March 02, 2013

I am smitten again with Cath Kidston

  Yep! a while back I was beginning to think Cath Kidston and the team had lost their way...only my opinion, although I did blog about it a couple of times and quite a few of you agreed with me!...

I mean! C'mon! Black and grey do not fit into the Happy House Mantra and whilst I understand that they were trying to appeal to a wider audience, I was a little bit skeptic!

     

  

 I did also happen to voice my opinion with one of the CK team and she was very sad that I felt that way...because I have been an avid fan of the, then, Marmite effect...( "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us." Cath's words) Cath Kidston brand since 1993 the year my Rosie was born...and Cath opened her first shop in Notting Hill.

As most of you know, Freddy and I used to sell vintage pieces to Cath, back in the day and although she is an extremely lovely person to all she meets, we became part of the family back then...the staff used to know us on a first named basis as we sold her many a lovely vintage fabric which were featured in her first book PRINT!..we were also on her friends and family list...and received discounted goods.



These days and as time has gone by, she has become more and more popular with more and more people liking, recognizing and coveting her brand themselves.


lol! I remember back in 2004, when we introduced a line of crockery into our little shop in Rochester, Kent and people would look at it...and ask 'who is Cath Kidston'? lol! it seems ridiculous now, but that is how people were, they never really bought something unless it was a known brand!


These days and what with the 'make do and mend' culture and the very large Vintage trend, people are a bit more adventurous with liking all kinds of things, whether they are popular or not! and now Cath IS popular...infact very popular indeedy and good luck to her and all who sail in her lol!..

You now see people everywhere sporting the latest bag...even people that wear polar bear fleeces lol! (private joke)

So last year, when the black and grey prints ventured onto the scene...I started to think Oh NO! here we go! I thought she had ventured into the NO GO Plain Janes Zone! and that's when I started to fall out of love!



Really with the trend being so popular, I should of blogged about the brand every week and carried on saying how much I loved it still...to make my blog more popular...but I just couldn't do that....You see if I do not like something I will not blog about it...SIMPLE AS!


But now this year....I am going to have to eat humble pie, because Cath has taken the team to new heights...and I am back in love all over again, I especially love the checks and flower print, this fits so much more into my Happy House mantra as we are the home of roses and checks...did they listen to what I was saying?

Na probably not, but one thing is for sure....I will be back now queuing with all the others in line, to purchase my wonderful Cath goodies a few of which I have shown you here (my favourites and a hint for my gang for Mother's Day ;)) but please please please, don't buy everything when you are shopping...and make sure there is one or two items left on the shelf for me to purchase too.

5 FACTS ABOUT CATH KIDSTON
(You might not have known about)

1.  Her Grandfather is Glen Kidston a famous racing driver back in the 1920's
2.  Her cousin is Kirsty Allsopp
3.  She was once employed by the Famous Nicky Haslam
 4.  She has been given an MBE  (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire)
 5.  In 2010 she sold a major stake in her Company to TA Associates, but still maintaining a minority stake and still remaining as the Company's Creative Director.

 What I love about this new collection, is that she has bought back some of my old favourite prints...the classic strawberry and the green spotty, are a delight to see again...I still have items in these patterns from a good 15 years ago!

And then you have the train print on this lovely tea dress above, which is sooo like a dress my Mum was photographed in, back in the 1950's...
what a lovely piece of clobber!

Do you have any favourites?
And what have you been buying this season?
Do share with us all...
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post...
Have a HAPPY WEEKEND my lovely chickadees xx