The Lady is rapidly discovering that behind Stockport’s tawdry exterior, there are in fact rather a lot of hidden gems…  One such secret treasure is the fabulous Kimleys Dress Agency. Due to its proximity to the monthly home of Vintage Village, tucked away down one side of Market Place, it’s beautiful black exterior had caught our eye before and had been mentally noted as a Place to Visit.

So, when a move to substantially smaller quarters and one’s wardrobe space was suddenly been reduced from four comfortable doubles to one (shared), rather than cram it all in, it seemed the sensible thing that an enormous wardrobe purge should be embarked upon. The cull was BRUTAL and followed strict criteria -

1. Has it been worn in the last 6 months? (if not, is it truly special enough for the special occasions its been saved for?)
2. Is it well made and of good quality?
3. Is it in good nick?

It became clear that much of the contents hadn’t actually been worn in years, or even more than once (shame-face). A large proportion of which had been part of my ill-gotten gains from my Student Loan days; when I used to literally run to Topshop Oxford Street, pelt down the escalator to the Boutique section and load up my arms with new designer booty. There was also items (and I’m embarrassed to say this) that I’d actually been storing under the misapprehension that ‘they’d be great when I’m an old lady’. SERIOUSLY. Said items were two very plush velvet jackets (one in luscious purple and the other black with a beautiful waterfall collar and cuffs) that I’d never dare wear now, but had had visions of my seventy year old self rocking out in at the W.I. Safe to say, a lot of the cull were that bit too nice for my beloved Moor Top charity shops.

And that is where Kimleys Dress Agency came in… They act as a third party seller for people like me who are either utterly disenchanted with eBay and its ilk or are merely short of time to faff with listings etc. They re-sell clothes, accessories, shoes and bric-a-brac for a 50% charge of the total sale price, which is agreed upon when the items are brought in. They keep hold of them for six weeks, after which the prices can be reduced, and if still not sold, can either be donated to charity or reclaimed by yourself. I really like the concept and think it’s a fab way to recycle those unworn bits and bobs that you would secretly begrudge giving to your local Chazzer Shop.

So, Tyrant and I stashed my now unwanted treasures in that incredibly handy area under his pram and made the trek to Stockport centre. Now as it was a Market day, I’m a tad embarrassed to say I struggled to locate Kimleys and actually did a couple laps before I collared one of the lovely Market boys and got him to point us in the right direction. Now, for my fellow dippy eggs who also use their phone’s GPS for day-to-day navigation, if you stand with your back to the Food Hall and head down the right hand side of the old Market Hall building, you will soon come across its black and gold fencing and shop-front (be warned, fellow Pram Mafia, there are steps! I did have to man-handle Tyrant and his chariot up them!!)

Inside I was quite frankly stunned to discover that, rather than the usual bog-standard dress agency I was expecting, instead there was a trove of colour-blocked treasures – as well as the standard modern frocks n’ tops I was expecting, there were also sparkly eighties tunics, gaudy seventies florals, a fab shoe selection and a counter coated in both vintage and new bling. In addition, the interior has been really sensitively done and is an aesthetic delight with exposed brick walls and some beautiful pieces of vintage furniture (on sale at most reasonable prices). A lovely oak desk (£75) caught my eye in particular, as well as some great seventies retro faux marble-topped coffee tables and an amusing tea trolley (£10). The walls also held some lovely finds – my favourite being an enormous oil painting of Venice (£45, if I remember correctly. A steal!).

I also was lucky enough to meet the lovely petite proprietor who told me all about the story behind her ace shop. Following a bout of travelling in the Far East, her travels led her to New Zealand where, whilst strapped for cash and needing clothes, she noticed that the majority of shops were dress agencies. It was a real Light Bulb moment and on her return to Blighty, this clever lady opened up the brilliant Kimleys last November. Visit their website or their Facebook page for more info.

Opening times are 10- 4 and they’re closed on Mondays and all Sundays, except Vintage Village Sundays (second Sunday of every month – 8th May being the next).

Heartily recommended!

The Lady thoroughly enjoyed her fourth VV appearance, which was without a doubt her most favourite yet. With a much less frenetic atmosphere than last month’s veritable stampede, there was a definite laid-back, easy-going Sunday vibe. For those that didn’t manage to get down to Stockport’s gorgeous market hall, there’s a teaser above in the form of a photo of this month’s L, B! stall.  For further kick-yourself for not going fodder, have a mooch through the bountiful amount of Facebook albums that have sprouted up following Sunday’s vintage scrummage: the official VV album, my own selection, the disgustingly gorgeous and talented (and lovely despite it, SO unfair) Anne Louise Kershaw’s uber-professional shots (take a peek at her ace blog too, while you’re at it – here’s her rather flattering review of VV) and the adorable Grumbi’s pictures too. It was a thoroughly eventful fair too; what with being filmed by the charming family-run Little Wonder Company, finally meeting various lovely Twit-friends from Twitter in Real Life and being flooded with interest for one of my floral frocks (just like buses, buyers come in threes or even fours, all falling in love with the same dress).  We’ve already started plotting new schemes for next month!

Still found time to discover these little beauties though, on the fab Tin Trunk stall..

twin Viking marauders (re-incarnated as a pair of clip-on earrings)

…& this ace navy bow-tie

(no apology will be made for my gratuitous Tyrant shot here, who else could model it so charmingly?)

three small bunches of millinery flowers £8

(to ornament the lapels of various coats)

four yards of delicious Liberty-esque silky fabric £10

(destined to become a dress made with one of those 50s patterns of mine)

two gilt Indian hair pins

(one diamanté with droplets £10 & the other golden leaves & buds £3)

close-up for those Magpies that appreciate a good sparkle

black & gold clip-on earrings

(free gift from the very elegant & lovely stall-holder)

Here it it, the all-time (Long-lost) Object of Lust list:

The Coat That Would Immediately Turn Me Into a Russian Princess

The Totally Useless, but Necessary, Moon Globe

The Dress Which, When Worn, Would Reveal Me as the Beauty That I Secretly Am

The Pyjamas That Dreams Are Made Of

]]> http://www.ladybehave.com/blog/object-of-lust/better-to-have-loved-lost/feed/ 0 http://www.ladybehave.com/blog/lady-behave/new-stock-flights-of-fancy-embroidered-bird-pictures-20/ http://www.ladybehave.com/blog/lady-behave/new-stock-flights-of-fancy-embroidered-bird-pictures-20/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:49:12 +0000 The Lady http://www.ladybehave.com/blog/?p=340 The Lady has been keeping her fingers busy recently with these hand-sewn bird pictures, stitched free-hand into vintage upholstery fabric using 1950s bird watching manuals as inspiration and then mounted in old wooden frames. Although sorely tempted to selfishly keep them for herself to create her own wall-mounted mismatched aviary, they are available to purchase and can also be commissioned, should you have a favourite feathered creature not yet sewn.

The December Muse of the Month was in fact the original inspiration for this blog – the incomparable, modern day lady: Rita Konig – author of one of the Lady’s favourite book (if not THE favourite lifestyle book) -  Rita’s Tips for Domestic Bliss. We first discovered her via her ‘Rita Says’ columns for Vogue (accompanied by the gorgeous Liselotte Watkins illustrations), which rapidly became a firm favourite, to the point of being ripped out and kept as point of reference up until this very day. Formerly an editor-at-large for the now-defunct Domino magazine (a veritable treasure-trove of interior design tips) after upping sticks to the US, Rita then went on to blog for the New York Times and is now writing as contributing decorating editor for the Wall Street Journal, in their weekend Off Duty section.

Our love for her stems from her mastery of the art of living, expressed through her writings on domestic style. Less an interior designer and more a philosopher of the mundane, Rita has an an eye toward the finer things in life and the integration of these as small, everyday luxuries in order to create multiple potentials for positive domestic object engagement, such as an exhorbitant, but delicious, Diptyque candle or a set of beautiful dining plates to be used for every meal. A practical example from a recent article for the WSJ recommended repackaging household supplies into ‘anti-packaging’ to give them a greater visual appeal and bring enjoyment from the improvement in their tactile quality (e.g. transferring milk from cartons to vintage glass milk bottles and also the return to the kitchen of the outmoded butter dish). Rita also encourages the return to traditional domestic practices: like maintaining a china collection, added to in stages by visits to car boots sales and charity shops (Rita suggests picking a theme so that there is some sense of continuity e.g. florals) or maintaining a well-stocked laundry cupboard (with baskets for each stage of the washing and scented ironing water), so that a mundane task can become a well-staged ritual that has the potential for enjoyment over drudgery. These habits, grounded in comfort and order, could only serve to enhance everyday life with common-sensical pleasures and luxuries (if such an oxymoron can be coined).

Rita has sometimes received criticsm for her focus on what could be viewed as indulgent ‘treats’ by people who have misunderstood her principles and wrongly proclaim her to be of a impractical, privileged bent. We should be clear here though, that despite her love of quality, Rita is no snob! It is an appreciation of aesthetics that she preaches. In fact, as she quite rightly says; “If you can afford a packet of cigarettes, you can afford a bar of Roccoco chocolate.” It’s all about an emphasis on longer-lasting, high quality experiences that we should be filling our lives with, rather than throw-away objects without soul or personality.
P.s. rather good interview with the lovely Rita here.

Photo by Todd Selby for NY Magazine

Right now, on this miserable and freezing cold day, I’d like nothing more than to crawl inside this wardrobe nest and wrap myself up in a goose-down duvet with a hot chocolate (with marshmallows and cream, no fun without!), one of Bachelard’s best and place a small, hand-written sign on the door, carefully inscribed: Do not disturb.

We spent a very happy morning yesterday compiling a comprehensive Christmas wish-list for our beloved to peruse. On receipt of which, he commented on the large number of stocking fillers. This brought to the Lady’s mind the very unhappy fact that the Christmas stocking is somewhat out of vogue. One would dearly love to remedy this through a simple how-to guide to help the in-experienced through the  main pitfalls of a charming tradition of Christmases gone by. Firstly, one important feature is the compiling of our Christmas lists. There are many online resources for this which makes the sharing of them even easier. The Lady’s particular favourite being Pinterest, a fabulous pictorial post-it note kind of aide-de-memoire, perfect for those who are of a visual frame of mind.

Tote-as-Stocking

Listography is another good example, which again is easy to distribute amongst our benevolent family and friends. I used this myself for the last two Christmases and it was extremely successful. The trick here is to add items from a vast array of sources and price points, in order to maintain the element of surprise. With our specific purpose in mind, the focus here is of small (to fit in a stocking, naturally) and reasonably priced items, in order not to break the budget before the Big Present is purchased. Next, the stocking itself must be selected. No using of an old sports sock here, please! The stocking must be of a substantial size, large enough to get a good few offerings crammed in. Woollen is best, in festive reds and greens. Possibly in a snowflake design. Lovely contemporary offerings include the ever-tasteful Cath Kidston example (which I have requested for myself this year) or this nifty tote bag, which gives the stocking a clever twist (also allowing even more room for lots more goodies). Now for the filling! Traditional items such as a handful of nuts and a tangerine are a good tongue-in-cheek beginning. Also great for stemming all those ‘back in my day’ stories from the oldies piping up after one too many sherries. Next, there really ought to be some kind of sweet and naughty treat to devoured whilst the rest of the stocking is emptied. Gold chocolate coins being the standard, but why not give it a twist and profer a spoiling ‘hot chocolate on a stick‘? Then for the remainder, themed gifties would give the stocking less of a bit-y feel.

The Elysian Liberty Print Mouse Pin Cushion

There is strength in numbers and the receiver will then perhaps feel like they’ve gotten more than some novelty pap. For example, an eager seamstress could receive a liberty print mouse pin-cushion, a small jar of diamante buttons or a spool of velvet ribbon amongst her offerings. My own stocking wish-list contains items ranging from a ceramic rabbit egg-cup to a decent fountain pen (Lamy, of course) to a Celia Birtwell bag-for-life. Things should be fun and frivolous, but not throwaway. Spoiling bits and bobs that would be lovely little treats that you’d not get for yourself. That’s the whole point of presents. Now get stuffing!