Archive for Bags
Kate Spade night owl bag
anothergalstreasure and NotJustBags:
Roddy & Ginger owls
This blog post is for my good friend Lila, who always tells it as it is, and is one of the greatest owl aficionados out there. It’s been a while since the last blog post, but in the hope that owls (and pears) are still of interest, may I introduce you to Roddy & Ginger – purveyors of some of the finest owl goods this side of the Atlantic.
Virginia Armstrong is the freelance graphic artist and textile designer behind these beauteous owl items, and her stylishly retro website, blog and Etsy shop are testament to the charming allure of her vintage design ethic.
Her bags and individual prints, not to mention various home ware items and accessories, are hand printed on linen and cotton, using water-based dyes. The result is a return to retro owlishness of the seventies, with a modern twist – the daffodil/mustard owl illustrated above is a bestseller, and would look just as good on an Ercol couch as a good old (new) JL sofa.
Veronica explained to me how she “created the double owl motif about five years ago as a design for a little boys’ t-shirt and then used it as my logo because it just seemed to suit the name. Since then owls have become really popular – as you know! The roddy the owl cushion [see above and below] I introduced just last year by popular demand, I was always being asked for an owl cushion, and it has proved very successful.”
The owl cushion also comes in a turquoise print (above), with the same very slightly faded effect and wondrous eyes framed on an elegant ecru linen background. And for those occasions when you need to take your owl out of the house, there’s a printed pencil case too. This would have made maths lessons just a tad more bearable…
And Lila, just to reassure you and any other non-UK residents, Roddy & Ginger are very happy to ship worldwide from their online shop, or etsy store - huzzah. Click here for details.
Keep your eyes peeled for any future owl designs from Roddy & Ginger (and the log pile wallpaper she has in the pipeline), but in the meantime, feast your eyes on Veronica’s perfect pomegranate linen cushion – same colourway; another distinctive design.
Hobbs pear prints
I have a list as long as my arm of pear and owl wondrousness to blog about – but when I walked past the Hobbs shop near Victoria Station this evening, I HAD to come home and bypass the other treats (coming your way ver ver soon).
Here’s a snap of the shop window, in full pear glory. BTW, I did ask the shop assistant if they would consider selling me the back drop once the pear fest was over, but she was less than enthusiastic. That will not be putting me off though – I intend to hound them until they give in. I’m not sure M would be too happy to have such a large piece of pear art in the stairwell, but maybe he wouldn’t notice if I removed the lightbulb overhead…
Anyway, once inside, gasping at the fact that there were pears on clothes, I rifled through the rails and picked out one or two beauties for your online perusal. It’s rare to see a red pear done well, but this print has it all – summery, retro, fun, fruity, classic and quintessentially pretty.
Here’s a close up of the best colourway in my headspace this evening.
The Gardenia Dress (pictured at the top of the blog post) is an “on trend tutti fruity print” (reads the Hobbs website!). It is made from linen, but is machine washable. Tick. Also, it features a “flattering elastic waist detail”. Ahem. Not a phrase I normally like to pair with descriptions of elegant summer dresses, but when it comes to comfort, I guess anything goes. At least you could make a serious dent on a stodgy lunch and still pull off a statement entrance wearing this dress.
If you can’t justify spending £99 on the dress, but still want the pear print in your repertoire this summer, you could opt for the Cherry Print scarf instead – £39 but lovely nonetheless.
Or, for a Mad Men approach, this Cherries Skirt is really cute: flared, flouncy, below-the-knee, perfect for kitten heels and a big belt.
You won’t believe it – there was a pear pendant too. It’s quite big compared to other pear necklaces I’ve seen. And far from apologetic: it literally is a massive green pear on a chain. But it could be useful if you wanted an impromtu paper weight, or needed to knock out a fruit-hating fiend…
Last but not least, the Lily pear bag to die for. I hardly need say more. A pear sits perfectly in the hand of this delicately drawn lady. With her vintage-inspired dress, wide eyes, ruby red lips and outstretched arm, the pear is placed right where it would most be seen if the bag were clasped tightly under your arm. What’s more, it comes with a detachable patent leather purse in the shape of a pear (see below). I am smitten.
Thanks Hobbs – what a great start to the pear season. And there is more bloggage to come along the same lines – watch this space for a full feature on the latest Orla Kiely pear print dresses.
Orla Kiely pear bag giveaway #2
I know I know I know. I’ve already done the exact same giveaway. But I found some more of these superb bags in Tesco last week and couldn’t help but indulge in a bit more competition malarkey.
In case you missed the last giveaway, here’s the nitty gritty on the actual prize: Orla Kiely’s recent collaboration with Tesco resulted in the superb specimen above – an exclusive, limited edition, collectable, reusable pear print bag. And it’s the first of a range of Orla Kiely bags to be sold in Tesco in 2011. Oh yes, there are more to come.
For those of you who share my love of all things Orla, and who’ve not yet tracked down your own bag, here’s a chance to win one pain-free, without losing an arm and a leg in an online auction. Not only is it totally gorgeous, the bag is made from really good quality cotton and jute (bonus – sustainable shopper) and has flamingo pinky-orange handles that are strong and not too long. Perfect for a a trip to the gym (see the fab-tastic Katgotthecream blog), or, for storing your toddler.
And the best bit by far is knowing that the sale of these bags has helped to raise money in support of two charities: CLIC Sargent - the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity – which aims to raise £5 million so that children with cancer can spend more time at home and less time in hospital; and Orla Kiely’s personal charity, the Royal College of Art, which funds bursaries for textile students.
To enter, just leave a comment in the box below and subscribe to the blog updates on the homepage. The subject is “your favourite pear product”.
For an extra entry, simply tweet the following: “I’ve just entered the brand new @owlsandpears Orla Kiely pear bag giveaway and so can you: http://wp.me/pTCMb-ey”
The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Sunday 27th March and the winner will be announced on the blog the next day (having been chosen by random.org). Check back then for details, or else make sure you have subscribed so I can contact the winner individually. If the winner doesn’t respond within 7 days, a new one will be chosen.
If you’re in the mood for some linky goodness, then please feel free to link to this giveaway on you own blog, go for it – the more the merrier. Here’s a short link: http://wp.me/pTCMb-ey.
Orla Kiely pear bag giveaway RESULT
Owing to dealing with a minor toddler illness, the announcement of today’s Orla Kiely pear bag giveaway is slightly delayed. Apols.
A huge thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway – there are some truly fantastic comments and it’s great to know that there are so many pear fans out there. I’m only sorry I do not have one of these spectacular bags for each and every one of you.
So, without further ado, I am pleased to announce that the spinning selection process (using a conference pear and a Newgate clock on a Gordon Russell table, in case anyone is interested – see above) resulted in the pear stalk pointing to the eighth minute of the hour on the clock face (see below).
And correspondingly, comment number 8 was from mollyandtheprincess, whose blog (see hyperlink to the left) is testament to the fact that she enjoys “finding beauty wherever we go”. Congrats all round. One Orla Kiely jute pear bag is in the post.
Watch this space for future giveaways and random owl and pear bloggage. And thanks again for taking the time to enter the giveaway.
Orla Kiely Scribble Pear bag giveaway
Right, I’m back from the blog wilderness, this time with a bag. Apologies for the lack of recent postage – twas a busy festive period, followed by a break abroad sans internet. But as a result I have a small mountain of inspirational material with which to fill owlsandpears.com over the coming weeks and months, and I hope this giveaway will make up for the tardy start to 2011.
So, obviously, I had to start with the most exciting news to hit the pear world in recent months: an Orla Kiely collaboration with Tesco, which has resulted in the superb specimen above – an exclusive, limited edition, collectable, reusable pear print bag. And it’s the first of a range of Orla Kiely bags to be sold in Tesco in 2011. Bated breath all round.
When I read on the OK twitter feed (@orla_kiely) that these bags would be on sale for £4 each at selected Tesco branches from December last year, I embarked on several frenzied and yet completely futile expeditions around South London to locate one. In the snow. With a very tetchy toddler. Just when I had abandoned all hope and resorted to eBay, a lovely friend managed to hunt down a whole pile for me last week (Hayley, you rock). There was only one thing for it: share the good fortune and organise a giveaway.
I know that many owlsandpears.com readers share my love of all things Orla, so for those of you who’ve not yet tracked down your own bag, here’s a chance to win one pain-free, without losing an arm and a leg in an online auction. Not only is it ABSOLUTELY gorgeous, the bag is made from really nice quality cotton and jute (bonus – sustainable shopper), has flamingo pinky-orange handles that are just the right length for nonchalant shoulder-wear and buggy clips alike, and could easily fit the contents of a moderate supermarket session, with room for a Wottle too.
And the best bit by far is knowing that the sale of these bags will help to raise money in support of two charities: CLIC Sargent - the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity – which aims to raise £5 million so that children with cancer can spend more time at home and less time in hospital; and Orla Kiely’s personal charity, the Royal College of Art, which funds bursaries for textile students.
Getting back to the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment of up to 50 words in the box below and subscribe to the blog updates on the homepage. The subject is “Why Pears” and a winner will be chosen from the first 60 comments using the spin-the-pear method (me, spinning a pear on a clock face: it works, seriously).
The deadline for entries is midday GMT on 14th Feb and the winner will be announced on the blog that evening – check back then for details, or else make sure you have subscribed so I can contact the winner individually. If the winner doesn’t respond within 7 days, a new one will be chosen.
Obviously, if you’d like to tweet about the giveaway, or link to it on you own blog, go for it – the more the merrier.
Kate Sheridan owl tote
I’ve just returned home from a bit of a road trip with the little ‘un: this time to Newcastle upon Tyne. Apart from visiting some sorely missed friends who have relocated north of the M25, we basked in the Baltic, scurried through Seven Stories, and did a bit of window shopping too (would have been rude not to…). And all the while, I was being called ‘pet’ by complete strangers, which was very nice.
Quite simply, Newcastle is absolutely wonderful. Go there right now. Especially if you like owls. I saw several extremely stylish owlish items, the most notable of which is illustrated above.
That, ladies and gents, is the Kate Sheridan Owl brogued leather tote in black, available here from Skirt boutique (@skirtboutique) – a fabulous Newcastle institution, but also an online shop where amazing clothes are ‘curated’, and limited quantities of truly special items are sourced and stocked.
Made from silky soft oiled cow leather, with a delicate owl design indented (or brogued) into the front, this bag is a stunner. And if like me, you need to lug great wads of paper, a laptop, and other sundry items around with you wherever you go, I’m pretty sure this bag could fit it all in. See below for a side shot…
Kate Sheridan’s bags have sold in Topshop and Urban Outfitters, but her current range chez Skirt is the perfect mix of sleek city sophistication (ideal for Newcastle, where everyone I spotted was achingly well-dressed) and hip urban princess. Not a snip at £135 a pop, but you’d be bagging a classic: a timeless beauty of a tote, and an original owl to boot.
Incidentally, the front of the Baltic is currently adorned with a large reproduction of Anselm Kiefer’s painting Palette (below), which you can see online at the Tate here, or in an exhibition at the Baltic, which runs until January 2011.
I know this work depicts Kiefer’s palette dangling precariously from a burning thread, and references the “destructive legacy of Nazism, and the sense of shame and loss experienced by his nation after the Second World War” (quote from the Tate website referenced above). But it does look very like an owl to me. Anyone back me up on this?
Another bird bag
This simple cotton bag is, in my view, achingly awesome. My shoulder would just love to have a bag such as this dangling from it (note to self…). I can already picture the simple jeans and T-shirt combo that would just set off nicely against the bold colours of the bird – in itself, just the right size to indicate true birdiness. Check out Kate Broughton‘s other birdy merchandise on Folksy (a true gem of a place) – I especially love the colouring book of birds which is probably going to feature in more than a few Christmas stockings this year.
Madeleine Floyd Birdsong bag for the National Trust
I don’t need another bird- patterned bag . But if I could convince myself I did, then this would be the one. Madeleine Floyd has done a whole range of beautiful things for the National Trust (tea cosy, oven gloves, mugs, cards) with her trademark Birdsong birds illustrated in ink and watercolour. I guess you could sling it nonchalantly on your shoulder at the shops, or hang it from the back of a buggy (one track mind at the moment). I bet it’s great for lugging massive books and folders around too.
Japanese owl print shopping bag
I bought this bag at the V&A and carry it with me everywhere – it folds up perfectly into a snug little pocket and easily squashes into my handbag. Today it came with me to Covent Garden, where I filled it with a book on Indian Portraits. I hung it on the back of my buggy and took it home, where it made room for some purple sprouting broccoli and clementines too.
