We received an email late on Christmas night from a lady who had us make her hubbie a jacket and this is how it ran:
"It's a TRIUMPH! Wilf has never looked 'sharper', chic'er, thrilled to bits! Thank you both so so much for a superb job,
Very best wishes from us both for a flourishing 2012."
Truth to tell, I can't think of a more satisfying present we could have had.
Which is saying something considering the week previously the posty brought a charmingly exuberant card from Joanna Lumley, our local lovely. We had invited her to our Mulled Party knowing she would be unable to attend as the curtain had lately risen on her current theatrical project, "A Lion in Winter". But we wanted her to know she was included in spirit and then Ali, Age of Reason silk scarf impressaria, suggested we gift our glamourous neighbour one of her Russian Doll creations. La Lumley was, she wrote the next day, "thrilled to bits" with "such an unexpected and glorious early Christmas present - you are very kind and very talented". Mr Wesley sleeps with this under his pillow now.
And thanks are due from us to all the hardy souls who braved the foul tempest the night of the Mulled Party at Bedlam - all the stalwart friends who support with their custom and the customers who have rewarded us with their friendship. It warms our hearts as well as the wine.
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| Godders testing the Mulled Wine in the tureen kindly leant by Henri's Café round the corner |
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| David Colton, one of our exhibited artists and the genius who found at Lidl the ropes of lights that now adorn our sign |
The party saw the debut of Karen Morrison's jewellery at the store. While we were working out its display in the afternoon, Karen was looking at Jenifer Corker's silver work. Jenifer has recently returned to her craft after an extended break and we are very proud to be stocking her. Karen realised that as a student of silver smithery she had swept up in Jenifer's studio, and now their work is side by side in Bedlam.
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| Karen Morrison whose jewellery we now stock with Kate the German nanny (wearing one of Maria PK's hats) |
A selection of Karen's work:
See more on the fab website that clever Karen created herself: www.karenmorrisonjewellery.co.uk
Maria PK had been in the day before and arranged her and Brix's hats to lovely advantage:
Karen's other half Phil used to be in the music game same time as I. Indeed yours truly signed one of his bands to Partisan Records, and all these years later we're still on talking terms! Here he is modelling the Mr Fox overcoat with its optional collar:
Other old friends from the hood included Baron von Beck, pictured here next to Ricky, the gentleman who made our summer by approaching us at the London Zoo party to ask if we were not indeed Earl of Bedlam?! Together they demonstrate that EoB can outfit any shape or size -
The following Saturday lunchtime, another old music biz pal Angela Penhaligon, the l'il gal from Kansas, brought her band - inc. washboard - Piney Girl along to play on Bedlam's platform. They had done a live spot on Resonance FM up the road in Borough, where the DJ Alberto Umbridge greeted them in one of our suits.
So with the decorations up we had the last few clients to dress their best for Christmas. William (below) proclaimed himself so delighted that he would be back for another suit in the New Year:
Next up was Eugene who used to "mind" Johnny Rotten but now babysits his new grand-daughter Treasure. I embroidered a babygrow for her and he was kind enough to be tickled with the result. It took me a long time, I was beginning to worry she'd be graduating before it was done (I also decided to line it with silk) but "where else but Bedlam can you get the Bayeux Tapestry for twenty quid?!" as Eugene bellowed.
Now Mark's made him something grown up size, a tweed jacket with leather trimmed pockets:
And to conclude in the vein of perfectly matched gift to recipient, we bowled over to a West London Hotel to see my dear friend Nile Rodgers - http://www.nilerodgers.com/ He flew in from Germany where he is on tour with Seal to do more BBC telly to promote his marvellous memoir "Le Freak" such as I have mentioned on this forum before. He was brave enough to entrust us with the merch for his UK Chic shows, and we used the photo from the dust jacket. Mark used a half tone technique - "Nile on the half tone and roller skates, rollers skates!" Good Times indeed.
We explained to Nile it was an old skool punk rock style run of tees, with the odd splodge and splat making them MORE covetable, a bit like the way you pay more for a potato with nodules these organic days. So as a token of gratitude for giving us the gig we inducted him into the Bedlam Motorcycle Club - but he's going to have to practice a bit harder before we let him join the band, Earl & the Bedlamites (OK, OK, he can sit in, calm down). A-ha, check this out for Seeing Double Delight: http://bit.ly/sOi9so
(I've had the comfortable pleasure of staying in the Madonna Room).
So from our opening message of "never looked sharper or chic'er" to Mr Chic himself, we have dressed them all and had a ball. In case Nile forgets his dance steps we gave him a vintage copy (think it's safe to say it is out of print) of a disco manual, which he got to cribbing straight away in time for his breakfast TV interview:
And with a few days to go before they go back in the attic, here's a bunch of Bedlam baubles from us with all our best xoxox
Maria PK had been in the day before and arranged her and Brix's hats to lovely advantage:
Karen's other half Phil used to be in the music game same time as I. Indeed yours truly signed one of his bands to Partisan Records, and all these years later we're still on talking terms! Here he is modelling the Mr Fox overcoat with its optional collar:
Other old friends from the hood included Baron von Beck, pictured here next to Ricky, the gentleman who made our summer by approaching us at the London Zoo party to ask if we were not indeed Earl of Bedlam?! Together they demonstrate that EoB can outfit any shape or size -
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| At that moment, Santa's sleigh crossed the sky |
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| Helen, one of our best customers, next to Anne Barclay - whose Snow Queen skirt suit starred in our Christmas window, oneself looking all oooh Betty and Deirdre Strath Clyde who was only in my class at RADA. She bought a Homberg for hubbie James, another of our class mates, currently playing Claudius to Michael Sheen's Hamlet at the Young Vic |
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| Max Dursely Davies whose executioner masks and t-shirts we stock (he's wearing one of his) in between his friends who were game enough to come along. The lady bought one of Jenifer's "In Memoria Futuri" dog collar belts |
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| Piney Girl provided musical cheer the Saturday before Christmas |
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| They had the cutest mini-amp |
Next up was Eugene who used to "mind" Johnny Rotten but now babysits his new grand-daughter Treasure. I embroidered a babygrow for her and he was kind enough to be tickled with the result. It took me a long time, I was beginning to worry she'd be graduating before it was done (I also decided to line it with silk) but "where else but Bedlam can you get the Bayeux Tapestry for twenty quid?!" as Eugene bellowed.
Now Mark's made him something grown up size, a tweed jacket with leather trimmed pockets:
And to conclude in the vein of perfectly matched gift to recipient, we bowled over to a West London Hotel to see my dear friend Nile Rodgers - http://www.nilerodgers.com/ He flew in from Germany where he is on tour with Seal to do more BBC telly to promote his marvellous memoir "Le Freak" such as I have mentioned on this forum before. He was brave enough to entrust us with the merch for his UK Chic shows, and we used the photo from the dust jacket. Mark used a half tone technique - "Nile on the half tone and roller skates, rollers skates!" Good Times indeed.
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| Leon in our screen print room preparing the screen |
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| Horton Jupiter, DJ, happy fan and first person to buy the Chic shirt! |
(I've had the comfortable pleasure of staying in the Madonna Room).
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| Whoa! Getting the double down low on freaky Chic |
So from our opening message of "never looked sharper or chic'er" to Mr Chic himself, we have dressed them all and had a ball. In case Nile forgets his dance steps we gave him a vintage copy (think it's safe to say it is out of print) of a disco manual, which he got to cribbing straight away in time for his breakfast TV interview:
And with a few days to go before they go back in the attic, here's a bunch of Bedlam baubles from us with all our best xoxox
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