Our Little Shop of Typography Treats!

Over the last week, we've spent a bit of time consolidating our range of typography prints that we offer on facebook. We must admit, it was getting a teeny bit crazy with the all of the personalised prints that we'd completely forgotten to update these in quite a while, oops! We are pleased to announce that our updated range has now been filtered through to our facebook pages and will be updated on Etsy very soon, too!

As well as the 'I Like You' personalised print, we now have customisable Wedding, Annivesary & Christening Prints as well as the newly added 'Dislike' print - for the more cynical friend or relative! We're so happy to say that our Ex-Boyfriend Series and Beatles prints have been really popular and they'll also be staying!

In addition to that, we've also been super busy creating new prints and we'll be featuring one print each day, on facebook over the next week or so. Make sure you're following us to catch the first glimpse!

To take a look at the range, please take a look at, PRINTS TO BUY.

A5 prints are now offered at £10 (framed options available at £15) and A4 prints are now only £15 (framed options at £25). 

As always, we love working with you to create a print that is personal to you, so please get in touch to discuss colour options or email us at info[at]shedressedinblack.co.uk for personalisation enquires. 

Big thanks to everyone who has already purchased a print, we've really enjoyed working on all of them!

Much love, 

L&R xx

Friday Flicks // HELP!

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 Hooray, it's Friday once more & we have a long bank holiday weekend in front of us! Rhi will be returning to Twee Towers with Little M later today after their week trip to Scotland! In fact, my bestie better hurry on home before I get too used to this solitary lady of the manor thing... not sure how much you'll appreciate by new routine of prancing around, singing at the top of my lungs before bedtime, Rhi!?
I know it's nothing new but I've been on a bit of a Beatles musical pilgrimage again this week. With James heading up to Liverpool to start rehearsals for his next little run of gigs, we've been dreaming about moving up there, laughing at John & Paul's supressed giggles in this video, and we finally got round to uploading the videos we recorded at the Paul McCartney gig we went to in December!
Therefore, it was only apt that today's Friday Flicks featured the 1965 classic, HELP! Just a tip - the whole movie is available to watch on youtube if you fancy a watch. In the meantime, i'll leave you with the song, 'The Night Before' which features on the album Help and our own recording of Elenor Rigby!

Apologies, video quality isn't great but who cares, it's Macca... singing Elenor Rigby!

Much love amigos, 

Lauren xx

Outfit Post // She Dressed in (mostly) Black

Wah, it's going to be a quiet week over here at Twee Towes! Rhi has taken a trip up to Scotland with Little M to catch up with family! With my partner in crime and her babe, travelling through time and space (Little M's first time on an aeroplane too, n'aww!) up to the highlands, and the weather reluctant to brighten up, despite my attempts to maintain Spring's calling for pastels & floral prints, I have decided to give in and am spending some time mourning, in all shades of noir...

White shirt with black trim, New Look; Skirt, H&M; Ring, Dorothy Perkins

Black Coat with peter pan collar, Topshop

Oxblood loafers, Ikon 

 

Black Sequin Blazer, Vintage; Love Heart Polka Dot Dress, H&M; Necklace, Gift from James!

I finally got round to purchasing that black velvet beauts from Alice Takes a Trip!

"Oh dear, what can I do? Baby's in Black and I'm feeling Blue,

Tell me oh, what can I do?

She thinks of him, and so she dresses in black,

and though he'll never come back, she's dressed in black"

 Much love,
 Lauren xx


PS.  To celebrate our first year in Twee Towers on Sunday, we're giving you the chance to win all of our fave twee-treats in a GIVEAWAY! ♥  Remember to check back for your chance to win!

Twee Art // The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes

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 It's been a quite a while since we gave you a tour around Twee Towers, so we thought that it was high time that we shared some more of the art that we have hanging around! We've recently added new prints to our studio by English illustrator, Alan Aldridge.

For those who haven't heard of Aldridge, he was one of the key graphic designers of the mid-century and during the Sixties & Seventies it would have been an extremely difficult mission to escape his kaleidoscopic, vaudervillic (is that a word? if not, it's being coined right now) creations. His CV is simply ridiculous; he was made Art Director of Penguin books, bringing surreal, pyschedelic sensibilities to their Science Fiction titles, he famously won a drawing competition with a slightly manical Savildor Dali whilst waiting an airport, and to top it all off, designed artwork and lyric books for the likes of The Beatles, The Who & The Rolling Stones. Phew.

We first discovered Aldridge's work a few years back upon buying The Beatles' illustrated lyrics book (if you don't own, you must!) and recently, Lauren invested in The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes as a gift for James' Christmas, completely unselfishly we might add.


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His style is an illustration of the Sixties, defining the age through an LSD fuelled carnival of surrealism, imagined dystopias and fantastical explosions of colour! Leading visually rather than textually, Aldridge's work tells a multitude of stories. It takes intertextuality to the extreme, toying with perspective and layering reference over reference, to the point where it bends your mind and hurts your eyes. At once, both graphically bold and artfully intricate. Just how we like our art!


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So yeah, it's safe to say that we successfully brightened up & revitalised our studio with a little help from Aldridge's prints, and just in time for Twee Towers' year anniversary!


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Much love,

L&R xx

Twee Towers Shop Re-Opens!

Please excuse us amigos whilst we indulge in a bit of shameless self-promotion! We had a moment to re-jig and re-list prints that are available through our Etsy shop, so we thought we would remind you what we have for sale over there...


'I Like You' Customised Prints!

Surprise loved ones with a stunning collection of nostalgic memories and funny insights into their personality, interests, quirks and charms by purchasing one of our 'I Like You' prints. Just provide us with 15-30 key words (depending on the size of your print) and your chosen colour scheme and we'll do the rest!

Available Framed (black & white options) or Unframed



Our 'I Like You' prints are offered in either A4 or A5 size options and can be created to mark a special occasion such as birthdays, christenings or why not tell your Dad exactly what you like about him this Father's Day!

 Have a cynical friend or relative? New for 2012 we our now taking orders for our very first 'dislike' prints... indulge their cynicism by detailing the eternal subjects of their rants and raves! 

Bespoke 'His & Hers' Custom Framed Prints!

Also still available,our Beatles prints, 'All You Need is the Fab Four!' and our 'Hey Jude' print - as always, we're happy to adjust the prints to your desired colour scheme at no extra cost! If you have any requests for lyrics to your favourite songs just get in touch, we love working with you on your designs! 

Not forgetting, the notorious Ex-Boyfriend Series - a cheeky ode to past loves and heartbreak.
Disclaimer: Any reference to past boyfriends & lovers in these prints are purely coincidental, especially you, serverus... swine.



You can find our shop by clicking here.


Happy shopping lovers!
Much love,
L&R xx

Rhi Likes // Conspiracy Theories...

Hello sweets,

My turn to talk about my likes again... I love a good conspiracy theory, who doesn't? Did we really land on the moon in '69? Is Elvis still living it up somewhere in secret? Not forgetting the grassy knoll...



My absolute favourite conspiracy is the 'Paul is Dead' theory - where Beatles fans obsessively hunted out clues that apparently pointed towards the untimely death of Sir Paul (god forbid!) and his mysterious replacement... They sought out clues in lyrics (played forward and backwards!), album art and photographs from public appearances... What fascinates me the most is the way that these rumours spread like wildfire across the world back in the 60s, without today's social media platforms, online forums or other such means of instantaneous information sharing (read: gossiping) . This lack of modern media also probably helped fuel the fire and keep it burning for so long, without the power of immediate PR response and speedy press releases rebutting these sorts of wild rumours the fans were able to let their imaginations run amok...



So the outline of this phenomenon for those who are unfamiliar - reportedly Paul stormed out of a rehearsal in 66 and then was involved in a fatal accident, to save the fans from grief they quickly replaced McCartney with the winner of a look-a-like competition, supposedly a man named William Campbell...

Some of my favourite clues were 'hidden' within the album artwork from subsequent releases... you won't believe you missed them ;)



Behold, one of the most recognisable album covers in pop history, a masterpiece by one of my all time favourite artists, Peter Blake. Cleverly hidden within this wonderful example of pop art in its prime are some 'unmistakable' clues that lead to no other conclusion but to believe the stories of McCartney's untimely demise... First ladies and gents, cast your eyes to the left of the image, wax works of the fab four in their younger days mournfully looking down upon an apparent funeral floral arrangement. Within that flower arrangement is the bass guitar, positioned as left-handed Paul would have carried it... To the right of the image a bloodied driving glove sits beside that broken looking doll. Did you miss that Paul is the only Beatle carrying a black instrument? A hand hovers above his head, a blessing? ... AND Edgar Allan Poe is set among those famous faces, a sure sign of the darkness afoot. It is rumoured that Lennon requested a cut out of Jesus Christ, but that would have been FAR too obvious, his request was denied. Serious PID'ers (Paul Is Dead...ers) would chastise me for failing to point out the most significant clue, the image you see when you place a mirror along the middle of the words 'Lonely Hearts', but I'm trying to ease you in gently to the world of conspiracy... But admit it, it is undeniable, Paul must be dead... Need further evidence... Check out the cover of Abbey Road...



Again, you'll have seen this image oh so many times in your life, you'll be absolutely furious with yourself when I highlight The Beatles' most blatant display of Paul-Is-Dead-ery... John Lennon leads the procession here, dressed all in white, symbolic of his being Christ/God/A Preacher, of course... Ringo behind him there, dressed in black, a mourner at this devastating scene, dear George at the rear in the workman's denim, which could only symbolise the fact that he is the grave digger... and Paul, or Faul (Faux Paul, see what they did there? Paux doesn't have the same ring) as William Campbell was now fondly known by the PIDs, barefoot, dead man walking, out of step with the other 3, clearly signifying his role as the corpse in this scenario.

I probably should have ensured that you were sitting before reading this, if you're new to the theory you're probably rather shell shocked right now... Rest assured though, whoever the Man was on this day in 2010 or when Lauren caught a show just before Christmas, be it Living Legend Sir Paul or Faul, he certainly doesn't disappoint.



To finish, here is 'I am The Walrus' - which apparently is intentionally nonsensical and was written to confuse those who looked for significant meanings and alternative interpretations in every Beatles song... Certainly didn't stop those pesky PID'ers trying though...

Much love,
Rhi xx

ps. Disclaimer note: I'm almost 99% sure that Sir Paul is the real Paul... almost.

Lauren Likes // Liverpool, Manchester & Macca!

Hey amigos, Lola & James here today.
Oh my gosh, what a blooming lovely time we've had this week - best Christmas ever! As we showed you yesterday, we woke up to lots and lots of treats from Santa before hosting our very first Twee Towers Christmas breakfast for our families and then heading off to our parents' houses for more delicious food and amazing presents! We were actually a little overwhelmed with how spoiled we were... James had spent so much time creating my Christmas presents and gave me three incredible portraits of Jane Birkin,France Gall & Martin Freeman (guilty pleasure) as well a necklace. I also received the Atlas tapestry throw that I had been after for SO long, my Marc Jacobs perfume, Benefit makeup a stack of penguin clothbound books, a new moleskine journal, the sweetest tea set, a Birkin & Gainsbourg 7" & a Thomas Burke 1st edition (ahhh!) book of poetry from 1920 complete with hand drawn illustration & chevron print cover - my parents, brother & boyfriend really are the best!
As well as all that, on Monday last week James & I headed up to a Liverpool apartment for two nights and threw in a quick trip to Manchester to see Paul McCartney!! Oh my word, such a bewildering and surreal experience - even the second time round - but the most magical gig of our lives and the most wonderful few days ever...




The four hour train journey was a little tiresome to say the least so we passed the time drawing and posing. Standard.


The MEN arena starting to fill up - mix of nerves, adrenaline and excitement!


McCartney - still loyal to his Hofner violin bass!


Give peace a chance!


We were over the moon with the seats - we had a perfect view of the stage and we even got a glimpse of Macca preparing to walk on to the stage. We definitely DID NOT cry as soon as he came on. Opening with Magical Mystery Tour, Macca sang and played his way through many hits as well as the more obscure Beatles & Wings tracks... some of which The Beatles hadn't even performed on a live stage, A Day in the Life, Drive My Car & Eleanor Rigby to name a few. The setlist didn't lull in anyway, not that you'd expect it to, Paul, being one of the seminal writers of the last 50 years.
The first highlight for us was the moment when the auditorium was reduced to silence as McCartney graced the stage alone with his guitar to sing 'Blackbird'. It's always been my personal favourite but even we were overwhelmed to see 21,000 mesmerised people. Not a dry eye in the house. James was happy to see that there were 'pyromaniacs' (... or pyrotechnics to the heightened IQ) during Live and Let Die. We're not even sure how the use of explosives, fireworks and huge flames of fire was allowed inside an arena but it looked flipping cool.
Another highlight was Macca playing 'The Word' as the opener to the encore (which also included A Wonderful Christmas time... yesss!) Only the second time that he played it live during his career since the Beatles.
Defintely the best gig we have ever been to, Sir Paul is a living legend.






In honour of Macca, we headed back to Liverpool for a quick Beatles pilgrimage, starting on Mathew St.






Drinks at the Cavern.




The original entrance to the Cavern.




For Rhi - Ringo & I!







Love this picture - Helter Skelter in Liverpool's Winter Wonderland.


We walked down to the docks for a browse around the museums and galleries.




A nonchalent pose outside the Tate.


A Francis Bacon painting and a Barbara Hepworth sculpture (I drew that for GSCE art!)


Always amazing to take a closer look at Dali masterpieces. As much as I love the film factory girl, I had never been too fussed about Andy Warhol's work, but we were both a bit taken aback looking at his well as his pre-factory illustrations - we were also interested to learn that he worked as an illustrator for Glamour and Harper's Bazaar before de-constructing consumerism through the art of screen printing!


... a subtle hint that it was time for a break.














All in all, from the build up of the gig to the close of our Liverpool trip we had the most wonderful time of our lives... thus far!
Hope you've all had a fab Christmas and are still enjoying the Festive break!
Much love, L & J xx