Sweet Charity

Apologies for my absence from Blogland. I'm still here, I've just been preoccupied with this, our mighty festival trading tent.

We erected it in the garden on Wednesday afternoon and, despite it being almost two years since we last built it, we still remembered how it went together! Jon's spent the last three days building a new changing room, repainting the shop signs, testing the electrics and getting the van ready. Meanwhile, I've been organising the stock, which I've whittled down to 750 items. This week will mainly be spent pricing it all. I'll try and share some photos before we pack the van.

As promised here's Wednesday's charity shop finds.  There's a 1980s Anne Klein, USA-made midi skirt, Armani trainers (the labels check out, they're the real thing), a Winser, London shirt dress (a higher-end British label), a pair of 1960s snakeskin stilettos, a 1970s Italian knit top and a wool bag with bamboo handles (handmade in Australia)

I'm obsessed with kilims so this gorgeous overnight bag with a leather strap is a keeper (possibly brought back from someone's travels), a 1980s Frank Usher sequinned cocktail dress and a 1960s gents' mustard wool overcoat (Jon's claimed this). 

Marithé and François Girbaud, photo by Karl Lagerfeld (2006)

The quality of the Marithé et François Girbaud jacket is phenomenal - it's not my usual style but it looks really good on. Established in Paris in 1972 by two French stylists, François Girbaud and Marithé Bachellerie. The Girbauds were determined to redesign the classic jean, envisioning designer jeans that could be worn anywhere. This vision materialised in 1977 when, influenced by the Eastern aesthetic of designers such as Issey Miyake, they revamped jeans’ traditional blocky silhouette with a softer, fuller cut. Called the baggy jean, the new look was an international success. Regretting their part in the environmental pollution caused by denim manufacturing, the Girbauds developed an environmentally sound method for treating denim in 2007, which eliminated the use of acids and other pollutants while conserving energy and water.

Film documentary released in 2016

The Girbauds were keen observers of consumer behaviour and street fashion. Inspired by the style of American rappers encountered on their travels, they launched designs that made their label the cult urban jean. By the late 1990s, the Girbauds’ contribution to hip-hop style had been immortalized in over twenty-five rap songs. Girbaud is considered the first “urban” fashion brand ever created.

De La Soul gave Girbaud jeans a shout-out in their 1991 tune, Oodles of O's, Pos prints the peace on his jeans or Girbauds.

Still with me? There's a Topshop 1980s satin cocktail dress with a boned bodice (very Cyndi Lauper), a handmade 1970s maxi dress, 1970s gents belted cord jacket from Burton, Clarks' leopard print mules and a leather Ted Lapidus bag.

 The coral dress is by Anthropologie, the two snazzy gents' shirts aren't labelled but were obviously inspired by Versace and the hefty interiors book, New London Style, is inspirational - a minimalist's nightmare, my dream! (There are secondhand copies HERE). I couldn't resist this cropped jacket, it couldn't be more 1980s if it tried. After a bit of research, I've discovered Léger is the original label of Hervé Léger, he of bandage dress fame.

Born Hervé Peugnet in 1957 in France, Hervé studied sculpture and art history in Paris before leaving school to become a hairdresser, then a hat maker and eventually deciding to pursue fashion design. In the early 1980’s he met Karl Lagerfeld who encouraged his career in fashion and suggested he change his surname to Léger because Peugnet would be too difficult for Americans to pronounce. After working for fashion houses such as Fendi, Chanel and Lanvin, in 1985 he launched his own namesake line. Then in the early 90s, he created his ticket to fame, one of the defining styles of the decade, the bandage dress. Formed from dozens of elasticated bandage-style strips of knitted cloth, the iconic dress creates a body-sculpting, skintight silhouette.

It hasn't been all work, work, work though. On Friday we had a visit from our friends and fellow vintage traders, Lynn and Brendan. During lockdown some of us got fit, others decluttered and the likes of me & Jon spent every waking hour in the garden, Lynn's only gone and written a book! 

A collection of beautifully observed tales from her travels, I was honoured when Lynn asked me to write the forward! Travels with my Notebook is £6 (including UK postage) although she's happy to post abroad. If you fancy a copy, email Lynn at lynnphawthorne (at) gmail (dot) com

Despite the lack of sun, it was warm enough to give my new-to-me 1970s Anokhi two-piece her first outing yesterday.

 Meanwhile, Stephen is showcasing the latest in feline fashion...the Elizabethan Collar aka the cone of shame. 

He's fine (according to the vet). He's always suffered from sensitive skin and he's been overgrooming. 

Frank absolutely hates the collar and refuses to come anywhere near Stephen, he even had his breakfast outside in the rain this morning. Cats, huh?

Here's tonight's tea made with homegrown chillies, paneer and okra and accompanied by Electric Boogaloo (a passionfruit flavoured craft ale). We've had a traumatic day (don't worry, us and the lads are fine, I'll tell you more about it another time) and that drink vanished in no time. 

Cheers and see you soon!