Slipper, (car) boot, hat and kettle - no, it's not Monopoly!

Only about half as big as this today, the Nevendon boot sale
(since when did boot sales have their own website?!)

First of all apologies for a week of radio silence, but some times these dry news spells come along and as much as I would like you to think I was gadding about during my "birthday week" I actually wasn't up to much of interest - I really am rather a boring fellow most of the time!  Although I did go to my first car boot sale for years today, a length of time made all the more shameful by the fact that it takes place just a mile down the road.  Two (or three if there's a bank holiday) times a week.  Today I resolved to check it out though and I must admit I've rediscovered the car boot bug.  I didn't end up buying anything but among the piles of charity shop rejects and dubious electrical appliances there were a few interesting items and I shall certainly be returning there in short order.

However, I did promise to show you my birthday presents when they arrived.  Well... most of them still haven't!  This is what comes of liking things that are not readily available in your high street shops, which these days usually results in money changing hands with the instruction to "buy something you like, you know where to get these things".  Not that I am for one second ungrateful for this, not a bit of it, but it of course adds to the equation time spent ordering gifts and waiting for them to be delivered.  A wait compounded by the presence of a bank holiday in the week following my birthday.  What this means is that of the objects I am about to show you, only one is currently in my possession - the others are still en route.

Churchill Grecian Slipper in brown (also available in black)
£17.50 (from £60) plus £5.75 p+p from Samuel Windsor

The item that has already reached me, that I have on my feet (big clue!) even as I type (not with my feet, you understand) is a new pair of... slippers!  I've never been one for just taking my shoes off indoors so the only gentlemanly answer is a pair of comfortable slippers.  Every other year or so I buy a new pair when the old ones wear out but this year I thought I'd try something a little different.  Whereas since time immemorial I've had standard cloth, rubber-soled jobs from Clarks et al., for some while I'd had my eyes of a pair of allegedly "handmade" full leather slippers from Samuel Windsor.  The splendid-sounding (and -looking) Churchill Grecian Slipper "comes from the Edwardian gentlemen's era" (so that had my attention immediately) and is supposedly handmade from the "finest" leather - upper and sole - and wool (for the lining).  The price - £17.50 (plus £5.75 p+p), still no more than I would have paid for a normal pair, from a RRP of £60 - ensured that my attention did not wander and the promise of "hardwearing properties" sealed the deal.  I've heard mixed reviews of Samuel Windsor and its wares in the past but I honestly can't envisage these being any worse than your bog standard house shoe, so I'm looking forward to these moccasins lasting longer than a couple of years.

When they first arrived they were a little tight despite being the size 10 I usually take, but a helpful note included in the box suggested that if this were the case I should remove the wool-lined innersoles and wear the slippers for about a week to allow them to "give" a little for "a perfect fit".  This was the one surprise for me; being used to a cloth slipper that would give and feel completely comfortable almost instantly these initially felt more like proper shoes, which being all-leather should not have come as a total surprise.  I'm happy to say that they are becoming more comfortable by the day (they arrived on Saturday) and I have high hopes that within a fortnight they should indeed be a perfect fit.

Staying with the sartorial theme my favourite online hatters (who I will continually recommend to anyone who will listen) came up trumps again with a sunhat that I hope will get some use before what passed for summer this year comes to an end.  Some of you may recall the grey fedora I purchased from Village Hats back in '09 (actually just before I started this blog, but I have mentioned it since).  Now along with the still-available (albeit now slightly more expensive) felt version a new straw one seems to have appeared as well!  I'd been after a new Panama-style hat for some time; the one I currently have, a Debenhams purchase from some years ago, while perfectly serviceable always had too high a crown I felt.  Attempting to counteract this by pushing the hat down low would only leave me with a noticeable dent in my hair(!).  This new hat, being a C-crown, shouldn't cause me to suffer from the same problem.  Plus at only £16.96 how could I resist?  (Admittedly this was with a 15% off code and free shipping - but I really do suggest signing up to Village Hats' newsletter which frequently contains such discounts on top of their already quite reasonable prices).

Jaxon Hats Summer C-Crown Fedora in Ivory (also available in Natural)
£19.95 (plus £1.50 p+p) from Village Hats

My final item is a mixture of style and necessity.  I believe it was Jeremy Clarkson who once said that you know you're grown up when you start buying useful things you actually need, but I still see no reason not to inject a bit of vintage charm into the proceedings.

Having gone through three electric kettles in a little over one year I have decided to turn my back on this new-fangled electricity (that's a lie, really, as I'll still be using an electric oven) and invest in a good old-fashioned hob-top whistling kettle.  No more burnt out elements and dangerously leaky spouts - just a plain old kettle with a whistle.  Hardly plain, though; this is what I'm getting:

Kitchen Craft Le'Xpress Coloured Whistling Kettle in Chilli Red
(also available in Midnight Black and Seashell Cream) from Amazon, price varies

Well that's it, that's all for now (although there will undoubtedly be other sundry purchases that I may show later, especially if and when I go back to the car boot sale) and it's enough, I reckon!  Another birth day, week and month is nearly over and done with; soon it will be time to look forward to the big 3-0 next year.  In the meantime I hope to resume normal service very shortly and see what new fun and frolics are occurring in the vintage blogosphere.

Tinkerty-tonk!

A Hatty New Year

Dear me, that's an awful title pun even by my standards!  It's accurate though; 2012 could well become the year of the hat as far as I am concerned.  I bought a couple of new ones with some Christmas money, you see.

I can honestly say that I am now well-represented in the hat department.  In addition to several flat and newsboy caps of varying thicknesses, my trusty fedora, a Panama, boater and even a pith helmet for when the heat really strikes(!) I am now the proud owner of a couple of trilbies.

They are quite a disparate pair of hats, but none the worse for it.  In fact it's an interesting illustration of how varying in style a hat can be and yet still be called a trilby.

Jaxon Hats Downer trilby from Village Hats, £7.95 from £14.95

The first is an inexpensive little delight (£6.76, if you're asking, but that was half price and with a discount) from my favourite on-line hatters - Village Hats.  I can't say it enough times; their range is extensive and quite reasonably priced and they are usually my first port of call when I am in the market for a new titfer.

Image courtesy of Dr. Macro

According to the accompanying blurb, this downer trilby is supposed to make the wearer resemble Rex Harrison (on a budget).  I'm not sure if it's quite going to manage that with me, but it is nevertheless fantastic for the price.  Beautifully lined and remarkably sturdy, it is actually slightly too big even for my oversized noggin.  As if ridiculously long legs weren't enough, I also have to take a modern extra-large in hat sizes.  The more traditional measurement would be 7⅜ (7½ US, 23½in., 60cm - actually 59½cm for me but all hatters recommend that if you fall between sizes you should always go up to the next one) although I'm sure the more famous hat makers such as Lock & Co. or Bates would say that I've measured it incorrectly - most people do, apparently.  

I've ordered a resizing headband from Village Hats to hopefully take care of the excess space (the over-the-ears look never suits!) but sadly this particular item of headgear is no longer available.  That amazing half-price with discount offer was simply because it was old stock. 

***UPDATE***

A few more examples of the Jaxon Downer trilby have just become available, in Extra Large only.  Get 'em while you can!

The "Kempton" trilby from Hornets, £25 (plus p+p)

Although I said that Village Hats' choice was wide, their more traditional trilbies are just outside my price range at the moment (and tend to come with a feather stuck in the side of them; I personally don't much care for that look and while it may well be removable I'd rather not have to find out).  My back-up in such scenarios is Hornets of Kensington.  Theirs might be a smaller selection but it is still kind to the wallet.  Their "Epsom" trilby is a very acceptable £25.  Once again I seem to have snapped up the last of a line though, as it has since been replaced with the similar "Kempton".

Now I really am covered (literally!) for all situations and styles.  Hopefully in the coming year I'll have a few chances to really give my new purchases a whirl, in the meantime my bonce will continue to be stylishly protected from the elements.

Birthday hats and the world's greatest detective

While I am still getting back into the routine of scouring the ætherweb for interesting vintage-inspired stories that tickle my fancy, here's a post featuring some recent (and eclectic, naturally) acquisitions of mine.  That the 19th was my birthday was reason enough to go on a bit of a shopping spree and strike a few things off my "wanted" list.



I've long been a huge fan of the (all too-short) early 2000s TV series A Nero Wolfe Mystery based on the Rex Stout novels and starring Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin and Maury Chakin as Nero Wolfe.  Set in 1950s New York, I just love the quality of the production, the colourful setpieces, the sharp costumes and the snappy dialogue, all aided and abetted by a fine line-up of actors.  It is one of television's greatest travesties that it barely lasted 2 years.  Occasionally making an appearance here in the UK on B.B.C. Two, usually at some obscure hour long after midnight (and from which most of my well-worn video-cassette copies are derived!) I didn't think it existed on DVD outside North America, so I was delighted to come across a 10-disc Region 2 box set - albeit with the sleeve notes and subtitles in Dutch(!) - featuring 10 episodes (still only about half the entire run, but better than nothing!) at a good price on Amazon.

A trip to my local branch of Mr J Sainsbury's emporium a few weeks later saw me load up on four more DVDs for less than £20 from a distinctly period-themed display shelf - the 3-episode pilot series of the new Upstairs Downstairs from a year or so ago, Wilde starring Stephen Fry, The Young Victoria (which I've heard good things about but never got to see) and Piccadilly Jim, a film that had somehow managed to completely pass me by, despite my love of Wodehouse.  So, they should see me to Christmas, I reckon!  Reviews may follow...

The British summer has once again generally been more conducive to sitting in front of the television, but like any true Englishman I've tried to make the best of what little sunshine there has been and I still have high hopes of an Indian summer.  As such I invested in some gentlemanly sun hats from my favourite online hatters - Village Hats.

For those after decent-quality headgear on a budget, I can't recommend this company enough.  I bought my first hat from them - this splendid Jaxon fedora (right) - a couple of years ago, and for £25 I haven't felt the need to go anywhere else since.

So for the (non-existent) summer I decided to eschew the typical Panama, of which I already have an example anyway, and instead decided to satisfy my hankering for a boater.  Although there's not much opportunity for punting round my way, I've always fancied the early 20th-Century smart-casual, garden party, tennis-and-lemonade feel of it.  At least that's what I think when I put it on!  It's made of softer, thinner straw than the more traditional boater types, but for £22 it's a sixth of the cost of a top-line example.   

Jaxon straw boater, £21.95 from Village Hats

For when I'm hacking my way through the Essex wilderness fending off the local savages ;-p I now have my very own pith helmet!  A present from my sister, who actually needed very little encouragement from me(!), I look forward to finding occasions to don it, whether it be a great exotic expedition or just striking a pose in the garden while others sweat(!).

French-style pith helmet, £18.95 from Village Hats

Well, there you have my most recent retro arrivals for the month of August.  As you can see, despite my imposed non-appearance I've been carrying on in the vintage spirit.  Some national and international vintage-related news won't be long in coming, I feel sure; in the meantime thanks to all of you for your kind comments welcoming me back. 

Bowler hat makes a comeback

Bowler hat makes a comeback

Some great fashion news now, as the gentlemanly bowler hat makes a welcome return to high street emporia.

Like so much headgear the bowler hat has all but vanished from the heads of men engaged in day-to-day business but, thanks to a new generation taking an interest in good old-fashioned styles - backed up by celebrity endorsement - it may soon become a popular hat again. I only hope it doesn't get hijacked by misguided fashionistas trying to create some bizarre, "kewl" mish-mash look. Bowler-hatted city gents - that's another matter, and would certainly bring back some much-needed panache and bearing to the financial market(!).

This pleasantly surprising news, coupled with more and more appearances of other hat styles, such as trilbies, in public and the media provides a glimmer of hope that the hat will soon regain its popularity with the masses.