KJ’s Laundry – boutique – London

Maiden of Mirth (a girl I accosted on Brick Lane a little while back to take her photo) and I went to KJ’s Laundry (Chelsea) and tried to find some tops to go with her cool leather harem pants. This is what we found. I like the red chunky knit best, it’s nice and sharp. I would have never picked it out (I have a thing about red and black together, since they were my school uniform colours) but the lovely Amanda from the shop and Linda (Maiden of Mirth) zeroed in on it straight off. KJ’s Laundry has 2 stores – Chelsea and Marylebone – and they stock great separates by brands such as Vanessa Bruno Athe, MM6, Humanoid, IRO, Tucker, Samantha Sung, Sessun, Ilaria Nistri Roque, YMC, Pyrus, Timo Weiland, Thakoon Addition, Rabens Saloner. Pictured: Swildens – bright red knit, Vanessa Bruno Athe – patchwork silk blouse, MM6 – t-shirt, Tucker – absinthe butterflies shirt.

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Modelling: Maiden of Mirth 

Photography: Nomad Thief 

Clothing: KJ’s Laundry

 

Testimonials

“Meeting Style consultant Emma from Nomad Thief has really given me a a complete new perspective on how I view my wardrobe and overall approach to how I dress. She has given me some fantastic advice around what shapes, colours and designs suit me and has opened up a whole new world to me when it comes to fashion. During the wardrobe edit we went through each item and she asked me to tell her how I felt wearing that particular piece of clothing. Her mantra is: ‘why would you wear something you don’t feel great in?’ It became clear that there were very few items that I really loved and this exercise resulted in a massive clear out (but she won’t pressurise you to do this if you don’t want to). Next up was to look at what shapes and colours that I wear. I just hadn’t realised how I wear a lot of black and white, and also predominantly wear dark clothes. It was pretty amazing how different I looked when I tried on brighter colours / different colour mixes and how particular patterns suited me. Soon a pattern started to emerge about the type of clothes that suited me and the end result is that I now have a different thought process around how I dress. What really impressed me was that Emma sent me a summary of our meeting which also including  personalised tips and hints and clothes that I now need to buy, which I can refer to going forward. I would highly recommend Emma – she is really friendly, loves style and is keen to share her knowledge with you.” Katy – Teddington

“If you want a photo that shows your personality and helps you stand out from the corporate crowd then Emma is the person to help you.  She finds out all about you and then finds the perfect location to coax you into ‘posing’ for an image that captures your character, whilst still keeping a highly professional look and feel.  For once I feel happy with the image being used and clients say that it reflects the real me!” Claire – Barnes 

 

Hello

I have a bad memory. I can’t remember names, directions, instructions, anything about politics (if I ever knew it) current affairs (ditto), or that I learnt in my last job (clearly I was doing the wrong job…) but the things that are meaningful to me, I remember. I just have to close my eyes to recall every tiny detail of the beautiful family house and garden that we lived in for so many happy years. I can easily visualise the places I’ve travelled to and loved (the eerie black beach on the shores of Lago Grey with its mini floating icebergs, Cape Horn, driving through the Atlas mountains). And I remember every single one of the people I’ve photographed. The way I approached them, the manner in which they reacted, and the shot that I got. And whether I was happy with it, or not. It’s such a privilege when you succeed in making a random connection that didn’t exist the minute before, and such a rush to capture a moment in time that will never be repeated: that outfit, that individual, that day. And it’s given me faith in humankind as some people are just so open and… well, nice! Or shy… but again, just nice! I keep thinking: WHY DIDN’T I START THIS SOONER??!  So, here it is: my new site, and my first ‘letter’ to you.

Street style photography is becoming ever more popular and rightly so, if you ask me.  And don’t get me wrong from the start, this blog isn’t so much about fashion – it’s about style. And style is a talent, a gift to a certain extent, like being a natural at maths or at dancing. But like anything, it can also be learnt, and for most people, needs to be worked at and thought upon. I guess what I’m saying is that the key ingredient you need for success is a bit of interest. Style is a wonderful thing – it can have a huge impact on how you feel, and on the impression you make on others. I firmly believe that everyone should try to uncover and develop their own signature style, and to start to enjoy it.

I wanted to create a site that would also be useful for ‘normal people’ rather than for those in the industry for whom style is second nature, part of their jobs. A site that wasn’t overloaded, something you can browse through when you have a few minutes spare. Not a directory of designer dressing with a surfeit of largely unwanted advertisements and information, but rather just a dose of inspiration. Originally I wanted to simply create a gallery of looks that the readership could pick from and copy, but it’s harder than you may think to find imitable people to photograph. Or maybe I’m drawn to the more curious and brave dressers. In any case, hopefully you’ll draw some inspiration from it. And be assured that everything you see on this site is original material, there will be nothing ‘recycled’ – no summaries of fashion week shows or pictures of celebrities that you can find somewhere else. This is just me, and real people I’ve met on the street.

Finally, why Nomad Thief? Well, apart from the fact that the name came into my head and wouldn’t budge, currently although my home city is London, I’m doing a fair bit of moving around, and, as a result, feel quite nomadic. Thief? Well, I’m stealing style ideas off the street, aren’t I – for inspiration for you, and for me.

Excited!
xx Nomad Thief xx

 

Waistcoats

Waistcoats are the thing in my wardrobe that have the worst cost per wear record. They appeal to me and I’m forever buying them and cutting them up into pieces or having them tailored to be more fitted, but rarely so they seem to work for me. Not really. So if you have a good look with a waistcoat, I’d love to see it.

You don’t get the whole effect here, this lady was super cool but I just didn’t get the shot. That happens – and with it comes a sinking feeling of disappointment, lost opportunity, something fleeting that will now never be captured. Okay okay, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but you get my drift…

So, waistcoats. Tricky to get right, believe me I’ve had my fair share of waistcoat disasters. Waistcoats, I’ve found, only really work with a big dose of style humour, or a big dose of cool. Think Mossy in her waistcoat and either 70s flares or skinny jeans. Strictly monochrome and rock and roll. Think Trinny playing with proportions; little cropped furry coloured waistcoats with the rest of the outfit sleek – a slim fitting long dress or some fitted flares and a fitted overlong-sleeved plain top. It works. Or think of the arty type, a ‘formal’ suit type waistcoat with boyfriend jeans and not much else – or just a thin white t-shirt. Style humour, mixing it up. Waistcoats can bulk you out, and they can look really straight (bad, in my book) if worn the wrong way. You need to find another way through, to get the waistcoat to work. Am not totally convinced it’s working for me, but am trying – will post a few pictures on here soon and you can judge for yourself.

 

 

Supermarket – bar, cafe, restaurant – Belgrade

This place has an open kitchen, floor to ceiling windows, exposed brickwork, industrial concrete and at least one hot waiter. It’s trendy but not annoyingly / intimidatingly so and seems like the kind of place you can drop in and out of at any time of the day. The music (jazzy, chill out) is good but calm enough to brunch/lunch without shouting, and the tables are nicely spaced out. Oh yes and it’s interconnected with an ‘Urban Outfitters’ style shop, with cool toilets evocative of a psycho killer’s house. They could do with some upkeep mind as the fact that a lot of the mirrored doors are broken adds to that vibe maybe just a little too much. Supermarket also apparently has a live jazz quartet every Sunday afternoon. My thanks go to Vuk Vukovic for the recommendation, I’ve spent many hours here recently blackberry-ing, waiting, watching, reading, recharging, and refuelling.

Gathering

Collect things! Cones, conkers, shells, leaves, shells, sea glass, pebbles. You might not yet know how or when you’re going to use them, and they might sit in your home for years before coming into their own, but in the meantime you can always keep them in a bowl on your coffee table.

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Guest soaps

Buy some squared off shape soaps. I got mine from good old Marks and Spencers – the Magnolia and Lily of the Valley ones smell delicious. Assemble some pretty gift wrap and ribbon. Wrap, and leave in a bowl to brighten up your guest room or put on top of folded guest towels on the bed for next time someone stays. I do realise that it’s utterly ridiculous to wrap up pieces of soap but hey, everyone likes a little surprise!

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Photo collage

Remember way back when you used to put multiple photos in a frame on your wall? Guess what? – it’s back in, as decreed by the Nomad Thief’s Mum, who did this one the other day, having decided she was fed up with having individual frames displaying all of us everywhere. The key as I understand it is not to be too OCD about it (not easy if you’re a fusspot fanny like me, I would probably make it into an endless project) – just sort your hard copy photos into eras or groups of people, and literally hack them up and stick them down and frame. We get a bit precious about which photos we display in our homes these days I think, and this somehow, made of reject photos that didn’t make it into the photo albums back then, has real soul.

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