TRY THIS - A Basket Case No More

I find I sweat the small things. With Trojan horse zeal I attack the big stuff but puny annoyances are apt to beat me and none more so than the day-to-day handbag switcheroo. Moving from rucksack on a gloomy Tuesday to straw tote on a sunny Wednesday creates no end of stress for me. At day's end, my Oyster card has ended up in the pocket of my mackintosh and my glasses are now next to my desk. My phone has disappeared entirely and somehow my favourite lippy is hiding in the recess of a dark, forgotten pocket. Inevitably after swapping over to a different bag, I leave the house several essential items light. But with a recent Avenue Vintage & Antique Market find, I think I've cracked the case of switheroo stress. When I arrive home I immediately dump the contents of my bag (and pockets) into this basket. It's wide opening allows me to see my indispensables with ease. Taking it by the handle, I poodle about the house collecting crucial bits and bobs that have strayed during the day. This is now the woven home base for all my vital belongings, ensuring I'm no longer a handbag basket case. Its miraculous daily effect makes it a downright bargain at just £14. 

To read my recent post 

on Henpicked CLICK HERE 

FOUND - Stories Echo in A Silk Scarf

I found this silk scarf at the monthly Avenue Vintage & Antique Market (AVAM) CLICK HERE in West Ealing. It's the product of an American maker founded by a husband & wife team on their wedding day in 1923. New Yorkers Edgar and Theresa called their new venture Echo, an acronym of Edgar C Hyman & Co. Eventually headquartered on 5th Avenue, the scarf maker built up an impressive archive of prints. In 1956, Edgar Haymen's son-in-law had the job of finding the best way of getting the company's product, now made in Italy, to American shores. He chose the newest and much-heralded transatlantic vessel, the Andrea Dora. On the night of 25 July, just off the east coast of the USA, bound for NYC, the ship collided with a Swedish liner, the USS Stockholm. Echo's Fall line of scarves was lost to the depths of the sea. It was the height of summer and the Italian manufacturers were due to close for the season but as a testament to the good will Echo had forged, the factories stayed opened and re-made all of the drown silk accessories.   

In 1974 inspired by a request from the Smithsonian Institute to create a replica of the 1876 World's Fair commemorative scarf, Echo established a custom design division, working with the likes of MOMA and The Art Institute of Chicago. And the Windy City connection would continue when in 2003 Echo opened its first free-standing concession inside the city's famed Marshall Fields department store. This silk, I repeat silk, beauty was just £9 at AVAM. It's relatively new but I like to imagine it washed up on British shores, once a neatly folded passenger on the ill-fated Andrea Dora. Look out for 2nd-hand Echo scarves - they're quality items with a storied pedigree.       

FOUND - Scenes Set in Aquamarine

I found this Aquamarine ring at Avenue Vintage & Antique Market in West Ealing. The semi-precious gem is the birthstone for March, and while my birthday is in February, I can't resist the sparkling lucidity of this sky blue jewel. An incredibly hard stone due to a high iron content, the watery hue is a particularly appealing pastel. The earrings were actually mined near Zimbabwe and set in Harare - my home from 1998 to 2001. Memories of my Southern African adventure are the greatest gift the country gave me. From the hot wet spray off Victoria Falls to the wide Jacaranda-lined streets of Bulawayo, from the soulful sounds of native son Oliver Mtukudzi to the piercing, lyrical words of writer, my friend, the late Yvonne Vera, Zimbabwe lives inside me. Her people, troubled but eternally optimistic, burn bright in my head and heart. Zimbabweans deserve so much more than they've been given by their so-called leader. Uniting my Zimbabwe gems with the matching secondhand ring feels like connecting the dots of my life. With flawless clarity they represent my love of Zimbabwe and my life in London. I don't recall how much the earrings cost but the ring was just £20.   

FOUND - Memento That Tells Tales

I found this souvenir bracelet at the Avenue Vintage & Antique Market in West Ealing. Old travel mementos like these are a personal favorite - the writer in me not only enjoys wearing them but also imagining their hidden history. This little piece of Spain - those are bullfighters in the metal work - came to me via a dealer selling primarily French collectibles. It's seen some life - if only it could speak. I imagine it's the type of touristy keepsake that a man like Ernest Hemingway would have bought for his first wife Hadley when they were visiting San Fermin in Pamplona. This is where Hemingway became fascinated with bull fighting and would meet Pauline Pfeiffer, the woman who would become his 2nd wife.'Papa,' the cad, would buy a silly but stylish trifle like this for Hadley in an effort to put her off the scent. But it did not disguise the acrid smell of Hemingway's marital deceit. Fiction? Maybe. But I enjoy giving voice to this souvenir's secrets. The price for such an inspiring accessory? Just £10.

            

For more on Hadely Richarson's life with Hemgingway

read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, CLICK HERE.

TRY THIS - Chit Chat Among Brica-Braca

I found this Italian-made silk scarf at Ealings's Avenue Vintage & Antique Market, hosted the last Saturday of every month. Lovely Fallon - aka Lost in Retro CLICK HERE - a local 2nd-hand siren set up an enticing stall and this Prada-esque scarf she was offering at just £5 had my name on it. Actually it had the name Osterelli on it. My advice: if a scarf is silk, includes a maker's name, catches your fancy and is less than a tenner, BUY it! Around your neck, tied to a handbag, as wrapping for a gift, framed or fashioned into a cushion, silk scarves are happy, adaptable accessories. 

This Ealing vintage event is a gem, and the organizers should be proud of their efforts to bring quirky, quality 2nd-hand to West London. The sellers are friendly and helpful, many of them local to the area, and the prices are fair. After you've properly perused the stalls, I highly recommend a bacon bap and a cuppa at The Drayton Court, the well-appointed pub, overlooking the market. 

Markets like this are the perfect place to pick up unusual gifts and homewares with personality. Professional and amateur interior designers alike are sure to find inspiration here. Neither will vintage wearers or collectors be disappointed  

Not just a shopping spree, Avenue Vintage & Antique Market is a community gathering. A chance to make new friends, chit chat and connect with like-minded locals. An old-fashioned idea, the market square, that's enjoying a new lease on life in Ealing. But it needs support. Mark Your Calendar: Saturday 28 March you've got a date with your neighbors. 

          

FOUND - Bags of Personality & Pedigree

I found these 2 gorgeous handbags at the Avenue Vintage & Antiques Market in West Ealing near the Drayton Court pub & hotel. The top bag from Ferragamo is soft leather with a fabulous braided handle. In 1923 the young, talented Italian Salvatore Ferragamo bought out the Hollywood Boot Shop in Santa Barbara California. And the rest is history. The bottom bag is from Whiting & Davis CLICK HERE, an American company founded just outside Boston in 1876. By 1880 an errand boy, Charles A. Whiting had joined the company, quickly rising through the ranks. 

In 1892 the boy Whiting would weave the company's first metal mesh bag, a fashion sensation that would make the firm's name. Among W&D's many stylish partnerships is their creation of mesh bags for Elsa Schiaparelli starting in 1937, their release of accessories inspired by Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1963 and the leather bomber Michael Jackson wore in 1983 in the video for Beat It that featured ring mesh in the shoulders. Today the company primarily makes jewellery - ensuring collectible status for its mesh bags. And indeed both bags came from a personal collection. The wonderful, chatty stallholder was selling off some of her obsession. I assured her these pretty purses were going to a good home. The two together cost only £55. I'm looking forward to visiting her stall again, the last Saturday in January. See you there? 

TRY THIS - Medley of Memories Amassed

Recently I found I'd a collection of small purses. Without trying, I'd stockpiled a stylish selection of wee bags and puny pouches. Most of them have been gifts, and of course the rest I've picked up on my weekly stops at charity shops. This anthology of items tell a story, the continuing and very personal tale of birthdays celebrated and holidays with loved ones, exotic travels abroad and friends well-remembered but far away. The latest addition is a Georgian pocket mirror found at the Avenue Vintage & Antiques Market on a day out with my husband that saw us kick off the holiday season together with mulled wine and bacon baps. Silky and in remarkable condition considering its age (the purse & husband), this old bag adds gravitas to my tiny tote assortment. Like family photos, these small style icons serve as reminders of life's lovelier moments. My mint-condition mirror was just £3. Not surprising, I'm feeling reflective on this Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays Hunters! 

TRY THIS - Made Up Over Bon Bon Box

I found this huge old but perfect chocolate box at the Avenue Vintage & Antiques Market in West Ealing. A 2nd-hand Saturday sale featuring 10 to 12 stalls, it's full of fabulous, lightly loved fashions and furnishings. This is a real community-led event that offers as much chit chat as brica-braca. I snapped up my flowery box unsure of how I'd use it but certain it could bloom somewhere in my home. And it has.

It's now serving as an effective and pretty make-up tray. I've housed my slap in everything from shoe boxes to cut glass bowls, but never found a convenient and attractive way to corral my cosmetics. Until now. This flat box keeps all items on show and within easy reach - no more digging around for an elusive lippy or unseen eye shadow. Sweet! My bon bon box was just £3. Even sweeter. 

FOUND - Reflected Glory of A Good Gift

I found this little curiosity at the Avenue Vintage Fair & Antiques Market last weekend (CLICK HERE). If you live in West London, I can't urge you enough to visit this lovely, low key 2nd-buyers' bonanza. Located outside the shops around The Drayton Court, an Ealing institution, you're sure to find a pre-owned pleasure that piques your interest. La Semaine de Suzette was a children's magazine founded by Henri Gautier in 1905 after the Church had separated from the State. The aim was to entertain children, in particular young girls, while instilling morality and charity. Girls living abroad, often the daughters of doctors, engineers and diplomats, read the magazine in an effort to improve their French. It published for 55 years, only taking a break during the war. 

This velvet & leatherette circle is in fact a handbag mirror, the sort of promotional item a newsagent gave to the girl who bought the magazine in an effort to keep her custom. Today glossy fashion magazines are often accompanied by complimentary cosmetics tucked inside soulless plastic sleeves. While modern freebies can be enticing, none are as tempting as this tiny, shiny, beveled luxury. I'm thrilled to be giving it to my fashionable friend Susan for Christmas. She speaks impeccable French and perpetually inspires my style eye. On reflection this all around wonder was a steal at just £10. 

Avenue Vintage & Antiques Market is usually the last 

Saturday of the month thru March CLICK HERE

(the Dec market was held earlier)

TRY THIS - Ho-Ho-Ho We Go To Market

I found these little scarves at the Avenue Vintage & Antiques Market, near West Ealing Station and the Drayton Court. They'll serve as perfect pressies for friends on my Christmas gift giving list. The selling spree where I found them is a welcome addition to the area's 2nd-hand scene - a vast variety of pre-owned items, friendly traders, situated on a lovely street. What's not to like? Generally held on the last Saturday of the month, the Christmas sale celebration is TOMORROW, Saturday 13 December, from 9am. The scarves were a fiver, but all the fun is free of charge! 

FOUND - It Booked A Place With Me

I found this big, gorgeous, fashion book - circa 1986 - at the West Ealing Antiques Fair in a stall hosted by the Cancer Research charity. If you read Huntress London regularly, you know how much I appreciate style inspiration between bound covers for the price of a glossy magazine. If you ONLY pop into charity shops in search of second-hand style bibles, I say bravo. This one features photography from famed snappers Horst P Horst, Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Karen Radkai, Norman Parkinson and others. A fantastic find for a fiver. I'll let the pictures speak a 1000 words.

 - 

Find more fab fash photos

 at The V&A's Horst Exhibit 

until 4 January

FOUND - Scotland's Finest in West London

I found these wool trousers at the West Ealing Antiques Fair, courtesy of stallholder Lynn Atkinson whose stylish offerings included 2nd-hand fashions and vintage. From the House of Bruar, these straight ankle skimmers are classified as 'country clothing,' but I feel certain they'll keep this urban hunter toasty warm in the months to come. The House of Bruar is a throw-back, an independent department store that carries everything the discerning shopper might want CLICK HERE. Located about 70 miles west of Edinburgh, it's often referred to as the 'Harrods of Scotland.' Beautifully made, the trousers suffered from a few small holes. I'm sadly not a serious seamstress (if only) but was nonetheless able to mend the tiny flaws with ease. Keep an eye out for the House of Bruar label when 2nd-hand searching - it's good stuff. These pre-owned pants were just £18.  

Change Your Clothes For Good. 

Tweet @TRAID #SecondHandFirst Week 

Thursday late night opening at the Shepherd's Bush shop

CLICK HERE for MORE 

TRY THIS - Give A 2nd-Hand Gift

I found this little stickpin at the debut Antiques Market in West Ealing, just outside the Drayton Court CLICK HERE. I've given him to friends who are getting married tomorrow in up-state New York. They're legalizing their 14-year relationship at a ceremony in the back garden of their home, nestled among enormous trees and a babbling brook. A small but special affair, they're wearing tweeds among the Autumn leaves and in keeping with the theme, a fox motif adorned their wedding invitations. I'm sad to say I can't join them but this little what-not serves as a reminder that I'm thinking of them on their day. This gift is not about the cost, the truth is they can buy nearly anything they like and after years together, well, a toaster is out of the question. I know they'll adore this foxy gent for his animal appeal. He's well-made, stylish and full of character - very much like them. Antiques markets are great places to find stylish mementos to mark special occasions. 

See you at the monthly West Ealing Antiques Market 

tomorrow, 25 October CLICK HERE