Man About Town

In the past I used to think that men had a bad rap for having a far more limited wardrobe than women. But that was when I was a young and ignorant tadpole and hadn't yet set eyes on real tooled shoes and 1940s knitwear (I'll have you know that I am learning to knit, but it took me several months just to knit a humble beanie, so it'll be a while yet before I can dream of conjuring up some real beauties like these).

Have men always looked so good? Perhaps not quite, but since the humble brogue has been working its way through mainstream culture things are certainly looking sharper around Bond Street. Take a look at the shoes that are stomping all over London right now - many are the same kind of shoes which were being worn a hundred years ago, and made by the same companies, like Grenson and Churches, who are now even making womens ranges and seeing their clientel broaden. This is not to mention the millions of designs that are currently on the highstreet, endeavouring to emulate these show-stoppers.

Not toally related but nevertheless go exceedingly well with a good shoe; a good sweater. A treat for the eyes, this gorgeous menswear ad from tailored brand Brioni is so masculine but also romantic and reminiscent of a 1950s christmas flick. I cant remember how I discovered this company, but Im sure that life has been a little better ever since, you know. Sign up to their mailing list and let their gorgeous monthly newsletters wash over you. Thats what I do. With a flat white.

So I decided that if Im going to be in town I might as well have the correct footwear, and I took the plunge on a pair of Grenson Rose brogues in navy. I must say - so comfortable. Now Ive got my brogues, my sweater - what better way to finish off your new taps with some super sharp accessories? Your first stop for these should be Mavericks, an Australian laces brand who seem to have cottoned on to the void in the life of a shoe-obsessed, tooled-footed individual - they realised that I needed smart as hell laces before I did! I particularly love their styling- who can resist these blue on blue pumps with a cheerly lacey-pop? No, I thought not. The next thing to hope that it comes back in a big way: hats. But more on those another day.

Sources for images used, with thanks :

Brioni sweater // Dapper chappy // Rose brogues // Blue pumps

A Mother Curtain Mission

Hello! I have several half-finished projects that have been hanging around the old abode that I want to finally take on, make some bold decisions about, and be able to ENJOY!
First up - Curtains. I have taken on the challenge of reworking a huge pair of very lovely but rather dull brown and yellow velvet curtains in to something far more exciting. I have spent too long puzzling over how to tackle this problem, until I asked myself 'Are you a textile artist or not?!' and decided to come at the milking cow from a different angle. Armed with a colour palette that will work within the pad, and aspiring to create something a little bit unexpected, I think I am ready to begin cutting. I will also be working with areas of the fabric which are already worn away and discoloured to enhance and make a feature out of them.



Im thinking triangles. After a breif bit of hunting on Pinterest I came up with these four beauties to use as a visual aid. Now, I know that usually when we think of patchwork we think of bedspreads and cushions galore, but what about patchwork curtains? But not flowery, cute cottage stuff - what about a mid-century / contemporary feel with block colours and mixed textures?

Im going to experiment with mixing the short pile brown and yellow velvet with a hot pink and a tangy yellow, with black and some natural linen to add a nice contrast of textures and shades.
These ideas often take me so long to actually realise because I deliberate about whether it will all be "too much" - but then I have to ask myself "well, what's wrong with that?!"

Sources of images used - all via Pinterest :

 Chair // Cushion // Triangle print // Patchwork bedspread