This post will be short and sweet as I’m rather pressed for time: London Fashion Week, the London Design Festival, London Open House and my birthday party are all happening at the same time this weekend. I've just a few moments to share a some photographs taken at Somerset House, when ... Read More...
Fashion
Susan is taking a well-earned holiday this week - her first since The Dabbler's inception last year - so here's one from the Retroprogressive archives... Rumour has it that fashionably retro-progressive gents are investing in the priceless heritage of a bygone era. For those who want to go one better than ... Read More...
Despite today’s laissez-faire approach to dressing, vintage swimwear is all the rage this year. The internet abounds with websites selling original retro bathing costumes and trunks. You can find everything from all-in-one 1920s ensembles to super-snug ‘70s Spandex shorts. This may give men cause for alarm… Choosing beachwear is a source ... Read More...
Today the word Regency smacks more of ‘limousine’ hire companies and engagement ring websites than fashionable restraint in behaviour and dress. Regency style has become synonymous with televised period dramas, fancy dress costume…and weddings. It’s a curious fact that wedding fashion is still largely inspired by a brief period of history ... Read More...
The world of fashion never ceases to amaze. There I was thinking it was all air kisses, goody bags and celebrity endorsement, when suddenly things start to get serious. I suggested that fashion was searching for a new identity a while ago, but when I received an ‘alert’ from Kerry ... Read More...
I haven’t been to Japan for quite a few years, but there’s been plenty of coverage of the Japanese fashion industry in the UK recently. In particular, the ongoing exhibition at the Barbican, Future Beauty: 30 years of Japanese Fashion. Promoting itself as ‘the first exhibition in Europe to comprehensively ... Read More...
When I set about writing this at around ten o’clock last night, I had so much digital material at my disposal that I began to doubt I would complete the post before morning. Then I sat back and realized why steampunk culture has gained such popularity. Described by Wikipedia as ... Read More...
Christmas brings with it many opportunities for sartorial embarrassment. A house party is the perfect occasion to bump into your fellow guests in a half-lit hallway in the middle of the night, wearing your brand new, or very old, dressing gown. As Oscar Wilde said, "It is only shallow people ... Read More...
Big furry ears make me happy. It might work for you too. Can you imagine the winter high street bustling with creatures? Foxes, badgers, the odd Minotaur, not to mention all the beasts you can't name. Could hats change the world? Asks Lewes based felt-maker and performance artist, Barbara Keal. Here are ... Read More...
Do you remember the ‘old school’ days of the late 1970s when college blazers were worn with pride, and occasionally even customized with unique badges and embellishment? Such fashions were part of a craze for ‘uniform’ dressing that inspired a media-led lifestyle, popularized by The USA’s Official Preppy Handbook, published in ... Read More...
