Black.co.uk: high quality accessories for men, a Grey Fox photoshoot

Black.co.uk sell luxury gifts and accessories for men and women. Their products are sourced from the UK, Italy and further afield and are the highest quality: the softest leather, the most luxurious cashmere, the most opulent silk. Black kindly asked me to model some of their products; scarves, ties, gloves and pocket squares at a photo shoot at London's Little Venice, a quite area of canals in Paddington, West London. The light was superb, the shoot was fun, here are some of the results. For links, see below.

Houndstooth cashmere scarf

Silk tie and polka dot silk square

Silk bow tie and polka dot silk square

Suede and leather gloves, reversible cashmere scarf

Driving gloves, silk scarf

Ideal for Christmas gifts, of course, for both the men and women in your life, click on Black.co.uk

Navy mohair evening suit: Hardy Amies (with thanks for the loan of this superb suit).

Tweed coat: Greatcoat Outerwear 

Red sleeveless alpaca jumper: Plum of London 

This post was sponsored by Black.

White Dove & Wonder - giving a new lease of life to old shoe lasts

I'm always on the lookout for unusual gifts for Christmas and birthdays and here is a business whose wonderful products are made from a beautifully-crafted by-product of Northampton's shoe manufacturing. Susan Gaston, an art and antiques dealer, had a family background in the shoe business. While sourcing stock for her business she stumbled on old shoe lasts originally made by one of the finest shoe factories in Northampton.

At first, Susan and her husband Jimmy had no idea what to do with the lasts. They had been bought on impulse, out of a sense of nostalgia. Both agreed they should be preserved, not least because they are an important symbol of industrial heritage. They set about making a range of objets d’art. 

They co-design the pieces, restoring each last before hand-making striking pieces using natural wood. They are made into coffee tables, mirrors, bookends, doorstops, coat pegs, table lamps and bookshelves. Susan and Jimmy also take bespoke commissions. For more information, or to buy, click on White, Dove & Wonder.

Christmas shopping: where to go for good selection of gifts

Where to go for a well-chosen selection of unusual, tasteful and well-designed gifts for Christmas? Online or high street, or a combination of both? There is a large choice, so it can be worth homing in on a few favourites whose offerings meet your tastes and requirements.

Original & unique gifts from 1of1

I found an excellent high street shop, 1of1, not far from my home and typical of many similar around the UK, selling a good variety of fascinating items. An online store, Black.do.uk, offers a wide selection of the type of gifts I'm looking for. Here is more information about them.

1of1, Teddington, Middlesex

This high street store has a fascinating selection, all carefully curated by the owner, Kate Winskill, whose collection of one-off artworks, jewellery and recycled ephemera provides a rich source of original gifts.

Cufflinks made from watch movements from 1of1

I was tempted by the watch movement cufflinks. Kate now supplies these as tie and lapel pins. Much of the jewellery is also made from recycled objets trouves and makes excellent unique gifts.

The shop, in Teddington, South West London, is well worth a visit, but products can be bought online. See the 1of1 website for more information.

Black.co.uk

Was founded in 2006 by Paula Reeves, who had a business background and whose life was changed by illness and then inspired by a trip to India. Run as a family business, Black sells a tasteful and well-curated selection of gifts for him, her and the home.

A selection of quality menswear gifts from Black.co.uk. Gifts for women and home are also available

Black's director, Toby Logue, summed up the offering for me,

Black.co.uk is a luxury accessories and gifts brand offering discerning customers high quality classic lines balanced with contemporary designs, all in exquisite fabrics such as cashmere, leather and silk. Their signature collections are luxury cashmere scarves and Italian leather gloves.

Our latest menswear collection embraces this season's Big Scarf trend and features oversized cashmere scarves in checks, tartans and houndstooth designs. Detailing on leather gloves features extensively with black and brown Italian nappa leather gloves adorned with zips, tweed inserts, cashmere cuffs and houndstooth patterns. Silk scarves and pocket squares showcase paisley prints in navy/brown, monochrome and earthy tones and complete the collection.

I have a pair of gloves and one of the houndstooth scarves (see below), the quality and feel of these are impressive. See Black.co.uk for more information and to buy.

Why has a Shop appeared on Grey Fox Blog?

I've added a Shop tab at the top of the page. I came across Inkling last year and was impressed by their concept of an online shop curated by bloggers bringing carefully selected gifts to their pages, providing a one-stop-shop for those buying presents. 

I've enjoyed selecting gifts which fit with what Grey Fox is all about and want to use this opportunity to support the many exciting brands I've come across since I started the blog. If you're a retailer that would like to appear on the Grey Fox/Inkling shop please get in touch with me.

You'll find all sorts of exciting products on the Grey Fox/Inkling shop (image origins unknown)

Grey Fox's suggested Valentine's Day gifts - on Inkling

Towards the end of last year I was invited to curate a page of suggested gifts on the gift search service, Inkling - see the button to the top of the right hand column of the blog. Inkling, teams up with top bloggers, style-hunters and culinary celebrities (I introduce some below) so you can find the perfect present every time. 

We've all been working to find you gift suggestions for Valentine's Day. On my page I've added some gift ideas at a wide range of prices. One of my favourites is Bloom & Wild, a flower delivery service that sends flowers in boxes that fit through the letter box, so your Valentine needn't be at home to receive them - good idea? See my Inkling page for this and other ideas.

Click here for Grey fox's Inkling page

I thought you may like to meet a few of my fellow gift curators -

For fashionistas

La Petite Anglaise founder Ella Catliff, shortlisted for fashion blogger of the year in 2013, is on trend and has an eye for chic items and statement pieces.

For outdoors lovers

Andreas Kambanis, founder of the hugely popular londoncyclist.co.uk and Sian Lewis, founder of the highly reviewed A Girl Outdoors blog, select the cream of cycling and outdoor gear. 

For discerning booze-hounds 

Award-winning wine writer and columnist Jamie Goode selects the finest vintages, while for sensational Scotch and more, there's industry-renowned The Whisky Wire reviewer Steve Rush.

For those who just want to get away from it all

Travel journalist Monica Stott of The Travel Hack picks out magical experiences, must-have travel accessories and holidays.

For those that want to record their relationship for posterity

Mark Goldstein, founder of one of the world’s leading photography websites, photographyblog.com chooses cameras to record those romantic moments. 

Inkling co-founder Sophia Oliver says, “Inkling has assembled an impressive roster of experts who supply tightly curated gift edits, scouring the web for perfect gifts in their specialist subject. They do the work to get it right, so the thousands of busy working women, mums, fathers and professionals who use the site don’t have to. Inkling mixes the best of both worlds: smart algorithms to sort through the huge choice on the site, but the option to see an expert's recommendation too. It takes personal shopping to a new level.”

Inkling was founded by new mums Michelle Kingsley and Chloe Ross, and their friend busy professional Sophia Oliver, when they realised they just didn't have the time to trawl the high street for gifts any more. They needed a faster, more efficient way of buying their friends and family brilliant presents – and Inkling, which now has an audience of 2 million across its editor network, was born.

For more information, visit www.an-inkling.com

Inkling - Grey Fox curates a page on gift finder service

Grey Fox has been invited to curate a page of gift ideas for men and women on Inkling. This is a gift finder service with very high standards of selection which enables you to create a wishlist to share with friends and family. By using invited experts to select and curate pages, Inkling helps you to find properly-targeted gifts at a wide variety of prices. I think it works, which is why I accepted the invitation.

You can find my page here, or by clicking on the link in the top right-hand column of this blog. I will be adding more selection as time goes by, so please call back for birthdays and so on. Good luck in your searches. Please let me have feedback in comments below - I'd welcome that.

A screenshot showing the page on Inkling curated by Grey Fox