If you fancy a day out in the Cotswolds, try and make that day Saturday February the 2nd, 2008 – because that’s the day of the Stroud Vintage Fashion, Textile and Accessories Fair.
The Fair promises a good selection of ‘affordable’ quality vintage clothes, textiles, jewellery, books, shoes, hats, bags and accessories from the 1800s to the 1980s, with Specialist sellers coming from all over the UK and Europe.
Entry is £3 (students £2.50) and the event is held at the Stroud Subscription Rooms.
If you are looking to brighten up your home during the winter, you should check the collection of retro-styled screenprints from Ruth Green.
According to her website, Ruth is influenced by pebbles, 70s wallpaper and vintage Scandinavian ceramics. And those retro influences certainly show in her work, typified by this striking springtime print, which is available as part of a limited edition of 25, sized at 38 x 44cm, printed on Fabriano cotton rag paper and signed and numbered by the artist obviously.
This one retails for £200, but if that’s a bit rich for your tastes, other limited prints are available from £40.
Find out more at the Ruth Green Design website
To celebrate 40 years of Aram, friends and colleagues of the company were asked to design a hand-made rug – all of which you can browse and buy online – including this Sir Peter Blake rug.
It might not seem an obvious Blake design, but with the collage effect and use of bold colours, it certainly does have the trademarks. The rug itself is hand-knotted at 80 knots per square inch and is made in Uttar Pradesh in India.
The only missing detail is the price – you have to get in touch with Aram for that. I would guess it might be a little heavy on your wallet.
Find out more at the Aram website
Everyone is selling reusable bags these days, as we all rush to become eco-friendly. But TwentyTwentyOne has one that’s a cut above – the Lucienne Day organic cotton tote bag.
Yes, the celebrated textile designer has team up with the design retailer to produce the bag, which is made of fairtrade organic cotton, with a Lucienne Day design and signature on one side, with the TwentyTwentyOne name on the other. And it’s a limited edition – a one-off run of 1500.
Guaranteed to get you knowing looks off anyone who knows their classic design, it retails for a bargain £5.
The shopping trolley is back – only this Orla Kiely Multi Stem shopping trolley is slightly different than you one your gran used to drag to the shops.
Not a lot different though – there’s still the wheels, the stand, snap fastening and the sturdly handle. Only this one has that signature (and super cool) Orla Kiely design, as well as a foldaway wheels so you can carry the lightweight trolley if you prefer.
New for the spring/summer season, it retails for £199.
Find out more at the Orla Kiely website
I’m guessing someone at Morphy Richards had an old Bauhaus catalogue open when they designed the Manhattan kettle.
It’s very much the modernist design, oozing 30s cool with those straight lines, shiny chrome and non-nonsense looks. In terms of features, it has twin viewing windows, a cool touch handle, removable limescale filter and a 3.1kw element for speedy boiling.
But the looks alone should sell this. It retails for £55.
