At the beginning of this crisis fairly early on the Laura Ashley group crashed and burned and went into administration closing all its stores for good unless a buyer is to be found which looks sadly highly unlikely. I must admit with this news I felt an immediate pang of nostalgia, harking back to the Read More
Seems like a very distant memory long ago…(when in fact it was only March before the full lockdown). A different world where you could roam freely and only worry about certain aspects on your daily travel whether it be on public transport, down to the shops or a walk in the park. Now everything is Read More
Since my last blog post 20 days ago a lot has happened in between. The corona crisis has escalated to a level of national lockdown and it is an issue no one on this planet can ignore (don’t try you won’t be able to…). It’s all very surreal…Disturbing in fact to be living in such Read More
With all the very bad news, the scary news dare I even say the Cxxxxx virus word? It’s all getting a bit much for me…I just can’t deal with it…Life is becoming like an episode from the 1970’s TV series Survivors (also I think there has been a recent remake?). Anyway with people acting ‘crazy’ Read More
Is it ‘pathetic’ to be upset when a brand essentially dies? The shop that has been there all your life… now suddenly gone? My mind got thinking this way for a number of reasons, though what piqued my interest was a report of a lone mannequin dressed in black wearing a veil looking very forlorn and Read More
Patchwork is back! Did it ever go away? Well yes for a short while…but it’s now firmly on the fashion agenda for 2020. I covered this trend in 2015, see here https://philippanestie.com/patch-work/ well there’s not much more to add as it’s pretty self-explanatory, but of course like all crafts there is an art to it. Read More
So there I was thinking I was ‘safe’ home alone watching re-runs of Charlie’s Angels on the Sony channel (a favourite of mine from childhood..explains a lot…) when midst a ‘Redwine glare’ a horrid and grotesque face flickered on and off the screen…was I ‘seeing things’? Was that a mirage? What the hell…was…that? ‘Chilled to Read More
Whilst scrolling on my phone I read with interest that “second-hand fashion is set to surge in coming years” and “could overtake fast fashion”, hello? have they not seen my blog??! LOL! With environmental concerns it’s the obvious choice and anything that puts fast fashion in its place has to be a good thing…but to Read More
Not sure if there’s a bling ‘thing’ going on as we start the New Year but on viewing what I’ve come across recently I’m beginning to ‘suspect’ so…with all the ‘evidence’ I have gathered…especially over the last couple of days alone. So ring a ding! I’m now thinking of the ‘Bling Ring’ gang who broke Read More
Looking at an app on my phone to check out what’s trending…I’ve decided to ‘sidestep’ or ‘swipe past’ the whole ‘Christmas story’, I’m just going to ignore it as much as I can, not easy and almost impossible…but in a report regarding new trends for 2020 apparently red shoes are going to be ‘big’. This Read More
As I passed the basket full of wools in one of my Charity Shop runs as usual…My eyes were immediately drawn to a knitting pattern ‘Floral Rhapsody’ (and they were not joking…). The images conveyed a very romantic setting for two crocheted shawls and a scarf. Having recently taken up crochet, I decided to take Read More
Well another day and another casualty to the High Street ‘juggernaut’ that is taking out shops at a relentless pace. I only discovered that my local Select store was shut when I went past there earlier this week and had planned to pop in for a quick browse, only I couldn’t…as it was gone and Read More
On my usual rounds of junk and charity shops, I began to encounter items that were embellished, decorated and textured. So I thought let’s ‘celebrate’ that. From beading to embroidery adding a whole new layer of interest to what would otherwise maybe a rather boring bag or jacket. Embellishment is nothing new at all…but what Read More
Well…to be honest sometimes I’m only in a mood for a treat and then sometimes a trick if I’m in that ‘devilish’ frame of mind. Love it or hate it it’s impossible to ignore Halloween…and it’s not going to go away no matter how much you wish it so…what do you do? If you hate Read More
With the depressing wet weather (like is it ever going to stop raining…) and the on going crazy political crisis I thought I would distract myself with ‘flower fashion’, where a flower motif unsurprisingly is the main feature. Starting with a vibrant red rose to burn through the misery, red always makes a bold statement Read More
Earlier this year it was Audrey Hepburn now it’s Marilyn Monroe that is ‘haunting me’, or rather she just ‘pops up’ whether I’m in a Charity Shop, boot fair, shopping centre or antique market. The images here are just skimming the surface. Apart from Marilyn appearing before me on a regular basis at present…from a Read More
