BETTY and LOLA - A NOSTALGIC GEM!

I mentioned in an earlier post how impressed I have been at the quality of traders at various fetes and festivals.

At a recent festival near our home in Hunters Hill, I had the very great fortune to stumble across the delightful Betty and Lola, created by the very talented Catriona Andrews.

Upon setting foot inside the tiny tent on a mild, sunny day, I was struck with a wave of nostalgia and happy childhood memories. Let me explain...

When I was a kid, my mum was somewhat nifty with the sewing machine and would always make a stunning array of outfits for our summer holidays. Gorgeous, yet simple sun dresses in really pretty prints, seersuckers, broiderie anglaise, beach ponchos made from towelling with bobble and tassel trims, etc., etc. Walking into the Betty and Lola tent was like being whisked back in time to those childhood holidays and their accompanying home-made wardrobes.

This is all in a very, VERY good way, you understand.

Catriona has developed a selection of signature shapes with ingenious simplicity, reproduced in carefully chosen fabrics and prints, combined with some beautifully customised denim shorts and skirts. I didn't want to leave...

Eventually I did, of course as I was starting to look like some weird stalker in a daze-like state, sniffing ponchos and fondling tassels, but not before buying shorts, 2 dresses, a skirt and a top for my daughter and a skirt and fabulously billowy voile top for me.

Check out the Betty and Lola website http://www.bettyandlola.com.au/

It's a pretty site and sets the scene well for the collection, though there is limited product available on-line and it really doesn't do it justice.

Any investors out there, this lady should have shops - and lots of them!

Catriona is no slacker as you can see from the list of fairs and markets she'll be trading at - and you can also find her at the EQ Markets every Wednesday.

Can't wait to see what she has in store at the Lane Cove street fair in October... ahhh, I can almost smell the Ambre Solaire [ok, so now I am showing my age - this was pretty much the only sun oil [yes, oil - factor nothing] available in those days!

... taking the Costa Brava plane... Y Viva Espania... la la la la la-la la la laaaaa