BBC London 9th July

Hello people! This is a very practical blog today. I'll fill in the whimsy later - you know, all my thoughts and bits and pieces, but for now, here are all the raw facts. Which, I feel, is probably what you're really after anyway.

First off, I interviewed Kate Pietrasik who is responsible for the fantastic unisex children's clothing company Tootsa MacGinty, just launched. 

Then to Elliot & Tate, another new company. It's original Danish furniture this time, carefully and expertly resorted by the two craftsmen who set it up. Oh, deviating from raw facts, can't help it. Here's their website.

Next, Bookish England, by people who love all things bookish and book-related. A great collection of all things literary (this includes confetti hearts made from Mills & Boon pages, so don't think you have to have the intellect of Tolstoy to shop here; it's fun). Website is here.

Then the Chelsea Theatre Boot Sale. No car needed. Have a look on their site for all the details.

And the Leytonstone Festival was hot on the heels. Click here for everything that's going on; I mentioned a couple of fun things like the Alfred Hitchcock Cycle Ride (info here) and our old friends the E17 Designers, who are having a market on July 16th. As part of it, there's an Art Trail (all happenings revealed here) until 17th July if you want to find out about local artists, including Jay Hudson who is LITERALLY knitting a year...

Also, the existence of Secret Sales website. Just a case of signing up, and getting bargains...

Sample sales next.

Designer Sales UK Summer Sale. Today, Chelsea Town Hall. Up to 90% off designer labels.

Sample Hunters sale. From 21st - 24th July. Also to 90% off designers; £1 entry, Truman Brewery.

BBC London radio 11th June

So, we started off with an anarchic trip to Dazed and Refused - the rebellious off-shoot of an exhibition, containing only artists who were refused (better word than 'rejected') from this year's BP Portrait Award. 

It's the brainchild of 'Fish brothers' Laurence and Jessett, both former refusees...now they're refusniks. With a mission. Called 'Salon des Refuses', there will be about 50 artists exhibiting. 


The website has already had more than 200,000 hits:they want it to be a new opportunity for creativity to be seen, rather than an angry old reaction to being a bad loser. 


Just like the BP Portrait Award, the exhibition opens on 16th June (for a private view), running til the 10th July, and can be found at Hurwendeki, 299 Railway Arches, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9HA.




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Next! An alternative way of describing the innovation known as Pop-Up-Shop, which is a good idea, but I've said the name so many times, it's starting to wear my pea brain down a bit. 

Flash shop. So much better. For now. 


It's a gathering of east London fashion designers - a host of independent labels will be selling their wares on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th June. Womenswear, menswear and childrenswear from: Keiko Cato, Shu Shu, Hilda Rocket, Room 39, Girl with Beads, Name Studio, The Bees Knees, Queenie and Ted, SABEL and The Illustrated Ape...

Happening at the Old Glass Factory, 15 Hoe Street, London E17 4SD. (If you've gone to any of the E17 designers' photography exhibitions, you may have been there already - it's an old glass factory, really, from Victorian times, transformed into a very cool space).

It's a bit of a party on the Friday night, they say, with a DJ (Ol’ Monkey Hips), and cocktails. If you get there early, you could be one of the first 50 through the door - which will earn you a free “extraordinaire” classic French macaroon from French Made, another independent company there, who'll be selling yummy confectionary, all packaged nicely. (Also: vintage makeovers, vintage hair specialist, portraiture photographer - if you want to look like you're not of this age, Claire Cross will transform you into a creature from the Twenties to the Sixties, click here and book an appointment, from £30).




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Something else you should POP down to - it's called SHO-OP, and Andrew P Childs, who is one of the organisers who told me about it,  blessedly called it a 'short term' art gallery which I enjoyed. (Thank you APC for adding another alternative to my shopping lexicon). It opened on 28th May, and is running for 3 to 4 weeks - they haven't decided yet, that's just how free wheeling they all are down there.


It's at 19 Swaines Lane, and the shop is vacant at the moment, so the owners have let local artists have the run of it. Expect video installations, oil paintings, chewing gum miniatures, giant drawings, tiny films, glass sculptures, cake art, and some very special photography. They promise a 'happening' each weekend.


It just feels symptomatic of a creative spirit that is prevalent at the moment - every week, there's something going on that isn't driven by big business or some sort of Big Society banner-wave. Even though we need to find a new language for this Pop Up thing, it's indicative of something very special that's happening. People really are flourishing creatively, and it feels important to support it.


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Next, a new British interiors brand called House of Hackney which is quite a cool and interesting business. It's run by a husband and wife team Frieda and Javvy who live in Dalston, and the team of creatives they use are predominately from the world of fashion, which makes some sense when you think that Frieda was formerly a buyer for Topshop. It's fair to say that they have their finger on the pulse, and their products - wallpaper, tableware, ben linen - are a good take on traditional homeware. 

The ethos behind the design is important too, of course, and that's one of the attractive things about this company. Working with traditional British manufacturers is their starting point - so the fine bone china they've designed is made in Stoke On Trent, the wallpaper is produced in Loughborough, the furniture pieces are traditionally made in Scotland, its eiderdowns are made in the last eiderdown factory in the England (which is in Clacton on Sea, in Essex)... 


Have a look online to buy; let me know what you think.




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Since we're an upmarket show, I talked about upmarket ties next. Yes, very me. But probably a bit more Robert. 


 E. Marinella is, they tell me, the worldwide renowned Italian brand of first-class handmade ties and symbol of traditional tailoring. Is this the case? Tie-fans, tell me. It just opened its first boutique in London this month; at 54 Maddox Street,  Mayfair.

The brand was founded in 1914 by Don Eugenio Marinella, a passionate importer of British clothing articles and textiles that soon become fashionable among Naples’ upper-class, and it's a nice circularity that almost a hundred years later, his grandson Maurizio is opening the shop here.

Apparently "crowned heads, statesmen and public figures" are admirers of these ties, which is why I thought Robert would fit right in. 




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Quick note: Marks and Spencer are currently having a 20% off sale on children's school clothes. If you are the type to think ahead.


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And then! The Art Car Boot Fair, which rolls around with frightening regularity, even though I'm sure it's only twice a year. 

They promise that this year, they really have raised their game, which you'd think would be hard, until you see the line up.


There will be over 60 'car boots' there, with luminaries manning their pitches, that include Sir Peter Blake, Gavin Turk, Bob and Roberta Smith, Pam Hogg, the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club and Billy Childish for starters. 


There are prints from Damien Hirst and The Chapman Brothers.

The much lauded taxidermist Polly Morgan will be presenting a one off edition for the day.


There will be limited edition notepaper from Tracey Emin.

The Art Improvement Clinic lets you "bring along any old art" and a crack team led by Oliver Guy Watkins will "improve it for a fiver". That's called upcycling now, BTW. 


Eat Ox Heart buns from St John Bread & Wine and drink cider from The Southampton Arms.


That all sounds like fun, doesn't it?


Sunday 19th June. All the information on the website.



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And then, many a sale! It's the summer, or at least it was for two minutes at the end of May. So this is what you can expect:


Liberty summer sale from 15th June (unless you're a loyalty card holder, in which case you should be shopping, because you get a preview from now until the plebs are allowed). There will be up to 60% off. Here's the website.

The beloved window-shop of mine, SCP, are starting their summer sale on 25th June, and it will continue until 31st July. There will up to 50% off discontinued lines and ex-display items, 20% off all new SCP upholstery, furniture and rug orders, 15% off all other upholstery and furniture orders, and 10% off all lighting and rugs. There are shops in Shoreditch and Notting Hill, and you can buy online too. Look on the website for specifics www.scp.co.uk


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And then sample sales - so many around town at the moment. Here are the ones that look alluring:


Hermes sale. Gulp. Started yesterday, and continues today (Saturday 11th June). It's at The Music Room on South Molton Lane, and is on until 6pm. It's free to get in, and the goods are promised at up to 60% off. No leather goods, but plenty of clothes and accessories.

 

Junior Style sale. I don't like the name, because I don't really think juniors or their parents should worry about very small people looking 'stylish', but there are clothes in this sale that will be brilliantly appropriate, and long-lasting. And will look nice, yes, they will. But for much less than that would usually cost (and hopefully, at high street prices, therefore justifiable). Brands like Kenzo, Petit Bateau and Ralph Lauren will be there, with up to 70% off. £1 entry, and the organisers have been kind enough to organise children's entertainment and a play area! Way to go. 


Finishes today at 4pm. Go to Alphaville 2, 14 Shepherdess Walk, N1 7LB (Old Street is the nearest tube). Good place to get presents for newborns...


All the information can be found here.



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And, finally, a bit more oily but no less salubrious, it's the Bicycle Jumble, which is arriving at Muswell Hill as part of a jaunt around the country. If you're a cyclist, and you live nearby, because it's on as we speak, this is for you: go to the church of St Mary with St George, which is on the corner of Park Road and Cranley Gardens (postcode: N10 3AH, closest tube: Highgate), and there you'll find a dream. As well as contemporary bikes and accessories and bits and pieces of bikery, you'll find vintage things and all kinds of cycling fripperies. 


You'll also find bacon butties and cakes, if that spurs you on.


It started at 9am, it's on until 1pm, and it's £1 to get in.

BBC London radio show 19th February

Hello! That was a really fun week. Lots of chat about televisions with coin slots and other debt-reducing plans...seriously considering a money box next to mine.

For the infographics piece I wrote in today's Independent Magazine, have a look here.
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We started off with the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair. This is a busy affair in The Old Finsbury Town Hall (George Fornby was a regular there, but long before the fashion that you'll see for sale was considered vintage...). All the details here but it's this Sunday, 20th February, from 11am - 4.30pm, costs £4, and will feature fashion and textiles from the 1800s right up to the 1980s (get with it - the 1980s are now vintage). There will - of course - be a Tea Booth, as well as a handy alterations area.

Here are some of the bargains on offer:

French 1940s workwear dresses starting at £60
Silk 1930s bias cut frocks & pantaloons from £70
Tweed Plus Fours starting at £30 (for girls or boys)
Fascinators and caps from £10
Fabric from £5 a metre
Buttons from £1 a bag
1950s costume jewellery starting at £5
Men's kilt jackets from £60
American circle skirts starting at £40

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The RCA are having their Ceramic Art London fair from 25th - 27th February. As always it's a chance to do a bit of talent spotting, hopefully coming away with a wonderful tea pot that turns out to be made by someone who eventually gets famous, thereby making you a millionaire...This is the long view, you understand. 

 Robert Cooper's tea caddy series

 birds by Susan O'Byrne

 by Kaori Tatebayashi


Not just teapots, you see.


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Remember 44 Frocks? 'Thrifty thrills for expensive women' ring any bells? We spoke to the founder Laura months ago when she set up her excellent enterprise that allows you to buy barely worn (pre-worn, as Robert has been known to say) designer garments that she's extracted from wardrobes of the rich and stylish. Every party will have 44 dresses priced from £20 - £60 in a particular size. It's popular! So you have to make sure to book in for one of the 'tea parties' (beverages and cake provided) - and because March is all booked up, I thought I should warn you about the next available dates. Attractive picture of a thrifty lady in one of the designer dresses first:

...and then:

3rd April for sizes 10, 12, 14, 16

8th May all sizes (6 - 16)


Get all the information about how to book and what's on offer here, and their blog is one to watch, too.




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Well it would be wrong to go a week without mentioning the words blah de blah de POP UP so here's the dose for this week (it's high quality, so merits a mention, promise). Skandium have created a brief sale shop - open until tomorrow (Sunday 20th), everything is between 50 and 80% off, which is the sign of a BARGAIN waiting to happen.

in the blink of an eye, it's Skandium. On sale.


It's on 235 Brompton Road, SW3. And they tell me within the pop-up there will be: rugs by Woodnotes, furniture by De La Espada and Asplund, lighting by Harri Koskinen for Marset, cushion covers by Alexander Girard, Aalto chairs by Artek, tumblers by Jorn Utzon (he was the man behind the Sydney opera house, you know), lighting by Orrefors, fabrics, clothing and kitchen textiles by Marimekko, jewellery, and wall hangings. No, I don't recognise all those names either, but you know if they're stocked by Skandium (and they felt they were worth mentioning) that they'll be the height of chic-ity and style. I'm personally excited about the Marimekko mention (have you been to the most colourful shop in London, their store in St Christopher's Place), and am looking forward to buying rather than window shopping, which is my usual Skandium experience.


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Ever with the bank balance in mind, here's a trusty sample sale list for this month:

Georgina Goodman shoes 
(who, incidentally, have their own iPhone app; whatever next? Trouble, that's what) are having a sample sale.
Monday 21st - Saturday 26th (Mon-Thurs 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm). There will be up to 80% off.
Find them at 12-14 Shepherd Street, W1J 7JF.



 Designer Sales UK 
I flagged this up last time - very good place for bargains.
Friday 4th March (noon-8pm) and Saturday 5th March (10am - 7pm).
Expect tonnes of designer names (Vivienne Westwood, YSL, Martin Margiela etc etc) discounted up to 90%.
Just go to Chelsea Old Town Hall on the Kings Road for that.

Designer Warehouse Sales: menswear
Not to be confused with the very similarly named sale above, this one is menswear only, and has been voted as one of London's best sample sales by The Independent, Elle, and Time Out. You'll find clothes up to 60% cheaper than usual from names like Paul Smith, Armani and Gucci.
Today, Saturday 19th February, 10am-6pm and Sunday 20th February, 11am - 5pm.
Only costs £2 to get in.
Where: 5-6 Islington Studios, Thane Works, Thane Villas, N7 7NU.
(Click here for a map.)



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While we're on the subject of men, Net-A-Porter is opening a new branch this month. Mr Porter will be open for business soon...keep your eye out here, or sign up for updates with Mr P yourself.



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Oh! Also Anita's Vintage Fashion Accessories and Textiles Fair, which has been around for eons. It's back this Sunday (20th February) from 11am-5pm at The 20th Century Theatre, 291 Westbourne Grove, W11 2QA. 
Boon: it's free.
Double boon: there will be 30 stalls, all very respectable. 


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Back on the high street, and M&S will have some deals during next week's half term. Here they are:
  

Spend £30 and save £5 on childrenswear 

Save £10 on food when you spend £50 or more on womenswear and lingerie 

Spend £150 on suits and get 25% off 

30% off selected furniture 

20% off selected homeware, TVs, home video and electricals

 

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If you don't look at Caroline Kamp's design blog then you should. A design journalist and general inspirational ideas maverick (oh, and mother of two smallies...), she has her finger on the pulse when it comes to Hip Things you might want to add to your life. She's not above experimenting with the latest coolest eco-detergents (who knew such a thing could actually be so trendy? Read about her exploits with 'method' here), but she goes high-brow too, and tipped me off to this:

The Modern Danish Warehouse, a warehouse open from 5th - 20th March, that will be selling 250 pieces of the loveliest midcentury Danish furniture.

 Prices start at £100, go up to £1500, and include furniture that Arne Jacobsen designed for a school in Copenhagen in the 1950s.


You'll find it all at The Garage, North Terrace SW3 2AB.




Finito! Do get in touch if you've any thoughts or questions...



  

BBC London radio show 29th January

Hello! It was fun to broadcast on a Saturday again. A trillion times more relaxed. I interviewed Jane from Shelf, the shop that feels a bit like an old regular on the show - Robert and I have been mentioning it for about five years now, at regular intervals; nooked away in little old Cheshire Street just off Brick Lane, it was one of a kind, and raised the standard for independent shops, as well as flying the flag and other mixed metaphors. It's sad they're closing. BUT they're off to exciting times, and the sale is very worth going to - plus, you don't have to feel bad about buying up all the stock on the shop floor, because while they're breaking free of the four walls, they're still going to exist, in a new incarnation, online. So you'll ACTUALLY be doing them a favour.

 kissing bye bye to Shelf, alas...

Talking about Shelf made me think about Caravan, another staple of alternative shopping. 

Run by Emily Chalmers, a creative force, it has been an inspiring place to visit in all its incarnations...it has an excellent online shop, but has been a physical presence in Cheshire Street, then Spitalfields, (and then the council made the rent exhorbitant) to the current address at Redchurch Street. The final move turned out to be an excellent one - soon after Terence Conran built his Boundary hotel and restaurant, plus the Albion cafe, right on the same street. That helped for more passing trade, people who could peer through the windows at these lovely things:

Brass ring cast from vintage original, £29

  Pineapple (you must have guessed that) wall sconce, £89

these silver metal flowers are beautiful in real life. I gave mine away altruistically and secretly regret it, £39

 concrete light bulbs, £49

Many more things to buy, many more. But Caravan is the kind of place you go to buy something beautiful, have it wrapped in a lovely way, and to have a conversation with the owner or one of the genuinely nice shop assistants. It's a good place to visit (and then to Albion Caff - sic - for delicious things to eat, if you need an energy boost. The brownies are worth it.)

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Then on to a very different kind of event, where chatting amiably is not the point. Sharp elbows are the only accessory you need, and a discerning eye. DSUK (Designer Sales UK) are having another sample sale on Friday 4th March. I don't need to tell you any more, because it's so far ahead, but there will be lots of bargains and you should put it in your diary. Noon - 8pm, Chelsea Town Hall. More details will follow, but expect many designer names...

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Here's a good thing: The Outnet is an exponent of what they call 'Chiconomics'. Why not? A sister brand to Net-A-Porter, it's essentially a fashion outlet store, online, selling discounted designer clothes and accessories. Its connection to Net-A-Porter means that the brands are authentic, and you can be guaranteed that you're getting a genuine bargain. It doesn't mean of course that "bargains" will always be cheap per se...ahem! But you can be sure they're cheaper, so in effect you're spaving money. There are over 200 brands and here are some recent sale items (they may have sold by now): Pringle leather skirt reduced from £400 to £160; Marc Jacobs shoes down from £255 to £128; Converse shoes were £35 reduced to £19; Givenchy shoes reduced from £745 to £298.


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Then, for some real-life shopping, the RCA International Art Fair. This year it's on 17th - 21st February (now that I'm doing this slot every three weeks, I have to think ahead a bit...), and promises 80 stands. Most of the work for sale is contemporary, but there will be art from Matisse, Picasso, and Chagal - even if you (I) can't afford to buy, it's a feast for the eyes. At £6 entry, it's not a bad afternoon out  being arty, either. 




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Also: the haircare brand Naked has teamed up with Oxfam. On the ranges with the Oxfam sticker, 25p will go to the charity (and £1 of every Oxfam shopper sold online will also go back).


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On the charity shopping theme, there's a Frock Swap on Wednesday which is definitely worth a visit. Called 'swishing' nowadays, it's what you might - back there in the dark ages - call a 'swap shop'. How it works: bring up to four (good) items of clothing, and take the same amount back! The swishing/swapping is free, but it's in aid of London's Air Ambulance, so they ask for a £10 donation. It's at The Great Hall, Barts Hospital, West Smithfield, EC1A 7BE - doors open 6.30pm, swishing from 7pm.




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MORE swishing (now you know what it means), today at The Hammerswish. It's not for charity, so completely free (but it is founded in ethical and recyclingish principles, so you can still feel smug); bring up to five items. You'll find it at The Stonemason's Arms, 54 Cambridge Grove, W6 OLA, from 2-5pm. More information about swishing here.




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Also today: the Buy My Wardrobe event, where lots of knowledgeable fashion people are selling their designer garbs at a discount. There will be Chanel, Gucci, Preen et al, all up to 75% off. All the details are here, but it's at Adam Street Members' Club, 9 Adam Street, WC2N 6AA, from noon to 4pm. Cost: £5




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Window shopping at Heal's this week: the Tottenham Court Road store will have installations and arty displays, thanks to the UCL Slade School of Fine Art. It's called Heal's Artists in Residence 2011 and the students will be let loose! Walk past at least once - it's free, woohoo. (Monday 31st January to Sunday 6th February).




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first Saturday show! BBC London 8th January

Happy new year! First Saturday show - very good fun. We kicked off with Nicola Beauman, the owner of Persephone Books. PB is a little bookshop (and office, Nicola hastens to add - London is an expensive place) that gathers up lots of neglected works (often by women, all 20th Century), reprints and sells them. In this case, you can judge a book by its cover, because all of PB's books look the same from the outside - plain grey jackets, cream label for the title and author. Only inside will reveal the fabric-design endpaper, specially chosen to match the feel of the context at time of writing. For short stories, diaries, cookery books, and novels that you won't necessarily see elsewhere, and would make a great present (if you're not sick of present shopping). If you want to see the real thing, they're tucked away on Lambs Conduit Street; or they have an excellent online ordering service (80% of their business comes this way).

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Didn't have time to mention this, but if you haven't bought a diary yet, try We Are What We Do: not the obvious choice for stationary, but it's an organization that believes lots of small acts add up to make a difference. And as part of that, they're involved with lots of projects to encourage people to ascribe to their philosophy (in a fun way). They're the people who Anya Hindmarsh worked with when she was designing her now ubiquitous 'I'm Not A Plastic Bag', and if you went to Bestival, WAWWD were responsible for that huge dragon lurking in the field (Jacques le Trash, a recycling dragon).


So here's their Action Diary 2011:

Startlingly, it's only £2. Which is cheaper than I paid for my week-to-view diary, page of notes on the side. And the actions they suggest aren't too difficult (Valentine's Day: Give Lots of Compliments). They get you to log your good action online when you do it - so far, 4,822,058.

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If you're in Highbury / Finsbury Park area today, take a jaunt past  Bennet and Brown, a place to buy Interesting Things. One of an interesting row of shops on Mountgrove Road, just off the Blackstock road, it's run by a couple of furniture restorers (another service they offer) who know their stuff. Stock changes all the time - currently you can see a couple of things in store online: enamel factory lamp shades from the Thirties (large, £52, small £34), and a set of four Arts and Crafts dining chairs (fully restored, oak with rush work seats, £495).


Also - plastic cowboys for £1! Whooo-hooo!


Warning: they have eccentric opening times, as is their right as an independent shop, so check their timetable before you go.

(They're next to the Sylvanian Families shop, but I'm not going into that any further...) 

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Lots of sales, too:

Ede and Ravenscroft (London's oldest tailor, founded 1689) for suits reduced from £550 to £395, cotton shirts down from £75 to £35, silk ties from £55 to £25. A proper, old-fashioned, sale.

Jaeger have an up-to-70% off sale - clothes and bags starting from £99. 

Paul Smith has an online sale of up to 50% off their autumn/winter collection. AND they're not adding VAT this year, which is good news. 


Lee has up to 30% off in their flagship store, Carnaby Street.


SCP furniture has up to 60% discounts on end of line and ex-display items.


Cath Kidson's sale is still online - up to 50% off clothes, bedding, accessories.

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And, finally, the London Vintage Fashion Textiles and Accesories Fair. Not a pithy title, but then who needs pith when you're trying to describe a lavish affair of over 100 vintage fashion clothing dealers. The shoes, hats, handbags, linen, jewellery, dresses are dated from 1800 to 1980, and you'll probably be mingling with lots of In The Know fashion people who come here for inspiration. It's this Sunday, at Hammersmith Town Hall, 8am-5pm (£10 entry 8am-10am, £5 thereafter).




That's it! I'll be back in three weeks. Keep in touch.

BBC London radio show 20th October

OK! After a bit of an extended break, back on the show again to talk about frivolity and functionality as the dark cloud of recession persists. It all began with Laura, who is one of the masterminds behind 44 Frocks.  "Thrify thrills for expensive women" is her motto, and her words are not empty promises.

Register for an invitation, and you could be one of 30 people who gets to go to her flat at the regular events, and try on...wait for it...44 dresses. Forty-four designer dresses, all either new or worn but once or twice - so very nearly new. (Where from, you may wonder. Well, Laura seems to have an uncanny knack of getting to know people with vast wardrobes of barely worn clothes that they're happy for her to plunder. Lucky for her, and you). What makes this enterprise so good is not just the cups of tea and cake you get while trying on aforementioned garments, but the fact that the dresses are between £20 and £60. Which for Diane Von Furstenberg, Joseph, Marc Jacobs, DNKY et al, is pretty cheap. And pretty pretty. Which is the aim. This Sunday, it's sizes 10-12. The event after that, 14th November, has yet to be revealed. Cake and tea are a constant, though.

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Next, some reading material. We took a jaunt to Woolfson & Tay, the new independent bookshop in Bermondsey.

Visit online here to have a look at the gamut of events they've got going - writing classes, author talks, open mics - and for a hint of what they're about (gallery hire, cafe, a creative space). You won't find BOOKS on there, because it's not an online shop, it's a real place. Visit in real time and space at the actual address for that.

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Then straight on with no delay to the Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, from 21st to the 24th October.where everything is priced below £3000. Affordable is obviously a fluid concept. But that's OK because it's a rule that everything is labelled very clearly - no embarrassing questions about how much things are. Take a look at the website for all the details, and a taster of what the 120 galleries across Europe will be presenting. I like this one by Shlomi Nissim (Minotaure Contempop Gallery), even though it's clearly disturbing and maybe even the stuff of nightmares.

 Little Red Cup, £2,900

If you feel inspired, try out some of their workshops ("drypoint printmaking" is on offer; I don't know what the drypoint part is, but sounds good, as is "collaborate mural making"). It's not just painting and photography - plenty of sculpture and prints (good news for those on a more modest budget than £3000) and, they promise, a relaxed unstuffy environment. If you go, let me know what you think.

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Sorry about this, but Christmas was mentioned. Yes, before Hallowe'en. But I had to, because the V&A are having a Christmas launch in their excellent shop, which means 10% off online shopping. When you come to pay, put XMAS2010 in the 'offer code box' and hocus pocus, things will be cheaper. 

set of 10 Christmas cards, taken from 1926 set design for The Firebird

Note, above, one of the set of Christmas cards on offer. I'm always going on about cards and stationary, and most especially the V&A's Christmas card selection, which I always hope in vain to find on sale in January. So this is close. Much more on offer than cards, though - jewels, clothes, toys, books (and reading glasses for £60: who knew?) Last delivery dates, if you're going to leave it to the last minute - my favourite trick - they'll deliver internationally to get there by Christmas up to 7th December, and to the UK by 18th December. Despite all this, I'm going to go on a mission over the next couple of months to find you the least expensive most delightful things for Christmas presents. So don't fear.

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Just FYI, Liberty are in the throws of a mid-season sale. This means you can buy a Marc Jacobs wool military coat for £332.50, was £475. Or a dress by Vivienne Westwood for £185, was £265. We all know this information is no recession-buster. But sometimes, information is power. And it means that now you know that because you haven't spent any money at Liberty (yet) you've saved a LOT.

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On that note, we then whizzed around an awful lot of sales. Here they are:

One day flash sale by DSUK on 28th October. From 10am - 8pm in The Music Rooms on South Molton Lane, most of the big name designers will be there at discounted prices (up to 90% off, actually).

Sample Hunters are holding their Autumn Designer Sale from 21st - 24th October. That's in the Old Truman Brewery (look online for the timings) and will include Vivienne Westwood, Chloe, D&G, Belstaff and others at 40-80% off retail prices.

For a sale on TSE cashmere, go to their sale in The Camden Centre 27th (11am-8pm), 28th (10am-8pm) and 29th October (10am - 8pm). There will be up to 80% off this lovely (usually prohibitively expensive) brand. 

Heal's is having a warehouse sale on 30th October from 9am-1pm. Lots of ex-display furniture at excellent prices, up to 70% off in some cases. Get there early. It's at 9 Ardra Road, N9 0DB (their distribution centre).

Melanie Potro Bridal Couture is having a sample sale on 27th, 28th and 30th October. Prices at this brand usually begin around £1600 but you'll get 75% off (and more, they promise). If you know any brides, tell them to check it out - prices start at £299 which is not bad... Dresses are sizes 10-12. No appointments required on Wednesday and Thursday (12-7pm), but you have to book on the Saturday (11am-3pm). Call 020-7490 8634 for more info.

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Anything you want me to hunt out for you? Let me know. Until next time, Clare.