Thursday 30 June 2011

Animalistic!

Oh, we love a bit of animal action here at Alfies, and we do mean this most innocently!
Recent trips to the beautiful and impressively well kept London Zoo, as well to the adorable and equally impressive Horniman Museum inspired me to look for animal (and generally nature) related items here at Alfies. I found some lovely pieces, and the following items are a rather small
selection, so do come by to find more yourself!

White glazed equestrian horse with rider, offered by Gloria Sinclair

'Watercolour of Monkey', ca. 1900, offered by Barry Landsman

Pair of French 1940s wrought iron stools, offered by Louise Verber Antiques

Silver gilt snake necklace with heart pendant and garnet eyes, offered by Gareth Brooks


The first very exciting and highly recommended adventure we undertook is London Zoo Lates - throughout summer the zoo stays open until 10pm on Fridays and is jam packed with cool stuff to do. So not only do you get to see all the beautiful animals, you c
an also have a (pre-ordered) picnic, a little boogie at the silent disco, enjoy some cabaret, listen to talks about specific animals often during feeding time, enjoy a Pimm's/champagne/Mojito or two, and generally just have a grand night out!


We went last week and although the weather was not great, we still had an awesome time. To be honest, I was almost glad it rained as it provided me with a pe
rfect excuse to put on my new wellies and raincoat! We found the atmosphere was very relaxed and the zoo keepers were really approachable and understanding when I couldn't drag myself away from the large rainforest area upon closing time.


The crowd - quite a pleasant mix of old and young-
ish (no kids around which is a rare thing for zoo visits) - all seemingly enjoyed themselves, and it was quite entertaining to listen to some of the visitors' amazed (and perhaps slightly drunk) comments about the animals!


Admittedly, the zoo is simply too large to see everything in one evening, and with all the above entertainment options it is hard to follow the well designed maps to find your favourite creatures without being tempted away by the prospect of some cold beverages. But given that the majority of the animals do go to sleep at 9pm, there is still enough time to take advantage of the bar menu after 9pm!
It is definitely well worth a visit and makes a highly enjoyable change to the usual Friday night down the pub.



Another inspirational trip took me to the fantastic Horniman Museum in Forest Hill - I am so in love with it!


Being a busy tea trader travelling the world, Fredrick John Horniman began collecting curios and artefacts from far away countries to bring them back to London as he wanted to share all the interesting things the world had to offer with the people of London who might have not been able to travel as much or at all. In the end he gave his collections as a gift to the Londoners and the museum was born! Many items have been added to the collections over the years s
o do go there to check them out. The Horniman has various collections on display: an array of astounding musical instruments, a massive selection of beautiful taxidermy animals, African artefacts and the mesmerising aquarium in the lovely building's basement. A current exhibition features items of Balinese culture, and the lovely grand gardens are the icing on the cake!




Thursday 23 June 2011

Bargains to be had at Alfies!

Here at Alfies there is such a wide range of items to be bought with over 70 dealers all under one roof and something for everyone's budget. I have been looking round the market this week for my favourite buys under £40.




1960s dress from Persiflage £35



Vintage leather embossed photo album from June Victor £22



Vintage embroidered dress from Persiflage £30


Beautiful 1950s buttons from Carole Collier £15



Super cute clip on earrings from Persiflage £5


1960s Straw bag from Persiflage £20



You can also treat yourself to some beauty treatments from Issidora with eyebrow shaping from £20 and vintage and contemporary make up at around £35.


Thursday 9 June 2011

Alfies Fan Club Competition

To celebrate Alfies 35th anniversary, we invite you to send us your best, favourite and most exciting photos of Alfies! This could be anything from your favourite antique shop at Alfies, your most loved purchase, an item you wish for, your favourite antique dealer, or even the maze like building, the view from the rooftop terrace or the Art Deco architecture!

You have up until the 31st July 2011 to enter and the winners will receive a complementary hair do from Nina's Hair Parlour, an Alfies gift voucher, an ‘Antiques are Green’ canvas bag specially designed by illustrator Susan Taylor, and a pretty vintage teacup from W&L Antiques.



To enter either post your photos (a maximum of 5 photos per person) on our specially created Flickr group or email them directly to us. You need to add a brief description of what your photo is all about and why you love Alfies.

Each week we will post up entries on the Alfies blog so keep an eye out on the competition!
This is for all Alfies friends and fans to share what they love most about shopping here and to celebrate 35 years of exceptional vintage design, fashion and antiques!

Terms & Conditions
  • Always ask the dealer’s permission before photographing their stock.
  • 5 photo entries allowed per person.

Deadline: 31st July 2011

To submit your photos:
• Add them to the flickr group: www.flickr.com/groups/alfiesfanclub/
• Or email them to: lindsay@alfiesantiques.com

When submitting your photos please put ‘Alfies Fan Club’ as the subject line and include your full name and contact details in the email. Good Luck!

Vintage Guide to London's Awards

Here at Alfies we are all avid readers of The Vintage Guide to London - it is a fantastic guide for any vintage loving lady based in London or for those planning a visit! We have been lucky to have some of dealers recommended on the site including The Girl Can't Help It, Deborah Woolf and Ninas Hair Parlour!

The site has just launced their own awards! In their words, the awards are -
"To celebrate vintage in London and to highlight the achievements of this thriving, independent retail scene, The Vintage Guide to London is introducing its annual 'Best of ' awards"

The awards include categories such as Best vintage shop (womenswear), Best vintage fair/jumble and Best vintage club night.
We're looking forward to the results already and hope to find an Alfies dealer included! Get voting now!


You can also enter our new Alfies Fan Club competition to win lots of goodies including a haircut/style from Ninas Hair Parlour - all the details are here

Saturday 4 June 2011

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