Nick Garrett

Tag: London

  • Contemp Painted Italian Furniture

    Working with Tricia Guild and Mark Homewood at Designers Guild on a pioneering contemporary rustic collection changed not only my scope of practice but opened up a whole vista of opportunities for artists and designers.

    One off pieces are where my work is at. They have a wealth of stories embedded… the paint reflects the energy of the piece.

    By using traditional paint and manipulating the layers much as I do in restoration I made the surface of these pieces reflect their original history an age… yet Tricia wanted of course the colours of the moment: bright pure pigments, vitriol, copper sulfate, ceruleum, and combining this powerful colour palate with a final fine overlay of either watery egg white and chalk, or diluted, talc and damar varnish mix.  The surface became powdery and dry, exactly the chalky feel we wanted on the pastels yet stable.

    The final trick was to make the surface feel to the touch absolutely fine and silky – to belie its often craggy ‘driftwood’ appearance… this trick I will keep for another day!

    Living in Italy today I am sourcing 17th and 18th century country rustics for restoration and contemporary twists of colour and motif.

    The results are spectacular and entirely original.

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    Painted cupboard DG Nick Garrett for Designers Guild
    If you would like to discuss making you a special piece contact me here

     

     

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  • The History of the Penny Loafer

    The History of Penny Loafers

    The History of Penny Loafersthumbnail
    The History of Penny Loafers

    The penny loafer is an American classic born more than 70 years ago. The shoes have remained popular throughout the decades because their simple, uncluttered lines make them an ideal accessory for a variety of outfits, from business suits to shorts.


    Today I have a brown pair made by Clarks (above) and they are really comfortable, bought in Piacenza for 115 euros last year – the classic Frank Wright cut, but slightly softer leather and not high, high gloss.  My last pair were by ‘Bally’ bought in Heathrow airport terminal 4 lounge 1995 and lasted 15 years priced at £75.

    Above:  Note this French loafer’s chunky front end… very cool

    My first pair were black, from Peckham Sarf London – Rye Lane arcade, Frank Wright £4.50, in 1973. My mum bought them for me and my brother a pair of Solatios – a chunckier squarer toe style.

    1. History

      • The G.H. Bass shoe company introduced the original version of the shoe in 1936, calling it the Weejun. The name refers to the flat slip-on shoes worn by Norwegian farmers.

      Style

      • Loafers existed before the introduction of the Weejun. In 1933, the Spaulding Leather Company turned out its version of the loafer. Bass, however, was the first company to add the band with its signature opening. In the 1970s, the shoes became an essential part of the Preppy look. Bass introduced a slimmer version of the shoe called the Dover Weejun in 2009.

      Coins

      • In the 1940s and 1950s, Weejun wearers started slipping dimes–the price of a pay telephone call–into the shoe pockets. Pennies, the shinier the better, came later as a matter of style.

      Effects

      • Penny loafers have inspired numerous imitations in wide price ranges. A leather Prada version is priced at nearly $400, whereas the leather Bass Weejun sells for $125.

      Popularity

      • The penny loafer got a boost in popularity when famous people such as actor James Dean, President John F. Kennedy and singer Michael Jackson wore them in public.

        They were also popular with the skinhead gangs of London in the late sixties.

        skinhead style in late 60’s london.

        Beams Camos