I'm a migratory chick, who's made her home in London after flying her Sydney coop. Wee Birdy is my exploratory field guide to the good stuff in my immediate London hood and sparkling treasures on the horizon.
My flight path covers indie London shops (and occasional flirtation with the High Street), British design, the highlights of local food and snapping people in dandy outfits on the streets.
When I'm not flitting the highways and byways - I'm taking flights of fancy with a click and exploring niche elements of fashion, beauty, design and handmade.
Top Bird flew her native coop of Sydney, Australia, in February 2007, where she has been an editor of glossy magazines for the past nine years. She is currently nesting in London as a freelance journalist.
Got a question? Want to tell Top Bird about a cool shop? Just want to have a bit of a tweet?
Email Top Bird. She'd love to hear from you.
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I'm fully participating in Park Life on Friday evening (Blur's playing in Hyde Park!), otherwise I'd be making a mad dash to the Emma Cook sample sale. It sounds truly amazing, and will act as a tasty prelude to her upcoming collection for Topshop (out end of July). Hopefully there will still be enough good stuff kicking around on Saturday morning. See you there!
London’s been sweltering in a mini heatwave over the past few days, and thoughts have inevitably turned to air-conditioning (the Tube is finally getting it in 2010, but until then it’s industrial-sized fans, inane and hopelessly pointless hot weather warnings and bottles of water), icecream (I do love the Mr Whippy van on Tottenham Court Road) and bikinis.
Yep, swimsuit season is upon us, and if you’re looking for a particularly flattering one, you may like to check out this week’s issue of Time Out (it’s the one with Blur on the cover!) for my top five picks of London’s best (apologies for shameless plug). One of them is by London/Australian brand Jemma Jube, pictured in this post.
These four amazing campaign images are the collaborative result of an Aussie team, and the illustrious credits go to: concept and creative direction by Mel Kier; photography by Mel Kier and Liz Ham; retouching by Grace Testa at Studio Twenty4; styling by Mel Kier; make-up by Natasha Severino, Di Dusting, Aimie Feibig; hair by Sophie Roberts and Di Dusting; and models Lucy Edwards, Emma Booth, Candice Lake, Vivi Valentine, Lorelei Lee, Judy and Jessie.
Jemma Jube is available at Miss Lala’s Boudoir in London.
Miss Lala’s Boudoir
18 Monmouth Street
London WC2H 9HB
Tel. 020 7836 6670
Nearest tube: Covent Garden/Leicester Square.
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Images courtesy of Jemma Jube.
I came across Chris Eckersley’s beautifully designed ‘byrdhouses’ when he was exhibiting, along with Ella Doran and Sharon Elphick, at the Chelsea Flower Show this year. His collection of geometric steel nesting boxes are zinc-coated to prevent rust and powder-coated in a delightfully vivid palette of pastels and bright oranges. All metalwork is handmade by metal craftsman Billy Jefferson.
He was originally inspired by the quirky birdhouse set created for The Byrds when they appeared on Amercian TV in 1965. (Which makes them doubly-awesome in my books.) Check out the clip below of Mr Tambourine Man… ahhhh.
Anyone who's spent a little time in my company knows that I fully appreciate the finer qualities of a well-made, full-bodied Bloody Mary. I won't linger on the makings of the perfect Bloody Mary, suffice to say that it usually comes down to good quality tomato juice (and vodka), as well as just the right balance of Worcester sauce, chilli sauce/Tabasco, salt and pepper. And a deft squeeze of lemon is crucial. Too much lemon can be a great Bloody Mary's undoing. Same goes for too much ice (watered-down spicy tomato juice is not very pleasing).
I've had quite a few excellent Bloody Marys in London (The Wolseley, The Narrow, and The Diner) but I love visiting Automat on a late Saturday morning, usually following a prolonged tour of Dover Street Market. May I suggest that the Bloody Mary goes down particularly well with the classic Automat burger, which comes complete with pickle and a side-serving of fries. Very pleasing, indeed.
Happy Saturday!
Automat
33 Dover Street
London W1S 4NF
Tel. 020 7499 3033
Nearest tube: Green Park
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
For shopping in Mayfair, click here.
A few weeks ago I was researching a story for Time Out magazine on the best shops in Barcelona, so I sought the advice of a few very clever, in-the-know crafty bloggers. One of them is Eva Monleón Cifo, (aka Misako Mimoko) a multimedia designer who also handcrafts rag dolls using vintage fabrics.
I really love her vintage-toy-inspired creations, which have are characterised by a rather joyful, free-spirited and unfinished quality. These are just come of her little people, which are all available to purchase from her Etsy shop. So lovely.
And if you like embroidering yourself, you might like to download one of Eva’s free patterns – go to her blog post here. (And thank you Eva for all your brilliant Barcelona shopping tips!) I'll be posting about a couple more Barcelona bloggers - and their wonderful Etsy shops - over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.
This wee wriggly worm is actually a limited edition, gold-plated pin, shaped like the river Thames. Designed by Kit Grover exclusively for the London Design Museum shop, it is also reflective of the folkloric bent pin, which has been used as votive offering in many cultures. Thousands of bent pins have been found on the Thames foreshore and down hundreds of London's holy wells, which were thrown into the water to grant wishes or to allow a safe crossing. Great value for a unique London souvenir.
Thames pin, £5, limited edition of 100 by Kit Grover for the London Design Museum shop.
I’m a real sucker for nostalgic sweet shops, and Suck and Chew on Columbia Road is no exception. Look out for the pillar-box red shopfront if you’re visiting on flower market Sundays and you’ll be treated to old-retro favourites like Rhubarb and Custards, Cola Cubes and Rosy Apples.
There’s also a delectable selection of handmade organic chocolate truffles from Norfolk (I love the champagne and strawberry) as well as some unique retro-inspired gifts, like Beano and Dandy tea-towels (£7.99) and blackboard mugs (£4.50).
Keep an eye out for the vintage cards, Ladybird books and chocolate tins (from £5), as well as the adorable Topsy and Tim badges (£1.50). Fans of the area should also seek out the ‘I heart Columbia Road’ badges (75p).
Suck and Chew
130 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Tel. 020 8983 3504
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm
Sunday 9am to 4.30pm
Click here for more shops on Columbia Road.
Tine K hand-painted birdies, £14.95, are designed in Denmark and ethically produced in Taiwan. They're available at Bohemia in Edinburgh.
I'm kicking myself for not getting this post up earlier, but I've been a bit crook with the non-pig-flu flu this week. So things have started to slide. Anyway, the Passion for Fashion auction actually took place in London yesterday, but I thought you might be interested to see some of the vintage goodies that went under the hammer.
The auction included an astounding range of museum-worthy fashion, including dresses from 19th century gowns and rare examples from Yves Saint Laurent's Russian Collection, as well as Poiret, Schiaparelli, Lanvin, Balmain (see the exquisite embroidered black satin cocktail gown from AW 1959, above) and Gres. Not so very long ago I would have done something terrible for a Madame Gres pleated gown. Check out this fine example of her extraordinary talent and skill which was on offer yesterday:
I was also surprised to discover a pair of Queen Victoria's fine linen knickers up for auction, which are described as "vast drawers" and embroidered with VR and a "queenly crown".
And then there's a pair of her knitted silk stockings (also embroidered with her initials):
Also included in the line-up were some beautifully structured Courrèges tunics, mini skirts and wool dresses (circa 1968-70):
Check out the full catalogue online here.
All images courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions.
I spotted these pint and half-pint tees for adults and kids in Fabrications recently, and thought they were would make fun gifts for Father's Day. I'm usually wary of matching slogan tees for parent and child, but these are actually quite clever and rather adorable, and are available in a range of colours. They're made by quirky London-based company Twisted Twee, and you can buy direct from them online. Otherwise pop into Fabrications on Broadway Market on Saturday, and you'll have Father's Day sorted for Sunday.
Fabrications
7 Broadway Market
London E8 FPH
Tel. 0207 275 8043
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 12noon-5pm
Or call for appointment.
Nearest tube: Bethnal Green Station
Nearest train: London Fields BR
Check out some of the mid-summer crafty happenings coming soon to a London church hall (or pub) near you …
1. Craftaholics
Head to Islington for an afternoon of handmade and ethical products, including Bobby Dazzler’s soft toys and characters, Emma Ferguson’s embroidered goodies (see 'Hello' brooch above), Anima's ultra-girlie cupcakes, Seif Alhasani’s prints and sketchbooks and Louise Graham’s ceramics.
Craftaholics
Saturday 27 June
12pm-5pm
The Old Queen's Head
44 Essex Road
London N1 8LN
Free admission
2. Button Willow Bazaar
A summer fete with a line-up of old-school favourites like tombola, guess the weight of the cake and a celebrity vegetable competition. There will also be handmade and vintage stalls along with tea, cake and a “nice glass of sherry”. Sounds delightful!
Button Willow Bazaar
Saturday 20 June
12pm-7pm
St Aloysius Church Hall
20 Phoenix Road
London NW1 1TA
Free admission
3. Sample and seconds sale
Pick up some hand-crafted bargains by the likes of Poppy Treffry (embroidered home textiles), Daisy Dunlop (resin jewellery) and The Black Rabbit (quirky knitted gifts) at a sample and seconds sale. There’s also free tea and cake.
Samples and seconds sale
Friday 19 and Saturday 20 June
10am-6pm.
St James the Less church hall
Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2PS
All images courtesy of the artists.
Sterling silver brooch, $US90; ring, US$81; and necklace, US$88 from Shere Design's Etsy shop.
All images courtesy of Shere Design.
London-based jewellery designer Tina Lilienthal is also exhibiting at Treasure in Covent Garden this weekend. Her juicy cherry necklaces are just ripe for picking, but I'm also loving her collection of white resin skull pieces. And her resin bone hair clips are pretty awesome in a Flintstones kinda way. But if you're in a gloomier frame of mind, her surgical scissors and love heart necklace (inspired by a recent break-up) might just tickle your (dark) fancy.
Treasure
The Flower Cellars
4-6 Russell Street
Covent Garden WC2E 7PR
Friday 12 June: Noon to 8pm
Saturday 13 June:10am to 6pm
Sunday 14 June:10am to 6pm
Admission £5
All images courtesy of Tina Lilenthal
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