Making Life more Beautiful
I mentioned that, in a small way, my striped T shirt jumper had been inspired by Sonia Rykiel who died a couple of months ago. She had been suffering from Parkinsons for many years. Following my last vintage knitwear designer … Continued
Just before we go into SWAP (which may turn out to be all about Gus) I thought I would make something nice for me. I found a pattern by Lanvin-Castillo, who is not a double barrelled designer, but the name … Continued
I bought a lovely old jacket pattern on eBay. Weldons (“For a wide choice of simple styles”) was formed in 1879 and was Britain’s first major pattern company. It seems to associate menswear with pipe smoking, but these nice patterns … Continued
A few weeks ago I posted a picture of my grandson on his first day at primary school. He looked a little bewildered that day and a number of you took pity on him. Wouldn’t that ridiculous uniform get anyone … Continued
For years (around 30 actually) I have admired Perry Ellis clothes for their simplicity of line and elegance of look. Since then I found out a bit about Perry Ellis, the man. But I was unaware of his knitwear designs until … Continued
Thank you for you feedback on the colour scheme I chose for Gus last week. This is what he said: “Great stuff. I like it and would wear all of it. The bomber jacket you’ve put there is the exact one … Continued
One of the great privileges of working in social (lower rent and supported) housing in London is that you meet some amazing people. In my early career I realised we were housing Stalin’s daughter. Olympian sprinter Linford Christie used to … Continued
Regular readers will know that, on the whole, I like my exhibitions to be chronological. Whether looking at clothes, fashion, art, artefacts, household goods or photographs, I prefer to root everything in its historical (social, geographic, economic) context. My reviews of … Continued
I have written several posts about Colour Analysis. Search the tag Colour Analysis if you want to know more (or hire me to do your colours!). I think colour is really important – alongside getting the styles right for your … Continued
Do you do New Year’s Resolutions? I do! And this year I set myself the task of reading one book a month. I had been making good progress. January (6) Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies; A Biography of … Continued