Rain Or Shine

Morning,

Ok, so far not the weather I wanted for today! I know it's not nice to wander about getting rained on, but still, pop in and have a look (and remember, we're not open on Monday because it's a bank holiday).

This is today's pick of the day. It's a Worn Free t-shirt "as worn by" Keith Moon of The Who. I don't think he was being serious, but hey, it's good for jokers, Who fans, and devout Christians alike! Fully licensed, it comes with the Worn Free tag showing Keith wearing the t-shirt, and a note of when and where so you can dazzle others with your mod trivia. We also have it in white.

Anyway, that's my blogging done until Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Alcoholic - Starsailor

Bank Holiday Weekend Starts Here!

Morning!

Everyone all excited for the bank holiday weekend? For those in Wellingborough, I can heartily recommend Bungee at The Horseshoe tomorrow night. Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers are playing, supported by Ra Ra Ryan, and DJs (possibly including me, I haven't actually checked yet!) playing indie, britpop, ska, punk, mod etc. There's also a mini-fest down there on Monday as well with live bands so bit of a good weekend planned this end! But of course, we are open today and tomorrow for you to get your bank holiday wardrobe sorted! It's worth noting that Unorthodox is shut on Bank Holiday Monday. Because every now and then I like to venture out into the world!

Despite having a bracelet as the pick of the day yesterday, I couldn't resist choosing this one for today. It's by JP Jewellery, which is a local Wellingborough designer, and came in yesterday. Each piece is handmade and they're all one-offs. The earrings have already flown out the door, but we have this gorgeous bracelet and a couple of necklaces from JP Jewellery's line still in stock (and if you like them, we will make sure we get more!). Very pretty and summery, it has leaf, flower and cross charms on it, and would look lovely glinting in the summer sunshine!

Bit of a hayfever nightmare today, so if you pop in, please forgive the sniffling. I swear it's nothing contagious! :)

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Stupidity Tries - Elliott Smith

Noisy Roadworks

MORNING!

Sorry, I have to shout. The roadworks on Sheep Street and Silver Street have moved up the road so I can't hear myself think! I do want to stress that all the businesses are open as usual, and could do with local support more than ever while this is going on. I think everyone's avoiding the street but we're all still here and we need you!

New in this morning is JP Jewellery. It's made by Jess in Wellingborough. It's all handmade and each piece is a completely unique one-off. They're very very pretty and can be seen in the accessories display in the counter.

Still on an accesories theme, the pick of the day is this bracelet. Reminiscent of the Links Of London Love Links collection, but without the huge price tag, it has handbag, shoe, and heart charms on it. The photo isn't great because it's so shiny! Very girly, very chic, and very in at the moment.

Right, the drilling seems to have stopped for a few minutes so I'm going to take some paracetamol and, in the words of Depeche Mode, enjoy the silence.

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Generator - The Holloways

I love Rock N Roll

Morning,

All excited in the shop today as I get to see the new Max C range later (and maybe some bits from Uttam's new label, Iska). Been getting loads of great comments on our new interior sign (on the wall, above my head) that Pete made.

The pick of the day today is this Worn Free 'as worn by' Joan Jett t-shirt. I thought it was quite relevant given we're awaiting the UK release of the Kristen Stewart/Dakota Fanning starring biopic The Runaways, and this t-shirt gives you the chance to be ahead of the game! We have this one starting at Extra Small as well as the bigger sizes, so it's perfect for guys and gals.

Really need some caffeine today! So if you're planning on popping in, bring me a black coffee please!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Loser - Glee Cast

Kawaii!

Morning

Well, mannequins have been changed again. Kurt is wearing Spiral Direct shorts with a WAM Apparel Snarling Dog t-shirt, Courtney is in the navy blue Max C dress, and Frances is wearing the Death Kitty red pinstripe drainpipe jeans with a Spiral Direct diamante skull bandeau top. Going to add the Temporary Secretary Alice charm necklace to Courtney and then they'll be all set for the week.

Pick of the day is this Temporary Secretary Hello Kitty ring (photo courtesy of Temporary Secretary). It's not going to put a strain on your wallet, and it's perfect to treat yourself or make someone smile. The ring is silver plated, and adjustable. We also have Temporary Secretary Hello Kitty earrings too.

Anyway, not feeling too great today so I'll cut this short and go sit in a corner until I feel better!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's

Blue Monday

Only blue in a sky sense. Think I might get myself a little chair and sit outside if the weather stays nice. Although the sun has already moved so I'd have to go across the street and sit outside Ladbrokes!

Pick of the day is these Death Kitty drainpipe jeans. They're black with a red pinstripe. Of course, if you're not a skinny jeans type person, we also have these available as a wide leg trouser. So whether you want indie-tight or rock-baggy, we have something for you.

Before I sign off for the day, I have to say Happy Birthday to Carly, who is no end of help with the shop and every new business should have one of her!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Let's Stick Together - KT Tunstall

Unorthodox goes arty

Morning (just!)

Despite what I said yesterday, I did end up going to the refurbished Horseshoe Inn's reopening. It looks fantastic! Wellingborough is definitely on the up.

This morning the Louise Berrill canvases we have went up. They are from her Cityscapes collection, and they are amazing. They have already attracted a lot of attention, too! Louise is a local artist and her work can be see on her website. The ones we have in store are for sale, so if you fancy treated yourself and investing in a great young artist, these are for you. For those with a little less cash to splash, we also have the A6 size hand drawn Pippa Alice artwork. Each of these are signed originals and are on handmade recycled rag paper (and are on display in our counter if you want a look).

So naturally, the pick of the day had to be some of the new artwork. This piece is called 'Heart Of The City', dates from 2008, and is acrylic and mixed media on canvas. The way the light hits the gold leaf on the picture is incredible, and the textures are really impressive. I love it.

Anyway, if you're in Wellingborough this afternoon, SteveO is out flyering for us again, so keep an eye out for him!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Can't Stand Losing You - Feeder

TGIF

Morning,

Yay! Sunshine! I can have the door of the shop open without freezing! Although it does let in the noise from the roadworks, but I can drown that out with the music.

I've had quite a few enquiries in regards to bigger sizes. Currently, these seem quite readily available in the men's clothes and the t-shirts we stock, but not in some of the other lines. Currently, Max C only go up to a UK size 14 but some of the styles mean they may fit someone slightly larger, whilst the Death Kitty items tend to be marked in small, medium or large or s/m and m/l. The large size appears again to be about a 14, although this does depend on the style of the item. We have a changing room and people are encouraged to try anything on if they are unsure. You never know! As it is frequently reported that the average size for a woman in the UK is a 16, I am eager to cater for as many people as possible and have found labels that do bigger size ranges, and hope to have more of these in stock in the future (but as there is not unlimited space or money, this cannot be arranged instantly). So please bear with me, and I will try to provide our customers with what they want.


Tomorrow sees the launch of the Cityscapes artwork we have in from Louise Berrill, and I will write more about that then. For today, our pick of the day is this Max C navy blue dress. Blues are all over the place this summer, as part of the nautical look, so this dress with the white trim is perfect. It also reminds me of Alice In Wonderland so it ties in nicely with the recent Tim Burton adaptation, and would look great with one of the Temporary:Secretary 'Alice' necklaces.

Anyway, hope you enjoy your weekend. We're open tomorrow, then I'm popping down the road to The Horseshoe to see their new refurb. They're relaunching tonight, but someone has to be here looking bright eyed and bushy tailed at 9am so think I might miss that! So if you're in Wellingborough, well worth checking it out.

Kat

Now Playing The The Shop: You Got The Dirtee Love (Live at the BRIT Awards) - Florence + The Machine & Dizzee Rascal

Quarter Birthdays

Well, it's my quarter birthday today (meaning it was 3 months since my birthday). Am celebrating with a bottle of water and a Tic Tac. Very rock and roll. Have also been chatting with a lovely elderly gentleman who is a bit of a local history buff. Have discovered that 15 Silver Street was Curry's in the 60s. And a tobacconist before that. Since then it seems mainly to have been a cafe, except for its brief stint as a childrens bookshop, and a couple of years of being empty before Unorthodox came along. It is also on a map from the early 1800s so still got a bit of digging to find out what it originally was. Unorthodox: fashionable and educational!

From this weekend, we will be stocking Louise Berrill's artwork. She is a local artist who is extremely talented and very up and coming. Plus, it will brighten up the place a bit! So yes, come in and have a look (although for those too far away, I'm sure I'll be featuring some of her work on the Facebook page, Twitter, and on here). Her work is amazing, so very excited!

The pick of the day today is this Death Kitty skirt. It tends to be the first thing people make a beeline for when they come through the door! Neon pink skull print, black lace trim and ribbon at the top, pink mesh tutu at the bottom, it's for those who want to look kickass and cute at the same time. I was thrilled to hear this week that the makers of Death Kitty are launching a men's line, Devil Dog. Since their stuff is well designed, good quality and reasonably priced, I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Pantomime - Orgy

I was just trying to think up a day-of-the-week themed title when I realised I didn't know what day of the week it is

Morning. Late blogging again today, but I was doing good deeds, I swear! And the books. Very excited to hear the former Angel Hotel across the street may be getting done up with the help of a grant from the Heritage fund. I think my suggestion to paint it in glitter might not go down well though.

I think the mannequins may have names! After much deliberation yesterday, currently I favour calling them Kurt, Courtney and Frances. But we'll see.


As they're forcasting great weather for the weekend, I thought I'd encourage the blokes to get their legs out, so the pick of the day is these Spiral Direct shorts. Distressed style, with a dragon print on one leg, these are the only way to still look tough in shorts! We also have other Spiral Direct shorts in with a variety of prints. Well, they mainly have different sorts of skulls on so not that much variety but there's a pirate skull amongst them! And we have some plain ones too, for those not into skulls or dragons!

Anyway, enjoy the sunshine!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Bul Ma Miin - Orchestre Baobab

Ruby Tuesday

Morning. Bit late on the blog posting today as it is 'change the mannequins' day. It is also Pippa's (of Pippa Alice whose artwork we have in stock) birthday so happy birthday Pippa! Also got my brother lurking about today (if you pass by, he's the one who looks like a cross between Chewbacca and Tim The Bear from The Cleveland Show).


Pick of the day is this Max C little black dress. I don't think the photo really does it justice, but it gives you an idea (can't wait for our proper photos with the models to be done!). It's got bow detail, a ruched hem at the bottom, and has a lovely silky feel to it. It's also hand crafted (and comes with Max C's tags to prove that!). It's on one of the girl mannequins in the window if you want to take a closer look!

The other mannequins are wearing a Death Kitty pink skull tutu-style skirt and a Spiral Direct diamante skull bandeau, and a pair of Spiral Direct shorts with a Worn Free 'as worn by' Joey Ramone t-shirt.

Just had a sneak peak at the 'high summer' Max C collection and there's some gorgeous pieces. Katie Price was recently spotted wearing one of the Max C dresses we have in stock but I'm unsure if this is a particularly good promotional point so shhh! I'm keeping it quiet!

Enjoy your day.

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Save A Prayer - Duran Duran

The Harder They Come

Morning all. Started today with the Marina & The Diamonds album on in the shop, which has just finished so now eating Tic Tacs. Not a bad start to the week.

We had a great day Saturday, so thanks to everyone who bought things, came in to browse, or just popped in to say 'hi'. Always appreciate it! The Max C dresses seemed very popular with the weekend crowd! Saturday also saw the arrival of some more pieces by Maddie, so we also have some very kitsch furry zebra print cushions in (handmade, no less).


Today's pick of the day is this Worn Free Jimmy Cliff 'The Harder They Come' t-shirt. We have it in a range of sizes. As well as the ubiquitous Worn Free tag, it has a fantastic 70s retro print of some of the original artwork for the film.

Hope your Monday is going well!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Life On TV - Kid Sister

Ready for the weekend

Hello all!


Well, as promised, we now have the Pippa Alice artwork in the shop. All are signed original pieces on A6 handmade recycled cotton rag paper. Very very cute. We have 9 different pieces. So naturally, the pick of the day had to be one of these. This one is called Red Head Goth Girl.

Anyway, I better go and display them now!

Enjoy!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Have You Ever Been This Low? - Suede

Friday Feeling

Morning! Slight delay on the blog post today because the internet has been playing up again. Did you know you can also follow Unorthodox on Twitter? Just click here.


As the weekend is nearly upon us (although some of us work Saturdays!) I thought I'd have something a little bit glam as the pick of the day. This grey Max C dress is hand crafted in gorgeous material, with very elegant coursage-type detailing, and hangs beautifully. Perfect for warm summer evenings, but in the meantime it would look great with leggings and a little bolero (may I suggest one of the Spiral Direct ones we currently stock).

Anyway, enjoy your Friday, whatever you're doing.

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: This Scene Is Dead - We Are Scientists

Through The Looking Glass

Morning! Never let it be said that I don't listen to customers. We have had requests to stock body jewellery, so I'm in the process of arranging things with a supplier and hopefully will have some pieces coming in within the next few weeks. I do try to keep everyone happy, so if you have any other ideas, please let me know. Also, have some very cute artwork from Pippa Alice coming in at the weekend (so will probably be available early next week... I'll keep you posted).

Alice In Wonderland has always been a bit of a cult classic, and ties in very nicely with the Lolita look, as well as general indie-ness. With the Tim Burton version very much still in everyone's minds, I thought the pick of the day should be this gorgeous Temporary:Secretary Alice In Wonderland necklace (photo courtesy of Temporary:Secretary). The charms are so adorable, and there are different ones on each necklace so you can agonise over which you like best. This is because apparently the charms are rare and vintage, and therefore hard for the lovely Temp:Sec to source. Definitely a timeless and beautiful piece for any jewellery box.

Have a good Thursday!

Kat
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We Are Mook

Good morning (or at least it is at time of writing... have problems with our internet connection today so by the time you see this, who knows what time it will be!).

Got very excited yesterday when our new WAM Apparel stock came in. WAM Apparel are a local label, and we now have some of their very limited edition t-shirts and hoodies. As far as I understand it, when they're gone, they're gone. The designs are by graphic designer Craig Vallance, who also screen prints them. WAM stands for 'We Are Mook', and their philosophy is not too disimilar from Unorthodox's own: "As we are all aware our enviroment is changing. We believe that mass industry is partly responsible. Peoples outlook on clothing has become so that we buy mass produced ready to wear clothes for the moment, bought cheaply and compromising on quality. This creating a period in fashion in which we wear once and throw away. At WAM be believe a garment should be made to last, through quality and style."

Anyway, unsurprisingly, the pick of the day is one of the WAM Apparel pieces. It's the 'Snarling Dog' hoody (design is also available on a t-shirt). The picture doesn't do it justice, given how vivid the blue is. Definitely worth having a browse through the rail!

Rainbow Bright

It's Tuesday, which means two things: 1, Unorthodox has been open for a week today, and 2, today is the day I change the clothes in the window. Girl Mannequin #1 (think I should name them, any ideas?) had an impromptu change on Saturday when a customer bought the dress she was wearing, so she is now in a great Death Kitty tartan skirt and a Death Kitty hoody. The other two, Girl Mannequin #2 and Boy Mannequin #1, were changed this morning. Boy Mannequin #1 is now modelling one of the Worn Free 'as worn by Keith Moon' Jesus Saves t-shirt (also available in white if blue isn't your thing) and a pair of Spiral Direct shorts, with Girl Mannequin #2 in a lovely grey Max C dress, with a Maddie shopper. Have a look if you're wandering by.


Anyway, on to the shameless plugging of the pick of the day. I was going to pick a colour from the range of Stargazer hair dyes, but I just couldn't decide, so it's all of them! They're semi-permanent, and the gloves are already in the box, which isn't always standard for the companies making the more mad shades! We have them in *deep breath* Eggplant, Baby Pink, Rich Wine, African Green, Coral Blue, Violet, Purple, Rouge, Magenta, Copper, Blue Black, White, Yellow, Tropical Green, Pitch Black, Dawn, Golden Flame, Shocking Pink, Coral Gold, Royal Blue, Red Hot, Silverlook, Foxy Red, Auburn, Ultra Blue and Plume. Whether you want to send your whole head of hair a new colour, or just add a few streaks, these colours are fantastic.

Had a sneak peek of some of Pippa Alice's artwork that is coming into the shop shortly to help brighten the place up. Even better, it's going to be available to you guys (for a small fee, starving artists and all that) so if you love it, you can stare at it forever. Some very very gorgeous pictures. We're still looking for artists and bands who want to display/sell their work/merch, so get in touch if you're interested.

Right, better go do some work now!

Kat
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Ghost Town

Wow! Work has started today on Sheep Street & Silver Street so there's no traffic coming past. It's eerily quiet outside. Hopefully it's not going to effect things here too much and make everything a bit prettier when they're done. But the quiet does get some getting used to! I've had to turn the music down to compensate!

Survived our first weekend being open. Thanks to everyone who popped in, and to Pete & SteveO for flyering! It was good to get some feedback from people (Temporary:Secretary accessories seem to catch everyone's eye!) and I'll do my best to accomodate their suggestions. Obviously, being a new business, it's not possible to do everything at once, but it's great to have some ideas on where we should go with it. Unorthodox also made it into Saturday's Evening Telegraph newspaper.

Saturday also saw the arrival of some bags by our first local label to come into stock. They're by Maddie, and they're all hand made so each is a little different. There are some shoppers (with some fantastic 60s prints!) as well as the Ladies Who Lunch bags (little fabric handbags that are light enough to go anywhere and big enough to fit in your essentials and, crucially, your lunch!). They're definitely bright enough not to lose! Anyway, my pick of the day is one of the Maddie shoppers.

Have a good week everyone!

Kat
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The weekend is upon us

Well, Saturday morning. I'll admit, I don't like getting up for them. But got Pete in the shop on and off today, keeping me company, and he's gone to get me a McDonalds breakfast so it's not all that bad, really! Think we've got him and SteveO flyering in town today as well (so if a small dark guy and a tall ginger guy try to thrust a flyer at you, please take it!), so it's a shame it's not a bit nicer out there but I think this is as close to daylight as we're going to get. I do sound a bit weather obsessed in this blog entries, but it really does make a difference on people's moods (and their shopping habits!) so it pays to be aware of it!

Anyway, off the topic of weather and on to clothes! Pick of the day today is this gorgeous Death Kitty paw dress. The little white bows and sixties-style buttons are very cute, the paw print is really different, but the best thing about it as far as I'm concerned is the shape. It has to be one of the most flattering dresses ever! Definitely worth trying it on if it takes your fancy, and you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, breakfast has arrived so that's my bit of plugging for the day!

Start of the Waendal weekend

It's the start of the Waendal Weekend in Wellingborough today. Basically, people come from all over the place (even abroad) to walk and cycle around Wellingborough and the surrounding villages. I think registration started at 10am this morning at the Castle (it's a theatre, not an actual castle, for those not familiar with the town!) so I expect to see people in walking boots and rucksacks wander past fairly shortly. Can't say I've ever joined in with it. Even my trainers have heels! But hope it goes well for everyone if you're taking part! It does mean I finally got to put up an 'entree libre' sign (as per last blog entry) as part of my 'We speak French' sign. I don't know how many French-speaking tourists turn up for the Waendal Weekend, but I'm trying to be enterprising. Lots of German and Dutch people come, but I don't speak any of the relevant languages!



Decided today's pick of the day should be something for the men, so this is one of the Worn Free t-shirts we carry. Worn Free is a fantastic label (wear them a lot myself) who make licensed republicas of t-shirts seen on various icons. Massive in the States, and having just relaunched in Europe, their t-shirts are available in some of the best department stores, and I'm thrilled to have them in here. They're always great quality, and come with a tag showing the star who wore it in the original. This one is a Muhammad Ali one, which we have in black or white. It has a great back print, too.
We also have some of their t-shirts as worn by Keith Moon, Joey Ramone and Joan Jett, and well as a fantastically retro Jimmy Cliff/Harder They Come one that has been attracting a lot of attention. Hopefully they'll start doing the women's fit ones over here too, as I know a lot of the ladies would love them too! In the meantime, we do have some of these in the smaller sizes as well, if the girls want to give them a go.

Hoping to progress with the online shop as soon as possible so for those too far away from the shop, keep checking in and I promise to keep you posted.

Kat
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Vote For Unorthodox!

Well, this is Unorthodox's 3rd day of being open. Had lots of people in to have a look around, and if you haven't had a chance yet, please do! I can't help but wish the English language had its own version of the French phrase 'entrée libre'. It's usually a sign on a shop door, and it means that you are welcome to go in and browse ('without obligation to buy'). That's pretty much how I feel about Unorthodox. Noone is under any pressure when they come in, but some people look so nervous and I feel very guilty when they do! So please, if you're walking by, have a look! Have a seat! Be as quick or as lingering as you like! :)


Anyway, Thursdays are traditionally half-day closing in Wellingborough (but we're open till 5.30pm!), and town does seem a bit quieter today. Or maybe everyone's off voting. It's a bit dull and grey as well, so for everyone who, like me, is longing for sunshine, I have picked out a cute-as-anything summer dress as my pick of the day. It's a Max C dress, and we currently have a few in stock. It hangs really nicely and has the oversized pockets that seem to be everywhere at the moment, and seems a pretty versatile addition to anyone's wardrobe to me!

Just had a chat with the Evening Telegraph so keep you eyes open for us being featured in there over the next couple of days! I'm sure I babbled like an idiot, so please do not judge the shop by my incoherence!

Right, back to work! Please keep me posted on the type of things you'd like to see in the shop (and on the website when it's finished!). I've been looking at some lovely 50s style dresses, and hoping to get a few local labels involved too.

Kat
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