A wee birdy told me that Laura, 22, is wearing a men's t-shirt from H&M, skirt from a shop on Brick Lane, belt from Patricia Field's shop in NYC, and bag from Primark.
Friday, 1 August 2008
London street style: Laura on Brick Lane
Thursday, 31 July 2008
London shopping: Pedlars
Back in May, one of my favourite UK online shops, Pedlars, opened for business in Notting Hill. Situated just off Portobello Road and next door to Rough Trade, this London newbie offers a superb range of premium vintage homewares and unique British and European design-led products. 
Pedlars hails from Banchory, Scotland, where it’s been trading for 11 years primarily as a mail-order company. Not surprisingly, the business really took off when they started trading online four years ago. And now it’s translated beautifully into a real bricks-and-mortar shop, with its nostalgic-meets-modern approach reflected in an eye-catching long orange front counter and over-sized pendant lamps.
One of Pedlars’ major drawcards is its collection of rare vintage Underground signs and iconic Routemaster destination blinds. The one-off pieces of London transport memorabilia are available as framed artworks (from £199 for a Routemaster destination blind) or as expertly-crafted lightboxes (from £285 for a number light box). There’s also an excellent range of framed vintage Underground signs (from £150) and carriage maps (from £225). Specific destinations can be sourced upon request.
Other unique gems include unused ‘60s Hovis bread tins (£28.50 – they make perfect herb planters), handmade wooden toy battleships (£3 – they’re from a 1940s English fairground attraction), industrial-style Welsh pendant lamps (from £42.50), and vintage Smiths Wall clocks (from £95). There’s also a range of typographical stock including large painted wooden letters (on sale now for £17.95) and vintage printers blocks (from £7.50), adding to the extensive selection of indoor and outdoor homewares, fashion, stationery, games, toys and music.
It’s one of the best new shops to open in London (surely a shoe-in for inclusion on future “best of” shopping lists?) and the place to head for a unique gift or an authentic vintage London souvenir. 
Pedlars
128 Talbot Road
London W11 1JA
Tel: 0207 727 7799
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 11am-5pm
Nearest tube: Ladbroke Grove
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Birdy pick of the week
"Flock" silkscreen prints, US$30, from Good Shape Design.
Thanks to Paintergirl for the tip!
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Alternative Fete Finds
Some of my big wins from the V&A Village Fete...
Signed limited edition Rob Ryan print, moustache ring from Tatty Devine, Low-Technics vinyl record player by Mark Garside, and flat-pack pet from Garudio Studiage.
Saturday, 26 July 2008
V&A Village Fete
Roll up, roll up... London birdies, it's not too late to get down to the V&A Village Fete today. We had a brilliant time last night and surprise, surprise, WON some great designer booty (Rob Ryan print and Tatty Devine moustache ring, oh my!). Here are some pics ...
I'll post a pic of my Fete finds tomorrow - I'm just on my way out now to Sundae in the Park to catch The Charlatans and The Guillemots. Hurrah!
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Summer fete, London-style
Ahhh, a village fete in high summer – a perfectly quaint English tradition that sounds right up my alley, especially when the V&A’s in charge.
Last year's fete in the V&A's John Madejski Garden
I’m still kicking myself about missing out last year, so tomorrow night you’ll find me at the Late Night Village Fete, playing hoopla at Tatty Devine’s booth in a bid to win a limited-edition ring, getting into a scratch-off for art prizes at Rob Ryan’s stall, and lining up at Lady Luck Rules OK for a bespoke wooden rosette brooch.
Moustache necklace £23, by Tatty Devine.
There’s an impressive line-up of other creative games and stalls by leading as well as up-and-coming designers in
Friday Late Village Fete
Friday 25 July, 6.30pm-10pm
Saturday 26 July, 10am-5.45pm
The V&A Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel. 020 7942 2966
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
London shopping: Ryantown
It's no secret that I adore Rob Ryan. I mean, what’s not to love? The man is as much obsessed with bird, flower and plant motifs as I am, and his extraordinary paper-cutting talents are constantly called upon for creative collaborations by the likes of Paul Smith, Liberty and Vogue.
Dress for UK Vogue. So when I got the fluro-pink birdy invitation to the opening of his very first shop on Columbia Road recently, I was there in a (tiny sparrow’s) heartbeat. Ryantown isn’t hard to miss, with its jaunty new lick of turquoise-blue paint and gleeful cursive signage. Inside, the bijou shop has the air of a gallery space, with an eye-catching floor-to-ceiling tile mural and Ryan’s artwork dotted around the walls.
Now, keep in mind that a mid-week evening soiree on Columbia Road bears little resemblance to the heaving begonia-laden crowds who flock to the street for the famous Flower Markets every Sunday. So I took full advantage of the distinct lack of people and peonies for a closer inspection of Ryan’s new wares.
Taking pride of place above the mantle are rows of Ryan’s hand screen-printed tiles, which are fired nearby in his studio’s kiln. At £24, these miniature artworks are ultra-affordable, and have already attracted a loyal following of shoppers on Etsy. Displayed together in a palette of muted brights, it’s hard to resist these perfect little pieces of Ryanisms. At the other end of the scale are Ryan’s limited edition prints from £350 and incredible paper artworks from £2000 (unframed).
But I was keen to suss out Ryan’s new products, and spied a range of laser-cut wooden keys-to-my-heart at £16 and rolls of chunky tape featuring a blue and white neighbourhood tableau at £10. I know that nobody needs a decorative roll of tape for £10, but wait until you clap eyes on these little beauties and see if you can resist their demand to be picked up and lovingly stuck to brown paper packages and the like.
There’s also a brand new range of exclusive t-shirts, some gorgeous paper-cut cards at a very reasonable £2.50, and signed copies of Ryan’s book, This is for You, at £12. You can also pick up the Clothkits make-your-own Rob Ryan skirt for £46.
I’m told that more stock is on its way, with a rather enticing promise of new pieces rolling in every week. For instance, a range of one-off ceramic platters and vases will be regularly added to the shop, and new “height rulers for human beings”– great for kids’ rooms – will be arriving in-store soon. A wee birdy also told me about an upcoming stool in collaboration with furniture designer Michael Marriott. Busy times for Mister Rob – and I’ll definitely be coming back on Sundays for more (battling the begonias and all).
Ryantown
126 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Email: ryantownshop@googlemail.com
Check out Ryantown's shop blog.
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm-4pm
Sunday 9am-4pm
Nearest tubes: Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green
For more shops in East London, click here.
Spot the Birdy
Hey, check out Oz mag CLEO's promo for the Next Top Blogger ... if you look closely enough you'll spot Wee Birdy in the background. Wee-heee!
The new issue of CLEO (sporting a sparkling, fresh new look) is on sale now.
Ta to Girl With a Satchel for the scans (she's there, too!).
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Wee mosaic for Wee Birdy
1. Bird, 2. psychedelic arbor day stamp from israel 1975, 3. birds & baubles, 4. 1950s biscuit tin (detail), 5. Arise, Chicken, 6. Yellow Bird, 7. Untitled, 8. Wanting, needing..., 9. birds detail, 10. Simon & Jim, 11. Vintage block print illustration, 12. Coupon bird
Chirp Chirp! My dearest friend Gemma Jones has sent some blogday lovin' our way with this amazing bird-themed Flickr mosaic. Little Miss Coupon Bird and the beautiful 1975 Israeli stamp make my heart sing. Thanks Gem!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
