Bensimon - what is so special about the brand?

One of my best friends has recently bought a very basic pair of shoes that look like that

and a bag like that

She was totally disappointed when I said I can't see what is so special about the shoes (quite shabby) and the bag (quite ordinary)..but then she said: "Oh come on, you don 't know Bensimon, do you?" ..my answer was obviously NO.
Well it seems Bensimon is a VERY FAMOUS French brand that encompasses clothing, home furnishings, accessories and stationary.
The funny thing is that I searched for information about Bensimon and found that:
"This long established French company started out just after WWII importing American second hand clothes in France. La Tennis Bensimon was inspired by the surplus army canvas sneakers and immediately became a must-have in women's wardrobes. Classically French and hip, La Tennis Bensimon shoes are a simple luxury. Colourful, relaxed and feminine, the Bensimon Collection is perfect for a little bit of fun everyday." (http://www.gravitypope.com/shoes/womens/bensimon)

So, all right , I give up...maybe in 2 or 3 months I ll start loving this shoes!

Scotland rocks with the Design Collective Scotland

I was looking for information on the London Fashion Week- which is approaching- and just by chance I found out information about the Design Collective Scotland I had heard about a few weeks ago.

The DCS comprises four of Scotland's leading emerging contemporary designers and aims to showcase the finest cutting edge fashion talent. The collective is made up of 4 designers: Emily Lamb, Di Gilpin, Iona Crawford, Marc Ross.(http://www.designcollectivescotland.com/)
I love Emily's shoes (Emily has a studio in Waterfoot, East Renfrewshire, and has launched her own business at the tender age of 23) ...

and I also love Di Gilpin knitwear..look at this wrist warmer :))

Their Spring/Summer 2012 collections will be presented at London Fashion Week 16-20 September 2011
     

Why I love Etsy

Because you can find everything you wish for in a single website...www.etsy.com
ipad covers, clothes, jewels, furniture, everything, really everything...

Indian trucks - definitely some work of art

Last night I was watching a TV program where 3 North Americans truck drivers had to drive back and forth on a road close to the Himalaya...the program was mainly about the difficulties and perils they had to overcome while driving in harsh meteorological and road conditions...but what caught my attention the most guess what it was? The decorations on the trucks they were driving...Indian trucks are colorful pieces of art...and they are so typical about India! All of the them have the sign "horn please" normally written in the back and I can assure you that the drivers definitely use the horn...
To me Indian Trucks are  very inspirational in terms of colors combination and design...I am pretty sure stylists will copy these patterns on their fabrics soon...

Vintage Treasures in London

I was reading one of my favourite fashion magazine yesterday when I stumbled in an article about vintage fashion in London...the journalist was mentioning in her article Judith Michael as one - or probably the best- vintage shop in London.Since I had not heard of it...(I know it's terrible :)) I checked the website and found some itneresting information.
Judith Michael and her daughter are running a vintage shop in Primrose Hill in London, close to Camden Town. It does seem to be an interesting place and almost everything is on sale (scented candles, accessories, jewels)..I ll probably hit her shop next time I ll be in London....
Have a look at www.judithmichael.com in the meanwhile...

How come Kiehl's creams are so expensive in the UK?

When I was in London last week I ran out of my favourite daily cream - interesting enough it s a men cream (Kiehl's facial fuel) -....so I wanted to buy a new one. I went to Covent Garden where I knew there was a Kiehls shop...I found my cream...but I refused to buy it because definitely it was not worth.How come the same cream can cost $ 30 in the US (kiehl's is an American brand), 30 euro in Italy and 36£ in the UK??
I have no idea...(maybe you know better than I do)

It doens't make much sense to me...and I have also recently found out that Kiehls has  launched an Italian website...you can order everything you want on line and the shipping is free (GREAT!!)...for those in Italy you can have a look at www.kiehls.it....  for all the other the website is www.kiehls.com...
and even if you are a girl/lady try the facial fuel gel for men...you ll love it!

TOMS - do some good, buy a pair of shoes!

I love shoes: when I was in London my attention was caught by a pair of TOMS worn by the girl sitting in front of me on a bus.
I had read some news about TOMS on an Italian magazine  just before leaving...but I had never seen a pair of TOMS in reality (they are nice, very simple, and basically are summer shoes).

TOMS is a shoes brand that was founded in 2006, by American traveler Blake Mycoskie, who while travelling in Argentina found that the young children he met had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need.

TOMS has given over 140,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa. The interesting thing is that you can really see on www.toms.com how many pair of shoes have been delivered to children in need (see the map below).
Once a shoe is purchased, it takes about four to six months to hand-place them on children’s feet.

The shoes look very simple (they do remind me of espadrillas) and a "basic" pair costs £33.
 he pair I have bought at Office in Covent Garden in London looks exactly like the one below.

So, do some good and buy a pair of TOMS..I just love the idea...It is absolutely inspirational!!