Sunday 27 November 2016

A design for life

Pickings have been quite meagre at the charity shops lately.

Even my favourite vintage shop, Think Twice, has been letting me down, as in the three weeks since the start of their new collection, I only bought one dress.

Not to be deterred, last Saturday we persevered and went for our usual charity shopping trawl.

This was my outfit for the day:




The green checked woollen jacket with fake fur collar came from Think Twice and was actually bought in the middle of a heatwave last summer.

I added a charity shopped brown belt with lucite buckle, which almost exactly matches the shade of the jacket's collar.


My green vinyl handbag, which is surprisingly roomy for such a small bag, came from Think Twice, as did the green gloves.



Underneath, I wore a dress in a riot of autumn colours, found at our most local charity shop last month.

At the time, the red accents reminded me of holly berries, and the inevitable Christmas connotation is why it took me so long to wear it for the first time.



I accessorized the dress with a green belt, olive beads and ring and one of my Bambi brooches. All new-to-me, except for the ring.

As for the shopping trip itself, we only came home with a couple of things which I guess is better than nothing!


This plastic egg holder, made by a local company called DBP Plastics in the 1960s, came in many different colourways. They can hold two eggs and have a storage space in the middle for salt.

They are ideal for picnics and packed lunches and therefore have a certain nostalgia factor, reminding us of school trips and family outings.

They often turn up in charity shops for next to nothing and, perhaps not surprisingly, we already have quite a little collection of them.



I also found another vinyl beauty case for my collection. This one is such a lovely colour, and at € 2,50 I couldn't possibly leave it behind.

It's going to join the others on top of my wardrobe, as they're quite useful for storing smaller items like socks, belts and scarves.



On our way back, we stopped at Troc, which is a consignment shop selling both vintage and second hand items. Lately, they have added vintage and second hand clothing to their stock and of course I couldn't resist having a look, ending up with this long-sleeved, pink-hued frock.

Then, on Sunday, we had another clearing session at my dad's house. We are moving on to the bigger stuff ...



My parents received this dinner service as a wedding present in 1956 and used it throughout their married life on special occasions, like birthdays and Christmas.

Celebrating my seventh birthday
It's a classic Mid-Century Modern design, with a delicate black scroll.

Christmas 2013

In fact, it's a miracle that so many pieces survived, as my mum was quite accident prone, partly due to the fact that she had severe arthritis which through the years had seriously affected her hands. She has been known to drop whole dinner services ...







It were mainly the cups and saucers of this service which had fallen by the wayside, though, and there was still more than enough of it left to be divided between my sister and me.

Not that we need any more china ...













Having lived with it for so long, it is strange that I only had a look at what was on the bottom when I got it home. I was in for quite a surprise.



The "father of industrial design", or "the man who designed everything" are some of the accolades given to Raymond Loewy (1893-1986), who is considered to be one of the most influential industrial designers of the 20th century.


He was borrn in Paris and, after studying engineering, emigrated to the US in 1919.



Clockwise from top left: pencil sharpener, Shell logo, Sunbeam toaster, Coca Cola dispenser.











Both the pencil sharpener and the toaster are 1930s designs!




His legacy includes designs for transportation, homewares, furniture and architecture. He also designed many well-known logos, like BP, Shell, Hoover and Lucky Strike, to name just a few.




Even without this fascinating discovery, the family connection makes it a design for life, in the true sense of the word!

Now we only have to find some cups and saucers ...


24 comments:

  1. That belt with the lucite buckle!! Great piece. Looks so good on that jacket xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I often find great belts in charity shops for next to nothing. xxx

      Delete
  2. Haha! That jacket is a wonderful find indeed! I often find fabulous winter woollens during summer heat waves.

    You look FAB as usual! Thank you for sharing your outfit pics.

    Happy thrifting ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! One of the joys of thrifting is that you often find out-of-season clothes. Trying on winter woollens during a heatwave takes some courage, though ..; xxx

      Delete
  3. Your Bambi is really cute! Wow, to still have that dinner service is aamzing! My Mum sold all the ones my grandparents had. You always teach me about objects!!x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have several Bambi brooches, as I simply cannot resist them ;-) My mum kept some of her parents' pieces, and I also found some of my paternal grandparents' breakfast set. xxx

      Delete
  4. what an elegant china!!! i was fascinated even before i saw the label - the lines and the pattern are just gorgeous!
    another tweedy wool jacket! totally chic with that belt and i love the green accents - of cause :-)
    your trademark dresses - midi, abstract flowers - are both beautiful. cant wait to see the pale one styled by you!
    this egg containers were around in my childhood for "wandertag" - but not with clear lids - instead there was a teenytiny salt shaker fitted between the eggs....... we still have 3 more modern ones (without the space for salt) - perfekt for our kayak tours on rivers far away from any shops.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Made in Germany, of course ;-) I've always loved it especially as it's so much part of my childhood. It's making me feel a bit melancholy just looking at it ... xxx

      Delete
  5. That's funny! I bought one of those egg keepers in orange to put in Gilbert, filled it with eggs, closed it and the whole lot smashed. I didn't realise it was for boiled eggs...durrrr!
    Lovey coats and jacket combo and the bag is just adorable. I love Bambi, too! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Vix :-) We always take one of the egg holders with us when we go on holiday. Perfect for picnics, whether outside or - mostly! - in the car! That bag is my current favourite. xxx

      Delete
  6. Gorgeous outfit. I do love browns and greens, although I am jealous of your ability to wear olive, it clashes with my sallow skin! More fab finds and what a lovely dinner service for you and your sister to share, amazing how sometimes such iconic items are right under our noses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Claire. I never realized olive clashes with a sallow complexion. I would have cherished that dinner service, even without the "Raymond Loewe" marks. xxx

      Delete
  7. You've inspired me to belt some jackets-that's such a great look.

    I too have my mother's china and it is strange eating from the same service I used as a child. Never saw an egg carrier like that, but picnics aren't as big a thing in the U.S.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to be of service! I've only recently started to belt my jackets. And yes, I guess it will be rather strange to use the dinner service in my own house. xxx

      Delete
  8. I can see why that dress feels Christmassy to you, though it is very attractive. I guess you can always tone down the Christmas feel with other-coloured accessories.


    The dinner service is lovely. Did your parents choose it, or did the person who gave it to them pick it? Whoever chose it had great taste.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that my parents chose the dinner service, and that it was on their wedding list. It so fits in with the style they started out on, think kidney shaped little tables and the like ... xxx

      Delete
  9. What a great outfit, such a smart jacket and autumnal toned frock. Loving the vanity case and the photo of seven year old you. That dinner service has a timeless design in my opinion, I could see that it was quality even before we saw the back stamp.x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Fiona. I have a little vanity case addiction and have them in several colours. Indeed, that dinner service is timeless and could very well be in the shops right now. xxx

      Delete
  10. The dinner service looks wonderful and has a sophisticated scroll. I understand your surprise in seeing the name of the designer. Sometimes we pay very little attention to items and then, all of a sudden, realize that they are very special!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's surprising that I never ever looked at the stamp, but even without it, it's still very special, as it was my parents' choice when they got married. xxx

      Delete
  11. I love the dinner service. I myself and am obsessed with blue heaven China

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I googled Blue Heaven china, and can see why you are obsessed with it. It's gorgeous! xxx

      Delete
  12. I had a very disappointing rummage in the charity shops recently, I came away with nothing which is most unlike me. It might be that I’m becoming more decreeing now that I am living with a capsule wardrobe but I still can’t resist a lovely piece of clothing when I see it.
    The egg holders are curious things, I’ve not seen anything like them before - what a great idea though - especially the salt compartment!
    What a lovely dinner service. And it’s always the way that you don’t notice the details of things you’re so accustomed to seeing. What a lovely surprise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm going to cherish that dinner service forever. It's been in my consciousness for as long as I can remember. The egg holders were very common here. They were, and still are, cheap and cheerful. xxx

      Delete