Postcards from Europe: Cyprus

When I plucked Cyprus from the hat I struggled to think of anything I knew about the country... haloumi? beautiful stamped coins? That was about it. A little investigation led me to a number of intriguing details, including the use of kohl on their eyes to detract flies and the sun's glare. I also discovered their wonderful laces made in the town Lefkara and most excitingly of all their wonderful folk dress. Cypriot folk dress is quite different to any other European dress, it's very Turkish in its influence... even the Greek Cypriot dress has touches... but let's slide over that...

The element I liked most was the pantaloons that poke out from beneath the dresses

Greek Cypriot: source 1

Turkish Cypriot: source 2

and the waistcoats that the men wear. The waistcoat I'm wearing was a gift from my mum earlier this year, she picked it up in a local chazza. I'm pretty sure it's a genuine Cypriot one, it's very lovely thick green velvet with a wonderful braid around the the edging. I think it's early 19th century, quite a bargain for a tenner!

Source: 3

During the course of this post I have been reading an awful lot on the history of Cyprus and it's utterly fascinating, it's definitely somewhere I need to read lots more about to fully understand it's history. It's very long, and quite checkered.

I'll be taking a break from Eu postcards for a short while as I have two upcoming events that require a fair amount of attention. First up is my Happy Tat sale at the end of August, if you're in Cornwall please do pop by (email me for more details), and of course Ancient Scent in early October. Ancient Scent is shaping up to be a great thing indeed, I'm fresh back from an open air oil drum firing in Lamorna last weekend. A truly magical affair. We fired pinch pots, and other weird and wonderful objects in an old oil drum, it was very wild and wonderful.

I hope you are all well, and I promise to try and post in between making, travelling and what not over the next few weeks.

Outfit Details

Cypriot velvet waistcoat - charity shop

1970s Indian block print dress - car boot sale

Bloomers - vintage sale

Scarf - Zara

Earrings - birthday gift from a friend

X

What's Underneath: Week 1

I have followed StyleLikeU for nearly 4 years now. I discovered them in my first year of university and proceeded to watch their entire back catalogue of short films (if you haven't ever scrolled through their website get to it now!) Their films are short but sweet portrayals into various people's experience of clothing and more specifically style. They launched their What's Underneath campaign last year and it's gone from strength to strength. Having secured kickstarter funding to make a film about the project they are now reaching out through instagram to ask what's underneath.

As part of their campaign I was contacted by them recently and asked what does your style say about you and what assumptions do people make about you based on your style? so here is my response. You can share your own story via Instagram using the #IAmWhatsUnderneath tag.

I have always dressed in a expressive way. As a child I favoured exotically patterned and coloured items: leggings dotted with fish, a jumper with brightly coloured diamonds, spotted pink swimsuits. My mum always encourage my brother and I to dress up. We had an elaborate dressing up box filled to the brim with the remnants of various members of her friends' wardrobes. Including Sari's,  1930s ball gowns and medieval costumes. I was fascinated by the embroidery and texture of the garments. My style now is really just a continuation of that early love. Studying fashion history at Central Saint Martins only furthered my love for history, textiles and clothes. I remember on my first day wearing an outfit inspired by the Russian Tsars. The reference was lost on almost everyone but to me that doesn't matter. I dress for myself, the pleasure of putting the garments together into a story or character is enough. It's taken me a long time to reach such a comfortable place with dressing this way. As a teenager I spent years trying to conform. I wore all black for about 7 years, which seems so crazy now but I was so scared to stand out that I thought that was the only way I could survive at school. I dyed my hair and wore clothes which now make me recoil but at the time I was terrified that my upbringing filled with colour and art made me weird and unapproachable so I gravitated to the extreme opposite. When I left school I started to realise that conformity didn't equal comfort. People are often horrified by my style. British people are particularly scared of 'too much' colour or print; it's deemed garish and unrestrained. Equally I have as many people tell me that I've brightened their day. I see wearing colour as uplifting. I've struggled with depression in the past, colour has been the single most useful thing in changing my outlook. I don't just extend it to my clothing but my home too. All I hope is that my use of colour will touch one person and make them have a more cheerful day; even if it's just for a second. 

Outfit Details

Two piece suit - made by my mum using vintage fabrics, Penny MacBeth

Printed top - years old Topshop

1970s wooden hand-painted beads - Charity Shop

Turquoise tassel earrings - Heather Finn Knitwear

Felt hat with faux flowers - Penny MacBeth

X

Everything I Have Ever Lost

Hello! I spent all of last week putting the finishing touches to my installation for our family exhibition that opened at The Glorious on Saturday. I spent a lot of time knitting a very small jumper and even longer labelling everything. Here are the pictures of Everything I Have Ever Lost. 

The theme and title for the exhibition is Horror Vacui. Originally a Latin phrase, meaning fear of the void, it is the act of filling of every possible surface. My mum, brother and I all explored our own fear of the void; producing completely different results. My own fear of the void was to do with loss of objects/places/people. You can see my statement above but for slightly easier viewing here it is in plain text:

I face my fear of the void by imaging everything that I have ever lost, reunited. My greatest hope is that on reaching the void familiar faces, clothes, homes and hats, will greet me; no longer will they be left on trains, owned by someone else or lying in the gutter but instead clustered together just waiting to be found. Loss is a feeling many have experienced. It can be extremely frustrating, sometimes life-changing and 

sometimes it can pass by with little consequence. Mostly though it is sad, one can often worry ‘what has become of that poor lost thing?’ 

I have spent many hours wondering this and here are the results; my lost things reimagined, 

all safe and sound and remembered as they were the last time that I saw them.

Most things are trivial and have left little impression on my life: loose change, hats or pot plants. However, other things have left greater voids: my Dad, homes, Arty the Scottish Deerhound. Remembering lost things offers a solace in the darkest moments; losing something no longer feels sad but instead a joy, in that I know it will join the other lost things and one day I too shall join them. All these things may be lost but they are not forgotten.

I re-created my lost things in a variety of mediums. Here's a list of all the lost things:

Moyne Park

Trennick Row

Zanzig

Stuart the Caravan

Owls House

Bohermore 

Arty the Scottish Deerhound

My Granny

My Aunty Bar

Harriet, Henrietta and Henry the Goldfish

Loose change

£100

Every photograph I took from 2008-2013

My Irish Accent

Cacti

The Gremlin

Faux fur hat

Straw boater

Blankie

Fisherman’s Jumper

My Marbles

My Dad

Capri the Cacti

Red lipstick x 2

Dizzy the Canary

Easter eggs

Gruffalo mug

Candy watch

Jade plant

The Chickens 

Blue glass vase

Pink floral mug

My passport

Socks

Green glass

Smelly donkey

Joni Mitchell record

Foliage plant

Edward the Rat

Flat Ted's red trousers

Claddagh ring

Lapis Lazuli ring

Blue ring

Pink horn rimmed glasses

Round glasses

My treasure box

Debs Bear's suitcase

Harry Potter book

Valley of the Dolls book

Floral mug

Iphone

Marz badge

Mobile phone

Graphite pencil set

Pentel pen

Orange wine glass

Blue embroidered wedges

 There are certainly more things to be added to this list but it's a work in progress. I'd love to know about your lost things (good and bad). Making this work has prompted me to take stock of the things/people/places in my life now and appreciate everything that I haven't lost, I hope that it might do the same for the viewer. 

You can visit the exhibition, Horror Vacui, at The Glorious from 8-6 Monday-Saturday and 10-4 on Sundays. 

On another note I recently did two interviews. The first for The Glorious' blog about Horror Vacui which you can read here and another more general one about my practise for Om Pom Happy which you can read here. Look out for my home which will also make an appearance later in the week on Om Pom Happy.

You can also read a review of our exhibition here.

 X

Saints Alive

Hello! Today I had to take some photographs of myself dressed as an angel for a workshop my mum and I are holding at Truro Arts Festival in two weeks. We'll be giving each participant a kit which will include a cut-out angel and lots of other fun elements to make a Mexican retablo style shrine. Retablo paintings and shrines traditionally tell stories of divine intervention. They are often very gory tales; look at Frida Kahlo's depicting the tragic collision that left her in a brace for the rest of her life, an incredibly emotive painting!

Frida Kahlo retablo

After snapping the angel photographs I took a few still dressed in my saint outfit. I mused on what a saint/angel might do in day to day life: recline on the sofa perhaps? Certainly not any housework, that's for sure! 

My ensemble was inspired by this wonderful picture of a Mexican angel

Source: 1

and these amazing retablo shrines.

Source: 2

 Source: 3

I've never worn this top with the skirt before; the skirt has a matching waistcoat (see it here) so I usually wear the two together however, I really like this combination so I think it might become a new favourite. 

Anyway I'm sure you're all dying to see me as an angel? Do feel free to print it, cut it out and make your own retablo shrine (if you do I'd love to see the results!)

I hope you are all having very productive weeks, mine has been pretty jam-packed so far. We're about to start doing Airbnb from April so I've been busy tidying the house and taking pictures for the listing. I'm so excited as I've heard many good things about people's experiences, both letting and visiting! I'd be really interested to hear any of your experiences, and any advice you might have. The listing will be up soon so I'll post it incase any of you fancy a break in Cornwall!

Outfit Details

1970s floral cotton skirt - vintage stall

Silk rebozo scarf - gift from my mum

Floral top - charity shop

Bangles - made by Penny MacBeth

Necklace with eye brooch attached - made by Penny MacBeth

Vintage beaded necklace - Oxfam

Felt flower headdress - Mrs MacBeth's Department Store

Pattern t-shirt - Uniqlo

X