Retro cheerleader chic

Now that Christmas is officially over with, my thoughts are turning to what I am going to wear in the summer, including for our annual trip to Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, which is basically my annual week of wearing whatever silly stuff I want.

At the moment, I am a bit obsessed with the retro cheerleader look, from Mermaidens' amazing retro cheerleader Halloween costume to 70s exploitation flick, Satan's Cheerleaders.


 

I have  a good selection of mini circle skirts and tight sweaters, so I think I just need a varsity jacket to get the look. After a few hours slaving over a hot MacBook, I found the perfect one on Etsy and I can't wait for it to arrive from Ohio and I can do my own version of cheerleader chic.

Here are some other gems from my window shopping:
 
From Etsy sellers TurquoiseFlamingo, InRetrospect208, and LuxieVintage

Stars

 For my Christmas outfit this year, I picked this rust coloured Topshop dress (sleeves!), Zara shoes and this Crown and Glory headpiece that I spend my life thinking of excuses to wear because it brings out all my 20s showgirl wannabe urges.

We are staying in a part of Essex where a battle between vikings and the British took place a thousand years ago (next October), which was a great victory for the Danes, so I feel very at home.

First outfit post in forever

Hat - Primark 
T-shirt - DRINKS 
Skirt - Top Shop 
Shoes - Zara 

 I feel like I have lost just enough weight to start doing this again...

Carmine

I love everything red and pink at the moment. I need clothes in the colours of this desert I ate in the spring. And they all need to be made of suede, wool or patent leather.

As Hollywood teaches

“All at once I knew I could kiss her throat or the wick of her mouth with perfect impunity. I knew she would let me do so and even close her eyes as Hollywood teaches. A double vanilla with hot fudge – hardly more unusual than that.” Lolita, Pg. 52
 
Photos from Lula Magazine

New favourite object - Anna Beam

I'm really in love with this make-up bag bought from Anna Beam at some craft fair near Brick Lane at the weekend. It's the perfect combination of colours, shapes and embroidery.

I had a very brief chat to the lady herself at her stall and was even more impressed to learn she makes all of her designs up herself. It really shows as well, all her bags and pouches were incredibly detailed, with embroidery, custom beading and a lot of things you don't get when someone sends their design off to a factory to be made up...

 

You can read more about Anna here and meet and buy from her and other talented crafts-ladies at their shop launch in Hackney on Thursday.

Tokyo impressions

Liberty of London

As a child of the mid-80s, I've always been a bit sceptical of Liberty prints. Fussy, small scale floral pattens remind me of the room my mum decorated for me as a child and seem about as chic as white-painted wicker. Something like this:



Until a couple of weeks ago, that is. I think I might be becoming a Liberty convert... Two things are to blame.

This amazing bomber jacket from the brilliant blog The Craft Society:

 

...and this beautiful lamp created by the amazingly creative lady behind Take Courage blog (full post here)
 

Luckily, I am not the only one looking at Liberty afresh. The Fashion and Textile Museum will shortly be launching its Liberty in Fashion Autumn exhibition.

 

Can't wait!

Front room tour

One of my favourite things about moving into our little Victorian house last year was suddenly having room for all the hand-me-downs family heirlooms that my parents have been letting me hoard in their garage for the last couple of years.

One of the side benefits of my big Danish family is that when my Mum moved over to England she came with a white van full of 70s furniture that was out of style at the time and none of her relatives wanted. After 20 more years of robust use by me and my brother, she was ready to throw some of these things away, only I forced her to keep them for me until I had my own place. She wasn't always happy about a gigantic, mustard yellow Erik Jørgensen sofa taking up the whole garage, but she stuck to her word. Now that I have a front room, it is sitting in it, and still taking up all the space!

The colours for this room were chosen purely in honour of the sofa and the Tate Modern cushion that sits on it. While they were sort of an accident (I never thought I would decorate a room red, yellow and orange) I now LOVE them and spend a lot of time here, hanging out.

This room isn't finished yet. The floor is rubbish, there are no curtains and I have a Tom Dixon light I haven't hung yet (can't wait). But, meh, it's only decorating. It'll keep.





An old Kahler vase (a great-grandparent lived near the factory).





My prized Kate Bush poster from her Hammersmith Apollo shows last year. Sitting on top of an amazing cabinet I got for £20 in a  charity shop. It even had an amber glass knob so it matches the rest of the room. Fate!




I went on an origami crane making binge after a visit to the Japan shop recently...


Tiny, touristy Kabuki masks from a charity shop surrounding an amazing St Vincent screen print we got when we saw her in Nashville last year.

Snaps + Rye - Danish eating in West London

I unsuspectingly stumbled across the West London Danish restaurant Snaps+Rye this weekend while trying to find a tube station. Attracted by the Danish signs, I wandered in to take a look and got talking to the very friendly manager/owner, who totally humoured me when I asked if they sell remoulade (addictive, Danish, neon yellow tartar sauce). They make their own, of course.
I had eaten *quite* recently but figured it would be rude not to have a cup of coffee. And some apple cake:



And then I saw a chef walk through the cafe with a tray of ryebread covered in some sort of delicious salmon. Cured salmon with fennel pollen and akvavit to be precise. Some found its way to my table....



I only tried two things, but they were delicious and well presented and I got to eat them in an atmosphere of superlative Danish-ness; the shop even has the distinctive door handles and light switches you see in Danish public buildings. It was quite dear for the amount of food, but even that is authentically Danish!

Looking at the coverage Snaps+Rye has had, it seems they are already actively promoting the Danish way to West-Londoners, even holding a Skt Hans aften party to celebrate Mid-Summer last month as well as lots of other events. I definitely want to come back to an evening event and get a feel for whether the food and venue can move from cafe to restaurant. Thanks Snaps+Rye for tempting me to add an extra meal to my day and sending me off with free liquorice for me and my ex-pat mum!