Category: women
Deja Vu..
I’m in need of distraction: It’s the return day of the crittall door fit and there’s lots of sweaty men and heavy drilling in my house. At least the doors have made it inside this time (she writes as something loud and metallic crashes to the newly fitted parquet floor). There seems to be an emotional kickback for days like this..You want to pretend that everything is totally normal…but you get to the evening and realise you’ve actually achieved nothing..yet desperately need a large vat of gin – because these days are in fact, the black hole of time suck.
Time to mentally check out..and what better way than to surf through Pinterest..it was the summer dress above that first caught my roving eye..a simple flowing line, easy to wear but with a modern silhouette and pockets. So I followed the bread crumbs and discovered Canadian designer Kaelen Haworth.
Deceptively simple with thoughtful cutting.
They’re edgy classics with a twist.
(All pictures from Kaelen Howarth and Pinterest)
And always a joy to see they’re not designed by a man who’s a stick. Maybe that explains their appeal.
Laters, Kate x
Judith Scott x
This wasn’t the post I was going to write today, but I was looking through my Pinterest feed and these works of art caught my eye. There was something primal, something tangible that reached out.
Subtle yet charismatic. Sourced from the urge to create.
All made by one woman: Judith Scott.
And then I discovered her story.
Judith Scott and her twin sister Joyce were born on May 1 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Aged seven, because of her Downs Syndrome and profound deafness the decision was taken to send her to an asylum where she spent the next 35 years.
Then her sister Joyce then became her guardian, moved her to a care home near to her and enrolled her in the Creative Growth Art Centre in Oakland.
For two years she did nothing. And then she started winding thread.
And found the voice she’d never used.
(All pictures from Judith and Joyce Scott website (well worth looking at) and Pinterest)
Judith Scott died in 2005 at the age of 61 in the arms of her sister, but she remains a testament to the power of art, the strength of human nature and an epiphany to how disability can be a footnote.
Laters, Kate x
Curtain call: Design hero..
I’ve been trying to write this post all morning and failing miserably – head is all over the place as really, all I want to do is start nesting in the new spaces and get them ready for Easter/before the kids break up. But there is a subject that’s caught my eye: The Great Interior Design Challenge has just finished on BBC 2 and it was compulsive viewing (for good and bad reasons) for anyone interested in the story telling of interiors. The overall winner was Sarah Mitchenall who’s designs were a true delight to the eye – she excelled at rooms where the raw ingredients appeared completely wrong (the orange medieval room par example) – but the end mixes proved to be both balanced and exhilarating with Everest sized visual impact and inherent cool.
Like the greatest creatives and raconteurs she has the power to dazzle with what is simply there and squeezing it to it’s enth degree, stepping out of the box, defying convention and believing in what just works.
All these pics are taken from her visual treat of a Pinterest page under the name Black Parrots – named after the company Black Parrots Studio she has co-founded on the back of her winning success.
Luckily for us mere mortals the company isn’t limited to just designing interiors: They already have their own lighting with the aim to design more products, wallpaper, textiles and more.
Look how the stem becomes the flex, and the flex becomes the stem. Genius: Definitely one to watch.
Laters, Kate x
Rosie x
There’s something rumbling in the air: Apparently Isabel Marant opted out of sharing her pre-season pictures with anyone until as late as possible. She said it was less to do with the threat of copying than over exposure – ‘There’s just too much stuff’. A notion that is starting to infiltrate and seep through the runway shows at New York fashion week…It’s becoming too obvious, too controlled..and the designers – crowned icons of creativity – are starting to rebel and explore other avenues to present their collections. It’s about time.
Rosie Assoulin presented her collection at the Meatpacking District (I like her thinking) with her usual chutzpah and personal style.
She sees a hemline and moves it up further… a gather becomes a statement.
A simple stripe is now a conversation of pattern and geometrical possibilities.
Exposure is about dreams, not exploitation.
Extravagance, strength and femininity all simply and elegantly pulled together with beautiful tailoring.
(All pics Vogue and Pinterest)
Now a stalwart of fashion week, she’s still a breath of fresh air.
And I love her candles.
Laters, Kate x
Tracy Reese x
Tracy Reese is an older soul with youthful eyes who has the magic to make retro content spring to life.
She’s not a label I know – after spotting her 2016 Fall collection I went to her website to learn more expecting a continuation of this subdued, edgy elegance – and was greeted with bright, hot pink and a style more reminiscent of a catalogue shop: The site needs a makeover, because this is a rich, deep vein she’s uncovered.
She makes large shapes and floaty lines look feminine and easy.
All beautifully composed and perfectly remembered.
And I want more.
Laters, Kate x
Bohemian Minimalist?
I’ve been reading Bea Johnson’s book ‘Zero Waste Home’ with interest – it’s fair to say it’s an eye opener. Whilst there’s no doubt she’s taken her chosen style of living to an extreme (her 4 member family produce just one large jar of rubbish a year)..( I confess that’s less than we manage in a day) and despite the fact the book is written for the American market, there’s no denying the hidden gold between the pages…..she genuinely believes that in our fast-paced, modern world we’ve disconnected from the true reality of our commercialism and the consequences of our voracious, unstoppable actions. By shining a light on something as simple as rubbish she aims to change people’s attitudes in a broader, rippling sense..and make a real difference both to the individual and the planet. Impressive ambitions.
The book reminds me of an article I read in the Times by Caitlin Moran where she admitted that as a poor person she was far more creative: No money to buy it equalled make it or fix it. But now with success, she just throws money at the problem…we think because we can have it all, we should have it all. We even deserve to have it all.
Bea thinks differently: She likes to simplify life right down to needs not wants, equalling less hassle, less waste..less stuff.
And that’s where she and I differ. I understand the simplicity of a clutter free, simplified life…but clutter and old stuff are fundamental to my personal lifeblood. All these pics represent interiors I aspire to with their sense of timeless style and soft edges.
A house without books? Soulless.
No artworks and bedspreads?
(All pics Pinterest)
Or knick knacks and beautiful rugs? It would break my little heart.
But I think there are grey areas where we overlap. And I’d really like to explore her world in little steps..doing something different every month. Watch this space…
Laters, Kate x
Touching the Tide..
The girls are coming in and heading for home!! Row Like a Girl, the 4 girl team rowing 3000 miles in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge Race are due to cross the finishing line and arrive in Antigua today (around 4 o’clock UK time) to claim a staggering 2nd place against 26 other boats and break all sorts of records – like the youngest women ever to row the Atlantic, fastest women etc…
And they won’t be too sad at coming second..they were only bested by another British team: Ocean Reunion – which included the brother of Row Like a girl’s Bella Collins….and adds to their remarkable record haul: First brother and sister to ever complete the challenge..
Behind them many boats are still battling it out..including the magnificent and maverick Row2Recovery…who boast only one pair of legs between them..
And the awesome YorkshireRows – 4 forty something mums proving that motherhood is just a stepping stone…if you dare to dream.
Gutsy, bonkers, courageous, inspirational. It’s been a joy to follow their journeys..and you can be a part of it too – each and everyone of them are doing this for charity..click through tho their respective websites here to see more..because this is special and they deserve everything they get.
Laters, Kate x
Raw Talent x
Jessica Kramer is my new arthouse-slash-fully-fledged-rockstar (of the jewellery kind) and the maker/owner of Hawkhouse. She’s been a wanderer and traveller, soaking up the sights and sounds of six of the seven continents of the world before love made her drop anchor or as she says ‘Wild woman falls in love with island boy and signs up for Etsy’. Her story and all it’s wonder is ingrained in her pieces.
Her works are frank and forthright without the slightest glint of superficiality, just pure natural beauty shining through.
There’s a visceral feeling of groundedness (is that a word??) straight talking and sincerity.
(All pictures Hawkhouse and Pinterest)
Designer prices? No – everything, even the uncut emeralds above are around the £40 plus shipping; This is outside the brain boil of mainstream madness, brand and oneupmanship, here it’s honesty and integrity that take centre stage and run straight through the middle of every single piece.
Just simply inherently cool.
Laters, Kate x
Bea Johnson x
Anyone else read the article in the Times yeesterday about Bea (pronounced ‘Baya’) Johnson and her zero waste lifestyle? The picture above represents the amount of waste her family have accumulated over a year…it’s an eye opener..
She’s been living this way since 2008..and it doesn’t make her a crusty hippy.
Her (and her family’s) wardrobe are small enough to fit into carry-on suitcases…which they pack, wheel away – and then their house is rented out to pay for their holidays.
But a small wardrobe doesn’t mean she doesn’t have style.
It’s just that they’ve made choices about what they really need against what society and big companies want them to need.
I think I’m going to have to read her book…
Laters, Kate x
Love Stack..
Some natural bling to shine in the grey…that won’t break the bank.
Made by two sisters in Canada with a shared love of nature and making wearable art.
The rings are cast in a handmade mould using eco resin – a biobased product derived from pine oils from the waste streams of other manufacturing products.
They’re left to cure for a week before being sanded down smooth using over 10 grades of sandpaper and polishing tools.
So each one is unique.
Find them at their Etsy shop Rosella Resin . With prices starting at just £24.95 plus postage it’s a tastefully environmental win win.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 