Wednesday 9 March 2011

Are you being served?

In times gone by, every town would have its own gentlemen's and ladies' outfitters. The well-stocked department store of the late 19th/early 20th centuries would be decked out in an array of cabinets, drawers, specialist fixtures and bespoke fittings, to display their goods for sale to the hoards of punters.


In the same way that old factory furniture has been adopted for the domestic home, vintage shop fittings make trรจs chic interior furnishings. Despite the sad demise of the 'Are You Being Served?' approach to retail, many of the original fittings from these shops have survived, surely a testament to the high quality of their production and use of high quality materials such as mahogany and oak.

First up is this lovely, original tailor's dummy from the 1930s. It's in excellent condition, and full adjustable, so it could also be quite useful in a proper, dressmaking sense (although why cover it up?).



Next up, a totally practical full-length mirror with a dose of style mixed with a dash of class. This Modernist-styled mirror from the 1940s is double-sided with a tubular steel frame.



And what would one carry ones purchases home in? Putting the subject matter to one side (yikes - poor Mr Squirrel!) we just had to get this vintage paper bag framed up, for the classic lettering and design.


Happy Shopping!