3.28.2011

William + Kate = Love and Great English Design

With only a month to go until the big event, I thought it time to feature some of the fun, creative, whimsical, elegant, and kitschy things I’ve found in celebration of the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I follow many design and creative blogs and on Twitter, so it’s been entertaining to see what new and interesting things are being launched and are making people around the world pull out their wallets to spend that hard-earned cash.

I’m sure many buyers are thinking that today’s collectibles will become tomorrow’s keepsakes (or money in the bank). Hello, have you watched Antiques Roadshow, British version? There are occasionally collectible items that pop up from Queen Victoria times and they are worth quite a few pounds even today. It’s history. It’s fun. It’s a reminder of another period in time.
What I really like this time, though, are the more contemporary, often irreverent tea towels and plates. I like a sense of humor (or humour). Have you ever seen so many tea towels? It’s hard to imagine Americans creating special tea towels for any major event (I think we’re more likely to have goofy baseball caps). From Royal Worcester to Cath Kidston to contemporary poster designers like James Brown, designs range from very beautiful, traditional china to humorous plates with sayings like, "It should have been me." 





I suspect that all of the Royal Wedding memorabilia will start a huge trend of British-inspired designs for the next couple of years since 2012 will be the summer Olympic Games in London. Lots of interest in London, along with people traveling to England, televised events, magazine articles, and many of us wishing we were there will create a huge market for all things English.







 What will you order as your personal keepsake of this year’s royal wedding (because just as we all watched Prince Charles and Diana Spencer marry so many years ago, you know you’re going to watch)? What girl doesn’t dream of a happy ending.








1 comment:

Pen and Ink said...

I love this great collection. Such fun. I still have a mug from Charles and Diana's wedding.