Pop-Up boutique

East London boutique hotel 40 Winks will open a pop-up showroom for designers during London Fashion Week. They invite applications from clothing and accessories designers who want to show their collections close to the main event in central London.

Previously, 40 Winks has been used as a fashion shoot location by both British and American Vogue..

A glorious day.

On Monday Kirsty and I wandered the city streets in the sunshine the next day popping into vintage shops and charity shops en route from the West end to the centre. 

What interests me is that charity shops these days have picked up on the idea of selling "vintage clothing" and often create a small boutique like area within their shop floor to display vintage product at its best. The thing is I always wondered why more charity shops don't do this to make them more "sexy" and appealing to a younger audience.

In Oxfam on Byres Road, antique furniture and floral patterned wallpaper (of course, no vintage look is complete without it) is utilised along with an old lampshade which acts as an earring stand. I particularly liked this 70s style top on the high-level bust. 

Around the corner, down Dowanside Lane, is an old Glasweigen vintage haunt 'Starry, Starry Nights' which in the wake of vintage fashion over the last 5 years or so, still hasn't lost its 'gypsy caravan' charm.

On Great Western Road, we popped into 'Watermelon'. I saw a saffron cardigan I was tempted to buy but decided it wasn't worth it. 

My only purchases of the day were this scarf from the Salvation Army at 99p and this matching necklace and earrings for just £3.95. Amazing bargains.

Like 'SEX', like 'Agent Provocateur'.

Whilst reading a little bit about one of my favourite designers Vivienne Westwood (please read my previous post about graduating alongside her), I discovered that her son with Malcolm McLaren (legendary Sex Pistols and New York Dolls manager) is none other than Joseph Corre - the founder of Agent Provocateur! How did I not know this? 

Corre opened his first Agent Provocateur lingerie shop in 1994 in London's Broadwick Street, Soho. Apparently he originally bought plain styles of lingerie from small sources and altered them mirroring the individual style of McLaren and Westwood's 'SEX' boutique (aka. Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die) in the 70's. The brand has become just as infamous for creating contraversy as his parent's shop did back in the day.

As well as this, apparently Mother and son's new boutique  'A Child Of The Jago' (check out their very cool blog) in London is imagined as a place to sell off the remnants of Britain's lost empire. An eclectic mix of antique jewelery and vintage sartorial bibles sit alongside their clothing lines.  Tailored pieces described as "Victorian Pimp" and  reworked workers' uniforms in tweed and lurex show the family attitude (alongside designer Barnzley) towards Britain's heritage. It's good to know the spirit of punk is still alive!