Hair play

Cue a cavalcade of bows, bandeaus and blooms to add a frivolous note to alluring autumnal locks.

As with jewellery, big and bold is a look that’s ticking all the boxes. Bandeaus with buckles, fascinators and saucer-sized slides are a sight to behold. Similarly forget the Alice band’s former association with Adventures in Wonderland and Sloane Rangers, and focus on a final result of preppy-girl-meets-sex-kitten. The new attitude sees them worn high and wide balanced rakishly close to the backcombed crown.

Even kirby grips, formerly the most mundane of hair accessories, are currently cutting edge. To get the full decorative fix they should be worn in criss-cross formation to create sleek sides fundamental to the perfect retro up-do or quintessential quiff shape. Cue effortless perfection courtesy of Denman’s Criss Cross Bobby Pins  www.denmanbrush.com. 

Get to grips with the key trends that reliably rock the fashion runways by following these simple rules:

Band practice

Avoid the preppy look by wearing two or three skinny hair bands at a time rather than a single wide one. This makes the look contemporary and so much more catwalk. Own the look by experimenting with strips of leather, satin ribbon or anything else that takes your eye at the haberdashers. Leave gaps between each strip so the hair's visible.

Big head

One large accessory makes a fab statement piece, but make sure you wear it asymmetrically as centred accessories look too twee. You can position a clip or slide on one side of a ponytail or - the hottest trend right now - ballerina bun. I like to use vintage collar clips or oversized brooches for that one-off vibe, but be careful when you remove them not to yank out strands of hair at the same time.

Birds of a feather

Feathers look great if they’re used sparingly – but resist the full-on show girl head-dress effect unless you're auditioning for Vegas! Stick with small, richly coloured ones and wear like a fascinator, either behind the ear or to one side of your parting. Zoe L at Love From Hetty and Dave is doing some amazing hair accessories with feathers and leather for autumn (I've had a sneak preview) - a chic Cherokee inspired collection, check out her website...

Fun dog show hopes cruelly dashed...

Neatly combed beard, check; brushed teeth, check; jaunty lead, check.
Freddie looked sharp and I looked Crufts smart and yet we once again failed to make a hit with the judges in both the Most Handsome Boy and Best Rescue Dog categories at the Friends of Fisherman's Walk Fun Day in Southbourne. Very well attended dog show with pooches of all shapes, sizes and dispositions milling about and getting acquainted in a typically frank canine manner while their owners pretended to look the other way. All dogs very very cute or beautifully behaved and a great cause - entry fees donated to one of the local rescue centres - Pound Puppies.

Freddie and I were philosophical in defeat and stopped off at Seafield Gardens for a New Forest ice cream - oriental ginger flavour - and a deep drink of fresh water on our way home restoring our good humours.

Better luck next time.

Date with a dog show...

The countdown to the Fisherman's Walk Fun Dog Show on bank holiday Monday has begun chez moi. If Freddie my Lakeland Terrier were more amenable I'd probably subject him to a swift shampoo and blow-dry as part of our preparations, but he dislikes being bundled into the shower and goes ballistic at the sight let alone the sound of my parlux pro dryer so a quick comb - again deeply resented - a swift teeth clean - ditto - and his best lead - navy nylon a la Wagwear with neon pink accents must suffice. I'll be wearing a vintage s/s handknit jumper and wide 1930s style check trousers and maybe tan brogues so as not to let the side down, but am aware from bitter experience that I'm severely disadvantaged  as dog handler in show ring as am neither small child or sweet faced OAP. This is why I maintain we came away rosette-less two years ago.
So could this be a case of second time lucky - tune in tomorrow and find out...






Why yarn is no longer a yawn
Handicrafts are hot as traditional pastimes get a trendy twist and a funky fan base.

Have you noticed that suddenly sewing skills are sexy? Knitting and crocheting are the new rock ‘n’ roll for hip females under 40 with a creative streak, and no longer the exclusive reserve of Marplesque grandmas with a monomania for matinee jackets and an inexhaustible side line in bed socks.

What began with reverential eye witness reports in Vogue and Elle of supermodels such as Erin O’Connor knitting backstage at the runway shows, percolated through the TV adventures of Kirstie Allsopp and her homemade home, only to peak in spring 2011 with a crop of űber-cool handicraft magazines brimming with the brilliance of kooky looking crafters, light years away from pension age, who’re knocking the cobwebs off crochet doilies, crinoline ladies, lace collars, embroidered cushions and the like and reinventing them for the iPhone generation with a lust for retro-chic, rather than 1940s front parlour twee.

As part of the up-cycling movement – making something new from old, cutting down and customising - the crafty comeback is chiming a chord in neo-austerity Britain with more of us embracing the make do and mend philosophy – not least because crochet blankets look set to become the new central heating thanks to yet more rises in energy prices. The opportunity to make something original is very alluring, particularly if you can do it on the cheap – charity shops, jumbles and boot sales are usually a rich source of unwanted craft materials going for a song. It’s stimulating and satisfying to create something from scratch, whether it’s a simple woolly pom-pom or a labour intensive patchwork quilt destined for family heirloom status. The Knitted Garden community project with contributions from 1500 volunteers of all ages and abilities transformed Bournemouth and Kinson libraries into colourful fantasy lawns and allotments with a quintessentially English twist. Fruit and veg, flora and fauna were brought vividly to life in wool and are a testament to the efforts and imaginations of the participants as well as lifting the mood of visitors to the exhibition more effectively than the entire oeuvre of Bill Bryson.

Handicrafts in their new incarnation are highly social pastimes. Book clubs are boring when the alternatives are knit and natter or stitch and bitch sessions – these cabals are currently mushrooming in libraries, coffee bars, college lounges and around kitchen tables across the country. The monthly craft club hosted by my friend Zoe ‘Love From Hetty & Dave’ Larkins, maker of handcrafted leather accessories for a living, is a mixed ability group who like nothing better than to unwind over needle and thread and a drink, cooing over each other’s creations, offering constructive advice and generally having a jolly time in a spirit of the Blitz sort of a way.

Getting together with friends in this fashion has given me the confidence to take my rusty sewing skills to the next level. Having for years confined my needlewoman abilities to shortening Levi 501s, sewing on buttons and putting replacement zips into vintage dresses, I’m suddenly hungry for handicrafts, harking back to those high school years when I breezed through chain and blanket stitch as part of the curriculum, but alas remained on distant terms with the Singer sewing machine never having mastered the art of simultaneous treadling and stitching in a straight line. Nevertheless this handicap hasn’t stopped me from spending hours blissfully hand sewing and maybe it’s watching too much Tenko on the Yesterday digital channel, but suddenly running up a 1940s tea dress along modest lines made from vintage chintz from my textiles stash seems all too achievable, especially when I have my fellow scissor and cotton sisters to call upon for help.