Making Life more Beautiful
Introduction How would you describe modern Japanese fashion? Architectural, folded, structural, challenging, monochromatic, deconstructed? However you look at it, I think it is important to see its roots in the Kimono. A kimono, the quintessential traditional Japanese garment, is made from … Continued
It is Christmas Day. We were supposed to be in Lancashire eating Christmas Lunch with my Mum. Unfortunately she fell in the night and dislocated her hip. She is spending Christmas Day in Royal Blackburn Hospital, poor thing. She is … Continued
Dawn is a good friend of mine. She is a senior civil servant who has worked on housing, neighbourhood renewal, resilience, planning, fire safety and flood recovery. She is a gorgeous young grandma, and we meet up from time to time … Continued
When I was at school we were much amused by the notion of an “Over shoulder boulder-holder”, and amazed at the impact that mammary glands could have on the opposite sex. But as we grew up, we persuaded our mums … Continued
What does Designer fashion mean to you? Does it mean your “designer jeans” have a well-known brand name, or that Valentino himself actually designed them? Is a “designer handbag” simply an expensive one, or one that has its own muse? … Continued
I went to see this exhibition alone. I really took my time to study the exhibits, to savour them and read all the information supplied. Photographs and even sketching are banned. Most fashion exhibitions show garments designed for the generic … Continued
Esme, Kit and I went to see the knitting exhibition at Bermondsey. We were rather disappointed. Compared to our marvellous free museums (like the V&A) paying £8.80 each meant this was an expensive treat. So the fact that the exhibition space … Continued
One of the lovely things about being female in the modern world is that we can wear trousers all of the time if we want to. We can pair them with shirt, jackets and flat lace up shoes, short hair, … Continued
According to Wallis Simpson “A woman cannot be too rich or too thin.” She talking about herself, of course. She aimed to become Queen (consort) of the United Kingdom, one of the richest women in the world. And she was … Continued
When I first started sewing my teacher suggested that we all buy a “wardrobe” pattern. These patterns, which during the 1980s when I was learning to sew, were especially aimed at workwear, have a longer history. Here is one from … Continued