Oldies but Goodies

We've spent the week finding books for our Cafe Society evening with Hugo Vickers. The plan is to fill the shop with vintage gems, bringing out all of the 1930s and 1940s favourites to accompany the Duchess of Windsor and Behind Closed Doors. 

Looking through our catalogues to fuel my failing memory, I've been reminded of the joys of the backlist: those fantastic books that sometimes drop to the bottom of the pile, but are always excellent and still in-print. Here are a few of my favourite backlist titles, all in stock at the moment. Time for them to stop hiding their lights under a bushel.

Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Jean Royere. Decorateur a Paris (1999)

Susan Meller, Russian Textiles. Printed Cloth for the Bazaars of Central Asia (2007)

Leo Schmidt, Christian Keller and Polly Feversham, Holkham (2005)

Dean Merceron and Alber Elbaz, Lanvin (2007)

Penelope Hobhouse, Gardens of Persia (2004)

Vive la France!

Is it because I watched Jules et Jim earlier in the week? Possibly. All I can say is that the weekend has been marked by a LOVE of all things French. So, clad entirely in Breton stripes and with a cafe au lait at my elbow, I have put together this modest tribute to our friends across the Chanel. (Best read while humming the Marseillaise).

Gerard-Julien Salvy, Balmain (Editions du Regard, 1995).

Pierre-Yves Rochon and Dane McDowell, Interior Splendour by Pierre-Yves Rochon (Flammarion, 2010).

Laure Murat, The Splendor of France. Chateaux, Mansions and Country Houses (Rizzoli, 2004).

Ginette Mathiot, I Know How to Cook (Phaidon, 2009)

Yvonne Brunhammer, Andre Arbus. Architecte-Decorateur des Annees 40 (Norma Editions, 2003)

 Philippe Julien, Les Styles (Editions Gallimard, 1992)

Le voila! Enjoy, and contact us if you need more information about any of the books.

A Wealth of Colour and Pattern

The woman next to me on the tube this morning was reading Vogue. Hurray! A perfect if slightly awkward opportunity for a sneaky look at fashion week collections. Now, after some more reading on the internet, I've found my favourite trend for Spring/Summer 2011. Colour! In giant blocks of tangerine and rose pink goodness! Have visions of myself dancing the summer away in one of Gianfranco Ferre's sparkling dresses. 

While I'm saving for the dress, a more affordable celebration of all things bright and beautiful can be found in these three books.


First up is Thames and Hudson's new book Scarves. It came into the shop yesterday and is pretty much heaven. Like last year's Hermes Scarf, each design is reproduced as a full-page plate. This makes it a fantastic sourcebook, but also gives a sense of the designs as they were intended to be seen, reproducing the different qualities of each printed fabric. My favourite section is on historic scarves. You'd better believe it includes a scarf designed to commemorate the moon landing. Neil Armstrong smiling out of a spacesuit. How natty.

Second on my list: Taschen's Pucci. Surely the ultimate when it comes to pattern, this book includes lots of Emilio Pucci's hand-drawn designs, plus photographs of textiles, dresses, rugs, furniture, and ceramics. As a book it is very finely produced, with lots of contemporary photographs plus huge detailed images of beading, or of the swooping edge of a hat.

And thirdly, Florence Broadhurst. An antipodean queen of colour who is also partly just a good chance for a gossipy read. Here is a small taste to whet your appetite:

Born in Australia in 1899, at the age of 17 Broadhurst decided in favour of a little more glamour than Queensland's Mungy Station could offer. Changing her name to 'Miss Bobbie Broadhurst’, she embarked on a stage career touring Asia and the Pacific as part of the blissfully named 'Smart Set Diggers' dancing troupe. After a brief career running an academy of the arts in 1920s Shanghai, Broadhurst moved to London in 1933. Here she become Madame Pellier, and opened a dress shop of the same name on Bond Street. In 1949 she returned to Australia and (while moonlighting as a member of the English aristocracy) founded the company for which she became famous, producing handprinted wallpapers. Broadhurst sourced special papers from America and Norway, and used vivid colours printed onto metallic textures to produce her lush and extremely distinctive designs. 

Here she is as Bobby Broadhurst, backstage in the 1920s. Image found here.

Read all about it, and revel in the creativity and great beauty of her designs, in Helen O'Neill's book Florence Broadhurst. Her Secret and Extraordinary Designs.