For some reason, here at Ollie&Agnes we feel a ‘Spanish vibe’ is on its way in the fashion-world and so, in anticipation, we have asked Senorita J to send Flamenco dresses over from Espanola.
Polka dots, layer-upon-layer of ruffle, fitted bodice and a cinched in waist, the flamenco dress was designed to enhance the figure and hide the flaws (what other reason do you need to bring this style into fashion?) and was the traditional ‘song and dance’ dress of the Andalucian locals. Historically, these dresses were worn by Andalucian women, who travelled with livestock traders to Seville. As well as the figure-enhancing dress, it was teamed up with embroidered scarves (used in a “flirty style!”…hmmmm could take some practice) and hair, which was scraped back into a bun, to make the neck appear longer. We cannot imagine why there were not more Flamenco dresses on the red carpet at the Oscars having read that! In fact, we don’t care if the ‘vibe’, that there will be a Spanish influence on the catwalk, is real or just in our heads; no longer shall the flamenco be relegated to the fancy dress box.
This season we will mainly be wearing a flamenco dress with pride, in the hope that we will appear gazelle-like with our long necks, flirty with our scarves, have enhanced figures and, most importantly, hidden flaws.
Exciting news……… Ollie&Agnes featured on lovely website The Green Familia
The lovely blog The Green Familia has featured The Little Veg Patch collection on it’s gift page so even more people know about the lovely vegetable-inspired hats for kids. The Green Familia site is packed full of useful information, family gifts, gardening, food and drink, eco tips, news and reviews so check it out…
Finally, here at Ollie&Agnes, we have launched our new range of kids’ hats ‘The Little Veg Patch’ ..with the juicy strawberry, crunchy green apple and bright pumpkin kicking off this lovely new collection.
The cute hats are hand-made from 100 per cent acrylic wool (so easily washable), and contain care labels and hand-made Ollie&Agnes labels.
This cute collection is sure to be a winner – even for kids who don’t like their fruit and veg!
Here at Ollie&Agnes we were gutted to miss out on getting the mad ‘Yoga for Cats’ calendar, which features a team of flexible felines in lotus, half moon etc…and have ended up with a rather twee Erte calendar, which came from the bargain bin. The 2010 ‘Yoga for Cats’ calendar was produced by husband-and-wife photography team Dan and Alejandra Borris and shows felines like Star, Persia and Rosetta in a variety of poses. Former yoga teacher Mrs Borris borrowed cats from friends, and chose each cat for specific poses, to create the quirky calendar. Thankfully no cat, or dog (in the doggy calendar), was forced to do anything that was impossible or cruel and photoshop wizardry was applied. (Check it out on: www.yogadoz.com)
However, this calender is nowhere near as mad as the book, ‘Dancing with Cats’, by Burton Silver and Heather Busch (bought out several years ago by Tandem Press) and which has the wonderful strap-line ‘Nine lives, four paws, and all the right moves’.
Is it a parody? Is it for real? Who knows, who cares…it is utter madness.
New Zealanders Burton and Heather say the book will encourage to experience ‘up lifting energy’ by dancing with their cats and greater understanding between us and our felines’… hmmmmmmmm what to say? But even if you aren’t a feline, or dancing, fan, seriously, it is worth a look at this book to see a man painted as a cat complete with tail, cats in knitted jumpers and to see Ralph, who dances with two cats, and has a confused energy-field as a result.
However, be warned, if you are thinking of dancing with your own pet, be prepared for disappointment… because, as the great Eddie Izzard shows in his Pavlov’s Cat sketch, moggies ring their own bell and may not have their dancing shoes on!
We scared ourselves this week, at Ollie&Agnes, by watching Tales of The Unexpected on YouTube! As soon as the title music started to play, and the shadowy woman started dancing, chills ran through us and we were filled with fear and a sense of foreboding. Like fools we continued…as we decided it was a form of warped nostalgia.
We have no idea why we suddenly thought of this 80’s show; but we felt driven to hear that music again and see those iconic titles…And although we cannot talk with much authority on the subject of the plots (because we were too young and not supposed to see it) we watched a couple on YouTube and they were dark!
We did, however, remember the music vividly (as something terrifying from childhood) and those iconic titles. The titles involved the shadow of a woman (with a short, Purdi style hair-cut, which found popularity in the 80’s as well as the 60’s) dancing to the scarily upbeat music; amid a seemingly out-of-control fire and was interspersed with a roulette wheel (go figure), gun, pack of cards and skulls (in case you didn’t get that this was going to be dark!).
The BBC bird, and friend of Ollie&Agnes, remembers dancing like the Purdi woman in the flames when the music came on but admitted it scared the hell out of her; while Knitting Sall, in an understated fashion, described the music as a ‘bit spooky’ and thought some of the twists were disturbing! She remembered one where a man’s wife disappeared and when the police went to his house they found wet concrete in his garage, so they dug it up and found nothing. They apologised, left and then he got her out of the freezer and put her in the hole and covered it with concrete!!!
This British TV series (for those who don’t know) was aired between 1979 and 1988 (you can now buy episodes on Amazon). Some of the early stories were based on work by Roald Dahl (he also introduced some of them too); they featured well-respected actors like Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed and Elaine Stritch and always involved someone coming to a dire end in an ‘unexpected’ twist. Some of the stories are still scarily, and sadly, relevant today.
Do do do, do do do do do do…go on dare you!
(Or you could just satisfy your nostalgic urges by buying vintage!!!)
AT LAST…Our newly designed woollen surfy-style hat
There was much excitement in the Ollie&Agnes office just before Christmas…not only was Father Christmas on his way but our lovely ‘Knitting Sall’ had arrived with the new designs of our woollen surf hat. She fought her way through snow and ice to get it to us, so we could photograph it and get it on the Extinct site ASAP!
Although we did like the other woollen surfy-style hat; we felt improvements could be made. We had had several false starts, several prototypes but after many emails (while snowbound), meetings, a series of sketches and the wonderful ‘Knitting Sall’s’ enduring patience – we got there and we are thrilled.
The newly designed surfy- style hat is far superior in our view, even though it is only slightly altered. It’s still 100 per cent acrylic (easy to wash); with our handmade Ollie&Agnes labels but we prefer the shape and the look. It was a mission but we got there so check it out. We do the handmade woollen surfy in light grey and black striped, pink and olive green striped, dark grey and black striped and black and they cost £23.99.
So, now ‘Knitting Sall’ has finished that project; we have set her to work deciphering more of our odd sketches and working on other projects for kids and adults so we will keep you posted.
Our Guest Label – Bringing out the Rebel in us all!
Rebel bingo fascinates us! Green Olive, one of the darlings that modelled O&A hats, is now a fan of the secret numbers game. She told us that secret details were emailed to her and the game did not start until after midnight. It was packed to the gills with people and offered a full bar, burlesque dancers and risqué bingo calls. She stood for the whole event as there were no chairs, she ended up roaring drunk; with pen on her face and arms and narrowly avoided total humiliation by the masses, when she mistakening thought she had a line of numbers. However, Green Olive declared it a success and urges us all to go for a laugh and to win some seriously ridiculous prizes…But seriously, be warned, if you call BINGO by accident and do not have the correct number ridicule awaits!
Katie Glass in the Sunday Times magazine says that Rebel Bingo is just the tip of an ‘intriguing new phenomenon’ and that it is part of a ‘grass-roots revolution’ which includes guerrilla dining spaces; hairdressers in the back room of pubs and speakeasies.
This seems like rebellion to us and we love it. People seem bored of the uniformity of organised and regulated events… with chain restaurants, low-end fashion labels offering hundreds of the same dress and with everyone looking the same. Bring on the cloak and dagger scenarios, secret locations and whiff of danger…bring on the bingo, home-style karaoke bars and bring on the one off boutiques, vintage clothes …….and let’s have a supper club in the living room!
TTAS said: ‘in answer to their question, we celebrate tea and creativity, it is the simple act of boiling the kettle and making tea, whether you share it with friends or enjoy alone, the act allows a moment to reflect, be inspired and create
tea is the favoured choice of artisans
although loose leaf tea is superior in flavour, teabags do have a role to play
… so welcome Tea Appreciators
Friend of Ollie&Agnes, Paula (and proud wearer of a grey O&A beret) was given a gigantic pair of knitting needles for Christmas (they are of sumo proportions!!), in a bid to join the make and mend brigade. However, by Boxing Day, she had to admit it was going to take ages to make anything vaguely wearable and for ease says she will stick to O&A knitted products.
Speaking of people who can’t, or won’t knit, the fabulous site nonstopmama.com, for busy mums, is featuring our cute kids’ beret. Coming to the rescue of mums and grandmas who don’t knit- check it out.
Here at Ollie&Agnes, we are pondering a question … can we be members of The Tea Appreciation Society if we do not drink tea?
When I say we don’t drink tea, that isn’t actually accurate. We have a BIG love affair with the java in the morning ; however of an afternoon we do like to get the cup and saucer and pot out for a spot of Green Tea and RTG loves Red Bush (Rooibus) . But does that count or is it just a love of black teas such as Darjeeling, Ceylon, Assam that make you eligible?
We think the people that created The Tea Appreciation Society are very cool and we want to be ‘in their gang’, but is it like the nerds and jocks at school – can they ever really mix? O&A are drawn to TTAS’ cool site, lovely photos and products (absolutely love The Tea Appreciation Society t-shirt and the Make Tea Not War) BUT would we be considered second-class tea drinkers, or welcomed to the fold?
The Society define the essential elements of ‘poetry’ as’ loose leaf tea, boiled water, a tea pot, a china cup and a biscuit’. We do have our own ‘poetry’, using organic green tea , cups and saucers and tea pots (with an Ollie&Agnes woollen surf hat on the pot to ensure the contents stay warm!) but are all teas considered equal?
The Tea Appreciation Society was originally set up in 2007 by a small group of designers, and since then, according to their site it has grown into a wonderful worldwide collective of tea lovers. The Society say: ‘The Tea Appreciation Society celebrates, not only the love we should manifest through our everyday lives, but also the kind of approach we should be taking in terms of sustainability, in ALL realms and walks of life with regard to ethically sourced and environmentally sound materials and principles.
‘Tea offers us an opportunity for quiet contemplation and shared moments of intimacy with friends, enabling us to reflect, be inspired and create.’
They sound like a very nice bunch, so we are pretty sure they do not discriminate and would welcome the green tea, and Red Bush tea drinkers. With that in mind, and as green and red bush both offer a time for quiet contemplation and shared moments, we think we can sign up and wear The Tea Appreciation Society t-shirt with pride!
Heather of Extinct already a fully signed up member slurping from her mug!
The Evil Xmas Fayre, presented by Arts Co & Pure Evil, early in December at The East Room in Soho (London EC2) sounded brilliant and here, at Ollie&Agnes, we were gutted we missed it. Pitched as ‘a twisted take on a traditional European Christmas fair’, the Evil Xmas Fayre was an exhibition of original art. There was also Xmas hell, where the walls were wheat-pasted by an army of Santa’s dark helpers (a mystery line up of London’s best street artists) and there was a chance to make your own snow-globe in the ‘Magical Snow-globe Lounge’ which, despite lacking practical creative ability, we would have loved to have had a bash at.
We really like the idea of home-made creations and designs at Christmas; and as the gorgeous and talented O&A graphic designer ‘RTG’ says: ‘Christmas is lovely when it isn’t commercial and there should definitely be no carols in October.’
design by RTG
design by RTG
Hooray to that. O&A Graphic Designer ‘RTG’ (who is brilliant at everything arts and craftsy and can not only decipher very bad sketches from Ollie&Agnes, but also bring them to life) has again made her own stunning Christmas cards this year. They are all swirls of pattern and geometrics. The card was originally 2 hand-cut positives, which were put onto a screen and hand screen-printed using poster inks on card. RTG then scanned the print into the comp and put 4 together, played with colours and printed them out onto cards. Last year, her Christmas cards were like exquisite little works of art, with a handmade sea of glitter in a variety of colours but best of all, in the Christmas spirit stakes, are the kids’ cards with odd little shaped angels and a clump of feathers. Great!
PS: If you don’t know Pure Evil’s work check it out at www.pureevilclothing.com. Some of it is dark (as the name suggests) but he’s been working with Kangol, designing hats, which suggests he can work within the mainstream. ‘Pure Evil’ works include Heath Ledger RIP (CMYK screen print) pureevilland (stencil spray paint and synthetic polymer paint on canvas in antique frame) and bunny tag on glass. Visit the Pure Evil Gallery, 108 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RH, an artist run space exhibiting British artists and putting on shows from Sao Paulo, Amsterdam, Berlin and Beijing.
‘Charleston – a Bloomsbury House and Garden’ by Quentin Bell, Vanessa Bell’s son, and his daughter Virginia Nicholson A facinating history of the house and the collective of artists who lived and worked there. Published by Frances Lincoln. ISBN: 071122370X
There seems to be a lot of talk about ‘collectives’ at the moment and we think these groups of people working together, to the same goal often in the same place; fits with the whole community spirit of make-and-mend. For us, there is definitely a romantic notion about a bohemian group of people, holed up together, creating wonderful works of art, inspiring each other while sharing a collective-consciousness.
We first started to notice collectives gaining in popularity last year but groups of artists working together, towards a similar goal in the same place; is nothing new and have occurred throughout history. The Bloomsbury Group which could be thought of as a collective of artists, painters, writers and ‘thinkers’, came together in the Bloomsbury area of London in the early 1900’s. Members of this fascinating and boundary-pushing group lead by artist, and sister of Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell moved to Charleston Farmhouse in East Sussex to live and work as a group of like-minded people. Among them were painter Roger Fry, writer Clive Bell and artist and critic Duncan Graham.
Artist Niko, who modelled the black woollen surf hat for us, is part of a collective called Ornamental Conifer based in East London. We met him on the South Bank. He was already wearing a hat, so we asked him if he’d wear an Ollie&Agnes hat, and have a photo taken, and he did! He and an interesting group of artists work at the London studio offering hands on approach to print design and sign writing. Check it out!
‘Made in the Shade’ are a new Glasgow-based collective, which was set up by an ex-university lecturer, Carrie Maclennan, and includes designers and graphic artists. They were brought together by their love of The Fifties and offer bespoke design. These guys have taken the collective a step further by opening a shop, come gallery called The Maisonette which sounds really interesting and will also serve as a workshop and place to hold craft events.
Carrie Maclennan (in the Daily Telegraph magazine) says: ‘I am working with my friends in a space that feels like my living room’ …and what could be better than that!
Quick, let’s form a collective, it sounds brilliant.
Here at Ollie&Agnes we have a keen eye on what people are wearing and recently, we have noticed a phenomenon for head-scarves at the gym and we love it, and forthwith, have thrown a scarf in with running shoes and lycra.
It is so hard to make ‘active wear’ (Group shudder!) edgy or fashionable and this look is so cool for working out. The two girls, who were wearing them at the local gym, looked effortlessly cool… we, of course, could look like old Croatian women.
Ollie&Agnes admired their fearless and proud ‘wearing of the scarf’ and carefree attitude to it being on their heads; while others ogled. When asked about the scarf, one of the girls just said ‘it keeps the hair out of my eyes’; but we knew it was more than that, it was a statement; and we loved it and we loved her for it. A headscarf for the gym, is functional (perfect for mopping up sweat), looks good and is a welcome addition to the dull sportswear and we could be on to a winner.
Possibly it will be a craze that sweeps gyms and dance studios up and down the country! At present, Ollie&Agnes make knitted items, including beautiful handmade chokers, kid’s hats and berets, and we do realise a knitted head scarf for the gym is a definite ‘no goer’; but a fabric head-scarf might be something for the future for Ollie&Agnes!
PS: Award for the feat of bravery this week goes to the woman on a central line tube, in the rush hour on Friday morning, who amid the elbows, back packs and while leaning on the rail of a lurching vehicle and holding a mirror, applied mascara…RESPECT as the potential for injury was ENORMOUS!
Hurrah! I’m so pleased to announce the first company to accept my invitation to join the ‘Guest Label’ spot is Ollie&Agnes.
Who have conjured up a range of hand-knitted hats and hand-knitted woollen flower chokers; made in the UK, using UK acrylic wool. These items have a truly old-fashioned feel and are lovely to WEAR! Can’t take my Olive Beret off my head – perfect just in time for those autumnal walks…
The hats are already on sale in a couple of shops on the south coast.
Ollie&Agnes also sell the quirky birdie necklaces and with more stuff on the way they definitely ones to watch!
Ollie&agnes, an environmentally conscious young label, is taking small steps in the big world of fashion.
