BBC London radio show 14th July

So! Today's show started off with a great interviewee. Eliisa Makin is The Wardrobe Consultant, a stylist and creative extraordinaire who will give you a "sartorial second opinion", and ensure you are free from clothing crises. 

 

Mary Portas, no less, has described her as "Brilliant. Really calm and helpful", and she has high recommendations from Jo Jones, the Fashion Editor at the Observer. Today we mostly spoke about her (amazingly) free service where you can email her a picture of you in an outfit and she'll tell you if it works or not, via her blog. But she also can be hired for a full or half day to whizz around the shops with or without you, picking up every conceivable outfit that would suit you. She remained unfazed when Robert suggested he may need a pair of tights.

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Crashing on, it was straight to TokyoBike, the very latest in bikery. The number one brand in Japan, TokyoBike is a small independent company that works out of Yanaka, an old Tokyo suburb. This summer, the bikes have made their way across to the UK, to much applause and appreciation from cyclists and stylers. 

a TokyoBike, from £420

What makes these bikes so feted is that they're designed for urban cyclists - simple and streamlined, they're made from chromoly steel, which is stronger and more flexible than the aluminium alternative, and makes for a more comfortable ride. 

I confessed that I'm not really a cyclist - I like riding around on a bike, but I'm no professional. So the words I spoke in description are on the advice of people In The Know. Such folks also say that because the wheels are 650mm, they have a "finer profile" than most road bikes. This reduces the weight so you get a smooth old cruise around town. Real cyclists also admire the straight and compact handlebars - they're said to allow you an upright posture which promotes good bike control. 

The bikes also come in great colours. Now that I am qualified to comment on. Just to prove it, here's another:

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Then it was a quick jaunt to London's newest food market. They also call it London's "most exciting" food market, but you will have to judge that for yourselves. (I demurred at the thought, but Robert said he knew someone called Mike the Fish - a nickname for a gourmand - who would genuinely be excited by the Foodlovers Market Soho. So there may be others who feel the same.) It just launched on Saturday, on Rupert Street,which cuts across Shaftsbury Avenue, and is very easily findable. It will be there every Saturday from 9am-4pm. Foodlovers is an organisation that likes local food etc - you know the drill - and so all the stalls, about 30 in all, have been chosen very carefully. Expect familiar names like Neal's Yard Dairy, as well as lesser known independents (Outsider Tart sounds interesting - two Americans based in Chiswick who have made it their mission to introduce the British public to American pies and cakes...). Have a look here for a list of all the suppliers.

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Powered up by the thought of so much food, we tramped on to Alfies Antiques Market (no apostrophe), to have a look at the Tin Tin Collectibles. I won't deny that I was first attracted to this stall by its name, but am glad to report that it lives up to it.

Antique and vintage luggage and travel accessories on your wish-list? Ta-da! If they weren't, they may well be now. Robert revealed a love of hat boxes, and I had no idea how much I needed a vintage travel trunk. Putting that on the birthday list...

The luggage, however, is but a little add on to their main concern, which is vintage costume and accessories from 1900-1940. Lace trims, ostrich plumes, silk lame robes, beaded flapper dresses? Add them to the list, and send the present buyer directly to Alfies (no apostrophe). 


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And then I should have gone straight on to the other end of the spectrum, to Free Range. Except I somehow missed that bit on my notes. It's an annual graduate art and design show, it's in its 10th year now, and is the place to go to get a sense of what the latest trends are going to be. These are the artists and designers of the future - it's a big deal for them, showcasing their work to potential buyers, and it COULD be a big deal for you, if you snap up the early work of someone destined to be a star...
It's on until 26th July, Fridays - Mondays, 10am-7pm. Have a look here for a list of all the exhibitors from over 100 universities.



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Then it was off to The Design Museum shop, where I'd found something I like a lot. It's a practical thing, probably part of the aspirational life I imagine one day will exist for me - where I'm organised and forward plan, and have chic and simple storage solutions:

£13.99 - small price to pay for aspirational living...


Of course, the nub of aspiration is that it doesn't exist just yet, and may never do. Casting that aside, though, I'll dare to hope that I can hasten it along with the Practically Paper Foldaway Box, above, discovered in the Design Museum shop. It looks like brown paper, but that's a trick, because it's actually made from 100% recyclable water resistant material. Use it at home, or for bringing groceries from trolley to  car to house. You can use your own imaginations here for other uses. It's made by The Camouflage Company, a London business set up by two sisters that creates useful things, mostly garden furniture covers that are floral (Vogue liked those) and storage boxes and bags that fold away. Better, they say, than bulky baskets, flimsy cardboard and rigid plastic boxes. And I agree. Look at this thing, for instance:

at £18, it's more clever than it looks 

 
Doesn't look anything special, but a second before this picture was taken, The Duffel Carrier was merely a flat sheet. Then one pull of the cord, and - hey presto - it's a bag. This is, believe me, a handy old ruse, especially if you're shopping for plants in a garden centre: just put the sheet flat in the base of the trolley, pile the plants in, and then easily transport them. (This is not, I must add, the sort of example that would come naturally to me, but they used it, and it has stuck in my head as, of course, the most reasonable idea ever for this bag. Again, there are multifarious uses which I'm sure you don't want me to list.)

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...and then, a really big sale. Designer Sales UK are having their annual one day extravaganza on 23rd July in The Music Room on South Molton Lane.

The wares of any designer you can think of will most probably be there - Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Tom Ford, Dior, Gucci - at amazingly discounted rates. Pay £2 for entry, or take advantage of their new VIP hour, from 10am-11am. Tickets are £25, and for that you get freedom to choose first, as well as a goodie bag worth £45, and a chance to win a handbag worth £345.




Well. That was quite a bit to get through in 20 minutes. As always, feel free to use the comment box below to ask any questions or get me to hunt for something you can't find (tangible requests or philosophical musings equally welcome). If not, see you in two weeks' time!