Floral Fringe Fair 2015

West Sussex was saying it with flowers for its annual Floral Fringe Fair. On the invitation of friends, we spent the last weekend of May in the county helping out at their vintage stall, with Knepp Castle as a most charming backdrop. Vintage cars and vintage dresses were de rigueur so I dressed for the occasion in my busily floral silk '30s dress, bought at Annie's Vintage in Islington's Camden Passage, a primrose-yellow '50s quilted bed jacket, and fabulously 'out-there' sunglasses from Paraphernalia. To shake it up were my vividly-coloured African beads, and a modern shaggy bag from The Dulwich Trader. Early in the day, my 1980s suede heels were swiftly replaced by  trusty Aigle boots. Last year, for this May event, I wore the '50s Hardy Amies floral suit.
Amongst this sea of green, there were pops of eye-catching colour, such as these graphic, stripy deckchairs - a favourite of my daughter's, who was also channelling the vintage vibe and mostly borrowed (from my wardrobe), especially the handmade reversible jacket from  Montreal.
All the vintage goodies photographed were sourced by Diane and Simon, of Cafe Murano in Hurstpierpoint, whose 'great food and great coffee' feature in Best of Sussex.
P.S. Been keeping a low profile recently in the whole blogging department, because it's the season of GCSEs. I may not be 16, but I definitely have nuclear fission sussed, and I could tell you a thing or two about the Middle Ages...

Bring on 2015!

January is the corridor month into a new year and how you approach it is often indicative of the year to come. It is also when one takes a brief backward look over one's shoulder at the previous year and then one looks firmly forward into the new one, ideally from the comfort of home, precisely my living room.

Last year had so many highlights: unforgettable art exhibitions such as the Matisse: Cutouts at Tate Modern which I returned to again and again, for those dazzling displays of colour and form from a master scissorhands and the ground-breaking show at the Royal Academy with Sensing Spaces bringing architecture up close, personal and to the rafters in Picadilly. Also at Tate Modern, the Paul Klee and Malevich shows were both absorbing and inspiring whilst the RA's Summer Exhibition is always a fixture in my calendar.

At the V&A, each exhibition seemed to outdo the next in the glamour stakes: from the peerless Pearls show to the Glamour of Italian Fashion and those Bulgari jewels, owned by Elizabeth Taylor, to the more recent Horst show.

In south London, I enjoy my thrice yearly trips to Battersea, with the Decorative Art Fair to make a purchase and discover what exactly is taking the interior designer's fancy at the moment, as well the two weekends in May which celebrate  Artists' Open House. On the street is certainly where I help take fashion from local boutique, Paraphernalia, from CroftFest to Croftmas. It is my only opportunity to dress up in totally different looks, without having to buy the clothes but I inevitably fall for that one piece!  My local gallery, the Dulwich Picture Gallery, always has interesting shows, notably 2014's Hockney: Printmaker and Art & Life and currently has brought Emily Carr to the capital and sparked fresh interest in one of Canda's best-loved artists. And in the shadow of Tower Bridge, the Design Museum showed off the endlessly inventive talents of Paul Smith in a memorable exhibition.

Further afield, we had a grand weekend at Knepp Castle (not as guests I might add) but helping friends with their vintage stall at The Floral Fringe; and a couple of trips to Chichester to visit a favourite, the Pallant, to see the Pauline Boty and J.D. Fergusson exhibitions. The Pallant House Gallery also re-affirms that small is not only beautiful but always fulfilling and a trip to Margate in late summer showed that the Kent seaside town has a showcase gallery in the form of the Turner Contemporary. And for all the above events and excursions, I continue to wear clothes from my wardrobe: old, new, vintage, repaired, reconstituted and reinvented, but always with aplomb. That's really the only accessory required. And a little Dior lipstick!

The Floral Fringe Fair 2014

Florals were an endless refrain over the weekend in West Sussex at The Floral Fringe Fair which flags itself up as a 'quirky, quality, friendly, foodie, arty, plantaholics, informative, wildlife event with a vintage twist!'. Set against the backdrop of the John Nash-designed Knepp Castle, home to the Burrell family, both days boasted fine weather, a grand setting, and good trading. Cafe Murano of Hurstpierpoint set up its outpost and sold a variety of collectables from chintz and statuary to a particularly alluring cherub(!); Louise Bunning's stall, Faded Charm, lived up beautifully to its name; whilst Arundel-based Linda Chivers was selling stand-out bras and bags from the 50's and 20's respectively, along with recycled and vintage textiles. Home to the Re-Wilding Project, Knepp also boasted a 'pop-up' tree house, built for the occasion by Inhabit Treehouses, in cedar and Douglas fir. Also the castle had its own flock of birds nearby, albeit of the sculptural variety. I wore my most quintessential English suit: a 50's silk Willow-patterned two-piece by Hardy Amies, bought for a song in Suffolk. It has previously had outings to weddings in the North of England and Goodwood and was much remarked upon...
I came away with a pair of pegs from WildWood, who specialise in charcoal and coppice products and sell everything from besom brooms to Sussex pimps and can turn their hands to hedgelaying and hurdles. I also bought some lovely plants and a charming book of poetry: Bridge Bluster, self-published at Burblebooks by Robert Edwards, who rhymes Putney with chutney. My favourite? Albert Bridge. All in all, a fabulous floral affair!