Aubrey the Great



The Peacock Skirt, 1884

Aubrey Beardsley is one of my favorite artists and I particualrly admire his series of illustrations for Oscar Wilde's Salome. Elongated, curved lines seem to be a running theme for me in terms of aesthetics which Beardsley perfectly captures for me in this particular collection, along with his penchant for dots.

I like to think that Beardsley and I are artistic kindred spirits as my tattoo of curved lines and dots was inked onto my ankle years before I'd ever heard of Beardsley. Alas, I wish I had waited a few more years as the tattoo turned out to be pitiful and I feel that with Beardsley to inspire me it could have been something quite beautiful.

I think Beardsley is sometimes overlooked as an artist but I'd have his illustrations hanging on my wall over other artists any day. Perhaps I should just have Salome's Peacock Skirt tattoo'd across my back and be done with it!

Let There be Light

I've just discovered Christine Kilger's handmade lampshades and am in love! She uses antique bases and vintage fabrics and embellishments collected from around the world to make her gorgeous one-off creations.

You can order one of her pieces from http://www.nightshades.com/, but be warned, they ain't cheap. Averaging at approximately $2000 per piece (+ $175 shipping) they're way over my budget so unfortunately I'll just have to admire them from afar for now.

New Favourite



This gorgeous little 1960's box-bag is one of my newest finds. Very Mad Men-esque!



Decorated in floral decoupage and lined internally with red felt. In perfect condition and seemingly unused.

Une Mémoire de Paris

A beautiful song which takes me right back to my time living in La Cité de Fleurs

Sitting Pretty

Look at my pretty new chairs!

They are made from 1950's Danish frames, upholstered with vintage Sanderson fabric. The muted pink and green flowers continue all down the back and are the most beautiful chairs I have ever seen.

I sourced these beauties with a client in mind and have selfishly kept one for myself which now lives in my reading corner at home. Keeping my stock is becoming a terrible habit which has got to stop!

Stevie Nicks Remixed

I'm not normally a huge fan of remixes, particularly when it comes to legends such as Stevie Nicks but this one's lovely...

Recently Sold

One of the hardest things about being a vintage trader is selling your favorite pieces. I often find myself hiding my best dresses at the back of the rack so nobody will buy them which obviously makes for excellent business practice! Well, two ladies recently discovered my prized pieces and I now find myself mourning the sale of my two favorite dresses.

My beautiful 1930's silk wedding gown was bought by a goddess who seemed to have time-travelled here from the 1940's. It fit her like a glove and couldn't have gone to a lovelier lady (1940's goddess if you're reading this I'd love to see a picture of you in it). And my favorite dress of all, my 1950's prom dress, was sold to a contemporary dancer who will be wearing it in an independent film production of Cinderella which I can't wait to see.

With the sale of these two beauties I've leant an important lesson - to hide my other favorites even deeper in the rack next time!