Perfect Punk Rock Magazines

Morning,

It's the weekend! Our special offer runs until the end of tomorrow, so get yourself over to our Facebook page for details. Also, look out for our advert all about our sale in Monday's Spree section in the Northants Evening Telegraph.

We've been thinking about job titles a lot today. At some places I've worked at in the past, people get so hung up on them, so we take a slightly more, erm, unorthodox approach. I still think one of the greatest job titles I've ever had was during a stint working for Subway, when my badge declared me to be a Sandwich Artist. To be honest, I only applied for the job because I wanted that job title. Currently, when anyone asks, I tend to give my title as Megalomaniac (because as TS Eliot wrote "The naming of cats is a difficult matter..."). I find it amusing, as do most people I tell, but some do just look confused, and others more than a little worried. Isabel, who helps out sometimes, has bagged the title Executive Minion, but I doubt that will be appearing on a CV any time soon. Generally, when I talk about Pete I refer to him as Unorthodox Boy, but he declared this morning he preferred Unorthodox Bitch (more to do with him doing the hoovering than a nasty temperament). Brian, often referred to as our Official Photographer, is equally often referred to as The Hippy On The Stairs. I'm yet to come up with titles for the rest of our helpers (Tahnee especially defies description!) but I'm going to get to work on it (in full consultation with them, obviously). Any of you had any particularly great job titles over the years? Any suggestions? Do let us know.

Anyway, on to Pick Of The Day...



This Worn Free 'Punk Magazine' t-shirt is a licensed replica of the one worn by Joey Ramone in New York, 1975. It comes with the coveted WF tag showing Joey in his original tee. These are now in the sale, as well, so they're a total bargain for a Worn Free tee. Their t-shirts are great quality and in my experience last really well. This one is only left in a Large and numbers are very very limited so if you want one, speak now or forever hold your peace!

View and order the Worn Free Joey Ramone Punk Magazine t-shirt on our online shop.

Have a great weekend. Catch you on Tuesday.

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Sweet Dreams - Beyonce

It Must Be Love

Morning,

Fingers are a bit numb with the cold so please forgive any typos, I can't feel the keys!

Our last Death Kitty Leopard Hoody has now sold. I will miss those as they were a big favourite of mine (I love all things feline) but I'm sure we'll find an equally fantastic new piece to take its place.

We're running a special offer until the end of Sunday. Full details are on our Facebook page, so follow us and have a look on there. It's worth it!


Today's Pick Of The Day is a subtle reminder it's only a few weeks until Valentine's Day! This Temporary:Secretary You're A Sweet Heart Necklace in Lipstick Red was worn by Fearne Cotton on the front of Sugar magazine. Colourful and cute, it's a great statement piece. They say about wearing your heart on your sleeve, but we think putting it round your neck is just as good. Be quick, because this is the last one we have!

For more information and to buy the Temporary:Secretary You're A Sweet Heart Necklace, click here.

It's Friday! You all feeling it?

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Keep On Jumpin' - Todd Terry feat Martha Wash & Jocelyn Brown

Violet

Morning,

Wow, another big rush for the Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers album yesterday! For those readers who are London-based, they're playing Babalou in Brixton on Friday so if you get chance, go check them out.


Pick Of The Day today are our range of Stargazer hair dyes. The Stargazer dyes are semi-permanent, which means you can change your mind as often as you like. Personally, I'm a big fan of Violet at the moment, having just switched from Rouge. The best sellers are constantly changing, but Rouge, Tropical Green, Coral Blue and Hot Red are always popular, and as I mentioned before, there's been a surge in the more ginger/auburn colours like Dawn, Copper and Coral Gold. Below are our top tips for using the Stargazer dyes, garnered from years of personal experience and chatting with our model, Tahnee (also the official Unorthodox colourist and a trained hairdresser).:

1. The colours shown on the display stand demonstrate what the dyes come out as on bleached white hair. If you're not bleaching your hair, or it tends to bleach only to orange or yellow, take that into consideration. As the Stargazer dyes don't contain bleach, you might want to consider pre-lightening for best results.

2. Don't see the exact colour you want? Stargazer dyes can be mixed to make your perfect shade.

3. Noone can really predict how long the colour will last. It depends on a lot of factors such as the base colour of your hair, how often you wash it, products you use, the condition it's in when you dye it. To help it last longer, try using dry shampoo when you can, don't use conditioner just before you dye your hair (it prevents the dye from getting a good hold) and use a leave-in spray one when you hair is coloured rather than a wash-out one, don't spend ages rinsing your hair (you're not aiming for the water to run clear like with some permanent dyes).

4. If you have pre-lightened your hair and want to put off fading, think about choosing a shade darker than you normally would. Lighter shades fade faster.

5. If you're not sure, just ask! Whether you're buying in store or online, just get in touch. We want you to be happy with your results so if we can be of any help, we're more than happy to waffle on about these dyes given the chance!

6. Not ready to take the plunge on the wilder colours? Why not try one of the Stargazer Neon Gel Colours? They wash out but might give you an idea of what you want.

Please let us know if you have any other hints or tips!

View the Stargazer Semi-Permanent Conditioning Hair Colour on our online shop.

Have a great Thursday. So close to the weekend now!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: My Last Request - Grim

Shadowplay

Morning,

I've been doing a bit of New Years trendspotting this month, and I've noticed the following things seem to be getting really popular... Dr Martens in Cherry Red (especially 10 and 14 eyelet ones), all patent Dr Martens (which we can't get in stock for love nor money until around March, I'm afraid), ginger and auburn tinged Stargazer hair dyes, Irene Mosedale beaded necklaces and bracelets, and our Monsalina Chic dresses are getting loads of attention! Remember, most of our accessories and clothes are available in limited numbers only, so if you love it, make it yours (especially with the sale on!).

The biggest pile of post just arrived, so it's going to be a brief one today, and I'm going to crack on with our Pick Of The Day...

Something for the guys today (or girls who like their shorts baggy, I suppose). These Spiral Direct shorts have the fantastic Shadow Skull print front and back. They're great quality, and perfect for when the warmer weather hits. Plus, they're now in our sale with a tenner off!

View the Spiral Direct Shadow Skull Shorts on our online shop.

Right, off to tackle the post mountain. Have a good day!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: I Promised Myself - Nick Kamen

Emptee At The End

Morning,

Hope you all had a good weekend. Had a fantastic Saturday night watching local bands Transmission and The Francis Jetty at Retro-Beat at The Horseshoe in Wellingborough. Was a fantastic gig!

We were in yesterday's Northants Evening Telegraph, in their Spree section. The article can be found here and the pictures from it are below.



For the record, the dress I'm holding is one of the Monsalina Chic Grecian Tunic dresses, and the mannequin is all dolled up in the Death Kitty Bow Skirt, RedRock Fashion Bleach-Out Tunic Vest and Temporary:Secretary Guitar Necklace. Big thank you to the lovely ET people for all their support and for covering local independents.


Pick Of The Day is something to get you in the mood for spring. This cropped tee is by RedRock Fashion, a Northampton based label with great attitude. This hot pink tee is decorated with shiny spandex and black lace. Cute and fun, with just a little sexy. RedRock is gathering an increasingly big following, including former Skins cast members, and is getting attention in the media, so take this opportunity to be fashion forward (I swore I'd never use that phrase!) and get a piece of the action now!

Right, off to sort out the weekend's internet orders to spread the Unorthodox love. Have a great day.

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Je ne pars pas sans toi - Luka

Sundae Girl

Morning,

I usually try to think of a music-related pun for the blog title that relates to the content in some way. However, today's was just perfect as it was!

Today we're focusing on our artists. Whilst we are predominantly a boutique selling clothes, accessories and cosmetics, we like to support the arts and anyone who has been in our shop can see all the beautiful pieces adorning our walls. Some of these are available on the online shop, some are not as yet. The pieces we have available include small original pieces by Pippa Alice, canvases and smaller originals by Louise Berrill, originals and prints by Richard Stones, canvases, postcards and framed originals by Rebecca Sturdgess, canvases by Anita Hughes, framed prints by Daniel Cheney, photographic canvas prints and postcards by Clive Wagner, not to mentioned beautifully painted glassware from Dorne Boddington's Smashing Glass. With original canvases starting at £12 and going up to £450, there is something for every taste and budget. So don't forget, not only can we help you look like your amazing and unique self, we can help your home reflect that too.

Our Pick Of The Day is one of these gorgeous works of art. Let me introduce you to Sundae Girl by Pippa Alice. Pippa is our only artist currently who isn't based locally. Her pieces have a fantastic whimsical style that is very distinctive. They're all signed originals, created on handmade recycled cotton rag paper. Sundae Girl is approx 11cm x 15.5cm so she's small enough to fit anywhere! Great as a thoughtful gift for a loved one, or just a fantastic treat for yourself and your space.

View Sundae Girl by Pippa Alice on our online shop.

Hope you've all got a great weekend lined up. We're off to Retro-Beat at The Horseshoe down the road to check out The Francis Jetty and Transmission. We'll tell you all about it when we're back to work on Tuesday! In the meantime, have fun!

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Empty Room - Bardot

It's All Greek To Me

Morning,

First up, we'll do our Pick Of The Day.


Our Pick Of The Day for today is this Monsalina Chic Grecian Tunic Dress in Black (we do have a random size 12 red one lurking around the shop, though, if that takes your fancy). It's been created out of layers of chiffon so you get the floaty effect without compromising your modesty! It has metallic embroidery and sequins around the neckline to add a little extra glamour, and the elasticated waist means it fits like it was made for you. I always have to stress with Monsalina Chic dresses that we find their pieces are fantastic quality, really well designed and made, and great value, so you're getting a classic piece to last you through the seasons. This dress looks great with leggings, or teamed with some gladiator sandals in the summer. As with everything we stock, numbers are limited so if you love it, make it yours now! Go on, it's Friday, treat yourself.

View this dress on our online shop.

This week we have sold out of the Death Kitty Nautical Star Bag, so we wave a fond farewell to those and hope those of you who nabbed one are loving it. Don't despair though, as we have our fantastic Max C Damien bags (as seen in Pick Of The Day yesterday), as well as handmade bags and purses by Maddie and D'n'J. We are also now out of stock of the RedRock Bleach-Out Tunic Vests, but their head honcho Kiran has got me all excited about their new Spring pieces, due in the next few months. Look out for them in Company magazine, as well!

In other and completely unrelated news, I finished reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (yes, I know, totally behind the crowd, but better late than never) and it was absolutely fantastic. Want to check out the Swedish film version now! So yes, if anyone is looking for a good read (even if you're not usually a crime thriller fan, which I'm not), then this will keep you occupied! Just a little recommendation from the Unorthodox team!

Also, congratulations to our model Tahnee (shown above) and her husband Matt (also one of our models) on their baby boy's first birthday this week (we're not orchestrating the breeding of our future models, I swear!). Happy birthday Zack!

Right, just make it through your Fridays and love your weekend! We'll be here if you need anything. :)

Kat

Now Playing In The Shop: Ocean Drive - Lighthouse Family