When I was planning the shop opening a year ago, six large frames of tartan book plates came up for auction and I knew I had to have them. I'm usually able to walk away from something if the price climbs higher than the number I assign to it, but occasionally something like these book plates comes along that I'm willing to be flexible about because I know it's that unique. I don't think I have any Scottish in me, but I've always been drawn to tartans and plaids. With her love of the pattern, Vivienne Westwood can do no wrong in my eyes. And when winter is approaching, a tartan blanket or accent wall of fabric shows that there's beauty in being stuck indoors. Tartan often goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite styles -- gentleman's club (see previous post) -- in a variety of forms from wallpaper to covered boxes. It casts such a spell that it makes me nostalgic about things that have never featured prominently in my life -- fox hunts and hot toddies and chilly castles on the moors.
