Katie's Ramblings

The problem with running a business, is that sometimes too much time is spent running a business! The past couple of weeks I've spent battling with banks, Customs and Excise and end of year PAYE. It's enough to fry your brain, and really has nothing to do with why you got into business in the first place (for one, it all seems to be about paying money out, instead of making money!); I'm always happier when I'm doing something creative which is why I'm excited about our new project 'the book'. There, I've said it, it must be true!

Tony Nylons has been thinking about books for a couple of years now, but the problem is, they're very expensive to print (unless send them on a slow boat from China, which isn't an option if you're as fussy about print quality as Tony and want a confirmed arrival date). In February we were approached by a small publisher who asked us if we'd ever thought of doing a book, and would be be interested in doing one with him? The idea being that we'd combine Tony's pictures with articles about lingerie from the 1940s and 1950s. Of course, that was the easy part.

The last couple of months Tony has been going into overdrive and I've been quite laid back about it all. It's suddenly dawned on me that I've got 2 months to write all my pieces so now I'm in overdrive too. The good news is that during my research I'm turning up lots of little titbits of information and discovering more about lingerie from the 1940s and 1950s than I could ever dream. All being well we're looking to launch our book at the Goodwood Revival in September (my, I've really put my foot in it now!)

Of course, we're keeping the pictures under-wrap at the moment (although members of Nylon Flash will be getting little previews over the next few months) so instead here's a picture of Bernie Dexter.

Bernie's been busy over the last couple of years working on her own line of clothing (cut for proper hourglass figures!), and also a line of vintage inspired lingerie by Lucy B. When she launched her Lucy B range of lingerie we didn't want to appear to be in competition with each other and so Bernie stopped selling What Katie Did on her website.

It's now quite obvious that Lucy B and What Katie Did have their own very distinct styles, that nothing really clashes, so Bernie is going to start stocking What Katie Did lingerie again. Hooray! To make it extra special Bernie will be modelling the pieces herself so she'll give our lingerie a completely different look. Customers based in the US are of course welcome to order direct from What Katie Did, but should you be happier to order from a US based company then BernieDexter.com will be the place to check out.

The Girl Can't Help it Yard Sale

Vintage clothing specialists The Girl Can't Help It hold an infamous annual yard sale to clear out old stock. This year they're holding it at Hell to Pay at Alfies Antique Market on Thursday 23rd April, 10am to 5pm. Prices range from £10 to £50. The Girl Can't Help It is one of the premier vintage clothing boutiques in the UK so don't be surprised to find Kate Moss hiding from the paps in their changing room! Prices aren't cheap, but this is reflected in the quality of their stock.