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Posts Tagged ‘London Travel’

The Twelve Days of Tree Ornaments: Day Six

Posted in Events, Fashion, Vintage, tagged , , , , on December 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

We are half way there! Day Six and it’s one of my very favorites.

This London Double Decker Bus is an actual ornament that I bought at Kensington Palace. When my partner and I traveled to London for the first time together, he had us taking the bus all over the city. I usually take the Tube so this was a whole new view of London. I learned that just getting on a bus and riding anywhere is a great way to see all kinds of neighborhoods. The bus we took the most was the 44. I wrote in black ink “44” on the front of this bus. It’s our bus, full of our London adventures!

Another ornament that, when I unpack, takes me to another time and place.

There’s more to come tomorrow.

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The Twelve Days of Tree Ornaments: Day Two

Posted in Events, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , on December 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Day Two of The Twelve Days of Tree Ornaments is Big Ben. I am a total Anglophile and I travel to the UK whenever I get the chance (in fact, I’m way overdue for a visit thanks to the pandemic). I picked up this Big Ben keychain from a street vendor because I like the historic clock tower, but it wasn’t until the following Christmas when I was decorating my tree that I had the idea that the keychain is the perfect size for an ornament. Off came the round hook, replaced with a ribbon. From then on, when I travel I look for keychain souvenirs that work for the tree.

Today is Boxing Day, which is a holiday in the UK. There are many stories as to the origin of this holiday, but the one I like best is this: in the Victorian era, the day after Christmas wealthy people would “box up” some of their possessions that they no longer wanted and give them to “the poor.” Today I think it’s just an extension of the Christmas season.

In my house, we have our own Boxing Day tradition and that is to do nothing or whatever we want to do. By this time, I need a break from the festivities so the day is unplanned. Usually we read, take a long afternoon walk, nibble on leftover goodies. In the evening we might watch a movie. It’s a moment to moment day of peace and quiet.

Today is also the first day of Kwanzaa. Happy Kwanzaa!

I hope you’re enjoying some peace and quite. Come on back tomorrow for Day Three.

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The Fashion and Textile Museum in London: #fashionandtextilesforever

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »

The pandemic has hit hard in all areas of life, but particularly restaurants, shops, theaters, and museums.

One of my favorite visits when I’m in London is the Fashion and Textile Museum located south of the Thames River in Bermondsey. Founded by fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes in 2003, FTM is now run by Newham College and offers unique fashion and textile exhibits, as well as workshops and classes. (I was privileged to view 1920s Jazz Age and write about it for Vintage Life Magazine.)

They even offer Events on Demand – for a small fee (5 pounds or approximately $7) you can watch recorded interviews and tours of exhibits.

As the only museum in the UK dedicated to featuring contemporary textile and fashion design, FTM is a rare and necessary resource for education and inspiration.

Unfortunately since March of 2020, they have lost more than 80 percent of their income and the future of the museum is “uncertain.” Yikes! FTM needs our help and to that end they have set up a crowdfunding campaign. Please consider making a donation to FTM. Any donation will help. And then put this fabulous museum on your Must Visit List when next in London.

Not familiar with FTM? You’re in for a treat. Click here.

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Mary Alice Stephenson

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2019| Leave a Comment »

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Mary Alice Stephenson. Photo from Brooklyn Street Style.

Some people are just born with style and they know what to do and how to do it. I was born with a passion for all things stylish. I learned by being surrounded by stylish people. And I learned the ingredients and elements of style. Many of the most stylish people make it look easy, but there’s a lot of work that goes into it. 

Mary Alice Stephenson, fashion director and founder of Glam4Good an organization addressing social change through style.

Today’s quote is another one from Brooklyn Street Style (Abrams Image, 2015).

I agree with Stephenson that one can learn from being around stylish people. The best inspiration comes from other people – in our lives, work, community, and on the street.

Because I live in a place void of stylish people, I often wonder how I might be challenged and inspired if I were surrounded by other fashionables who stay on top of their game. What am I missing?

As it is, I dress for myself by myself with ideas that come from media like magazines, television, and old movies. Also, travel! I love to get AWAY and see how other people do it. I was greatly influenced by my trip to South Korea last year. The UK is also another place I like to visit and see what’s going on in fashion. After my trip in 2016 I came home and made a cape, which was inspired by Cordings in London.

(Interestingly, there are other cities that I noticed have no style – Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and Philadelphia).

This year I’m off to Brooklyn New York, where I’m sure to find lots of inspiration.

Let’s see what I come away with.

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The Twelve Days of Fashionable Holiday Cards: Ninth Day

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , on January 2, 2019| 2 Comments »

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On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a jaunt in the snow.

This is another of my London finds from the V&A Museum. It’s from an original greeting card, circa 1941.

So festive!

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Fashionable Funny on a Bicycle

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , on June 14, 2017| 1 Comment »

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Question: What’s the difference between a well-dressed bicyclist and a poorly dressed unicyclist?

Answer: Attire.

 

Haha. As a bicyclist myself I admit I have not brought my fashionable best to the handlebars. I usually cycle for exercise around my neighborhood in the mornings and well, my hoodie, cropped sweat pants, and a pair of Pumas go on so easy.

But I often think of the San Francisco Tweed Ride (or London Tweed Run), which gathers a dapper biking crowd to cycle together on vintage bikes and in vintage attire – such as tweed jackets, jodhpurs, caps, and argyle socks. En masse all around the city they go creating quite a picture. I ran into them once in Civic Center and it’s super fun to see all the different outfits, early 1900s to the 1930s and lots of mixing it up.

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But the Tower Bridge steals the show in this photo.

I may be casual at home but last October in London I stepped it up for a bicycle tour of the city with Tally Ho! Cycle Tours. I sported wide-leg wool slacks paired with a Pendleton jacket, and a cloche hat. It was a challenging ride thanks to all the city traffic, but I was lookin’ spiffy and after three hours tooling around, I made it back to tell the tale.

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