The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday! Spring Cheer from Sweet Paul

The Spring issue of Sweet Paul magazine is like a juicy jolt of Vitamin C. It's bright and sunny here on the coast, but this morning the winds are wintry and ready to wizen the lips of anyone who ventures outside today, so I'm in search of a bit of seasonal optimism. Sweet Paul has brought us a ton of fun, pretty and tasty Easter ideas using lots of eggs (his favourite ingredient) and pastel colours, but I'm going to save them until it's a bit closer to the date so we can indulge fully (if you can't wait, take a look).

As we can expect from Sweet Paul, a 'flip' through the pages is like daydreaming; the creative food styling, delicious yet easy recipes and gorgeous photography are absolute bliss. And none of it is out of reach, Paul and his equally imaginative contributors love to show us exactly how to bring it all into our own homes, all doable at very little expense and with minimal time commitment - that's what Sweet Paul is all about. (There's nothing more frustrating than having exquisite beauty put in front of our faces when there's no way we can get a piece of it!)

Food styling with illustration - how brilliant is this spread?

There's always a cupcake! This lolly version makes for great decoration and kids will go nuts

 

Each feature has its own distinct look. Always very Sweet Paul, yet exciting in its own way. The pages transition from bright washes of light and vivid colour to moody, muted hues and everything in between.

 

Simple pleasures - candy coloured striped drinking straws. Paul shows you what you can do with them (and they look great just sitting in the bottle, too!)

To see the whole Sweet Paul spring issue (clear a bit of time because you won't want to leave!) go here

Photos from Sweet Paul

1000 Drawers...

...is probably still not enough. I found so many wonderful, unusual pieces when putting together my Fantasy Furniture Ideabook last month for Houzz.com (what, you don't have a throne in your house?),  and I've been meaning to go back and revisit some of the more intriguing makers.

Germany's Entwurf-Direkt is behind one of my favourite pieces from the Ideabook, an awkwardly stacked set of drawers - is it a chest? a console? - with brightly coloured highlights.  The creation is part of their 1000 Drawers project in which orphaned drawers (who knew?) are refurbished and designed to be attached to the wall. Each drawer is numbered and stamped and comes with a certificate. I would like to adopt one:

This is all part of a bigger project founded in 2001 by Entwurf-Direkt that would bring together a shop/event/art venue in one space. Today there are locations for shopping, exhibitions and lectures in both Hamburg and Berlin where you can also find advice on how to incorporate their unconventional furniture into your own decor. That's a good one because you'll probably need help (the answer is not to pile up your existing furniture so it fits in.)

I can't decide which I love more, the one in the header for its cheerful colour, or this for its pleasingly asymmetrical arrangment of 11 mismatched drawers and pulls, and the corrugated texture of the blue drawer: I won't strain over it, it's a moot point - at well over €2,000 I can't afford them! They're all one-offs, and I do think they're worth it. They're like mid-century modern with a sense of humour.

I love these things, let's look at more!

You can buy a single drawer! What would you do with one?

Cupcake Monday! Cake ATM: Automatic Treat Machine

At first I thought "Ew, stale cupcakes" after I heard about this new cupcake vending machine in the US. But it's not what I thought, some heartless corporation exploiting the public's insatiable craving for tiny cakes. Rather, it's an innovative solution Beverly Hills bake shop Sprinkles - the world's first cupcake bakery according to their website - created to offer their popular cupcakes after-hours. It's like an ATM machine that dispenses treats. For $4 you get your choice of flavour in a Sprinkles branded box:

I'll take their Irish Chocolate cupcake over green beer any March 17th.

New Yorkers will be treated to 24-hour service soon, too!

Speaking of freshness, shop-bought is no guarantee of it. I've found that most don't have a self-imposed throw-out date if not sold, they just keep them in the glass display until someone orders one and then complains that they chipped their front teeth trying to take their first bite (I swear I had one so hard the 'cake' scraped off like dust when I tried to eat it.) It's not so much a problem in busy shops; however, a friend bought one at a very popular London shop-in-shop at a high-end department store and it was just bad. She cried it was so terrible. Ok, no she didn't, but how disappointing to have your little blissful cupcake moment destroyed by negligence! Is it really worth the £2 to destroy your repuation? Silliness.

Here's the machine in action (I like that the reporter's shirt matches the pink machine):

 

Email subscribers - to watch the video click the title of this post and it will be visible in the original post!

 

To See a Seaside Rainbow at Night

Sneaky rainbow: A big lesson I've learned since taking pictures is always look back when you've turned to walk away from the thing you were photographing. I did as I was passing the sculptures on the promenade next to the sea and caught the rainbow cutting an angle over the roof of the beach pub and metal 'sandcastles'.

Have you ever seen a rainbow at night? Thanks to an art installation that debuted in Whitley Bay (that's on the coast of the North Sea in the north east of England), we did last weekend.  If you live in the UK you've probably heard about it, officially called the 'Global Rainbow' project by artist Yvette Mattern, an American who came to know Tyneside well as the Baltic's artist-in-residence in 2005-2006. The spectacle consists of seven parallel beams of high specification laser light in the colours of the rainbow which was said to be visible for 5 miles along the coastline; however, it was actually seen all the way in Sunderland, 15 miles south. After its last viewing on Sunday it has moved to Preston where it begins a four-night show before heading to Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the 17th.

Because our local news is more interested in telling us who got a random beat-down in the street than the cool events happening on our doorstep before the fact, many locals only found out about it by actually seeing it - to their great surprise and bewilderment! Friends of ours who live in Whitley Bay awoke in the middle of the night to see the brilliant spectrum outside their bedroom window - she thought the house was on fire due to the fiery glow in their room, and he thought it was aurora borealis, which was recently visible here on two occasions.

The view of the rainbow behind Spanish City (there are some way better shots of this out there)

  The seven lasers were projected from St. Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay

This photo isn't great, but it's not every day you get to see the ghost of George Washington! (left)

Photos © The Swelle Life

The Worst Interior Design of 1974

"Hi, Sharon? Today I finally found shoes to match my toilet! Is your telephone leaking, too?"

Awful interior design is awesomely entertaining, mainly because we know it began as someone's vision of a beautiful and idyllic living space, and it's fun to try to get our heads around that. The 1970s - a decade I did experience nearly in its entirety - was pretty much a revolt against good taste, typified by snot-green household appliances and casino-inspired carpet and walls that my husband thinks were designed to mask 'fluid' stains. (Don't think about that one too long.)

The worst/best thing about these photos put together by omodern.com are the models. I don't know what was going on there, but this was the decade that gave us the 'Big Momma' underpants from Sears for plus size ladies, and Welcome Back, Kotter as network primetime viewing. Different things were deemed acceptable back then, such as a pervy little boy trying to get a peek under sis' skirt:

You could projectile vomit in this bathroom and no one would know.

"Go on Lois, bend over and pour us more drinks. Feel free to make a phone call while you're down there and take your time doing it."

   

"Honey, I know how hard you try, but your cooking smells like horse shit."

Naked and cowering over the tub, Carol found the yellow and brown bathroom fixtures multiplying at an alarming rate.

 

A room so hideous it frightened children to death.

NYFW Favourites Wrap-up

Jil Sander Navy - those dusty blue platforms are awesome

I'd best get on this, London has begun - here's a quicky survey of my favourite looks from the shows and presentations in New York. There's a ton of gorgeous clothes but how I choose is what pops off the page - usually it's a combinaton of soft or striking colour with some kind of textural appeal. When I see the clothes in person my appreciate scopes wider, but in this case there's an ocean standing in my way. Clean lines are as exciting to me as exquisite embellishments, it's all in how it presents.

I've missed ADAM and Adam Lippes' great smile. Sorry to see him and his gorgeous clothes go.

Giulietta - I don't know where that all-in-one should be worn, but I love the icy blue and matching shoes

Of course.

Usually I loathe olive green, especially when paired with orange. But Preen's take is so clean and fresh I think I'm getting a nostaglic feel, it's like a modern version of the 70s colours from my childhood (don't do the math please). My brother had a brown and orange suit with giant lapels!

Kate Spade's Deborah Lloyd collaborated with Garance Dore who produced two illustrative prints for the collection, seen on the right. Maybe you inspired one of her stylish characters!

Photos from Style.com and WWD.com

Cupcake Monday! Pretty Pink Valentine Treats

Lace-piped cookies from the brilliant Sweet Sugarbelle

Well, I needed look no further for beautiful Valentine cookies after I found these lace-piped pale pink ones, they are just gorgeous (as is her photography which is just as important as the cookie!). I usually feel I couldn't eat the prettiest treats, but I would have no trouble with these. Iced cookies have that nice crisp break when you bite into them and I have a drooly Pavlovian response when I see them. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Their talented creator Sweet Sugarbelle swears they're easy to do, these were her first try! Surely some are far more adept at these things than others, but if you want to give it a go she shares her (very comprehensive) tricks for perfection on her blog The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle, and shows us some awesome black, round versions as well. I might actually try these if I can make friends with the piping bag, but I feel a fight coming on.

Cake Journal's Louise created this gorgeous blue and pink Valentine cake

I love this Valentine cake for its pretty simplicty and because it's blue.  I do prefer the pastels to the hot-blooded red we usually get for the occasion, even when it comes to roses, the kind you look at and smell as well as the kind you eat. Louise from Cake Journal created this cake for Valentine's two years ago which also happened to be her 10th wedding anniversary, so it was double romance.

As for Valentine's Day in the Swelle house, I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers a day early, chosen by my daughter,  all in shades of pink of course. I can't say what Mr. Swelle is getting because he does read my blog, and Baby Swelle is getting a surprise Valentines breakfast in bed, and is reading this as I write it. Good thing the 'look at that over there' trick still works. She brings me breakfast in bed nearly ever weekend and wanted to tomorrow (she's on her half-term holiday), but I told her she needs to stay in bed for her own special surprise. (This morning I got some bread with jam on it because she can't use the toaster, a handful of corn flakes and a cold hot-cross bun. She told me that there were no butter knives in the drawer - there were - so she used one from the dishwasher but it was clean - it wasn't. Daddy reminded her to ask for help next time.) For serving I have a new floral tray with little hearts on it and I'm making her heart-shaped pancakes with a strawberry yogurt, cereal and raspberry parfait and an assortment of Valentine chocolates, and later on she'll be getting a pink Le Creuset cocotte with a rose frozen souffle. It's my first time making them so I hope it's not gross. The rest of the day will be spent running her around in the back garden to burn off some of that sugar high.

Have a lovely Valentines!

Inside is a chocolate cake with strawberry mousse!

Decor Daydreaming in Pastels

Here we go again, where I get lost in decorating daydreams on Designers Guild UK. It's impossible not to when you go there. I wouldn't normally want to transport an entire room into my house - the first time I lived on my own someone told me my living room looked like an IKEA showroom and I didn't take that as a compliment - but the Designers Guild stylists have a way of making the polished, elegant beauty of their model rooms seem lived-in and homey. Well, I think so. I have a friend who I suspect thinks my living room isn't the comfy place it should be, but I stand by my view that a room doesn't need overized brown couches and scruffy carpet to offer some peace and relaxation. I've fallen asleep in there enough times to prove otherwise! (I could fall asleep standing up but that's beside the point.)

The midcentury styling above is perfect for rooms that are more linear and have lower ceilings, and for those with lots of height to work with and big bay windows,  a bit of French is the way I would go, and I think they can exist in carefully thought-out combinations.

These textures and colours are gorgeous:

I  love the timeless simplicity of the chairs below and the way colour is emphasised by using contrasting fabrics for the buttons, though using analagous colours isn't my preferred approach - I think contrast with some harmony is far more beautiful. They've done a lilac chair with magenta buttons and it's my favourite, you can see a bit of it here (the stack of cushions isn't a stylish booster seat for short-legged people, it's to show the colour options!):

And these rooms are just a breath of fresh air:

I love the striped turquoise fabric backing this sofa which you can see a bit of in the bottom right photo, what a great surprise! And the matching blue buttons makes this white piece become instantly far more interesting:

Photos: Designers Guild UK

Haute Couture: Alexis Mabille's Monochrome (Probably Not Mannerist) Models

My first thought when I saw Alexis Mabille's monochromed models for Spring 2012 haute couture week was "The acid coloured faces - they're just like those in the Mannerist paintings!" Now I may not remember what I had for lunch yesterday (or today), but I vividly recall certain things I learned in high school art history, it was the only thing that truly interested me. As a fine art major in university I don't recall coming across this again and therefore re-confirming the information, but I do believe I was shown some paintings from the Mannerist period as an example of something you wouldn't expect to see from the time because they used vivid colours, on the faces as well. However, I should admit it's entirely possibly that I was half asleep and I got confused, because after searching for hours and hours over several days since the collection was shown, I cannot find any evidence of this. I couldn't drop the reference though and start over, because at the very least they remind me of Jacopo Pontormo's acid-hued masterpiece Descent from the Cross (1525-1528).

But it's small consolation, it's not a close resemblance. I might be clutching at paint brushes here. Now I am (almost) convinced I imagined the whole thing. It wouldn't be the first time!

I still wanted to show the collection, for two reasons. I love the colours Mabille chose and the way the faces harmoniously carried through the hue (not at first but it really grew on me) and focussed attention on the head which was adorned with a giant paper rose.  According to Tim Blanks, his inspiration was (guess what, not a Mannerist painting!) a photo of Lisa Fonssagrives on a beach "her face suffused with pink from the sunlight coming through her umbrella." Sounds gorgeous, doesn't it? I couldn't find that one either!

And the dresses themselves aren't bad either! Beautiful, actually. Modern classics.

These are my favourite colours from the collection, as shot by Style.com:

Right: I love this shade of gold, very pure and clean, completely devoid of yellow.

The other reason I carried on despite my failed concept is I found some absolutely stunning photos of the collection on Violeta Purple, a gorgeous blog with lots of original photography by Yavidan Violeta, a Mexican-Turkish woman living in Paris. She's utterly charming, signing her posts with a photograph of shoes, her other muse. 

Her Mabille photos are so gorgeous and convey the romance of the collection beautifully - the feel is so engaging it makes the standard runway shot seem pointless. Does anyone else wish we could ditch the singular view from the wall of cameras at the end of the runway in favour of something magical, like this?

 For more of Yavidan's Alexis Mabille photos including backstage, see Violeta Purple. Enjoy!

Cupcake Monday! Maisie Fantasie's Floral Beauties

Maisie Fantaisie must have the most gorgeous collection of wedding cakes, they are so ridiculously pretty without being overdone, the epitome of edible loveliness. And I love that their photos are beautiful, accessorised with the pastel patterned wallpapers and charming cake stands. To quote an adorable, small and always smiling Italian man who used to do deliveries for us at the production studio I worked at in Canada years ago,  "'preciate." That's how he said "appreciate" which was his way of saying 'Thank you." (Do you know how many bad photos of pretty cakes I see? Far more than good ones - what a waste and so frustrating!)

Here are just a few of Maisie Fantaisie's floral designs, and I'm glad Im already married because I would never be able to choose! (Well I guess there are other reasons, too.)

Each design has a suggested flavour, although you can have your pick of their many options which are as gorgeous as their cakes.  The cake on the bottom left, Romantic Rose, is described as:

Madagascar vanilla bean cake, Amedei Chuao chocolate buttercream, grosgrain ribbon, satab
ribbon, handmade sugar roses, sugar pipework.

Enjoy drooling!

Photos: Maisie Fantaisie

HAPPY NEW YEAR! FIREWORKS FROM LONDON

Click to view the show on BBC

This is the spectacular display that is surely responsible for hundreds of small animals in and around London having heart attacks last night. Every New Year's Eve the BBC presents this world-class fireworks show put on by the City of London which you can watch by clicking the image. If you want to skip past the audience chat and get right to it - I highly recommend doing this - forward to about the 3:00 mark for the countdown.

Happy New Year! I for one am looking forward to a 2012 that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the last half of 2011. Onward we go!

 

Cupcake Monday! Marie Antoinette Violet Cake

I need a bit of Laduree cheer today and nothing does it like their very pretty Marie Antoinette cake. This is the first time I've seen it in the deep Blackcurrant Violet flavour. It's also made in pale pink and the dreamy Laduree green, and it's much smaller in person than you would expect from the picture. And one day I will buy one. I best start saving now, I recall seeing it for 60 euros on Champs Elysees.  I guess if you can have a £96 hamburer, it's not so bad. And now I go to bed craving French cake and hamburgers.

Floral Friday! Wallington's Lush Greenhouse

This Floral Friday I take you back to Wallington's walled garden, one of my most favourite places, which I'm really missing especially now that the winter bitterness is beginning to creep in. Their picturesque greenhouse is just a dream, it had me wondering how I could live in one. (Probably wouldn't work out anyway, I'm a huge wimp when it comes to cold.)

For more on glorious Wallington, including their dreamy pond with a floating bed and baby black coots flitting upon the lily pads, see here (you'll have to scroll down a bit but be sure to catch Versailles on the way!)

(I think it's funny there's a picture of a flower hanging amongst the superior live specimens!)

Nice place for a cat nap

Photos © The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday! The Paper Doll Edition

Everyone needs a thoughtful and creative friend, preferably one who can bake! Like  Amelie of the blog Amelie's House who made these charming paper doll-topped cupcakes for her friend's daughter's birthday. That's a gesture loaded with goodness as it is but there's more - the dolls aren't random paintings but portraits of the birthday girl and each of her guests, in pretty watercolour.  How awesome is that?

I wonder how she will top that for next year?!

Photos from Amelia's House

Swelle on Houzz.com: Pastel Mid-century Modern

You may have noticed the widget in the first sidebar that always shows some neat furniture or decor items. It links to my Swelle Ideabooks on Houzz.com, an incredibly inspiring site for endless daydreaming about spaces and the things that make you want to live in them. If you don't already know it, you must visit. You will return, I promise you. 

Since being asked to contribute, I've created five Ideabooks featuring 20 products  each that fall within a theme I've chosen for that month, with my thoughts on how it might work in a space (and I love it!). My fifth collection is Pastel Mid-century Modern, my tied-for-all-time-favourite architectural and interior style. (I think you  know what the other one is, and there are four idea books for that.) The George Nelson sofa is shown in black but colour options are available in your mix of candy and pastel colours which would look like a paint-by-numbers set of paints. Imagine the combinations! 

Each product links to the website where I found it so you can get full details and order. I admit it can be torturous! But it's too dreamy not to indulge.

Bathtubs You Can Paint!

I was doing some online daydreaming which is actually part of my job these days as an Ideabook contributor for the hugely inspiring Houzz.com (see the widget in the sidebar), and I found these gorgeous cast iron slipper baths which can be painted! I love anything customisable and my imagination began to run wild. Blush pink? Dusty blue? The exterior comes with a grey primer finish so you can do whatever you like. Pastel stripes? That's the challenge of customisation, I become hopelessly indecisive. You can also take the standard Black Imperial cast iron feet or upgrade to chrome, white or antique gold. Oh boy.

Above is the Imperial Ritz style which comes in two sizes, and below is the Imperial Waldorf and Imperial Bentley showing other tap configurations and colour possibilities. And then there are other paintable styles that have modern feet or bases and that's where my mind begins to become overwhelmed!

What do you think of the hardwood floor? Laminate flooring would make the most sense if you want that look in the bathroom. A friend has rustic planks in hers which is a huge space and with it being all wood it has a completely different feel, as if it's another room in the house that happens to have a bath, shower and toilet. I mean you can dance around in there and not run into anything! (Yes, I can attest to that.) I lalso love glass tile and hope to one day have a huge bathroom that is covered in pool blue tiles, looking straight out of a David Hockney painting.

Floral Friday! Razzberry's Bazaar's Fuchsia Garden

During the freakishly awesome weather we had recently, I took the opportunity to get a few snaps of the most cheerful garden I know. (At the most challenging time on the sunniest of days, hence the harshness.) A shop on the local high street called Razzberry Bazaar is known for its gorgeous and inviting entrance of hot pink and purple painted pots with flowers to match. People come from all over to see it and have a browse in their rainbow rooms where thousands of trinkets and gift items are arranged according to colour. The garden is just for show, not for sitting in, but I wish it was.

Photos © The Swelle Life

LFW: Orla Kiely SS12

Orla Kiely brought her girls back after having two-dimensional representations the past two seasons. They rotated on circular platforms to show off the waist-focussed silhouetttes and fresh prints from every angle. I love that you can expect the same thing from Orla Kiely season after season, yet it never feels like 'Oh, that again.' Her shapes are classic, ultra feminine and youthful, but she eludes monotony and overt girliness by using high quality fabrics, thinking through textural details, and creating print graphics that look refined.

There were lots of  clean white cottons amongst the spring colours, my favourite being the coral which was soft and gorgeous and edged in a sheened trim:

 

Orla had ice cream in branded cartons served by a 'cigarette' girl. I had some, of course!

I love this girl, she gave me big smiles with every outfit. Happy clothes!

 Photos © The Swelle Life

Floral Weekend! The Fashion Week Edition

Florals may be a bit of a cliche now, we see them season after season including AW. But I don't care, I love it! There's always a new way to work with them so it's not just another floral dress, like these looks from fashion month which are anything but old and dusty.

Clockwise from top right: Chistopher Kane; Richard Chai Love; Peter Pilotto; Antonio Marras x 2;  Erdem; Kinder Aggugini; Gary Graham.

I cordially invite the Erdem and Kinder Aggugini coats to my wardobe, April 2012 sharp.

LFW: Fred Butler SS12 Teaser

It's going to take me a few more days to edit the rest of the shots I took at Fred Butler's mindblowing SS12 presentation at LFW on Sunday, but I couldn't wait to show one of my favourites - a head piece or hat, lilac-pink (one of the best colours ever) hexagonal sunglasses and fabric earrings that follow through on the sorbet softness of the voluminous scarf/top/jacket (in the full shot it's like a longer bolero style). The fact that I can't quite define it exactly is one of the reasons I love Fred Butler.

More to come!

Photos © The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday! Maisie Fantaisie's Cupcake Wrappers

  

A while back I was given some really neat cupcake wrappers to try. They're from Maisie Fantaisie and I was hoping to use them to pretty up my own cupcakes. Well, that didn't happen so I bought one from the bakery up the street. I have great two designs - the fun candy stripes you see here, and vintage rose in pink which is waiting for the right cupcake to do it justice (this one for some reason looked far better in stripes!).

The great thing about these cupcake wrappers - which are purely decorative and meant to be added after baking - is that they are reusable. You can even wash them with water and washing up liquid to remove frosting grease! I plan to have a little tea party with a dozen or so which would make an impressive display. (And I would secretly not want anyone to touch them and wreck the scene! I'm fun that way.)

To get your own and see the other gorgeous designs available visit Maisie  Fantaisie at www.cupcakewrappers.com

Photo © The Swelle Life

Floral Friday! This Morning's After-Rain Finds

Getting back into the school run routine wasn't something I was looking forward to, but I did miss my walks home along the beach. It was lightly raining for the first bit (of course the sun came out 30 seconds after I got in the door!) and I  noticed that the flowers in the gardens of the houses I was passing after coming up from the sea were still thriving. I didn't have my favourite lens for the closeups but I thought these still might do the trick for a little brightening up if it's a bit gloomy where you are:

   

I love this flower, it's so spiky and lush. Its orange petals have lilac tips which is so unusual. I don't know what it is, do you? Tell me in the comments if you do!

 

© The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday! Petit Fours 'Chapeaus'

I love petit fours. For some reason, if it's pretty and sweet, it's even prettier and sweetier when it's miniature. Being more of the type who craves the savoury, I'm usually content with a tiny taste of something sugary rather than gorging on half a Victoria sponge. I'm the person who orders an Old Fashioned at the donut shop back home, during the rare occasion where I find myself in a donut shop. (Which reminds me, I finally decided to assert my Canadian-ness when we were in Toronto a few weeks ago and try the coffee at Tim Horton's. I only started drinking coffee regularly this year - until about three years ago I thought it smelled amazing and that its flavour was in inverse proportion to its olfactory charms. My mother was making us coffee every morning and I thought I needed to cut back, I wasn't no longer feeling that caffeine jolt I loved so much, and needed so much. After two weeks I found out she was using decaf. Decaf! In the morning! Oh, Mommy.)

These adorable petits fours made to look like little hats are by Olivia who shared them on Cake Central. The rim is a sugar cookie and its accents are 'chocolate plastic'. I have no idea what chocolate plastic is, it sounds edible and inedible at the same time.

Having said all of that about going easy on sweets, I have to admit I'd probably clear the plate of these if left alone with them. Chocolate plastic and all.

Floral Friday! The Butterfly Conservatory Gardens

I know this is huge but I like that it looks as if you could jump into it!

I've got to rest up for a shoot in the morning so this is a quickie from the gardens outside the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls, plus a shot of a storm coming in at dusk. Have a great weekend and happy Labour Day weekend to everyone back home! (Despite it being the most depressing holiday ever - who wants to celebrate the end of summer? Yarg!)

 
 
     

 

 
Photos © The Swelle Life

Floral Friday! Niagara-on-the-Lake's Blooming High Street

A restaurant I can't remember the name of that is beautiful with so-so food (so I've heard)

Following my afternoon tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-in-the-Lake with my awesome friend Bridget (she is lovely but that word is getting played), I took some photos of their very pretty, very floral, very English high street named Queen Street, of course. (A funny fact - we noticed that they don't really age the Queen on notes in England, she's completely smooth in her 80s and we all know she didn't take the Joan Rivers route. So we showed a friend here a Canadian bill which shows her appropriately craggy face, and he had a good laugh at the extreme difference.)

           
   
  

 

 

A very pretty Sunflower umbrella displayed outside the shop

Photos © The Swelle Life

The Last Days of Summer (horrible words, please don't kill me)

Well, these are the last bits of my summer, hopefully you still have some left to enjoy. We've returned from our six weeks in Canada and so the next 10 days will be spent trying to become normal again (I know, good luck eh?), the jetlag is pretty nasty. And then it's back to school for Baby Swelle, the indisputable sign that the fun is over.

After the Butterfly Convervatory and afternoon tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel, here are the rest of the snapshots (minus flowers, those are for tomorrow's Floral Friday) from my Canadian summer. The header photo is at my aunt Linda's pool which comes in very handy on those days where it's so hot that you break a sweat checking for the mail. They repainted the pool house the most awesome shade of pool blue which they should never, ever change.

Niagara-on-the-Lake's Shaw Festival for English period plays

This is the Romance House. No, it's not the most charming brothel you've ever seen but the commercial home of local artist Tricia Romance. She once lived in the King St. dollhouse (doesn't it look like a giant dollhouse?) with her family, but after people caught on she opted for a little more privacy and moved to the outskirts of Niagara-on-the-Lake. It would take some real creepiness to get me to leave that house, but then maybe her new house was even neater.

I love that no opportunity was spared in making the most of the pinky-beige and that fantastic greenish slate shade -  notice the contrasting detail and painted edges all over. You just don't see this kind of attention to detail with colour all that often, and when you do it's usually weird. (There's a house in my neighbourhood that looks like Rainbow Brite threw up all over it.) And it's impeccably maintained, it looks brand new every time I see it.

 

And lastly, we have the Port Dalhousie carousel. Borrowing from my first post on this three years ago (in which I investigated why a grown man would take a ride on it):  The carousel was handcarved between 1898 and 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, this Charles Looff original was first an amusement at Hanlan's Point in Scarborough, Toronto. It found its current St. Catharines home on Lake Ontario way back in 1921, and still functions using the original organ - complete with twirling dancing girls - which was restored in 1985 thanks to Lottario funds. It boasts 68 animals and  many of the horses tails still sport real horse hair (cool or gross, depending). The nostalgic sentiments are reflected in the teenage carousel operators' uniform of a blue newsboy cap and shorts with red suspenders over a white, short-sleeved dress shirt (you know that a little piece of them dies every time they get dressed for work but it's a nice touch). To top it all off, it's still only 5 cents a ride. Imagine! You can take the family down to Port Dalhousie with a loonie and ride until all your butts are aching!

 

If you drink the Lake Ontario water, this horse will start talking to you.

Pink skies in Niagara-on-the-Lake, just before a big thunderstorm threw it down

Photos © The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday! The Bon Voyage Edition

After six weeks at home in Toronto and Niagara we're getting ready to fly back to England tomorrow. I'm sad to be ending my tropical holiday (when you live in England, Ontario's scorching summers are like an island getaway) and I will miss my family and friends who I won't see for another year. Therefore I will cry into my cupcake. Except that I don't have a cupcake to cry into so I've found a photo that will have to do (I really wanted to return to Willow Cakes in Niagara-on-the-Lake but sadly ran out of time, they are divine).

This cute cupcake from Cakes by Lorinda is a nice and cheery way to look at leaving, though I think 'bon voyage' is usually meant for travelling rather than going back to where you live. Though we do have a stop at the Exeter airport on the way back and you know that will be an exciting adventure. (No offence to the nice people at the Exeter airport.)

Look Good, Do Good: "The Fashion Show" for Africa

A young woman with a huge heart and sharp eye for fashion will be presenting a major charity event that combines fashion, dance, and shopping in September.  The Fashion Show, happening in Gareth Pugh's hometown of Sunderland, is the vision of Nikki Lee who has spent the past year supporting relief efforts in Africa, including seven weeks building and teaching in Malawi for Joshua Orphan & Community Care.

Next year, Nikki will return to Africa to work with Joshua and Save the Children. They will distribute the money from this event to those in need in Malawi and sufferers of the drought in east Africa. To assure those who give that their contribution really counts, Nikki will be emailing pictures and updates from Africa, to each person who donates to The Fashion Show, to illustrate the difference they've made in the lives of the people. She wants you to know your money is not going to admin fees!

The Fashion Show is Sunday 25th September at the Roker Hotel, Sunderland at 4pm. The first 50 guests to arrive receive a Debenhams goodie bag, and everyone will be treated to wine and chocolate covered strawberries.

Retailers will be donating a portion of their sales to the charities. I'll be there with a pop-up Swelle Boutique, so if you're in the north east please come by to say hello and support these very worthy charities.

Tickets are available for £10. To purchase please call Nikki at 07828118191 or visit The Fashion Show: Charity Event on Facebook to find sellers near you.

Want to donate directly? Please go to http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/Nikki.Lee

Save the Children: Registered charity number 213890  Joshua Orphanage: Registered charity number 114727

Exhibitionist Butterflies

These butterflies are doing rudies!

If you like the idea of butterflies flying all around you, you'd love the Butterfly Convervatory in Niagara Falls. I was just there for the second time, I tried to take my daughter three years ago when we were home visiting thinking she'd love it, but she decided right after I paid for the tickets that she wanted to bypass this little pseudo-rainforest wonderland and go straight to the cafe. This year she actually came in despite an exaggerated aversion to 'mini beasts' (what they sweetly call insects in England, at least in primary school), she thinks they're either going to bite you or poop on you. But after a few minutes she was catching them on her finger and laughing from their tickles (which she probably imagined). Some like to land on you and stick there for a very long time while others are very elusive. You know of course it's usually the plainest ones that hang around and the most colourful and beautiful glide by repeatedly just to tease you before they flee to the depths of the foliage. However, one species is quite deceiving, it looks like a big brown moth when its wings are up, and then when laid down shades of vibrant blue are revealed (you can see it below in the boy's hands).

These lovelies are quite difficult to photograph but I was persistent, and perspiring - they keep it so humid in there!

So the deal with the header photo...I know, how rude. At first I saw them high up on a leaf and thought 'Wow, look how those two are positioned, and they're just staying like that!' They were among the most striking of the species represented and I couldn't believe I had time to get shots of two beautiful butterflies at the same time, in such an interesting  mirror configuration. Then one moved a bit, and all of a sudden I felt like a total perv taking pictures. Imagine, doing that right out there in front of everyone, in front of children (I was actually the only one who noticed, no one else was looking up and they totally missed the show).  But don't worry, I told on them as I was leaving. I lost my innocence that day.

And I'd just like to mention again (I said this in my first post on the conservatory three years ago and nothing has changed) that when you get dumped into the gift shop upon exiting the butterfly habitat, you see that they have all kinds of butterfly 'art' - with real dead butterflies! Is that not wrong? They even warn you not to buy butterfly products in the film they show beforehand. Now does that make any sense?

 
  Chow time!

When I first came in, many were landing on the floor and just sitting there. It made me so nervous they were going to get stepped on that I almost had to leave. Most were seen and people were picking them up. Many of them didn't mind at all.

 

"My curly tongue is bigger than your curly tongue!"

   

     
      

Photos © The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday! Pastel Macarons

  

I saw these macarons when I was picking up a mango cheesecake at Pusateri's in Toronto for my daughter's birthday (it's made by Laroca and it's so good you'll make noises). I was looking for a Cupcake Monday subject and although macarons are regulars here, I couldn't resist the pastel colours, especially the lilac and the turquoise with pink filling.

There was also a deep red strawberry balsamic flavour but it drew attention away from the pastels, so I ate it.

After the little shoot in front of my family (I'm pretty sure my grandmother thought I was nuts for setting up macarons in different 'poses' and photographing them, so I told her 'they're for cupcake monday' which didn't seem to help), I just had to try each one. That may seem rude but I first asked the others if they wanted to take half first. (If no one heard me that's not my fault.) However, there were takers for the half-eaten macarons and I think it was their first time eating one. Life-changing.

My favourite was the poppyseed which tastes like my lemon verbena handcream smells. That's a good thing.

If you're in Toronto and you love cherries, Pusateri's has the biggest I've ever seen at the moment. I didn't catch where they're from, but they are really sweet and well worth the price. And don't forget to pick up some macarons!

 

The carnage

Photos © The Swelle Life

Floral Friday! Contrasts at Wallington

I went back to Wallington in Northumberland today to photograph their stunning walled garden which I missed when I visited last year. And had I actually known what I was missing I wouldn't never have been able to leave. Last time, I spent a couple of hours in the mansion, particularly in the dollhouse rooms which you can see here and here (I never did post anywhere near what I had altogether, I hope to dig out the rest one day).

These gardens quickly became my new favourite place and I'd love to go back with a picnic and just take it all in without my eyeball pressed against the viewfinder. A serene, huge pond covered in lily pads with baby coots (a black marsh bird) running atop greeted us on the way to the garden gate, and I couldn't pull myself away. (Somewhere my husband is nodding firmly and slowly with eyes glazed over.) Oh! And there was a red and white bed floating in it! Come back next Friday to see what I'm talking about.

To start, here are some of my favourite shots from a small patch in their enormous and breathtaking garden. The gardener seems to have wanted to create a bit of drama and planted a few varieties of vivid flowers with leaves so dark they appeared black. I especially love the first photo, the flowers appear as if they were painted.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 

Photos © The Swelle Life

Floral Friday! Neighbourhood Gardens (and Bad Dog Owners)

I walk home along the beach every day after taking my daughter to school (despite being knocked off my feet by a dog that charged full speed into my shins thanks to its owner throwing  a ball just over my head, and having a pug relieve itself in the brown way right beside me as I sat on a bench brushing the sand off my feet - the toff who owned him was on his mobile, looked over 'during' at the scene which could not have been more graphic, but kept walking. I had to call after him and was repeatedly ignored until I shouted "You have got to be kidding!" at which point he came back, feigning ignorance.) 

What's this post about? Right, one day last week on my walk I paid particular attention to the gardens of the houses on the seafront (which all have brilliantly painted doors. Which reminds me, we're overdue for a Painted Houses post.) It had just rained and the flowers looked absolutely beautiful with raindrops resting on their petals. They were in prime bloom. Today I had my camera with me, minus the lens I like to use to shoot flowers, but I took some pictures anyway. I noticed that a lot of the flowers were now in their ''twilight" phase and they had lost a bit of their lustre - rougher edges, fallen petals. But I went ahead anyway, trusting they still had something to give. The pink peonies certainly did, they were still gorgeous and I resisted rubbing my face in them. Do they compel you to do that, too?

Note: I do love dogs. It's the odd owner that could use a swat on the nose with a newspaper. That woman didn't even help me up after I face planted in the sand!

 
   
   

 

Photos © The Swelle Life

Cupcake Monday: Sweet Paul Summer Issue is Out!

Just about everything that's great in life is found in Sweet Paul magazine.  Food, colour, beauty, light, surprise and delight - just what you need to create a blissful moment for yourself, or bond with family and friends, in or around your own home. (Though you don't even need to do anything, just looking through Sweet Paul is a massive treat! But you must, and you'll see why.)

New York-based food and interiors stylist Paul Lowe aka Sweet Paul has just launched his summer issue, the 5th and biggest yet at 144 pages filled with mouth-watering recipes, eye-popping interiors and wonderfully creative people sharing their craft, always with a little of the unexpected thrown in and all so gorgeously styled and photographed. This issue was as hungrily anticipated as a dark chocolate donut and strawberry lime float (page 122) on cheat day.

Paul tells me he thinks this is his best issue yet, and I wholeheartedly agree. A fresh new layout debuts as does a print version of Sweet Paul magazine, now available at newsstands in Norway, Paul's home country. Lucky them!

As always, I want to make everything from these pages, but my first crack will have to be one of Paul's incredible summer salads. Have you ever seen potato salad presented so brilliantly? Yes, that is potato salad on the right! Now that is food styling at its finest.

Paul presents his summer brunch menu which includes lobster rolls, Pimm's cups and yet another neat idea for guests' place cards:

I have promised my daughter to make something from the Sweet Paul Soda Fountain story, such a sacrifice:

And a picnic is in order which might look a little like this:

 

I could go on and on and on but best you just go see for yourself!

 All photos from Sweet Paul magazine, summer issue

Cupcake Monday! Sweet Apologies

 

 Gigi & Big Red show off their strawberry chocolate cupcake ornaments

So sorry for the sparseness of posts last week and the lateness of Cupcake Monday - can we pretend this is the midnight edition? I guess we don't have to pretend, it pretty much is. I've been busy planning my first event for Swelle Boutique and my daughter was on half term, so the blog drew the short straw, though it was never far from my mind. Just what a bad boyfriend would say to smooth things over!

To make up for it I bring you candy and flowers. In cupcake form, of course.

A picnic of the cutest treats by Hello Naomi

Lilac and pink 'hydrangeas' by iilgemini

Beautiful roses by Gabby Cupcakes

Fashion Illustrator Series: Interview with Bil Donovan

Bil Donovan for Christian Dior Beauty

Whether fashion is art is a perpetual topic of debate. Conversely, we'd be hardpressed to find objection to the idea that those who document fashion, in an inspired way, are indeed artists.  Fashion illustrators possess that magical combination of technical skill and provocative flair that is essential in bringing their subject to life.

Bil Donovan is one of today's most accomplished and revered fashion illustrators, and a true artist - deemed so by Christian Dior Beauty who named him their first Artist-in-Residence in 2009. Based in New York, he is also an educator, currently as Assistant Adjunct Professor at the city's prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology where he was once a student; and a fine artist working under the name William Donovan, a pursuit that allows him to engage aspects of his creativity in an expression unique to that of his fashion-focussed  illustrations.

In 2010 Bil published his first book, Advanced Fashion Drawing/Lifestyle Illustration through Laurence King UK. It's a beautiful textbook that "promotes the idea of observation, thinking and selectivity through a series of exercises and demonstrations that explore the concepts of line, shape and composition." For illustrators looking to broaden their perspective, this hugely inspiring and challenging book is a must-have. Bil's introduction alone is of immense value; his story will surprise you.

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Bil, my favourite fashion illustrator, about his work. I look at his pictures when I want to feel happy or elated; it's something in the combination of his precise, elegant brush strokes and how he chooses and uses colour. I'm drawn to his bright hues, though some of my favourites are mostly monochromatic - Bil is a master at summoning an exhilarating energy with his use of light and transparency and translating the space and proportion of a live event into two dimensions without compromising a shred of its vitality, even taking the beauty to a higher level. I would like to live in Bil's world.

 

DG: First, congratulations and big thanks for your book, a truly original and invigorating approach to fashion illustration instruction. It's hard to believe you were once told you were not a natural and that you should 'rethink your artistic pursuit.'  That professor would prove to be instrumental in shaping your path early on, when you took her advice to 'draw draw draw'.

I think you may be about to change the lives of others yourself by revealing this bit of information in your book - t’s a universal given in our minds that true creative talent is something we're born with, that comes easily. You've proven through your achievements that with insightful guidance and nurturing, anyone with the commitment to be a good illustrator can indeed be one.

Do you feel that without the specific education you received from several extraordinary individuals that you would have eventually found your way to where you are now, or was it absolutely crucial to your success?

BD: I believe that regardless of the degree of talent one person may possess, that individual needs to nurture, perfect and explore that ability through practice as well as understanding the fundamentals related to that field.

It is important to get a different perspective and evaluation of your work through the eyes of another and of course this would occur in a class. I know that studying with a variety of instructors sharpened my thinking and pointed me in the direction of pursuing my personal vision.

Would I have developed my eye, or draftsmanship without that experience?

Absolutely, probably through practice, but each teacher brings a distinct viewpoint and perspective to a class and those factors influenced my perception of drawing and nurtured my style.

I love the theatrics of a circle of easels occupied by artists surrounding a model perched on a model stand. Imagine this arena energized by the presence of an instructor who circles around the room pushing, encouraging, inspiring and challenging you to see, think and create work in a different light…the energy is palpable and courses through your body pulsing through your veins into your hand holding the pencil onto the paper…There is nothing like that. I’m still addicted and still take classes.

DG: The fact that you’re still taking classes will either be reassuring to young illustrators or totally intimidating! Then again, learning is a life-long process.  

Do you prefer the easel circle to the live event? Does the spontaneity of the live event force you to adapt your style?

BD: Each is unique. The studio setting is a more controlled environment and the energy is generated through the model, the instructor and of course the other artists present. If I create work alone at my studio then the energy is collaboration between the model and me.

Live events have a kinetic energy generated by the state of flux. You have no control of the surroundings and events occurring and it is great to allow that spontaneity to filter into the work. You have to be in the moment and constantly edit and adapt your process, rather than style to meet the challenge. There is no room for preciousness.
In September Ralph Rucci invited me to document his Spring 2011 collection and it was exhilarating to witness his brilliance and world; to capture that experience as models floated by in these gorgeous creations, for the press, editors, buyers and privileged guests…it was an Ahhhh moment and everyone took a pause at the beauty of his collection, they actually gasped, but I had no time or I would have missed it.
I had to let go and just trust that the essence of that moment would rise to the surface.

At Chado Ralph Rucci, New York Fashion Week, September 2010

DG: You conveyed the structure, textures and lightness of the Chado Ralph Rucci collection beautifully. We love to look at fashion drawings and paintings; they go even further in creating that ideal world, the fantasy, and capturing the essence of a collection than the fashion show itself. They can be so enchanting.

So why isn’t illustration a more regular part of documenting fashion today, alongside the photograph? Fashion week is typically fed to us through a singular view – there’s the catwalk and the wall of photographers at the end of it snapping the models in identical poses without facial expression. We could use a more fanciful narrative!

BD: Amen! I wish I had the answer to that question. And those who are in a position to choose the editorial content and create the narrative could best answer it. The fashion world is a business, and the editorial and advertorial markets revolving around that world must promote an image that meets the demands of a particular audience in order to thrive. However, I believe that this audience is underestimated in their ability to appreciate an illustrated narrative over a photo-realistic one. It is also the responsibility of the illustrator to reinvent the genre of fashion illustration with energy and concept to seduce the eye and capture the attention of a new audience.

DG: During a discussion earlier this year between Imran Amed from The Business of Fashion and Nick Knight for BoB’s series Fashion Pioneers, Nick declared, “I think photography is dead” upon reflection of the notion that as a medium it can’t evolve. He also downplayed the importance of the printed medium and claimed that ‘fashion will be shaped by the internet’, an idea which was supported by the massive public response to McQueen’s live streamed Plato’s Atlantis in 2009.

As an artist who also documents fashion and the curator of the January's exhibition Fashion Illustration: Visual Poetry, do you see a unified movement amongst fashion illustrators toward the use of specific technologies to create both the art and the means of access? How does the concept of evolution apply to the classic art form of fashion illustration, and it is imperative that the genre evolve in order to be influential in shaping fashion?

BD: All art has to evolve, high, low, commercial or fine and Fashion Illustration is no exception. Technology nurtures that evolution by providing a creative arena for exploring possibilities beyond our imagination.

We are witnessing Video, Animation, Drawing Painting, Photography, Performance and Music accompanies one another and move beyond the printed page. That’s entertainment!!!

However, I am a firm believer that your digital skills are only as effective as your traditional skills. Those with a foundation in drawing painting, composition and theory will have a competitive edge over those who to rely on the digital technology to make their work.

Anyone can scan a photo-distort-posterize and process it through a filter. But what makes it unique? Does technique dictate the work or do we dictate the technique to communicate and enhance our vision? Intuition is idiosyncratic and has as yet to be incorporated into digital technology.

Social networking has changed the landscape of how work is seen, perceived and promoted, unimaginable a decade ago.

 

DG: There seems to be an element of critics who dismiss beauty at its most simple and pure as fluff, as if meaningful expression can only be found in the edgy, hard, damaged, or ugly. How would you respond to that? 

BD: Work that is from the soul whether it is dark or light should never be dismissed.

My personal work is dark and my fashion work is light. It took me a long time to calibrate the two and realize that one does not invalidate or surpass the other.

Thank you, Bil. It was an honour.

For Chado Ralph Rucci, New York Fashion Week, September 2010

  For Vanity Fair Italia, 2011

 

For more about Bil Donovan visit his website, and if you're in New York you have a unique opportunity to see him work live:

All illustrations © Bil Donovan

DESIGNS ON LIFE by Judith Frankland

It's good practice to be wary when someone declares that their careers in designing, painting, singing, writing novels, etc.,  began at the age of two, or in some cases just after entering the world! However, sometimes these claims are in fact true. I was two or three years old when I was introduced to fashion and design. Do I remember? Alas no, my dear Mama told me. I do however believe a seed was firmly planted for the future.

Mum would take me almost daily into Newcastle city centre where she would leave me at one of the high end clothing shops she had worked in while she went off shopping. Evidently I would quietly watch as assorted ladies tried on a myriad of garments. These hung neatly in glass cabinets and were treated with the utmost respect and care. After this we would go to Fenwick, which at that time, had the fab carpet with the name on it throughout the store and you were served individually with a very personal touch. Up to the terrace coffee shop next where I would turn into my alter-ego Lila, and in answer to the waitress, "No, the little girl would have a coffee, not pop" and wanted to be treated like a grown up.

Back home Mum would draw ladies and ballerinas for me and encouraged me to draw dresses. Soon I was making countless books of designs, even pricing them. We got Vogue monthly and it was not long before I pawed endlessly through it. Mum made my clothes and I remember vividly a fuchsia cape, pinafore dress and beret. When I would get my hands on Dad's newspaper (The Telegraph) I headed hastily to the fashion page and its usual row of illustrations of the latest looks. From this, the one and only designer I have ever truly been a devoted fan of, was the genius Bill Gibb (See Bill Gibb, Fashion and Fantasy by Iain R Webb), who sadly left us way too soon. His amazing, innovative clothing was a wild and wonderful mix of contrasting fabrics, florals, stripes , tartan, anything and everything. It seemed he took his references from history and the world in all its glory. He was quite simply an inspiration and continues to be.

Designs from then 15-year-old Judith

I have just finished taking part in an exhibition of a mix of artists and designers. My presentation of seven outfits is part of a work in progress to be finished very soon and used for promotional purposes in anticipation of presenting a small collection next fashion week in London. It is the first I have undertaken in eight years. The main reason I took part was a way of dipping my toes back into the water, rather than throwing myself in at the deep end, and to that end it was a worthy experience. The look of the collection is strong - I like to say "for the woman who likes to say hello"-  and bold, lots of colours and textures, using some marvellous school uniform fabrics I chanced upon. Manny More wonderfully illustrated the clothing in his unique and brilliant style that captures the exact feeling of the garments. (Denise will be talking to Manny in depth about his work soon.)

 

Fashion is my life, it always has been, even when I took detours running clubs in Italy and moving to different countries rather than towns. I was still making one-off commisions, and for several years had a line of a more commercial nature than the one I am now working on. I have finally found my niche. My life experiences are vast and varied and time will tell how this lust for adventure past and present influences my work as I enter my grown up period. I'm excited and have found immense pleasure in pattern cutting and want to explore the possibilities this can create in my next pieces. I would love to work with a professional pattern cutter in the future, and frankly, I feel they do not get the applause they deserve. We can all play with and drape fabric, but boy it takes talent to bring that to life. I want to stretch my imagination using the limitations a one woman venture has in a positive way, perhaps combining textures and colours to create my own personal cloth. I want to burst out and let my mind run riot and enjoy every minute, I'm ready.

All in all, the exhibition has made me focus and come to the ultimate conclusion that indeed my passion is for fashion, something I never really doubted in the first place, but a nice nudge is a good thing.

David Johnson at Shapersofthe80s.com has given a detailed account of my work in the exhibition. He also filled me with laughter, sushi and ice cream with his wonderful wit as a fab topping, a super weekend.

Also, see Katherine Wildman's coverage of the exhibition at North East Life - we love  her!

 

Illustrations by Manny More; photos by Denise Grayson; final photo of Judith and slider detail photos by Katherine Wildman

Cupcake Monday! The Ladurée Easter Edition

 

We returned from Paris last night kicking and screaming (in my mind, anyway). I was so exhausted from my glorious nine-day tour of gluttony that I fell asleep reading my daughter the Marie-Antoinette story book that I bought for her at Versailles (they left out that nasty last bit). And missed being the Easter Bunny. Daddy forgot, too. Luckily I woke up before she did, realised, and got right to it. Phew. Childhood innocence saved.

Not having the time to buy the Easter treats before we left for our trip, I had no choice but to buy them in Paris. That might sound like a dilemma to celebrate rather than lament - I prefer to buy handmade chocolates for Easter - but it's incredibly expensive there. Paris barely tolerates Cadbury but there is an artisanal chocolatier on practically every corner, so that's where you go and all of them are pricey. I saw a large chocolate egg for €140 and nearly laid one myself. Smaller treats, then.

There were a lot of chocolate fish as is the tradition, and neat things like a real egg shell filled with dark chocolate (it at least looks real, we're still not sure!) Update: it was real. 

On our last full day in Paris I took my daughter to Ladurée. I booked the Castiglione Salon, the prettiest room, and we shared a brunch which was tough to finish between us - we had to bring home the macarons for later and had no room for their divine Saint-Honorés! It still stings.

But we left with the mauve coloured white chocolate Easter egg done up in a pretty lilac Ladurée ribbon that you see in the photos with Baby Swelle, and some other pretty deliceuse that I will show you next week. We heard movement inside the egg - it contains tiny Ladurée surprises! We're about to investigate...

Easter photos © Denise Grayson, The Swelle Life

Photo of Castiglione Salon from Laduree

Cupcake Monday! Les Cupcakes de Ladurée

 

I'm off to Paris this Saturday for eight days and all I can think about is pastries. When it comes to macarons I actually prefer Pierre Hermé, I just can't see how it gets better than his artful way of combining fresh, complex flavours so good that obscene noises come out of your mouth. But for old French, pastel-drenched, gilded charm, nothing beats Ladurée for the treat of all treats.

I've never had one of their cupcakes but it's time to rectify that. Look at them! So regal, pretty and perfect.

And considering we lived in Paris I find it a downright shame that I have only had one of Ladurée's divine pastries. How did that happen? Oh right, it's because Paris is full of this heavenly stuff, and one can only eat so many pastries. You think there's time, then next thing you know you're at Charles de Gaulle airport and security is telling you you're too pregnant to fly, only you're not pregnant. Was that just me?

I may have to find a way to justify ordering this  Marie Antoinette entremet:

A religious experience indeed!

Images from www.laduree.fr

To Sip a Cup of Roses...

To sip a cup of roses you need some whole dried fragrant rosebuds with hot water poured over in a pretty teacup.  Mine come courtesy of my lovely friend Kate who got some as a gift at the Charles Anastase show last September. I think that beats a bottle of water!

The tea is soft and tastes perfumey, as you would imagine, and it's gorgeously aromatic. So be sure to indulge in a sniff with every sip! (I didn't feel like drinking the rest of  my third cup so I just held it to my face and repeatedly huffed it. Best to do that when you're alone.)

Update! My brilliant Kate offers this suggestion for the leftover tea (after huffing it, of course): "I freeze left over tea into little ice cubes.  Something pretty to put into home made limeade in the summer!" For Kate's fantastic limeade recipe see here!

My small collection of teacups and pots are among the prettiest things I own. I've decided to show my absolute favourite teapot in a separate post because I love it that much (it's a 1920s handpainted Noritake pedestal pot and you can see a preview in the shots below), but for now here are some of my favourite cups and saucers which include my newest Wedgwood, a stunning little deco set with lavender and pink flowers, even on the inside of the rim (I love it when the pattern is carried through to the inside, it's so stark otherwise). It was the obvious choice to host the rosebuds.

Befitting such a gorgeous set was the box it came in. Look what you get when you buy something from Wedgwood's Harlequin collection (it's perfect atop the ivory French bookcase which needed something but I wasn't sure what):

Below is an adorable cup and saucer Christmas tree ornament from Wedgwood, if you haven't guessed. I wouldn't dare hang it on the tree, that slippery ribbon would slide right off the needles and it would probably break, and who wants to see this sweetness only once a year? So it sits on my French antique aqua painted side table where it and the other breakables act as a magnet for the hands of friends' small children (my daughter has never broken anything of mine so I forget that she's not typical). You can actually hear my teeth grinding.

This trio is from Royal Albert's 100 Years collection. They re-released an iconic style from each decade starting with 1900, and I had difficulty choosing whether to get the 1930s Polka Rose or the 1990s Hartington Lane. I know, you can't believe it either, that I went with 1990s design over the 1930s. The Polka Rose is a mint green tiny polka dot pattern but it just seemed such an obvious choice for me, so I went with the lilac set from the far less enchanting era, you don't see lovely purples all that often and I do love them.

If you look closely at the saucer and dessert plate below, you'll see a subtle (but more obvious in person) cross-hatch pattern all over the lilac. That is pretty much what makes it 90s, I can't really explain why it does but I think you might know what I mean? It's not a pattern that would likely ever be repeated as such and it bugs me a bit, actually! (I know, total weirdo.)

The most discernable features of good china are its pristine sheen (no relation to Charlie), and the gorgeous gold gilt detailing. I will just sit and stare (not for too long, don't worry), you can see how solidly made and perfect the pieces are, and you can feel it in your hands.

 

Come back for Interiors & Exteriors next Thursday if you want to see more of my favourite teapot!

Cupcake Monday! Tutus and Teacups

 

I'm in the mood to look at pretty things - you? Swelle favourite Kylie Lambert of Australia's Le Cupcake not only makes exquisitely decorated cupcakes, she also photographs them beautifully. You wouldn't believe how many fantastic creations I can't show you because the photos are awful! The lighting is too dark or they're blurry or the icing looks sweaty - ick! We can always rely on Kylie to deliver true, edible beauty.

The bar (barre?) has been raised, we must now be prepared to eat our work-of-art cupcakes in vintage teacups and saucers that match our embellished tutus. Unlike real ballerinas, we're allowed to eat ours!

 
 

Images from Le Cupcake

Cupcake Monday! Sweet Paul's Spring Issue

Happy first day of Spring! The pure sunshine that is Sweet Paul magazine is upon us again with the spring issue, a special Kid's edition that will appeal to anyone with a sense of adventure. And tastebuds. You don't need to be changing nappies to benefit from Cupcakes on a Stick or gush at the cuteness of a table styled with a pastel pink giraffe figurine sniffing cucumber sushi on a lime green cakestand (Paul Lowe outdoes himself yet again!).

If you do have little ones, you'll want to get all over this issue. Do something from one just one page (I suggest the Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches then give me your address, I'm coming over) and you'll instantly become Coolest Mom or Dad on the block. Oh right, this is about the kids!  Yes, they will love it, too. And as always, there's something for our four-legged friends. Leave it to Sweet Paul to make dried liver treats look appealing!

And if you like eggs, there's a whole section for yolky treats! This is good news. I need options because 4 out of 5 times I fail hugely on soft boiling an egg by forgetting about it until 12 minutes has passed, the egg has turned to rubber and almost all of the water has evaporated out of the pan.

 

Images from Sweet Paul magazine

New French Furniture Love: Out There Interiors

My love for French furniture is well documented here, but what really makes my heart explode with giddy glee is the painted variety, especially when done in soft and pretty pastels. So imagine my delight when I discovered Out There Interiors and saw these lovely and adorable pink and blue pieces. Better yet, the prices are affordable so I don't have to suffer unsatiated in my French furniture lust, I can actually own them!

The Princess chest of drawers is a great shade of soft pink and my daughter and I would be fighting over who gets it. I love the distressed gold handles and decorative locks and its shapely Bombay-style curves. I would happily kick out what I've currently got in the alcove on my side of the room for it, it's not a bad piece but it's ivory and it doesn't give me the smiles I would get upon seeing the pink when walking into my room, and I do love my colour.

Pink is wonderful but it's great to have a options that bring happiness. I have a super soft spot for washed-out turquoise, it gets me every time. The aqua Demi chest is beautifully distressed to look as if it was passed down through the generations and is finished with pretty pewter handles. Dreamy.

Out There Interiors is a UK-based online shop with a showroom in West London offering many exclusive items that they design and manufacture themselves, and all are from ethical sources. Their delivery costs are very reasonable and they are stated on the product pages so there's no shock at checkout. And they're very friendly, too. Can you tell I'm smitten?

 

Photos from Out There Interiors

Pretty: Makeup and Hair at London Fashion Week

The crowning glory of Ashley Isham's exquisitely floral show

There was so much gorgeous and interesting hair and makeup at the London Fashion Week shows I saw and I managed to get some good head shots, so here's a round-up of the beauty and styling vision of the designers in collaboration with their brilliant makeup and hair people.

(Now, I wish I had credits for the hair and makeup, they are usually listed inthe show's background brief that is placed on the seats, but I gave up my seats for a better view to take photos and forgot to grab them.  I've requested them but if I wait until I've chased them down it will be next LFW, so if you can help here please send me an email!)

Faces were fresh with pale colour and subtle definition at Aminaka Wilmont. The hair was long and self-adorned with fine, tight plaits that began in a V at the front, then intricately woven into criss-cross shapes in the back.

Bora Aksu presented a heavily shadowed upper eyelid crease with a light application of coral in the middle of the lips and a rosy cheek. The hair was pulled back and heavily teased into a nest of sorts which complemented their textural collection. Sometimes the face and hair was wrapped in black chiffon 'bandages'.

Bernard Chandran had the most adventrous makeup of the lot. The eyes were drawn in white and pale gold to create what I think is an owl-like similarity. The lips were fuchsia on top and bright coral on the bottom, a colour scheme that was reflected in his many vivid outfits.

This was Orla Kiely's second season foregoing real models for the 2D variety, this time placed on the walls, peaking through the enchanted forest she had created in the Portico Rooms at Somerset House. She used one very blonde model with big, brushed out soft waves and an equally fair face and eyebrows and very natural colour - pretty and a bit feral all at once. 

Navy lips and heavily lined and winged upper lids with sectioned, pulled back and messily plaited and twisted hair gave Felder-Felder's softer looks some edge, while it maximised the effect of their signature rock n' roll girl.

Lightly bronzed faces created a nice neutral palette for Belle Sauvage's typically edgy and energetic collections of digital print dresses - they had death metal as their soundtrack! The hair was pulled up in a complex arrangment of little plaits with sections draped across the forehead.

  
The look at Ashley Isham was just gorgeous. Lots of florals prints and flower headpieces and tulle. I love spring in an autumn collection! The makeup was soft and natural with the exception of black lips which actually worked quite well, the trick was in the matte application. The hair was pulled back into a bandless ponytail with the exception of a French-braided style topped off with a huge blue rose.

Please check back on Friday for my review and more photos of this beautiful collection!

And be sure to submit your beauty question to our resident makeup artist Corinne O'Brien, it will be answered in an upcoming installment of Pretty! Just use the Contact link in the banner menu.

Photos by Denise Grayson

Come back next Tuesday for Judith's latest!

Judith has held on and then some to that exuberant character and style that has inspired her peers. Pink 'Eyelash' dress and earrings by Judith Frankland, with hat from Relate charity shop.

TIM SOUTHALL

I met artist Tim Southall in the mid 80's when I moved into a tenement block in Somerstown (now immortalised by a film of the same name), situated between Euston and St Pancras stations in London. A tough Irish politically active area, so I was told. We were warned to stay out of certain pubs and mind our own business and all would be fine and it was. Except for one hungover Saturday when a friend and I ventured to the local shop and were chased by a gang of visiting football yobs (I was wearing a red white and blue stretch number with matching socks and platforms) - proximity to the main line stations on certain Saturdays could be risky! I hoisted my skirt up, off with the platforms, and we ran back into the maze of flats unharmed. Tim was my neighbour, we became friends. The whole building was full of artists, musicians, designers, professionals and the odd layabout. Jeremy Hardy, the hilarious, dry alternative comedian lived above me. Nightlife was in abundance and the scene was boiling over with clubs such as The Mud Club, the Asylum at Heaven, La Scala (all nighters) the Electric Ballroom and later Taboo, the Bell in Kings X was a regular meeting point, and the list goes on and on. Tim was a dedicated student at the Royal College of Art. We partied hard but work came first for Tim. My motivation and creativity came from what I was going to wear, constant new outfits using fabrics from Shepherds Bush market or Dalston. I was wearing bright colours, stripes, stars, polka dots - anything loud with kids' toys made into earrings, such as the big bright numbers I loved. A crazy, fun, carefree period when again I found myself in the midst of some hot talent. Tim was always at work or finding inspiration. He took me to The Chelsea Arts Club and numerous shows. When the time came for Tim to get his final show ready, to my delight he found inspiration in me for some of the wonderful, vibrant silkscreens.  I love them so much they make me happy and proud to look at. Me a muse, who would have thought? So with a smile on my face I will let Tim carry on as he has kindly sent a few words to go with the pictures. Thanks Tim for capturing that moment in time in such a fabulous way.

  Plug me in and make me go-go, 1985. Tim Southall. 120 x 80cm

  

'JUDITH' SILKSCREENS, 1985

Judith and I became friends in 1984 while I was in the second year of my masters degree at the Royal College of Art. I was immediately drawn to Judith with her larger than life character and crazy approach to life: a sort of smack you in the face and hope for the best, mad, living it large existence that I was desperately trying to create in my own life. Of course, there was also an echo of the age in this, a precursor to the Big Bang and excesses of the later Thatcher years. And Judith seemed to me to be the very embodiment of this age. Then there was the flip side; lurking in the shadows of those good times were all our demons, desperately trying to escape.

In the ‘Judith’ series of silkscreens, I was trying to capture all of the above and at the same time use Judith as a funnel for my own creativity. Much of my artwork rests on taking what might seem everyday and turning it into something special, fun or celebratory, often juxtaposed with pathos: Give Me A Drink… is a good example of this dichotomy swigging from the bottle in a bikini setting, not that Judith would ever be seen in a bikini! Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron shows a woman in a more passive role while also being a reflection on Judith’s profession, whereas Plug me in and make me go-go is an electrifying piece – Judith as a real live wire, stylishly dancing on the spot; I am a Woman of Steel, sees Judith fighting for the right to party.

I should perhaps mention ‘colour’ along with comedy and vibrancy, and size; these are the largest silkscreen I have made to date and of course, looking back now – 27 years later things look very different, but still, no subject has inspired me to work to such a scale.

Tim Southall 2011

www.timsouthall.net

Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron, 1985. Tim Southall. 105 x 77 cm

Give me a Drink at an Impressionable Age and it’s Mine for Life, 1985. Tim Southall. 105 x 77cm

I am a Woman of Steel, 1985. Tim Southall. 105 x 77 cm

 

Header photo of Judith Frankland by Denise Grayson

 

Bernard Chandran's Vivid Autumn Dressing

Getting back to wrapping up the London Fashion Week shows I attended, here's a nice shock of colour courtesy of Bernard Chandran. The Malayasian designer opened with a hot pink outfit and cape detailed in black which set the tone for his upbeat autumn collection. It was all about head-to-toe solid, saturated colour highlighted by hot pinks and lots of fiery orange-reds; for detail we saw exposed long back zips, black criss-cross diamond patterns, an exquisite laser cut top and dress, and petal-like panels protruding from the side of the waist. A lot of it was not for the timid of colour, but there was something for everybody in black and navy including a very wearable pocketed black zip-front dress with structured paneling.

Chandran's Little Red Riding Hood?

  

 

 

The eyes appeared to be highlighted beyond the brow in white as the model walked down the runway, then the close-up shot revealed they were made up to look owl-like, and that the lips were done in fuchsia on top and bright orange on the bottom, reflecting Chadran's preferred two colours in the collection.

 

 

Bernard Chandran - what a smile!

Photos by Denise Grayson

Designers Guild Daydreaming - Now Includes Lacroix!

Each time Designers Guild releases a new collection of wallcoverings, fabrics and furniture I find myself hopelessly entranced in their exquisite spaces. They have a knack for combining colours, textures, prints and shape in a way that appeals with both minimal and lush presentations and keeps me guessing as to which my heart longs for most!

If that wasn't enough, they are now working with Christian Lacoix. The house that is, the man himself is not technically involved, he's busy making costumes for the opera and theatre, and publishing books - his collaboration with Camilla Morton entitled Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir is on its way to me and I cannot wait to get my hands and eyeballs all over it. But the offerings from Christian Lacroix for Designers Guild are just as good as we'd hope; the house's creative director Sacha Walkhoff was M. Lacroix's second in command for over seventeen years.  So yes, the house does still exist and under Walkhoff's creative direction, the house now shows menswear and accessories, womens accessories, eye wear, a line of stationery, fragrance and of now furnishing fabrics under worldwide license with Designers Guild.

As you can see, the floral and butterflies are my favourites of the Arles collection and as I write this I am looking around for something I can reupholster in it:

And I wholeheartedly adore DG's own collections. Off I go into la-la land...

    

The Carlu circle wallpaper in the top left photo below is what we have in our living room (in vanilla as seen) and in our bedroom (in nickel).  You can see it as the backdrop in the Swelle Boutique box beside the slider under my banner, I shoot all of my pieces in my living room. It's been 16 months and I still absolutely love it  - I knew it would endure beyond fleeting lust!

Images from Designers Guild

  Judith Frankland wears a top, skirt and earrings of her own design. The perfect transition outfit for busting out of the convent.

BALENCIAGA HEARS THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Act 1

That was the description given to my graduation collection by a very generous journalist  back in 1980. My name in the same breath as the Spanish genius Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972) and my beloved "I want to be a nun when I grow up" film The Sound of Music - how fabulous! I accepted the comparison and compliment with delight - after all, I'm only human! My graduation show at The Cafe Royale in London was attended by some of the most glamourous faces from the Blitz and the Head honcho himself, Steve Strange. Thanks to them it was received with an enthusiastic cheer! I was told years later that Vivienne Westwood was there, this was before the McClaren-Westwood Worlds End collection had been unleashed on an awestruck London.

My small collection was predominantly black and white taffeta, brocade, velvet and satin.The black and white striped satin had embossed polka dots in turquoise and yellow in two different sizes and widths; it also came with a tale or perhaps a tall story . The delighted salesman who brought the bolts up from the basement of the shop in London "especially for me" proceeded to tell me that this fabric had been created for the Rolling Stones some years back for a tour and this was the last remaining yardage. With glee I didn't hesitate to say "I'll take it all" and the story, to this day I don't know the truth, but then again I still believe in Father Christmas!

THE VEIL AND STEPHEN JONES

 On the day of the show, my Mum who had travelled down from the Lake District with her friend was backstage with me while I nervously put the finishing touches to the frocks. Today, at 81 years old, she still recalls seeing a rather unusual looking young man coming towards us. He was wearing a suit complete with knickerbockers and ballet style shoes with bows, carrying what turned out to be the crowning glory of my ultimate piece, the black Wedding Dress. This gracious and polite young man was Stephen Jones who had kindly created this architectural wonder for me. This veil headdress was made of stiffened lace on a metal frame and was simply amazing. Who would have thought at that moment that a few years later he would be hailed as one of the world's greatest milliners? Hmm...actually anyone who came into contact with him or his work knew, it was so obvious. The dress and veil was to be worn by the beautiful statuesque model Sheila Ming, possibly best remembered now for her role in the Duran Duran video for Hungry like the Wolf.

After the show, Steve Strange contacted me and bought the dress and veil along with a couple of other pieces. One was a medieval-style taffeta jacket he later wore on the cover of the Visage single Fade to Grey. One of Steve's friends Vivienne Jagger bought the opera coat with striped polka dot lining and a huge stand up collar.

THE BLITZ, DAVID BOWIE AND ASHES TO ASHES

The icing on the cake however was the night David Bowie came to The Blitz searching for extras for his new single which would be named Ashes to Ashes. In a wonderful twist of fate, Steve was resplendent in the wedding outfit that night and was chosen straight away. He was also asked to select people he felt could be right. I believe designer Stephen Linard had been asked but due to pressing circumstances was unable to partake. I was invited as was Darla Jane Gilroy over to the table where David Bowie and his P.A. Coco were sitting and offered a glass of champagne. Darla and I were both dressed in a similar ecclesiastic style and were also asked to take part for what at that time was a decent sum of money for penniless, decadent students. We were told Coco would call us the following day with the details. I awoke with a jolt, seriously wondering if this had all been a dream. I chose to believe not and sat at the door of the "palatial" bedsit for hours waiting for the communal upstairs phone to ring so that I could sprint up in time to catch it. When the call finally came, I was instructed to be outside The Hilton the next day at some ungodly hour, fully dressed and made up the same way I had been at The Blitz, and to get the coach to a secret location.

  That wedding dress from Judith's graduate collection with the veil made by Stephen Jones

 

Judith performed in David Bowie's iconic Ashes to Ashes video along with three of her Blitz friends, including Steve Strange who wore her wedding dress and veil in some of the scenes. Judith is on the far right in the first screen cap.

When we arrived at the beach near Hastings, the crew was set up and David Bowie greeted us dressed in the Lindsay Kemp outfit he would wear that day. He coached us for a few minutes on the words we were to mime and then the day was spent in sinking sand and mud. We had "done well" we were told at the end of the day and asked to come to the studios in Wandsworth to shoot another scene. May I add that at the studios David Bowie had lunch with us mere mortals in the canteen. Yummy. The scene we were to do at the studio involved an explosion and I was at the back. In fact if you look at the video you can see my crucifix swing in. We were told to duck out and run after we had mimed our piece or we could be hurt. This was difficult in a hobble dress, so I hoisted it up as high as I could and got ready to run. Quite a sight for the superstar sat behind me. It took about three takes and we were done and told we could stay to watch the rest of the filming and that we should tell no one about the details of the video. It was all very hush hush.

The night it aired on Top of the Pops I was working at Hell (another Steve and Rusty club - more about that next week). As I had to get there early I would take the tube alone, a daunting affair. However, this particular Thursday I was wearing the outfit I had worn in the video, totally unintentionally. I was recognised by some people who had seen Top of the Pops and ridiculed by others, as usual. But it was worth it. To this day that video still interests and intrigues lots of folk. It was at the time the most expensive video ever made and the song went to Number 1, perhaps we should have bartered for more money. The mileage I got out of that collection had only just begun and I was an established New Romantic.

Adieu for now from this Old Romantic who will never be a nun.

Judith, who was known as Judi back then, had pieces from her graduated collection featured in Viz magazine where it was described as '"Balenciaga hears the Sound of Music'"

Special thanks from Judith to David Johnson for "reviving the mucky 30-year-old slides and bringing them back to life." The photographer who shot them was Niall McInerney.

Header photo of Judith by Denise Grayson.

Come back next Tuesday for Act. 2 - with more delightful (and some bitchy) surprises!

The Painted Houses Project: Around the World

Capetown, South Africa

Thanks to a quick response to the call for photo submissions to the Painted Houses Project which only launched five days ago, we've already got our first feature! These great photos sent in by readers are from cities all over the world which is what I was hoping the project would offer. In addition to seeing how colour dramatically enhances the landscape, we get a look into the diversity of aesthetics as they range from country to country, city to city.

Zendra has given us an intriguing look at Lesoto, Capetown and Norway:

Lesota, Africa. This appears to be a street scene with vibrant murals and people to match, one of the most beautiful things about Africa. I've never seen adornments on the ankles like this.

These brick red boat houses in Norway look especially striking against the backdrop of fresh greenery and blue, open skies:

 

Amy from Real Life Amy is originally from England and now lives in Australia. She took these lovely photos on her travels. Beautiful painted doors are part of the charm of Bath, England:

The buildings in Trier, Germany are so uniquely detailed and here we see a use of soft and earthy colour to create an warm, inviting feel in what appears to be the city centre. It would be enough to get me to sit down and have a beer, and I hate beer!

Angela Hooker contributed a photo as well, she's the talented textile designer for Felder Felder.  You can see her gorgeous work here. This building is near Marseilles in the south of France and Angela tells us that the house opposite was the same yet all painted green, with a green bike parked in front. Hearing that you do have to wonder if they painted their bikes to match the shutters, or vice versa!

A big thank you to Zendra, Amy and Angela for their fantastic contributions. If you have a photo you'd like to share you can email it using the Contact tab in the banner menu.  Tell us where you took it and anything else we might like to know about it!

For more about the Painted Houses Project you can have a look here

Judith Frankland's Wonderful Car Boot & Museum Living Room

Judith's mother and aunt in 1955.

The first time I walked into Judith Frankland's living room I was taken aback. I had never seen a room like hers, ever. There are knick-knacks, or tchotchke as Judith likes to call them, everywhere you look - rainbow colour, texture galore, kitsch - and personal photos and artefacts from moments in fashion history I've only read about. I was in awe. I was just getting to know Judith, we'd only spoken on the phone before that day and the sight of her flat told me there was a heck of a lot to explore with my new (then) platinum-haired fashion designer friend, and it wasn't going to be done in one afternoon. It took about thirty minutes before I'd absorbed enough of my surroundings to be able to settle into it, I could not stop looking around. I found it a challenge to engage in conversation which says a lot as Judith is so full of fascinating stories.  A year and many visits later I'm still noticing curiosities on the tables, the walls and the shelves. And I'm still hearing new stories.

She has a pink microvave. She doesn't use it. Her kitchen is a bit like a 1950s version on acid, and the bathroom is lushly decorated with marine-themed objects. Of course it is.

There's a method to the madness. A quick glance around might have you thinking 'A crazy lady lives here' if you're devoid of imagination. Take a closer look and you'll see that's it all arranged quite meticulously and is dust-free. These are all things that she or someone who well knows her aesthetic leanings has picked up at flea markets and car boot sales, including her TV. She loves nuns and The Sound of Music. She has an original Sex Pistols t-shirt from Seditionaries, they were printed inside out, as well as the handkerchief. Not the fake kind Damien Hirst unwittingly paid thousands for, poor chump. These were made by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood on their kitchen floor and somehow they remain in her possession; Judith's had many things stolen and even left some at John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten's flat one time. Considering how much Judith has moved around in the last 30 years it's really a wonder anything's left.

And in case you're asking 'Who is this Judith character?' see her blog Frankly Frankland here or in the sidebar for a closer look.

  Judith has the first issue of Anarchy in the UK, pubished in 1976. That's the whole newspaper in there and she's offered to let me have a look and take some pictures of what's inside. Oh yes, please! You can't see this and not ask 'Who's that on the cover?' It's Soo Catwoman, a well-known figure from the London scene of 1976-77, the period we now know as punk, although as Soo says on her website it "defied description and didn't get its name for quite some time, having taken everyone by surprise." And as you can see, Judith is a fan of Tupac. Yep, she loves him. That's what great about Judith, you can't shoehorn her into a label!

The original Sex Pistols handerchief. I didn't ask Judith if she ever blew her nose on it.

There's the Sex Pistols t-shirt, among other items. That terrifying looking thing on the shelf is a form for making ventriloquist dummies. She sometimes helps out a friend who makes them by creating tiny little outfits with matching hats.

 
That's Judith in one of her designs, that fantastic skirt.

 

Judith designed and made the outfit featured on Visage's Fade to Grey single cover, worn by her good friend Steve Strange. The blond man with the glasses was also a friend, I believe he was in an 80s band and I'll check on that. He passed away. Judith lost a lot of friends to AIDS in the 80s.

  One of Judith's many abilities includes incredible flexibilty. Or maybe they're mannequin legs.

Her coffee table. It is under there.

 

 
 "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the pinkest of them all?"

 
 
 
 

Photos by Denise Grayson

 Judith in her wonderful living room. When we shot, she felt the decor may not be 'enough'! Skirt and tie by Judith Frankland; jacket, shirt, and shoes are charity shop finds. Photo: Denise Grayson

Style guru, self appointed expert, critic, preacher? No way! I'm an upstart and a woman like many who loves - and in my case 'lives' - fashion and the world that lurks around it, a world I have stepped in and out of all my life living in London, Vancouver, Milan, Los Angeles and my beloved Paris. I have an excitable, excruciatingly inquisitive mind; I never stop thinking, plotting and some would say talking!

I am not a lover of the term "On trend"; I like to say "On form". Micro mini to maxi. If it feels right on the day I'll wear it - no sheep mentality for me. The only thing I follow is the weather - a hard job in Olde England. I, like zillions of others, love to wear clothes, dress up and be noticed, and I shall be incorporating a weekly look alongside my banter. I mix bargain buys, charity shop finds and my own creations. I'll be begging a hairstylist friend once in a while to do me a 'do as I'm not good with tongs unless provoked.

When Denise offered me this weekly spot on The Swelle Life I was so flattered and jumped at the chance to let off some creative steam and share my experiences, past and present. And we'll have a good old romp through my ever-expanding wardrobe, so come join me every Tuesdsay as I throw myself back into the lion's den to launch a new collection later this year.

Judith in one of her fantastic creations, a two-tiered skirt in a bubble of 'school boy' fabric over plaid ruffles in pink and purple.  Photos: Denise Grayson

A Brief History

My life so far has been full of surprises and more than my share of drama, which I seem to attract! My roots - well, the ones on my head are grey now - but the ones from my past were very colourful, from punk to New Romantic and a lot more along the way. Now you may think "Aha - trends!" but at the time they were fresh. I was in the right place at the right time at the right age. These were groundbreaking times, full of self expression and the desire to have a unique look. Often peoples' perception of punk is different from mine. In the early days, the look was bright, not just black, ripped and safety pinned. One of my outfits was an orange lurex two-piece, purple tights, odd dayglo socks, pink kitten heels. Bows all over my head, a plastic mac with small kids' toys attached (ok, with safety pins). That was one way I would troll up on Bromley high street on my way to college. I loathed college, and it wasnt keen on me either, at least the boring head honchos weren't. We would buy boiler suits and dye them bright colours, all very DIY and inexpensive. As my mood darkened mainly due to my dislike of that dreaded place, I started to embrace the all-black and tartan style and a bit of a bad attitude that was to become the punk stereotype.

 Judith in the mid-80s with friend and artist Tim Southall. Photo: Richard Sawdon Smith

The Blitz

Then the Blitz and Steve Strange came hurtling into my life where weekly we paraded around proud as peacocks. It was out and out glamour as we danced to the brilliant DJ Rusty Egan. Steve and Rusty started this night in the small wine bar in Holborn that held around 250 people. Lucky fashion plates, it changed the course of my life and gave chances to many others. I had met Steve through my degree show which was later labelled New Romantic and he bought several pieces from this collection.

Every week in the (less than) palatial South Kensington bedsit I shared with my friend, designer Richard Ostell, we would spend hours coming up with what to wear. Poor Richard had the labourious task of using a can of Elnette and a lot of elbow grease to create a bouffant for me without a hair extension in sight; in fact I'm not sure they existed then. We were optimistic, fame hungry, party animals with a fondness for cocktails and the fine things in life, but booted back to reality when the bank statement came as the majority of us were students. Apart from that it was a fantastic time!

At the Blitz you would rub shoulders with luminaries from the world of art, music, fashion, journalism and photography: Gilbert and George, Brian Clarke, model Marie Helvin, even John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten, and many others. But not Mick Jagger. Steve Strange famously denied him entry one night - his look didn't pass! And then of course there were the stars of the near future strutting their stuff: Sade, Spandau Ballet, George (later to become Boy), and Midge Ure to name a few.

I had my "15 minutes" when I was handpicked to appear in David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video. I followed this with a video for Visage's Mind of a Toy single, designing and making the costumes - more on both in a future post. The site Shapers of the 80s gives a very accurate look into this era with some great pictures. A few colourful if somewhat chaotic fashion shows were next and then off I was on my travels.

 

Milan and Onward

After a few moves I settled into running clubs in Milan and one-nighters throughout Italy. We brought from London the fabulous Gerlinde Costiff and hubby Michael with the "girls" and DJs from their legendary club, Kinky Gerlinky. Leigh Bowery hosted a night sporting two pairs of shoes at once and a toilet seat around his neck for starters. Showcases followed for Seal, Right Said Fred, Dee-Lite, Ru Paul, Lahoma van Zandt and super DJ Larry Tee from New York. Fashion shows, parties for MTV, the list is long. It was a crazy, fast time.

After some years in Milan I flew the nest to LA where I started a clothing label selling in various shops around the city. Next it was Paris where I happily started to export to Japan. A busy, satisfying life with lots of work and all rather glam in the way only Paris can be.

These days I'm treating my mind and body with respect, and as a friend brilliantly put it after his abstinence over the holidays, "My liver loves me." I'm channelling all my energy and my retirement from the wilder side of life into creativity. I have many frocks to make, places to see, people to meet, and things to learn - writing well being one of them. Be gentle with me, please! I'm full of surprises and hope you can be lured back even just to look at the pictures!

Join us next Tuesday for Balenciaga Hears the Sound of Music - how a journalist described Judith's graduate collection. She'll share photos of her fantastic creations and tell the story of that fateful night when David Bowie came into the Blitz and chose her, three friends and the fabulous black lace wedding dress from her collection to appear in the Ashes to Ashes video. A great story all around - and as promised, there will be surprises!