Wee Birdy

Wee finds: Amanda Fatherazi dolls and brooches

 

Just thought you might want to see more of the amazing hand-crafted dolls by textile artist Amanda Fatherazi, which she created exclusively for Liberty's Prints Charming Exhibition. These saucy minxes feature incredible hand-finished detail with vintage tulle bustiers and a combination of Liberty prints. The bespoke dolls are currently available on the 4th floor of Liberty for (I think) £400 each.

I've already pounced on one of the brooches, which I blogged about yesterday. Here are some more adorable designs, which are currently available from Liberty...

There's a bowl of the limited-edition brooches (starting at £30) on the fourth floor of Liberty, as well as four designs available online (from £35).

Pretty in Print, Part 2

One of the most exciting things to emerge from the Liberty Prints Charming exhibition is the new artist fabric collection, which features exclusive designs by British artists Grayson Perry, Paul Morrison, Mike McInnerney, Michael Angove, Anj Smith and Simon Hart. I’m particularly taken by Grayson Perry’s ‘Cranford’ and ‘Phillipa’ prints, as well as Simon Hart’s ‘Cool Coast’ print, which features a charming Cornish fishing village as its theme.

Liberty has also released an extensive range of print-covered goodies, from London A-Z books to luggage tags, made-to-order wellies and playing cards. (You can check out the full range available online here.) There were also racks of clothes by A.P.C. for Liberty (look out for the adorable car-print shorts) and Cacharel (the bikinis are super-cute), as well as one-off handcrafted Amanda Fatherazi boudoir dolls, which were dressed beautifully in Tana Lawn fabric. But her quirky fabric lady’s face brooches (£30) also proved particularly irresistible, as you can see here:

I've also got my eye on this rather surreal Grayson Perry silk scarf:

I’m particularly nostalgic for the micro-floral ‘Pepper’ Liberty print, which I remember adoring when I was younger. Here it is on a luggage tag, below:

In fact, I remember having a few scraps of the fabric (which was rather like gold in the suburban Australian town I grew up in) and using it to customise some rather eye-catching ‘laces’ for my Doc Martens. (This didn’t go down particularly well with the surfie/stoner crowd, natch.) But these days I really love the striking Art Déco ‘Caesar’ peacock print, which is featured on this journal:

 Tell me …. Are you nostalgic about any particular Liberty print?

Pretty in Print, Part 1

It’s print-mania over at Liberty right now, with the heritage department store kicking off a month of festivities to celebrate their iconic print. I managed to nip over at lunch time to take a few photos and to check out the exhibition, Prints Charming. And just look at what they’ve done to their Carnaby Street wall:

Bedecked in Betsey fabric, Liberty is looking extremely pretty in print. Oh my! Here are some more pics of the window displays:

But the fabric fun doesn’t stop there, with the lifts and stairwells also getting the Betsey treatment. Upstairs at the exhibition, there’s a whole line-up of one-off and limited-edition items that have been rendered in various Liberty prints, including a chaise longue, wardrobe and Skeppshult bike. There was also an art student's Wendy House installation swathed entirely in panels of Liberty print, which I may just have to move into.

The latest exciting news is that Liberty is hosting a ‘Fash Mob’ tomorrow evening from 6pm. Turn up in your best Liberty prints for a photo shoot and prizes for the ‘best-dressed’…

Check back tomorrow for Pretty in Print, part 2, and the latest Liberty print goodies (including the fantastic Artist fabric collaborations).

Wee finds: Beyond the Valley’s waves and zigzags

The sales are all but over in London, and you may have noticed that the first of Autumn/Winter’s toasty new pieces have just started arriving in store (summer's been and gone already? gulp!). But I’ve found that quite a few shops (both online and bricks ‘n’ mortar) are still discounting some of their key Spring/Summer pieces, including Beyond the Valley’s online shop.

I really loved the prints from their own brand SS09 collection, including this multicolour wave print, which is splashed across a couple of truly great pieces. This cotton tulip dress (left, reduced from £180 to £126) and strapless graduated hem dress (right, reduced from £240 to £168) are two such examples. The wave print also appears on a couple of other items, including this jaunty little jumpsuit. 

Then there’s this vibrant zigzag print, which is featured on this super-cute cropped silk and cotton jacket (reduced to £144 from £160) and silk and cotton top (now £126 from £140).

For more fun zigzags on sale, check out these tees and sweatshirts by BTV in collaboration with RCA graduate Elizabeth Jones.

Beyond the Valley
2 Newburgh Street
London W1
Tel. 0207 4377338
Nearest tube: Oxford Circuse
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 11.30am-6.30pm
Sunday: 12.30pm-5pm

Birdy pick of the week

I'm loving Tamar Mogendorff's bird houses and cages, which are hand-crafted using vintage fabrics and antique embroidery, buttons and beads. They're now available from Liberty in London.