The Americana Music Association UK’s 2016 Artist of The Year, Danny and The Champions of The World, are off to tour Spain later this week.
This Fifties-style shirt in Liberty’s matches print ‘Strike’ should keep front man Danny George Wilson cool on those Spanish stages. Even cooler than he already is!
Danny George Wilson’s 50s style shirt in Liberty London’s print ‘Strike’
Danny George Wilson’s shirt in Liberty London’s ‘Strike’
I love this style, with its loop closing at the neck. I haven’t got round to offering it as standard yet, so message me through the CONTACT page if you are interested.
With its small, colourful floral design, this might very well be what most of us think of as a typical Liberty print, if it weren’t for that – thankfully friendly looking – tiger bursting through a clump of greenery as if to shout ‘Surprise!’
James’ shirt in Liberty’s Tiger print
James’ shirt in Liberty’s Tiger print
James, whose fifth Dandy & Rose shirt this is (yes James, I’m counting), picked the fabric out from Liberty’s website after being given a D & R gift token for his birthday. It’s so summery that I am glad he chose to have a short-sleeved style, giving me a chance to add a piped cuff.
To find out how to order a bespoke shirt of your own, or to buy a gift token for a loved one, click on the SHOP tab at the top of this page.
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’ back yoke
I was a little sad to see the tulips pass from my garden a couple of weeks ago. They are so exotic, with their vibrant, polished petals and encompassing shape. No wonder that, when they were first introduced to Europe from the Islamic world in the sixteenth century, they were considered precious objects of status. In the 1630s their value boomed so high that a phenomenon known as ‘tulipmania’ happened, with frenzied trading making many Dutch merchants enormously rich; when the ‘Tulip Bubble’ burst, they lost everything.
But anyway, never mind the history lesson. Here’s a shirt. It is made from an art nouveau style Liberty print representing tulips. It comes from last year’s Spring/Summer range, but it’s based on a furnishing design from the 1890s. So elegant.
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’
It’s always difficult to decide what to do with a favourite print in a favourite colourway. Some red piping might have been nice, but I really wanted to see those tulips bending in the breeze, so I have gone with my first instinct – to cut the yokes on the bias.
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’
The shirt has short sleeves, which I have faced with plain pale blue fabric to match the leaves in the print. The pocket flaps are faced in the same fabric, but that will be the wearer’s secret till he lifts them to put something in his pocket. The topstitching is in the same pale blue colour. The pearl snaps are grey.
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’
It has turned out so sharp and snappy, I just had to photograph it with that top pearl snap done up!
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’ front
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’ back
This shirt is made from another print from Liberty’s recent Alice In Wonderland themed range. ‘Philip Clay’ is based around Alice’s encounter with the Queen of Hearts and her entourage, who, if you recall, are accused by Alice of being ‘nothing but a pack of cards’.
“You’re Nothing But A Pack of Cards!” Sir John Tenniel, 1865. Wood-engraving by Dalziel
The design was lino cut.
As I have worked, I have noticed the tiny hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades hidden within its filigree pattern.It’s beautiful. Because of its delicacy, I haven’t added any contrast colours; instead, I have turned the pattern cross and bias ways to distinguish the yoke and pockets. There’s a little more detail on this in my previous post, Cross Ways.
Christophe Rivet’s shirt in Liberty London’s print ‘Philip Clay’
The pearl snaps are grey.
This shirt was ordered by a customer who had received a gift voucher: for details of how to buy one, or for how to order a bespoke shirt of your own, click on the SHOP tab above.
This is the second shirt I’ve made to commission in ‘Poppyseed Dreams’, a print that Liberty say was inspired by Indian textile art and that hints at Sixties’ psychedelia.
Back in the Sixties, I wasn’t old enough to enjoy psychedelia; but one thing I did like was an Opal Fruit.
Yes, I know they have renamed and reflavoured the chewy cuboid sweets (Starburst! I ask you!) but to me they will always be Opal Fruits. And when I look at the zingy citrus colours in this shirt, I can almost feel the back of my palate shrinking away from the citrus pinch that oozed from the green ones as you bit into them. I always left the green ones till last. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them – I just needed to work up to them.
Maybe it was those green opal fruits that inspired the lime snaps on this shirt:
Incidentally, the Opal Fruits jingle must have been the most insidious ever. I remember it to this day; in fact I used to sing it to entertain my kids on long car journeys, simultaneously stuffing their faces with Starburst. It went like this:
“Opal fruits! Made to make your mouth water!
Fresh with the tang of citrus!
Four refreshing fruit flavours!
Orange! Stawberry! Lemon! Lime!
Opal fruits! Made to make your mouth water!”
I know I put a lot of exclamation marks in there, but that’s the way it was sung – with a chirpy sense of urgency.
The oldest version of the ad I can find online dates from the Seventies, by which time, sadly, only the first line of the song was in use. But I remember the whole lyric. Like I said: insidious.
I’m really loving working with this print on my new project… it says groovy 60s psychedelia to me. It’s called ‘Amelia Star’ and this colourway is ivory with loads of shades of blue-grey. I can’t help thinking of the Kinks!
The customer specified ‘loads of piping’ – so that what he’s got! Yokes, collar, front bands, pocket flaps and later today, cuffs. Best get on!
Man’s ruffled shirt in Liberty of London’s classic paisley ‘Bourton’
Man’s ruffled shirt in Liberty of London’s classic paisley ‘Bourton’
A couple of weeks ago, I posted photos of a ruffled paisley shirt that I had for sale on the Dandy & Rose etsy.com page. It was snapped up the same day so, because my mission is to bring paisley and ruffles to the world, I have made another one.
This one is in the Liberty of London classic paisley, Bourton. Find it for sale at
Shirt made for Amy Beth Hale in Liberty ‘Lucy Daisy’
As you can see from these pictures, there are a lot of stages when it comes to making a shirt – but my favourite is when I see the finished item on a proud owner! Here is Amy Beth’s shirt, which arrived in Nashville, Tennessee yesterday after only 8 days in transit. She chose the fabric, Liberty’s tana lawn in their print ‘Lucy Daisy’, from the Liberty website. I paired it with cherry red lawn for the accents and blue-grey pearl snaps. I think she looks great!
One of the great things about making shirts to commission is that sometimes customers spot a fabric I’ve overlooked. This subtle, beautifully drawn, feathery beauty was spotted on the Liberty website by a customer in Australia. It’s called ‘Kerry’s Flock’. No idea why! She wanted a rounded yoke shape and a fitted style. We added lots of piping to give definition and brought out the yellow – it’s her favourite colour – with palest yellow pearl snaps. It’s winging its way to the other side of the world right now!
Dandy & Rose 