Why Have One When You Can Have Two?

Many of the best things come in pairs: victoria sponge and a nice cup of tea, pick and mix, strawberries and cream, birds and bees, Thema and Louise, gin and tonic, cheese and chutney, fish and chips and so many more!

Alfies is full to the brim of great pairs! Here are just a few to get you started:

Pair of Orrefors Table Lamps. From Travers Antiques.

Pair of Early 20th C Sapphire and Diamond Earrings. From Sheila Cameron.

Pair of 1960s Italian Gilt Pineapples. From Biis Century

Pair of Original Jet Tassles. From June Victor.

A pair of unusual Staffordshire spotted dogs. c1890. From Gloria Sinclair.

Pair of 1950s/60s Chairs Re-Upholstered in Blue Wool. From Thirteen Interiors

Pair of 1940s Suede Poodle Slingback Shoes. From The Girl Can't Help It.

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 can 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 perfect 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 so 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!

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.

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!

The Girl Can't Help It

Ninas Hair Parlour



Deborah Woolf

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

Orange!

Cameo brooch from Linda Antiques, Crown Ducal beaker from Beth, 1950s chair from Thirteen Interiors, Flower brooch from Pari , Cloche Hat from Tin Tin Collectables, Watercolour portrait from Barry Landsman, Asafo flag from Duncan Clarke, Egg cup from Beth

Lucienne and Robin Day

From researching the 1951 Festival of Britain for this months newsletter, it got me interested in some of the designers and artists who produced work specifically for the festival. Robin and Lucienne Day who's work is being celebrated in a retrospective exhibition at the Pallant House Gallery particularly appealed to me.

Lucienne and Robin were married but didn't collaborate professionally as such, they both stuck to their own fields yet their own designs worked so well together. Back in the 1950’s, the Days’ aim was to produce quality, mass-produced low cost furniture and textiles. Functionality, ease of manufacturing and low cost production was very important to them both.

They both rose to prominence during the 1951 Festival of Britain, which provided an ideal showcase for their talents. Lucienne’s abstract-patterned textiles and wallpapers were displayed alongside Robin’s steel and plywood furniture in the Homes and Gardens Pavilion.

The Englishman's Home' mural by John Piper, on the southern facade of the Homes and Gardens Pavilion at the South Bank Exhibition

In 1951 Day was awarded a Gold Medal at the Milan Triennale for his design of his 'Homes and Gardens' pavilion at the Festival of Britain.

Robin Day chairs from Thirteen Interiors

It was for the Homes and Gardens display that Lucienne designed her renowned fabric Calyx - an abstract print inspired by nature and plants.

Calyx was widely praised, so much so that after Lucienne had persuaded Heals to manufacture the initial design, the company embraced her style and championed Lucienne’s work. Over the next 20 years or so she produced over 50 outstanding patterns for Heal’s, all remarkable for their inventiveness and now very sought after.

While hunting for vintage fabrics in Alfies you never know you might come across one of Lucienne's designs.

Lots of fabric available at Persiflage

And at Ian Brighton's stand

June Victor

The Glamour of Cannes

The 63rd Cannes Film Festival opened last night with stars gracing the red carpet in jawdropping splendor. Founded in 1946, Cannes is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals and has become synonymous with glamour and celebrity, as well as being an important showcase for European films. In this post we will look back at previous Cannes festivals and inject some glamour into your life with a little help from the Alfies dealers!

Vintage Cannes Festival poster from 1951

During the festival there will also be an exhibition celebrating the world of the pin-up, with vintage photographs taken from the Kobal Collection, featuring stars such as Marylin Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Brigitte Bardot at the height of their fame.

Jayne Mansfield © PixPlanete. 1953

Jacques Erwin, Louise Carletti, Alain Cuny © AFP. 1947

Vintage Swimsuit from Deborah Woolf Vintage.

Pair of French Cinema Seats, from Christopher Hall.

Vintage Paul Allen Silk Scarf from Rank Cinema, Cannes Film Festival. £85

On sale at The Girl Can't Help It

A pair of stunning vintage dresses from Dandy Dolls.

No more sapphire rings...

I am sure we all agree that the Royal Wedding was lovely to watch, Kate looked stunning and the nation felt happily united for a weekend. It was quite a wonderful event.
But during the months running up to the wedding date we have also seen our fair share of sapphire engagement rings - some amazingly beautiful ones, some rather cheap looking copies. So to cater for people with a more individual taste Alfies joined our big sister Grays Antique Market in the hunt for engagement rings that are just that little bit different.
Here is what we have found so far - more to follow so do keep checking our weekly blog for inspiration!

Victorian 9ct gold ring with three diamonds at Marie Antiques

18ct gold Art Deco ring with rubies and diamonds in a diamond shaped platinum setting at Marie Antiques

A platinum Art Deco diamond and onyx ring at Gareth Brooks

9ct gold Edwardian ring with three seed pearls and diamonds in a silver setting at Marie Antiques

15 ct white gold Art Deco ring with flower shaped carved coral at Marie Antiques

18 ct gold Art Deco knot style ring adorned with rubies, diamonds and a pearl at Gareth Brooks

And once the ring is bought, why not plan your engagement party in our lovely Rooftop Restaurant? Its sunny terrace is the perfect setting for a spring or summer event. Please call 0207 706 2969 for enquiries.