Sunday Times columnist and all-round crafty girl, has transformed a Georgian townhouse in central London into a multi-themed house to showcase the versatility of carpet. I love the graphic, floral-cut patchwork sections that are used as the staircase runner. And the moose's head? It's carpet, too. The kids' room has been given a jungle makeover, and features a carpet bookcase and a flower-pot chair. Check out the Fun on the Floor website for more info.
for a wee while, and right now I should be hitting the beach in Sardinia. Hurrah! But I've pre-planned some posts and they should be rolling out this week. Hope you like. See you when I get back!
You know, it’s very possible that true satisfaction can be described as nabbing the very last carrot cake of the day at Dover Street Market’s Rose Bakery. Each individual tower is a tiny piece of perfection, and is best enjoyed with a cup of tea whilst gazing out over the grey rooftops of Mayfair.
The generous crown of cream cheese icing is extraordinary and its slightly sour edge is balanced beautifully by the spicy, nutty cake.
Everything is baked daily on-site at Rose Bakery, the London outpost of the Parisian café, where you’ll find trays of freshly baked chocolate brownies and scones joining the changing menu of light lunches like quiches and salads.
Things can get pretty busy during the lunch time crush, where you’re likely to spot an assortment of major designers, staff from nearby Conde Nast and so-hip-it-hurts shoppers jostle for space on the long communal tables. Better to go earlier or later in the day, and head for the table for two by the window, or, weather permitting, the table out on the balcony.
And for the perfect souvenir, why not take home a copy of Rose Bakery co-founder Rose Carrarini's book, Breakfast, Lunch, Tea.
Rose Bakery Top floor at Dover Street Market 17-18 Dover St, London W1 Tel: 020 7518 0680
To kick-start this brand-new series, we asked Jess Gearheart, creative director and blog editor of uber-cool new online women's beauty destination, Cult Beauty, to share her London secrets with Wee Birdy readers. And my, she's really spilled on the good stuff ... Dig in, my dears.
Favourite London shops? "One of my favourites is now closed. It was Mootich shoe shop on Elizabeth Street. Katarina's shoes were hand-crafted and stunningly gorgeous and the little studio was so welcoming and Dickensian in size and feel ... perfect. Sari shops on Brick Lane and Southall for their endless vibrant fabrics and row upon row of sparkling bangles. Huntsman and Henry Poole on Savile Row because they're some of the last true tailors left on a street that is swiftly filling up with posers trading falsely on the Savile Row name. Ormonde Jayne because it's diminutive and black and filled with marvellous scents. The Village Deli in Highgate because they make American-style coffee."
Best for a bargain? "A bargain? Does it exist in London? I always make a beeline for the 'Buy Now or Regret It Forever' rack at Topshop (in the back right corner of the basement) and have bought some of my coolest pieces there. If you can stomach the insanity of the sample sales, check out Fashion Confidential or Urban Junkies for the best and most up-to-date listings. The Century Theatre in Westbourne Grove always has something going on (Paul & Joe, Temperley, Matthew Williamson et al) and so does The Music Room on South Molton Lane (i.e. Hermes, Prada)."
A Music Room sale
Best for vintage? "Annie's on Camden Passage for dresses and Blondie/Absolute Vintage on Commercial Street for accessories and shoes. Go to charity shops in the country for real bargains because you won't find them in London. Vintage does not come cheap in the Big Smoke. Actually, now that I think about it, Change of Heart in Crouch End is great for vintage finds, as it's off the beaten track. I found the most beautiful DVF dress with tags still on marked down to 100 quid. Still, like I said, not terribly cheap. You could also try The Button Lady in Hampstead." Best for fashion? "Matches for Sum Fortune shoes. Spitalfields Market for one-off dresses and jackets. COS for simple, essential pieces like ballet flats, shift dresses, vests and jeans. And they sell slips! GAP for summer sandals (because they have a brilliant European design team). Wolford on South Molton Street for the best opaque tights. You can buy an entire, beautiful wardrobe from those stores and, although it's not, it'll look super expensive and put-together."
Sum Fortune shoes.
Best for jewellery? "Blondie for vintage jewels; Kabiri on Marylebone High Street for precious and semi-precious stones; and Tatty Devine on Brick Lane for quirky pieces like cassette tape brooches, name plate necklaces or Rob Ryan cut-outs. Astley Clarke is the best online jeweller in town and will deliver same-day courier service and gift-wrapped. Belmacz does the most beautiful high-end pieces. So does Alexandra Jefford and she takes commissions."
Best for stationery? "Liberty and Hazlitz. Liberty for traditional stuff and brands like Billet Doux and Hazlitz for cool stuff no one else will have."
Best for beauty? "Facials: Monique Horsey (great at extractions) or Sarah Chapman for facials. Una Brennan and Vaishaly Patel are good too but you need to book waaaaaaaay in advance for those ladies. Nails: Teresa Smith because she'll come to you. Get a buffed finish. It last longer. Hair: Karine Jackson for colour and I usually cut my own hair (yes, I know I shouldn't). Shopping online: Cult Beauty for the best beauty finds online without having to dig around for them, of course. The Cult Beauty blog or Vogue.co.uk for beauty news. Shopping in-store: If I want to browse in-store I go to Urban Retreat, Space NK, Lost in Beauty or Content Beauty/Wellbeing [Top Bird: shop tour of Content Beauty/Wellbeing coming soon!]. Content Beauty/Wellbeing is an all-natural shop with the best selection of natural and organic products I've ever seen, both online and in-store. And they do Dr. Alkaitis facials, which no one else in London does. Spas: Bloww does great massages, Bliss is good for a New Yorker who misses her American spa treatments and Origins do mini-facials in-store, as do Simple (both based in Covent Garden). Fragrance: Les Senteurs for hard-to-find fragrances or Ormonde Jayne in the Royal Arcade for my go-to scents, Frangipani and Ormonde Woman. Eyebrows and lashes: Vanda Serrador or Vaishaly for threading and Sue Marsh for Eye-tec false eyelashes. Marsh does the most artistic and cool lashes in town. She'll come to you or you can visit her at Daniel Galvin in Marylebone. They'll stay on for a Very. Long. Time. Waxing: Otylia Roberts or Bloww. Just go. Otylia is the best. She does the least painful Brazilian in Europe. Bloww is the second least painful."
Content Beauty/Wellbeing.
Best London souvenir? "Until it opens in New York, a Topshop dress and accessories; Organic Pharmacy shampoo and conditioner; BECCA concealer and beach tints [pick them up at Harvey Nichols]; sugar mice; Cadbury Flake; and new music that hasn’t arrived in the U.S. (Adele is just making it stateside)."
Favourite place to eat? "There are four: Afghan Kitchen for a cheap night out and BYOB; the Grain Shop when I'm in west London and want a mound of healthy food (and sweets) to take away; Ottolenghi for brunch and 32 Old Bailey (but only on Balkan Fever night!) for a night of silly dancing. Also, on a sunny day I wouldn't complain if a mate invited me for Pimm’s and nibbles and poolside fun on the roof of Shoreditch House."
Salads at Ottolenghi.
Your number one London shopping secret? "Stay away from Portobello Market. It's a waste of time, money and energy. Visit the other ones instead and go either really early or really late. There's no other city in the world with the street market culture of London. There's Columbia Road for flowers, Borough for food, Camden Passage for antiques and so many other smaller local ones (e.g. Broadway Market in Hackney et al)."
