design | I Get a Kick out of you

The Madam of Monochrome

January 22, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

This week’s Inspired Buys refer to “Igor and Coco” – monochrome style. Story wise, the film is a little slow – in fact I recommended it to a friend and she fell asleep within 5 minutes – you know who you are! However, the costumes and the interiors are absolutely incredible – a total visual feast, and I can quite easily watch a film and be totally engrossed in the style, rather than the story – so this is still one […]

Categories: Interiors, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: black and white, Chanel, design, Entertainment, films, home, Igor and Coco, Inspiration, Interiors, lifestyle, monochrome, movies, music, photography, shopping, style

Pretending to be Plain

January 19, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

“Carmen Dell’Orefice..who has had three husbands and more hot dinner boyfriends than one cares to count later, is still known as just plain Carmen – though the plain has nothing whatsoever to do with her appearance” Norman Parkinson I was fortunate enough to catch the Carmen Dell’Orefice exhibition at the London School of Fashion, at what I thought was the very end date – however – lucky readers, they have just extended the exhibition to the 31st January. So after […]

Categories: 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Photography2, vintage, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: art, books, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Cecil Beaton, design, Exhibition, Fashion, Harper Bazaar, Irving Penn, model, photography, reviews, Richard Avedon, style, vogue

Jenna Lyons, sitting roome, JCrew, yellow

Sous Le Soleil

January 13, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

I’ve been thinking about doing an “Inspired Buys” post each week. Whether I can keep up with that and the monthly vintage recreation remains to be seen, but I’ll certainly give it a go: Today it is all about the sun – how often do we Londoners get to say that? What a glorious winter day…. Take your pick from lemon zest and rich yoke, spring has hit the shops: Clockwise from right: Shoes £60 Topshop, Harris Tweed Brooch £9 […]

Categories: Fashion, Interiors, Photography2, vintage • Tags: bodie and fou, bottega veneta, design, Fashion, films, industrial chair, Interiors, jewelery, lifestyle, massimo dutti, music, netaporter, orla kiely, photography, shopping

Just Peachy

January 11, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

How beautiful are these? I must admit I have encountered Bernadette Pascua through Miss Moss not through an extensive knowledge of fashion illustration! Miss Moss is absolutely right, I can’t get enough of her work. They are so simple and subtle in colour but – wow, really pack a punch. Bernadette is an illustrator based in Brooklyn who started drawing after completing a textiles degree. Not a native New Yorker, Bernadette moved there as a seventeen year old and says: […]

Categories: Fashion, Illustration, Interiors • Tags: art, beauty, Bernadette Pascua, Decade Diary, design, Fashion, illustration, Interiors, music

Butterfly Kisses

January 8, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

“Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake – as almost all hats are.” Nikolaus Laszlo, Nora Ephron, and Delia Ephron, You’ve Got Mail It’s that time of year when Christmas has passed and it feels like we are running the everlasting lap […]

Categories: Fashion • Tags: birds and flowers, butterflies, cashmere cardigans, cats, colourful butterflies, craft, culture, design, dressmaking, Fashion, Interiors, music, nora ephron, sunburst band

Grace Kelly meets the Gladiator

January 1, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

My challenge for New Year was to re-create a vintage outfit. Doing the daily routine, school runs etc, in slightly distressed vintage is all well and good, and indeed can add to the outfit, but sometimes there are occasions when the evidence of ageing just won’t do. The added advantage of making an outfit from scratch is making it to your size, particularly since the majority of my vintage finds are a tad on the small size. I comfort myself […]

Categories: 1930s, 1950s, vintage, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: craft, design, dressmaking, Fashion, Grace Kelly, history, HItchcock, movies, Rear Window, vintage

david downton, fashion illustration, V&A

Getting the “Hedkandi” Treatment

December 28, 2011 by igetakickoutofyou

The week before Christmas I went along to a Fashion Illustration exhibition, arranged by the Fashion Illustration Gallery, in Bruton Place. Expecting the normal rather impersonal affair of an exhibition I was surprised to find an intimate gathering with none other than David Downton and Jason Brooks, in person. David Downton you’ll no doubt be familiar with – having done many projects with Vogue and, in particular, illustrations for The Golden Age of Couture exhibition at the V&A. There were […]

Categories: Illustration • Tags: art, David Downton, design, Fashion, fashion illustration, Hedkandi, Jason Brooks, jewelery, music, topshop

Pillow Talk and the Hunky Beast

December 18, 2011 by igetakickoutofyou

The prompt for this post was the Terence Conran exhibition at the Design Museum, which is definitely worth a visit for all those interested in vintage pieces and design (and doesn’t finish until March 2012!). Perusing round the various, “Heals & Habitat”, styled furniture and textiles, I came across this dressing table . This is one classy, cool piece dressing table. It’s chunky, almost masculine, with an industrial edge but is still somehow elegant. Only a really cool cat could have […]

Categories: 1950s, 1960s, Interiors • Tags: design, Doris Day, Fashion, film, Interiors, movies, Pillow Talk, Rock Hudson, vintage

“Bernice bobs her hair” – The Watermelon Flapper Dress

November 24, 2011 by igetakickoutofyou

What a wonderful experience vintage fairs are – in fact I am convinced they are good for the soul. I always get that childish anticipation that I’m going to find a real hidden treasure – although typically the price tag is too high! So at the London Fashion & Textile Fair I unearthed this sorbet flavoured flapper dress from Velvet Atelier and they let me take a few shots of it. The detail on the edging is exquisite – the […]

Categories: 1920s, Fashion, Interiors, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: 1920s, Art Deco, Bernice bobs her hair, books, design, Fashion, fashion illustration, flapper dress, Scott Fitzgerald, Velvet Atelier, vintage dress