Monday, 28 February 2011
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Remembering the Vintage Goodwood Festival of 2010
Goodwood Vintage Festival – 13th 14th 15th August 2010
This summer sees the Vintage festival taking place at Goodwood. The 3 day concert party features music by Bob Marley’s band The Wailers, songstress Sandy Shaw and punk legends The Damned. Ronnie Wood (of Rolling Stones fame) will be debuting his new band Faces in their first festival performance. Vintage festival also sees a plethora of British Djs providing a vivifying soundtrack to the retro event. Also expect to see a lot of mesmerizing fashion (on and off the catwalk) and great musical acts performing on five curated and uniquely themed on site clubs.
WHAT IS VINTAGE AT GOODWOOD?
Vintage at Goodwood is the annual music and fashion led celebration of creative British cool from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s, featuring the leading DJs, bands, collectors, purveyors of vintage clothing and vintage vinyl from each decade, as well as contemporary bands and brands inspired by Britain’s rich creative and cultural heritage.
The New Festival of Britain
Vintage explores the musical, design and cultural lineages and explores where they are taking us. Think of Vintage at Goodwood as the new annual Festival of Britain. Whether your thing is Swing, Rockabilly, Mod, Soul, Funk, Disco, Ska, Electro, Burlesque, Film, Art & Design, or you just want to dress up and get an authentic ‘flat top’ and make-over for a day, Vintage at Goodwood is a visual, responsible, aural and sensual, a big family dressing up box, a collectors dream and a joyous creative feast for all ages.
On a truly breathtaking site, nestling into the South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (and soon to be National Park) with access to the wonderful beaches and harbours of coastal West Sussex – Vintage at Goodwood brings together lovers of the music, fashions, food and lifestyles of the decades that gave Britain its creative heritage. And then there’s the accommodation. From onsite luxury of the Goodwood Hotel, camping with views to die for, Vintage at Goodwood will give you a unique opportunity to holiday in the most beautiful area of Southern England.
Vintage Curators
Vintage at Goodwood is the brainchild of designers Gerardine Hemingway MBE|, Wayne Hemingway MBE| – who started their business selling and customising second hand clothes and are now co-owners of Britain’s premier collection of cultural artefacts, The Land of Lost Content Museum|, and Lord March – mastermind behind the internationally acclaimed Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, and proprietor of one of the largest organic farms in the south of England.
With the proven and award winning Goodwood and Hemingway Design teams backed up by a stellar collection of Vintage Curators, we promise an unparallel attention to design and organisational detail that will ensure that Vintage at Goodwood is an event to remember, the worlds annual holiday for lovers of cool popular culture.
There has never been anything like Vintage at Goodwood, come and join us and see why the world marvels at Britain’s contribution to 20th century culture.
Tonight ... "South Riding" Episode 2, 21.00 on BBC One
Sarah's ambitions for her school find their focus in Lydia Holly, the gifted eldest child of a labourer and his wife who live with their six children in a shanty town on the fast eroding South Riding cliffs. In the Depression of the 1930s, these families are just managing to hold on to their livelihoods and to their homes, perched as they are on the very edge of England. Education offers Lydia a way out, but fate has other plans for the overstretched Holly family, and in spite of her best efforts Lydia must turn her back on the glittering prizes.
Joe Astell's housing scheme would transform the lives of the South Riding poor, but there are some tricky politics to negotiate before the scheme becomes a reality, and some of his fellow councillors are more interested in lining their own pockets than in public works. Lusty Methodist minister Alfred Huggins sees a heaven-sent opportunity to pay off a blackmailer. Councillor Snaith has more or less told him where the estate is to be built; all he needs to do is buy a few acres and wait for the price to rise.
Meanwhile Robert Carne, haunted by memories of his beautiful wife Muriel, must face the consequences of a life spent paying for an act of madness a decade and a half before. With the bank threatening to repossess his home, it is time for him to make some serious changes. His decision takes him to Manchester, where he runs into Sarah. Christmas is just around the corner, and away from the strains of life in the South Riding, Robert and Sarah enjoy each other's company. Neither is prepared for the events that unfold.
Saturday, 26 February 2011
The little pleasures of the bow tie
To wear a bow Tie is something that depends on your "daily mood"... when I am in the "mood" I wear a bow tie with pleasure ...The unique way how a bow tie "moves" during the day until it reaches its glorious state of "aircraft propeller" is a source of great aesthetic pleasure ... Here it seems that the ´pochette´ has the same "paisley" decoration as the tie ... something I don't approve ... but it is really subtilly different Yours ... Jeeves.
Friday, 25 February 2011
INTERMEZZO Remains of the day
Yesterday, this was my outfit ... everything second hand, bought many years ago, before the "vintage"culture destroyed the magic of "second hand" market ... with special proud remark for the "shawl", found lying on the ground in a flea market (1 euro) and restored by me ... Yours Jeeves
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
BROOKS, since 1866
Over almost a century and a half, Brooks England has grown from a small workshop to a byword in quality craftsmanship. Back in 1865, John Boultbee Brooks left his hometown of Hinckley in Leicestershire with just £20 in his pocket.
He headed for Birmingham, where in 1866 he established a business in horse harnesses and general leather goods in Great Charles Street under the name JB Brooks & Co.In 1878, the unfortunate death of Mr Brooks’ horse led to a stroke of inspiration. Unable to afford another horse, he borrowed a bicycle in order to commute to work. But he found the seat so uncomfortable that he vowed to do something about it. On 28 October 1882, Mr Brooks filed his first saddle patent.
Waddling cyclists everywhere threw their hats in the air and the new product was a roaring success. The company became known and respected for its beautiful leather handcrafted saddles, and soon started to make cycle and motorcycle bags and other accessories.
Traditional techniques in manufacturing leather saddles were passed down from generation to generation of craftsmen as the company grew under the guidance of the Brooks family until 1958.
In 1962 Brooks became part of Raleigh and moved to the current works in Smethwick in the West Midlands, just a few miles away from the original premises.
In the last decade, we have struck out on our own again as Brooks England, following a new course that honours the company’s heritage. Inspired by the timeless products designed by our predecessors, we have revived the original slogan ‘Saddles, Bags, Etc’ and introduced a range of cycle bags and other accessories.
Brooks England is steeped in history, a prestige brand that boasts almost 150 years of tradition and expertise. But quality and style never age. So come on in and take a seat.
Brooks England is a bicycle saddle manufacturer in Smethwick, Birmingham, England. It has been making leather bicycle saddles since 1866, when it was founded in Hockley, Birmingham.
In 2000, Brooks' parent company, Sturmey Archer collapsed, but Selle Royal of Italy bought Brooks in 2002.
Popular Brooks saddles include the B17 (fairly wide), Team Professional (narrower), Swift and Swallow (narrowest). All are available with steel or titanium rails. More niche products include sprung saddles and four-rail designs (which require an adaptor for modern seatposts).
The fundamental design of a Brooks saddle is a leather top stretched between a metal "cantle plate" at the rear and a nose piece, to which it is attached with steel or copper rivets. Using a threaded bolt, the nose piece can be moved forward independently of the rails, tensioning the leather. It is important not to over-tension the leather or it may tear, especially at the rivets. Normally the nose bolt should not be adjusted unless the saddle becomes noticeably sagged, in which case it should only be adjusted in fractions of a turn until the top is comfortable again.
After a certain period of use, which can be from 100 miles to 1,000 miles depending on the leather used to make the top, the saddle visibly moulds itself to the rider and "dimples" appear where the "sit bones" normally rest. This is caused by fibres in the leather breaking down under the weight of the rider. The saddle is normally more comfortable by this stage, although some riders find that no break-in period is necessary for comfort and other riders never find a Brooks saddle comfortable, even after many thousands of miles.
Leather saddles are not waterproof (although this does mean they are able to absorb and dissipate sweat by "breathing"). Brooks produce a wax dressing, Proofide, which should be applied occasionally. Various amusing urban legends exist about the composition of Proofide (such as it being made from the fat of hanged men) but the main component is tallow. The current blend also includes some citronella oil, identifiable by its sharp odour.
Touring cyclists and audax cyclists, especially those based in the UK, frequently choose Brooks saddles. Leather saddles are two or three times heavier than modern plastic or carbon-fibre designs but, for some riders, the traditional appearance and long-distance comfort make this a worthwhile trade-off.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
The third annual 2011 London Tweed Run
Ladies, Gentlemen,
The third annual 2011 London Tweed Run will be held on 9 April, from 11:00 am. This friendly 10 mile jaunt around the Capital will take in London’s famous sites –– including St Paul’s, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Savile Row –– with a stop for a spot of tea, and ending with a bit of a knees-up out Shoreditch way.
Registration opens at noon on Saturday 26 February 2011. Be sure to be quick about it; last year, all 400 spots were filled up within 45 minutes. This year, the ride will cost £5 to enter, with all proceeds going to Bikes4Africa, our designated charity.
Now look here, proper attire is expected. Tweed suits, plus fours, bowties, cycling capes, and jaunty flat caps are all encouraged. Do your best for the highly-prized Best Dressed Man and Best Dressed Woman prizes. Dust off your vintage velocipede for the ride; prizes awarded for best vintage bicycle. If your bike isn’t quite a classic, try your hand at the best decorated bicycle competition. And of course don’t forget our world-famous Best Moustache prize — open to both men and women, of course.
We’re happy to have back our heritage sponsors Brooks, Pashley, Hunstman, and Geo F Trumpers, and are pleased to welcome Aubin & Wills, who this year will be hosting the Aubin & Wills Tea Break.
There’ll be more announcements as the day gets closer. I do hope you can make it.
(this year’s brilliant poster by Zoë Barker)
