Inspiration comes in many different guises, and in my case the creative spirit emerged via sensory exposure to texture, sounds, and smells associated with, what was to my young eyes, the home of alchemy-our local drapery store.
The brass door knob squeeked when turned in the wooden frame, which held a thin, fragile pane that rattled, as the door opened upon a sensory feast, the first of which announced the arrival of a customer, who invariably adjusted their step in order to avoid those familiar creaky floor boards. The purveyor was a Mr Woods, a small, refined, balding, grey-haired gentleman, who always wore a three piece suit complete with gold pocket watch and albert chain.
I really admired how dexterously Mr Woods bounced a bolt of material on the long wooden counter as he unfurled reams of fresh smelling fabric full of possibilities.
Then, at the command of the alchemist, his shears chomped down on yardage, spread across the counter, spools of thread hopping off the wooden counter top in a foiled attempt to escape being bundled into a neatly folded, brown, paper parcel bound up with string. The magic was about to begin, just as Cinderella's fairy godmother had used alchemy to turn a pumpkin into a fine carriage, so too was my mum, our creative genius, going to turn this seemingly unremarkable bolt into the most exquisite designs tailor made for me.
This site is where I share my love of retro fashion and all things beautiful and inspirational.
