Lucy and her Clothkits Cape

and just to show you the fantastic Clothkits cape designed and loaned to us by the originator of Clothkits, Anne Kennedy. This was one of her early designs and came on one sheet of fabric to make up along with the muffler. Clothkits has now been re-launched and is created by a range of designers including illustrator of the moment Rob Ryan (he of the paper-cut).

The Cape is modelled by Lucy, made for us by Zeel - who also makes lots of weird and wonderful toys, some of which are even a bit too strange for Pollocks. Though the bats may make an appearance for Halloween.

Toyshops, Shelves & Shopelves

You could buy Sasha Dolls at Tridias in South Kensington, which was a great toyshop of the 1960s/70s. I believe the last reincarnation of the business has recently been taken over/closed down. When we were researching for the Mini Me exhibition I became interested in Paul & Marjorie Abbatt's Toyshop, designed by Erno Goldfinger in 1936, situated in Wimpole Street, W1.

They made educational toys and the shop looks like a modernists dream. Goldfinger's house in Hampstead, 2 Willow Road is open to the public and is currently showing an exhibition of his toys that he made for his children and the Abbatts. I found out about the show from shelf appeal, "a blog about things, anything you can put on a shelf" which appeals to the shopkeeper in me.....and the Shopelves.

Ossie Clark & Sasha Dolls

Celia Birtwell kindly lent us her sons gold biker jacket actually made for him by his father Ossie Clark. We also exhibited original Biba kids' clothes and another 60s/70s toy icon - the Sasha Doll. Designed by Swiss artist Sasha Morgenthaler, they were first produced in the 1960s. These ones exhibited were lent to us by manager Simon. He also put on a small exhibition of them with Emily Dyson at her Notting Hill Shop, Couverture. He is currently on a beginners computer course so that eventually he can bring you his own doll blog because we've got other things to talk about here, but for any doll lovers it will be worth seeing (when it happens!)

Boutique Era Toys and Clothes

Here are the pictures of the Mini Me Exhibition as promised.

A Mini, Mini Me - Past Exhibition

My friend Sarah and I put on the Mini Me Exhibition at Pollock's Toy Museum (no business relation) in 2007. It was a nostalgic look at when kids clothes first became fashionable. It featured clothes, catalogues, posters and toys from Biba, Clothkits, Kids in Gear, Woolmark, Ossie Clark, Galt Toys and Sasha Dolls amongst others. Now Sarah is just about to have her first Mini Me it reminded me of the project. Unfortunately we had to give some of the fabulous clothes back (of course!) We interviewed the designers of the time as well as collectors and it was fascinating. It was a challenge to mount the exhibition within the Doll Room of Pollocks (not your usual white walls for exhibiting) but it kind of worked. It was on for a short run and people have asked to see images so will post them.

Shoreditch Star and Toy Theatre

Illustrator and comic artist Geoff Coupland was commissioned by the Shoreditch Star to illustrate his toy theatre workshop day. He worked with children from a local primary school in the area where Benjamin Pollock had his original shop. The children's newspaper is published by The Shoreditch Trust. The 21st century kids loved making toy theatres and this is the comic.

John Lennon & Pollocks

How to relax...like John Lennon

In the Telegraph newspaper August 14th 2009

A picture of John Lennon relaxing at his mock-Tudor mansion on Weybridge, Surrey in 1967 was featured. "Here, Lennon surrounds himself with art, toys and a fake coal fire" also on the wall are some Pollock's theatrical portraits. Grimaldi and Colombine look over him reading on his cane sofa. Follow the link to see the actual picture.