There's a silly little theory that hatters went mad because of the mercury they once used. It's a huge lie; I could sniff mercury all day and be driven less mad than I was by the felt fibres that settle on your nose and itch you. I've been searching most of my adult life for a creative talent to match my creative urges, trust me to only be good at something that is expensive, requires materials that are hard to source, and itches!
Felt fibres notwithstanding, the week spent making hats was one of the most fun things I've done on this trip. There should be at least three days a year cold enough in Perth for a felt hat so my time wasn't wasted at all.
Our Central Saint Martins instructor Ian Bennett...
...right, Now that just won't do. You weren't impressed at all were you! Now, Central Saint Martins is London's most exclusive fashion and design school. It's a very big deal for a student to be accepted by them. Of course, I paid for the privelege but we'll just gloss over that shall we. Ian Bennett has worked for Stephen Jones who is the second most famous milliner in the world, as well as Phillip someone who makes hats for the Queen. THE Queen, not Queen the band. Ian has his own shop in the Oxo Tower on Southbank. The important thing to note here is that you are terribly impressed and interested and I am really rather special and wonderful for knowing such an Influential Person In London. So, let's try that again;
Our Central Saint Martins instructor Ian Bennett (this time I can hear you all saying "Oh my god! THE Ian Bennett? THE Central Saint Martins?! Yes, yes, I smile condescendingly and sip from my glass of champagne while waving my hand around impatiently. I am terribly important these days and travel in Distinguished Circles).
Anyway, where were we? Oh, yes you were being impressed about Ian. Well done. I was expecting him to be a self important, intimidating fashionista but as it turned out, he never name drops (I found out about Stephen Jones and the Philip guy from his website) he has cool tattoos, wears a funky bike helmet with sequins on it and is incredibly down to earth, (haha that sounds a bit contradictory doesn't it, but he is, I promise) endlessly patient, cheerful and entertaining. Thanks to him, the week was a huge amount of fun and we all learnt enough about making hats to be able to do it ourselves at home.
The first day was spent walking around London, being taken to the various stores that stock felt and trimmings (such as feathers, flowers and the like). It was depressing because I know I'll never find anywhere like that in Perth but it was still fun.
Day two was spent blocking our felts. This is when you choose a wooden block shaped the way your hat will be. The crown and the brim are blocked separately.
After brushing stiffener over the felt, we steamed it to make it pliable and pulled it into the approximate shape of our block, then steamed it some more and pressed the felt down until all the creases were out. After this, it's left to dry overnight. Next, the extra bits of felt were cut off, wire was sewn around the brim, the brim and crown were hand stitched together and the petersham ribbon was sewn around the inside of the hat. Then the feathers, sequins, flowers and whatever else go on. Given that my hats are going to spend a lot of time on planes, I kept that stuff simple.
I made three hats, one of which still needs a little sewing done on it. My favourite, a petite little pirate hat in maroon, was ready on my birthday so I wore it out that night with Chris (who I am staying with) who took me to a bar with some friends of his. It was a very cool birthday present from me to me.
On flickr, there are some photos of the hats in various stages below along with the end results. I like the red one best while the pink one was just made of some leftover sinamay that another student gave me, just to learn to work with sinamay (it's like straw and a lot harder to use than felt).
The hat making week was great, but don't all go expecting new hats ‑ the blocks cost several hundred dollars each and have to be shipped from Melbourne! I suppose I'll just have to be fabulous on my own.
Showing posts with label london. Show all posts
Showing posts with label london. Show all posts
Friday, December 19, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
just a number in a production line
London and her intensity, her crowds, her traffic and her unmistakable 'fragrance'. I'm staying in a hostel so huge that I am merely another number on a production line. Nobody will remember me when I'm gone, nobody will even notice except for the cleaner who will change the linen on my bed. This week, the hat‑making week, I don't mind. Next week I move to a friend's place as his flatmate is going away for a few weeks. This will save me about a thousand dollars so that's pretty cool.
Munich improved, as places often do once you've decided you don't think much of them. My last day started in traditional Bavarian style; my hosts served me weissbier and weisswurst ‑ white beer and sausage, Bavarian specialties. We had a great breakfast together and I learned all sorts of things about Bavaria, such as the fact that legally, beer is not considered to be alcohol, but is in fact classed as food. I nearly cancelled my plane trip when they told me this! Starting a day on beer and sausage is great fun but it did leave me feeling like I needed a good walk. I wandered down the road, through a park where little kids rode sleds down newly snowed‑upon slopes.
Reaching the bottom of the other side of the hill I found myself following a small stream lined with the tiny garden shacks that you see everywhere in Germany. I followed the path for about half an hour until I came to another path along a bigger stream which eventually became a river, I was in some kind of nature park, the traffic noise sucked into oblivion high above me, the snow crunching under my feet and the ducks commenting to each other on how cold their bums were in the freezing water. I did a few practise snowball throws and hit my target three times, which shocked me so much that I missed the rest of my attempts. Eventually I tracked down (haha) a train station and found that I was now in zone 4 and it would cost me 5 euros to cross the 2 zones back to my street! I felt terribly smug as we went through several stops, then when I got home I couch potatoed for the rest of the day. Finally I farewelled my generous hosts and jumped on the plane to London.
Ah, London. I love it and hate it more each time I come here. The close knit buildings cocoon you in their dark colours and the people bump into you from everywhere. Things are slowly becoming familiar, I even have my own oyster card for the tube. With each visit, people here seem to be nicer and I wonder if it's my pre‑conceptions that have altered or if I'm just running into a lot of foreigners this time around! My first day was spent visiting favourite haunts; Angel ‑ because I know where everything is, Carnaby Street and Kingly Court ‑ because my favourite shops are there, and this time around, Desigual, the Spanish clothing store that is the sole reason I have managed to refrain from buying any clothes for the last 4 months, saving up for a spree there.
Tonight in the bar at the ex‑courthouse "Clink" hostel, boys are making penis shapes out of balloons, christmas lights are flashing, and I am having a night in so that I'm fresh and inspired for my week of millinery. In Kingly Court tonight I heard some girls comment on another girl's hat and when she told them she'd made it, I took it as a sign that my hats are going to be AWESOME.
And if they're not, I'll send everyone photos of someone else's hats instead.
Munich improved, as places often do once you've decided you don't think much of them. My last day started in traditional Bavarian style; my hosts served me weissbier and weisswurst ‑ white beer and sausage, Bavarian specialties. We had a great breakfast together and I learned all sorts of things about Bavaria, such as the fact that legally, beer is not considered to be alcohol, but is in fact classed as food. I nearly cancelled my plane trip when they told me this! Starting a day on beer and sausage is great fun but it did leave me feeling like I needed a good walk. I wandered down the road, through a park where little kids rode sleds down newly snowed‑upon slopes.
Reaching the bottom of the other side of the hill I found myself following a small stream lined with the tiny garden shacks that you see everywhere in Germany. I followed the path for about half an hour until I came to another path along a bigger stream which eventually became a river, I was in some kind of nature park, the traffic noise sucked into oblivion high above me, the snow crunching under my feet and the ducks commenting to each other on how cold their bums were in the freezing water. I did a few practise snowball throws and hit my target three times, which shocked me so much that I missed the rest of my attempts. Eventually I tracked down (haha) a train station and found that I was now in zone 4 and it would cost me 5 euros to cross the 2 zones back to my street! I felt terribly smug as we went through several stops, then when I got home I couch potatoed for the rest of the day. Finally I farewelled my generous hosts and jumped on the plane to London.
Ah, London. I love it and hate it more each time I come here. The close knit buildings cocoon you in their dark colours and the people bump into you from everywhere. Things are slowly becoming familiar, I even have my own oyster card for the tube. With each visit, people here seem to be nicer and I wonder if it's my pre‑conceptions that have altered or if I'm just running into a lot of foreigners this time around! My first day was spent visiting favourite haunts; Angel ‑ because I know where everything is, Carnaby Street and Kingly Court ‑ because my favourite shops are there, and this time around, Desigual, the Spanish clothing store that is the sole reason I have managed to refrain from buying any clothes for the last 4 months, saving up for a spree there.
Tonight in the bar at the ex‑courthouse "Clink" hostel, boys are making penis shapes out of balloons, christmas lights are flashing, and I am having a night in so that I'm fresh and inspired for my week of millinery. In Kingly Court tonight I heard some girls comment on another girl's hat and when she told them she'd made it, I took it as a sign that my hats are going to be AWESOME.
And if they're not, I'll send everyone photos of someone else's hats instead.
Monday, April 28, 2008
old and new favourites
Tomorrow my trip starts for real. I wonder if I'll be thinking that at every milestone? It's just all been so easy up to now. One thing that WILL start for real is budgeting! London is so expensive I haven't even bothered to try, but once I hit Bologna it'll be into the real world of saving money.
One thing I have learned so far; wool is the best fabric on earth. It doesn't smell, dries quickly, keeps you warm but not too warm. Icebreakers are becoming my clothing of choice and I've ditched the very expensive synthetic 'wonder fabric' shirt I bought. As in, 'I wonder why I bought that'.
My time in London has mostly gone towards revisiting old favourites; Gordon's Wine Bar - an underground bar that's hollowed out of the rock, the V&A Museum, Angel in general, All Bar One for a cruisey Sunday lunch, Borders - and discovering new favourites; Vinoteca in Farringdon (thanks Chris!), Primrose Hill (thanks Peta!), the Wellcome Collection (my own find, and truly incredible).
The stand-out experience was the Wellcome Collection. Located near Euston station, it's a centre dedicated to showing off a selection of the more than one million items that Henry Wellcome collected throughout his life. Henry Wellcome was responsible for the invention of tablets as a means to take medicine. He was fascinated by medicine and the ways that different cultures practised it and his collection is testament to this interest. There were some pretty amazing things there (some photos on my flickr site), for example:
One thing I have learned so far; wool is the best fabric on earth. It doesn't smell, dries quickly, keeps you warm but not too warm. Icebreakers are becoming my clothing of choice and I've ditched the very expensive synthetic 'wonder fabric' shirt I bought. As in, 'I wonder why I bought that'.
My time in London has mostly gone towards revisiting old favourites; Gordon's Wine Bar - an underground bar that's hollowed out of the rock, the V&A Museum, Angel in general, All Bar One for a cruisey Sunday lunch, Borders - and discovering new favourites; Vinoteca in Farringdon (thanks Chris!), Primrose Hill (thanks Peta!), the Wellcome Collection (my own find, and truly incredible).
The stand-out experience was the Wellcome Collection. Located near Euston station, it's a centre dedicated to showing off a selection of the more than one million items that Henry Wellcome collected throughout his life. Henry Wellcome was responsible for the invention of tablets as a means to take medicine. He was fascinated by medicine and the ways that different cultures practised it and his collection is testament to this interest. There were some pretty amazing things there (some photos on my flickr site), for example:
- A fragment of Jeremy Bentham's skin (he was a philosopher and social reformer - English)
- A shrunken head (African tribal tradition, shrinking the head of your enemy and putting in on display)
- Darwin's walking stick - made from the penis bone of a whale according to a zoologist who visited the museum at the same time that I did
- Various paintings, including many ex-voto paintings (painted or commissioned by people to give thanks for some lucky incident or recovery, most popular in the 18th- early 20th centuries)
- Florence Nightingale's moccasins
- Plenty, plenty more
Leaving the centre, I felt that 'oh wow I really am mortal, must enjoy life' feeling that you get when you look at objects like those; they are such poignant evidence of the transience of life. So, naturally, I went straight to the pub, sat down with a beer and wrote in my little notebook. I'm doing a pretty good job at making the most of my life so far. Anyone heading to London really should consider making the pilgrimage to check out this place.
On Saturday, Paul, Amber, Luke and I met up with Chris, his girlfriend Emilie, and some of her friends and we went bowling. I was fantastic... for about the first five minutes. After that I was merely average, but considering I've only been bowling once before I think I did ok. We had our own private room with a little bar and the French crew kept expressing surprise that the Aussies were all drinking OJ. To remedy that, we all went to Primrose Hill for a picnic, played some soccer, sat around eating and drinking and chatting. We had approximately 1.75 hours of sunshine - go London! Then it was back to Luke and Purdey's for the Chelsea game, and then to the patisserie at the end of the street. Paul and Amber hadn't known it was there - I think they will be very fat next time I see them. It was like something out of the Magic Faraway Tree, meringues the size of basketballs (well, maybe a 5year-old's basketball, but still big), little cupcakes with a very distinct taste of rum, cheesecakes, everything you could imagine. Far better than any patisserie I saw in France!
So, there are the London highlights for you. I'm heading back to the V&A with Blake (a work friend) this afternoon and tonight I'm cooking mussels for Paul as a thank you for my spot on his floor. It's been great - a very slow warm-up into life as a wanderer.
(p.s. I have forgotten almost all of my Italian, should be an interesting week ahead!!)
Monday, April 14, 2008
songkran, miracle shoes & the soul destroying highlighters
Where else but London can you buy a 4 pack of ugly mini highlighters in a supermarket and end up paying more than if you had bought 6 pretty ones from a boutique book store! Every time this place gets under my skin with just a little touch of charm, something happens to remind me that London will always be like the charming guy who starts the night buying you drinks and ends it puking on your new shoes. It starts off all friendly with the chilled out customs and the cute accents, but three hours later you walk out of a shop and realise that while you weren't looking London has stolen not only your wallet but also YOUR SOUL.
The beauty of being a traveller with no plans is you seriously do have the time to start a train of thought at 4 mini highlighters and end it philosophising in the vicinity of The Divine Comedy.
By some weird coincidence, Paul (who I am staying with tonight) has recently moved into a place just a few streets away from where Chris lived when I visited him 2 years ago. Consequently, I rocked up at a tube spot I know well, knew which way to turn, and with Paul collecting me the whole arrival thing was a cinch. (OK - I must admit I got slightly lost but my pack is comfortable and the little walk did me good.)
This afternoon was spent returning to places that I remember better than I expected to; the pub where I drank with Chris on my last night here, the shopping mall where I decided not to buy a cool jacket (which in retrospect I now realise was quite hideous - good decision), the supermarket that once graced me with cheap wine but today ripped me off with the highlighters. Knowing where everything is makes it all feel strangely familiar; I keep meeting my own ghost. I wandered down a street today in my new Miracle Shoes (more on these below) and suddenly remembered walking down it two years ago, on a fresh quiet morning headed for the train station.
So. Onto more important less rambly things - the Miracle Shoes. They are from Singapore and I have named them thus for three reasons. One - they were instantly comfortable. Two - they are extremely light, can be folded in half and stuffed into a bag, making them perfect for toting around the world. Three - On shaky directions from a friend we searched four floors of a Singapore department store before Kate found them for me a moment before I decided that I was going to give up. She truly was the perfect host. The shoes are even black and red to match my colour coded travel gear. For $20 they are awesome. Mental note: Singapore is better than London.
My last day in Singapore was Songkran, the Thai New Year. An ancient tradition of sprinkling water over each other as a symbol of cleansing and renewal has evolved into a giant waterfight. There are some pretty funny photos of me being doused by a crazy dripping wet Thai girl, I'll flickr them soon. After lunch by the river we embarked on our successful Miracle Shoe Finding Mission, bought some groceries and then, after a wildly rushed packing adventure (managed to forget my bikini bottoms, think the Euros will notice if I am bottomless instead of topless? It's all the same, surely...), Kate, her flatmate Callie and I had a picnic by the pool.
Then, to the airport for check in which took an HOUR and involved being swapped among three different flights, politely reminding the lady behind the desk that gate 25 was too far away for me to make it there in only three minutes and making her book me on a more realistic flight, 11 hours on the plane, arriving, Heathrow customs always make me laugh and the duty free was a joke. To Paul's, shower, wash clothes, wander out for lunch (AUD60, jesus!) and then into Borders, memory lane and now back here. Tired. Yep, this post is terribly disjointed. Forgive me.
The beauty of being a traveller with no plans is you seriously do have the time to start a train of thought at 4 mini highlighters and end it philosophising in the vicinity of The Divine Comedy.
By some weird coincidence, Paul (who I am staying with tonight) has recently moved into a place just a few streets away from where Chris lived when I visited him 2 years ago. Consequently, I rocked up at a tube spot I know well, knew which way to turn, and with Paul collecting me the whole arrival thing was a cinch. (OK - I must admit I got slightly lost but my pack is comfortable and the little walk did me good.)
This afternoon was spent returning to places that I remember better than I expected to; the pub where I drank with Chris on my last night here, the shopping mall where I decided not to buy a cool jacket (which in retrospect I now realise was quite hideous - good decision), the supermarket that once graced me with cheap wine but today ripped me off with the highlighters. Knowing where everything is makes it all feel strangely familiar; I keep meeting my own ghost. I wandered down a street today in my new Miracle Shoes (more on these below) and suddenly remembered walking down it two years ago, on a fresh quiet morning headed for the train station.
So. Onto more important less rambly things - the Miracle Shoes. They are from Singapore and I have named them thus for three reasons. One - they were instantly comfortable. Two - they are extremely light, can be folded in half and stuffed into a bag, making them perfect for toting around the world. Three - On shaky directions from a friend we searched four floors of a Singapore department store before Kate found them for me a moment before I decided that I was going to give up. She truly was the perfect host. The shoes are even black and red to match my colour coded travel gear. For $20 they are awesome. Mental note: Singapore is better than London.
My last day in Singapore was Songkran, the Thai New Year. An ancient tradition of sprinkling water over each other as a symbol of cleansing and renewal has evolved into a giant waterfight. There are some pretty funny photos of me being doused by a crazy dripping wet Thai girl, I'll flickr them soon. After lunch by the river we embarked on our successful Miracle Shoe Finding Mission, bought some groceries and then, after a wildly rushed packing adventure (managed to forget my bikini bottoms, think the Euros will notice if I am bottomless instead of topless? It's all the same, surely...), Kate, her flatmate Callie and I had a picnic by the pool.
Then, to the airport for check in which took an HOUR and involved being swapped among three different flights, politely reminding the lady behind the desk that gate 25 was too far away for me to make it there in only three minutes and making her book me on a more realistic flight, 11 hours on the plane, arriving, Heathrow customs always make me laugh and the duty free was a joke. To Paul's, shower, wash clothes, wander out for lunch (AUD60, jesus!) and then into Borders, memory lane and now back here. Tired. Yep, this post is terribly disjointed. Forgive me.
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