Trash Couture

Trash Couture is vintage..

Future Vintage

Each piece is unique, or part of a limited edition..

Made from silk, vintage couture, embroideries,

decorated with lace, bijoux and semi-precious stones.

Trash Couture is crafted entirely by hand

Ann's Hand.

There is a great sense of theatre and movement to Trash Couture, during the making, the production .. and in the finished article.

Ann' work not only graces the woman, but the stage, the scenario. There is a drama. The story evolves in the layering of the elements.

Ann, focused, applying her craft.

Dresses for le Bal de l'été in Monaco

You become someone else when you wear Trash Couture, like a process of self discovery. It changes you. You perceive yourself differently.


Ann is a very old friend. Ann and Caroline, have grown up together through thick and thin.

Ann is currently producing a special dress for a very beautiful Wild Swan.

Trash Couture

Ottolenghi - Islington

Ottolenghi .
is just round the corner from Wild Swans in Islington.


homemade jams, meringues, petits gateaux, brioches,

no decoration.


Just in the food
Ottolenghi - Islington

A Banksy just cropped up on the Cross Street Gallery wall.. sneaky, banksy schmanksy.

BIRDs - Kristian Vedel

These are such beautiful BIRDs by Kristian Vedel.
They are toys for children and adults.

Kristian Vedel' work expresses the natural essence of Danish furniture design and architecture. In contrast to the International Style, using harder, clinical, industrial materials, Danish and Scandinavian Design took a more natural, organic approach. Almost always using wood.

Kristian Vedel designed his family of BIRDs - in 1959.
Though only the small BIRD was set in production, it quickly became one of the most successful Danish wooden products from the 50s.

They are all handmade by a small wood turner in Denmark who only uses high quality smoked and natural oak wood. By tilting their heads in any direction, the BIRDs can express every frame of mind - happy, sad, curious, alert, etc. The bodies can be turned upside down making it either a male or female.

Hedi Slimane - Diary

Hedi's photography is graphic

and very male

sometimes female

He puts it in his Diary

Hedi Slimane

Lollys Laundry - Interview Series

Lollys Laundry

Here are a few words of an interview we did with Kamilla. Kamilla Byriel is the designer behind Lolly’s Laundry, a practical but sexy range of clothes from dresses to waistcoats.



I was born and raised in Aarhus, Jutland and sewing and fashion were part of my childhood.

From a young age my mother made her own patchwork dresses - so from when I was little I would be sat next to my mother and copying her sewing my own doll clothes. Later we lived in Bayreuth, Germany where my father sang in the Wagner Opera and my mother made the costumes for the opera. I have spent many hours at The Royal Opera House in Copenhagen as my father was also an opera singer there. I have always been very inspired by the costumes and in general tend to find a lot of my inspiration from the world of theatre.


 With my mother and father influence at home it was always on the cards for me to be working in fashion. This is what I love to do - I love to make clothes and put them together. I am definitely a self-starter and love to see things grow- I see it as a big challenge to make wearable clothes that will suit you no matter if you’re big or small, that all body shapes can wear and feel comfortable in either for more casual use or even evening.

Price and quality always go hand in hand and I put a lot of focus on ' value for money' this very often if connected to being a little smart about how you do things, styling, how one puts the clothes together. For me the most important thing is to create clothes that one can understand, that are suitable for a fair price.


No one in my family has a fashion background. I just come from a very creative family as I mentioned my mother would always be sewing and painting so I had the urge to create right from my childhood. A lot of my family members are self-employed so for me it is a natural to be self-employed too and have had success with everything I have done. I have 5 people working for me that I couldn't live without; we have a really good team.


My biggest influences are my customers - I have a really good relationship with my customers and listen to what their needs are. I think this is a big part of having success that you listen to what the shops are telling you they are the ones that have the closest contact to the final consumer. The shops are the ones that can make the clothes sell by knowing what they want.




This is the second company I have started both have been successful. They last company I got bought out by my old partner and left it to who has carried it on to date. I am so happy that Lolly's Laundry is going so well and fortunately can't feel the economic crisis as much as others. We are selling lots of clothes and getting a lot of positive emails from customers saying it is their favourite clothing and our dresses are the ones they won't let go. It is fantastic, as nothing beats this type of affirmation.

For me with Lolly’s Laundry it is not about the age it is about the styling and personality. The silk dresses that have feminine cuts, lovely knitwear and lots of light weight cotton tops. The soft leather with edgy details has been very on trend this season.

To build the collection I pretty much gather it from anything I can. From the theatre world, film and people on the streets and obviously my trips to India where they have so many beautiful prints and colours, I love second hand shops, markets.

Right now I am focusing 100% on Lolly's Laundry as there is so much to develop with this. It is an interesting little company with huge opportunities. We are growing and it is important to concentrate on that. We have only existed for 2 years and got so far already. We are exporting to 6 countries and have become well established on our home market.

Lollys Laundry

Advanced Style

Advanced Style

Langar Hall

Langar Hall is a delightful place

Owned by Imogen, a dear friend. This is her old family home in the Vale of Belvoir, just 12 miles from Nottingham, that gradually evolved into a hotel and restaurant .

Langar Hall is a true original - English, stylish and quietly eccentric.

It is a wonderful place to stay.

The bedrooms are all individually styled, named after people from Langar's history or whose rooms they once were.

Langar is so relaxing and unpretentious, you really want to take your time here, and you do

Terracotta works anytime, anywhere. Especially here, resplendent, resonant against the green..


Langar Hall is built immediately adjacent to this old church

Immediately by the way, means less than 1 metre !

Langar Hall
is a splendid place to take some time out for a family gathering, or a wedding, one might think... and the food is very good too!

We adore being here and can not recommend it highly enough
http://www.langarhall.com/index.php?pid=1

We meet here sometimes, too
Meems.. in Goa

April + May

April + May

You can do this at home.

Just put stuff together

The Eye is a muscle.. you have to train it