At Violet's Box we love discovering the new and inspiring, the weird and the wonderful, the niche and undiscovered.  

We know that today's 'off the wall' will very often be tomorrow's 'norm' and as Violet is such a good future trend spotter, we think these are the designers to invest in now as we're sure you'll be seeing more and more of these talented creatives in the future, with the important thing to remember being... YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST! 

Well this week, Violet is interviewing Russian hat maker Jonny Beardsall, from Wensleydale (yes - the place where Wallace and Gromit's favourite cheese comes from) in West Yorkshire, a milliner who uses reclaimed fur, feathers and beasts from the surrounding coutryside to create his beautiful headpieces. 

Red fox fur hat with taxidermy wild grey partridge sewn in. 

Jonny Beardsall is a fine example of a small country business lviing off the land and making exceptional use of parts of animals that would ordinarily go to waste - and reclaimed fur too! 

His larder he tells us is very often filled with the game birds he'll then go on to use for his hats, so as for guilt free meat eating - he scores about 10/10!

How many woolly jumpers have you knitted after a slap up plate of lamb chops and red currant jelly? 

(I guess as many as I have.... )

 Fox brush fur from reclaimed stole with head of red pheasant from local Dales shoot. 

SOME JONNY BEARDSALL HAT TRIVIA

**STYLISH SOCIETY BEAUTY AND PHOTOGRAPHER (WHO'S JUST HAD A NIGHTCLUB NAMED AFTER HER) LUCY FERRY'S A FAN.**

**SO IS ALICE TEMPERLEY WHO USED THE HATS IN HER AUTUMN/WINTER 2012 CATWALK SHOW. SEE LEFT!**

**JONNY'S DAUGHTER HEBE BEARDSALL (MODELLING THE FIRST HAT) PLAYED DUMBLEDORE'S DAUGHTER ARIANA IN HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2. RECOGNISE HER?**

WHERE TO BUY THEM

         www.jonnybeardsall.com

  HOLLAND AND HOLLAND, 33 BRUTON STREET, W1

  TEMPERLEY, 27 BRUTON STREET, W1

  FEDELI, 108 DRAYCOTT AVENUE, SW3

Stylist Violet Naylor-Leyland gives you the lowdown re the Retrospective campaign shoot (shot by Anya Holdstock), reveals which designers are lending what for the show and the celebrity stories behind each piece. She also talks about her inspiration for the vintage choices going into the show...

EXCITED?! You should be.

   BRUCE OLDFIELD for BIANCA JAGGER - Red Ball Paris, late 1970s

As we like not to disappoint, we're going to start with saying THANK-YOU Mr BRUCE OLDFIELD (OBE no less) for lending us this ravishing ballgown he made for BIANCA JAGGER to wear to attend the RED BALL in PARIS, in the late 1970s.

Jaws must've dropped with a clunk when Ms Jagger sashayed (impossible to say) into the party with this cascade of satin drapery swooshing about her curvaeous South American hip. I wouldn't have liked to have been a woman at that party. Time to get my fur coat... i think it would've been.

This dress represents what is so wonderful about the couturier, which is that each piece he designs from scratch for an individual seems to truly reflect the wearer - almost like he's making a clone of them but in sartorial form.

The flaming pink satin basque would've clung daringly (for dear life) to Bianca's bosoms while an hispanic fan of black satin would've emitted a waterful of opulent drapery from the waist accentuating her curves with awesome drama.  A dress with more tude than Snoop -  it IS Bianc Jagger!

(I wonder if she apprecited it at the time...)

BELVILLE SASSOON, late 1970s

This beautiful Belville Sassoon duo from the late 70s is spectacular. From Vintage Modes @ Grays, this number reminds me of Oscar de la Renta's last S/S range - romantic and feminine, grown up yet with a sprinkle of Cinderell-y-ness about it.

This is the sort of vintage I've been looking for. It's fashion that will go the distance, being so classic - it's still gonna look good in the year 2050!

And although de La Renta's looks are a more modern and dramatic version of this, the subtle and delightful quirky charm of this great British design can not be ignored.

Those pink silken tassels so carefully placed.

Heaven!

My kind anyway...

Can't WAIT to send this down the catwalk amid the splendor of the Bloomsbury ballroom on 16th Feb.

Chanel (1970s), Donna Karen (1980s) & Philip Somerville (1980s)

Sometimes to stand out around so much colour, you need the elegance and simplicity of monochrome.

Bianca Jagger could do as much swooshing as she wanted in her pink ballgown but me thinks it would still be difficult to completely ignore this in a crowd.

But why is this simplicity so effective? The truth behind it is that the design is far from simple. In fact the craftmanship that has gone into it, is something to be apreciated. The genius is in the beautiful tailoring and crisp attention to the design of each piece. Colour would only detract from this. 

This is the sort of tailoring you are NOT going to get on the high street, which is why if you can afford it, it's worth investing in.  

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, 1980s

This Vivienne Westwood basque top and signature bag refused all attempts i made to put them with pretty heels. They insisted on only being seen with model Indigo's beat up biker boots. So I bowed to their rebelliousness, rolled the silk trousers up and cast aisde the stilettos. So much fun this outfit.

This outfit can be found at equally fun vintage hang out One of a Kind on the Portobello Road, where you're guaranteed to be inspired by the enthusiastic staff who are already kitted out from turban to boot in their vintage wares, unafriad to inform you about the odd 'owl fur' jacket they're got hanging in the shop.

One of Kate Moss' favourite places for vintage.

1950s Prom Dress, Violet's Box (of course) with 1970s Faux Fur and Brass Box Bag (One of a Kind)

Abso Fookin' Fabulous Darling! 1990s

Now this quirky little number consists of a Pucci jumpsuit worn in Absolutely Fabulous by Eddie, which for me constitutes the expletive. 

'Ahhh' I hear you exclaim, 'it all makes sense now'.  

Not only this but the ELECTRIC (and I mean ‘ELECTRIC’) blue sheepskin fur jacket was recently shot on none other than filthy mouthed rapper & songstress with obscenely fabulous behind – Nicki Minaj. Both pieces are from One of a Kind and teamed with some 1930s conical basket gloves form Violet’s Box, this outfit screams WhyTF not?!

Well, can you think of a reason?

And if you thought that was it, it isn’t. We’ve got CATHERINE WALKER lending some seriously beautiful and iconic pieces for the show, BARBARA HULANICKI donating a beautiful LEOPARDSKIN BIBA coat and many more vintage finds by DIOR, YVES SAINT LAURENT, COMME DES GARCONS, JEAN VARON, OSSIE CLARK - too many to mention - all being put together by ME, but !ENOUGH! - you'll just have to wait until the show!! 

SEE YOU AT THE BLOOMSBURY BALLROOM ON THE  SATURDAY 16TH FEB.

FOR TICKETS GO TO http://www.fashionretrospective.com/tickets/

to GET MARRIED! 

Well, it's not every day you get married so I thought it worth a blog. 

So here I am in my dress made by Bruce Oldfield about to leave for church. Mum had taken carpets out of the house and laid them on the floor so my dress wouldn't get dirty. This was the moment I started feeling rather nervous, so much so I thought my heartbeat would be seen through the dress; and then especially when I saw the Daimler arrive & realised I was going to have to squat on the floor of it because of my enormous bustle. Bruce had warned me but did i listen??

DID I!

Spot the HUNDREDS of violets... (Clue: they're in 4 different places! Plus me!)

AND...

...here are my beautiful bridesmaids and pages, waiting patiently like angels (I was 20mins late and the Peterborough footie fans were in full swing when we reached the centre of town) in their outfits I based on the Austin era and from a portrait of The Red Boy by Thomas Lawrence. These sartorial gems were made by Gerry Quinton of Morua Designs. 

So... in with Dad...

AND...

OUT WITH CHARLIE

- JUST MARRIED!!!!

So after 29 years of being Violet Naylor-Leyland I am now Violet Day.

(Promise I didn't marry him just for the lovely name.)

In case you're wondering, these absolutely wonderful pictures were taken by the brilliant photographer Dafydd Jones.

http://www.alist.vanityfair.co.uk/a-list/2012-09-(1)/what-to-do

No, this is not a detailed shot of an overhanging buttress on the Sistine Chapel but merely the back of a shoe.

Well, I say merely... that's perhaps a little understated... 

Firstly, this shoe was designed by Alexander McQueen and secondly they were one part of an auction of Daphne Guinness extraordinary wardrobe (she's not dead - she was just being generous and raising money for the Isabella Blow Foundation), 
at Christies earlier this month, which managed to raise nearly HALF A MILLION POUNDS. Phheweeeee!

AND THIS delightful picture is NOT just a piece of pop art I came accross, but in fact my mum Isabella as a little girl made out of none of than... my mum as a little girl, constructed by none other than... her sister, my aunt, the photographer Lucinda Lambton.

Wonderful isn't it? The time it must've taken her...

I found this treasure on a FABulous blog about big hair (something I'm troubled with on a daily basis) called DEVODOTCOM. Check it out here. It's filled with AWESOME pics of big hair from the 60s - and by GUM that 60s hair is big!!!!!!!  

http://devorahmacdonald.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/1966-big-hair.html 

SPOT ANYONE YOU RECOGNISE? 

PEOPLE TO LOOK OUT FOR: JULIE ANDREWS, THE QUEEN, BETTIE PAGE, MARY CHARTERIS, THE BLUES BROTHERS, JOHN CLEESE, LOUISE BOURGEOIS' SPIDER, RODIN'S KISS & VIOLET'S MUM AS A LITTLE GIRL!

AND IN CASE YOU DO NEED TELLING, PLEASE PREPARE MOUTH AGAPE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE THAT IS RESTING ON HER DAINTY HEAD - A LAURA CATHCART HAT - VIOLET'S BOX'S NEW OBSESSION... 

Isn't it beautiful?! (That's not a question.)

CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE FOR MORE MILLINARY WORKS OF ART FOR YOUR DAINTY LOAF: 

www.lauracathcart.com

We thought you'd appreciate these entertaining and rather wonderful photographs taken by Rankin protégé Max Montgomery at the FCnacer Party at Battersea Power Station.

SPOT THOSE DRESSED IN VIOLET'S BOX!!

More of Max's Incredible Photographer HERE!