SS12 Preview: Belen Echandia’s spring collection – The Paris bag

The final brand new bag from Belen Echandia’s spring collection (see the full line sheet here) is the Paris Tote.  The Paris is a sturdy yet comfortable lightweight shoulder bag with a top zipper and messenger strap. It looks and feels wonderful on the shoulder, the elbow and when worn as a cross body bag.  We’ve had a few questions about whether this bag is extra heavy because of the decorative buckles on the sides – the answer is no.  

The weight of this bag is just 950 grams, which is similar to or lighter than a lot of our bags. This bag has very little hardware and what it does have is lightweight, making it a very comfortable bag to wear.  Here is a close-up shot of the Vermillion leather and the details on the Paris.

Here is an inside shot. *Please note* this is the first sample we produced, before we decided to add a top zipper. All Paris Totes produced after this one have a top zipper as well as the magnets, for added security. The buckles on the sides are merely decorative and not used to close the bag in any way.

We’ve called this bag a tote for want of a better word, but it is not really a tote in the “jute tote” sense, rather it’s a sturdy shoulder bag which has slightly more structure than other BE bags, whilst remaining soft against the body.

Belen Echandia’s SS12 Collection: The Copenhagen Backpack

Inspired by chic Scandinavian ladies wearing sporty backpacks with their high heels and smart coats, the Copenhagen is Belen Echandia’s very first backpack style bag and is designed to give those who need or prefer to wear a bag on both shoulders a chic alternative to black nylon. The first sample was almost perfect, but to make it even more comfortable to carry, we’ve added padded folded handles with no painted edges to both the back straps and the top handle. We have also widened the back straps a little to add extra comfort.

The clasp on the Copenhagen backpack is designed to make it more secure on your back than other backpacks, as it is impossible to undo it without you noticing. At the same time it is very easy and convenient to open with a quick squeeze once the bag is off your back.

Here are a few pictures of the original version in plain canvas with tan accents. As soon as we have photographs of the new version we will upload them:



Belen Echandia’s SS12 collection: The Florence

The Florence is a gorgeous little cross body satchel. It has a slightly more structured look than our bags usually do, but it remains comfortable and soft against the body. Since the first question we are asked with small to medium bags is how much can be carried inside them, we thought an interior shot of this bag would be useful. Here you can see that despite its compact size Belen Echandia’s Florence bag has 3 separate compartments to help you stay organized. Here’s what we put into the large compartment:

1. Python wallet;
2. Small 7″ (18cm) tablet computer;
3. Business card holder full of cards; and
4. Phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was still a little space to fit a few more things in the inside zip and/or front pocket, and as you can see from the picture below, it doesn’t look at all packed out from the side, either. The Florence was another fashion editor’s favourite at our press day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of our professional pictures to show you how it looks inside and close-up. There is also a spin shot on our website and we’re hoping to snap a quick picture of one of us wearing it shortly so you can get an idea how it looks ahead of our campaign shots.

 

Belen Echandia’s SS12 Collection Continued: The RIO

RIO is Belen Echandia’s slouchy bag for the SS12 season.  Simple yet detailed, comfortable to wear and also extremely practical and wearable, Rio is just like its namesake city: stylish, carefree, vibrant and happy.  This bag can be worn across the body or on the shoulder. The easy access and secure front pocket is great for storing your phone, keys or wallet or your bus pass – anything you need to access quickly.  This new clasp is very chic.  The slightly padded detail on the top of the flap matches the details on some of our other new styles, like the Barcelona and the Copenhagen backpack. This bag can be worn on one shoulder or across the body.

I snapped this picture recently whilst in Beijing, thinking that you would all like to see how it looks when worn across the body. We’ll be adding a slider to the strap for production, so you will be able to make it even longer. There was no time for a costume change, so I’m wearing the exact same outfit as in the previous picture.  Sorbet looks just as great with a neutral/off-white top and a pair of blue jeans as with a light pair of pants for summer and a leather biker jacket in the winter.

Here’s a view of the interior. This gives a better idea of the colour:

The front pocket is easy to open and close and is a generous size – the perfect size to keep a medium-sized wallet and/or phone.

This bag was designed (in black) for one of the fashion editors of Grazia, one of Belen Echandia’s “Inspirational Women”. We met her in London and chatted about the features she finds useful in a bag for her job as fashion editor/general stylish girlie at large.

Pre-order yours on the Belen Echandia website, here.

Spring 2012 Preview contd. – Barcelona Satchel

After my blog post yesterday, I received an email asking me if we had decided to do away with professional models this season and use me as the model instead.  The customer who asked and I had a good chuckle over this after I explained that no, I wouldn’t be modelling the bags for our website but rather, as I explained in the post, these are informal images for my personal blog.  We always get requests for more images of the bags really early in the season before our modelled shots are done.  So although these images aren’t very professional, hopefully you can get a better idea about each style this way.

Today’s model for that matter isn’t me!

In case you didn’t see it yesterday, here is the link to the full line sheet of available styles and colours for the spring summer 2012 season: http://www.youblisher.com/p/209746-BELEN-ECHANDIA-SS2012/

Today I was going to show you the mini Cannes bag, but I had so many requests about the Barcelona Satchel that I’ve decided to do an in-depth review of the Barcelona instead.  This bag was a favourite of both buyers and press at our press day in November.

So here is the Barcelona Satchel, in a variety of colour ways.   Here is one of Marco’s assistants modelling the Barcelona in mint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is very comfortable to hold in your hand.

Here’s the Barcelona in whiskey chevre – we hung it on a door handle to show a profile view so you get a better idea of the depth. It’s a lovely depth – deep enough to fit all your items, but shallow enough to mould beautifully to your body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the inside of this bag there is a central zipped compartment, where you can store valuables. It also has an easy access slip pocket on the back, as you can see from the spin shot on our website. Here is the mint bag with fuchsia lining (the central compartment got a bit pushed to one side in this picture):

The real beauty of this bag is that it is designed to fold over in the middle, so that you can wear it crossbody.  Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it worn that way, but it is extremely comfortable.  Here is a picture of it in grey chevre, folded over so you can see how great it looks.

 

Pre-order the Barcelona in Whiskey new matte or Black velvet matte calfskin, here.

Pre-order the Barcelona in Mint or Whiskey Chevre, here.

SS12 Line Sheet Preview – Cannes Satchel

Our spring summer 2012 line sheets are now available for preview.  We will add all the new styles to our website over the coming ays so you can order your favourite colour in advance and have it delivered early next year.  The Cannes shoulder bag is the first to go up, here.

Disclaimer: this is not the BE official model shoot, it is just me on my blog showing how the bags hang on a real person.

Here is the link to the full SS12 line sheet: http://www.youblisher.com/p/209746-BELEN-ECHANDIA-SS2012/

Every day for the next 6 days we will upload informal pictures of each new style, discuss each one in detail and show how it hangs and can be worn.   I took some pictures whilst previewing the new collection, so you can see how each one looks on a person of average height (5ft 5″ to be precise).  Today’s first entry is the Cannes Shoulder Bag (full size) in whiskey chevre.

My first thought when I tried on the first prototype of this bag empty was that the rolled handles , which I designed for comfort, might fall off my shoulder.  But as soon as I put in my wallet and cell-phone, they stayed put very comfortably.  My second thought was – This bag is amazing!  The Cannes is a lightweight bag.  We made the handle drop long enough to fit very comfortably on the shoulder.  You can open and close the side pockets whilst the bag is still on your shoulder, which is useful if you need your phone or something else close to hand.  The front pockets are more for decoration, but they are also useful and deep enough to fit a phone or a couple of small items.

You can cinch in the sides of this bag with the drawstring, but this time from the inside of the bag instead of the outside.  The bag also has two magnets, making it a very secure style.   The Cannes is also really comfortable when worn crossbody.  The handles fold down very easily and they don’t look at all awkward.  As you can see, the bag is quite deep but moulds softly against the body.

The Cannes is available for SS12 pre-order in chocolate matte and whiskey matte calfskin as well as sand and whiskey chevre. If you would like to pre-order it in a different colour, please ask about the specific colour you want and we may be able to help.

Pre-order HERE

 

Belen Echandia selected to be part of Vogue’s Online Fashion Week

I’ve been visiting England with Theo for the past few weeks, but I haven’t stopped working on exciting projects for even a minute.

I am so excited to be working with Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue Online during Vogue’s Online Fashion Week, in aid of the Neuroblastoma Society. Vogue’s Online Fashion Week runs from Monday 5 December to Friday 9 December.  The week will be packed full of interviews, fashion articles, exclusive products, advice from Industry insiders and much, much more.  You can read more about it on the Vogue website, here: http://www.vogue.co.uk/online-fashion-week/2011/monday-5th-december.

Vogue asked Belen Echandia to create some exclusive handbags especially for Vogue’s Online Fashion Week as well as come up with some fun ideas and incentives to give to charity. To get into the festive spirit, we are giving every customer who spends more than £400 a complimentary opportunity to experience our bespoke service, with a Christmas gift of a complimentary bespoke small leather item made with leather, lining and hardware colour of your choice (choose from our business card holder, pouch, phone holder, or metro card holder).

We will also have a competition for all those who visit our BEspoke section, create their favourite bespoke item and click on Buy at the end (without entering credit card details). We can trace these “orders” on our ordering system and one of the creations will be selected and its owner will win a small leather item free.

To enter you must also like the Belen Echandia Facebook page www.facebook.com/belenechandia

Finally, Belen Echandia is very happy to be donating 10% of the proceeds from every handbag sold during Vogue’s Online Fashion Week to the Neuroblastoma Society. Neuroblastoma is a rare form of childhood cancer. The Society raises funds for research, information and support for those affected.

Happy Christmas!

Jackie and the BE Team

BE’s Christmas Gift to loyal customers: Individual bespokes on small leather goods

We’re so excited to announce that as a Christmas gift to our loyal customers, our atelier has agreed to produce bespoke small leather goods for the first time ever.  They are able to do this – for a limited time only – because we have lots of small pieces of various leathers that are not big enough to produce a bag.  We know that lots of you will be excited to get your favourite accessory made up in your favourite leather, lining & hardware combination at last.  Please note that this applies to *new* orders only placed from today’s date until Friday, December 23rd.

This means that Angel Purses, Kiss Me Clutches (our make-up bag), Iphone holders, Ipad holders, Business Card Holders, Coin Purses, “Protect Me” Card Holders, Pen Pouches and Wristlets will all be available to order in your favourite leather – perfect as a Christmas gift for yourself or for someone else.  See below for pictures and the ordering links.

This is a very limited-time offer, which means that all orders must be placed before our Christmas ordering deadlines.

Bearing in mind early shipping dates and the fact that your order must be produced especially for you, to ensure that your order is delivered before Christmas the last ordering date if you are outside of the UK is Friday 25 November.  Within the UK the last ordering date is Wednesday 7 December.

This could change at any time depending on how busy our schedule gets, so we will keep this post updated.

For delivery after Christmas, the final deadline to take advantage of this opportunity is Friday 23rd December.

For any queries you may have, please contact Janelle at janelle(@)belenechandia.com

Happy Holidays from the Belen Echandia team.

XXXXX

Angel Purse (with wrist strap)

ORDER NOW IN YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR, HARDWARE AND LINING COMBINATION

Wristlet (with wrist strap)

ORDER NOW IN YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR, HARDWARE AND LINING COMBINATION

Kiss Me clutch (with wrist strap) – We call this our make-up bag as that’s what it was originally designed for and it’s SO useful. I couldn’t live without mine.  But many people use it as a clutch.


ORDER NOW IN YOUR FAVOURITE LEATHER, LINING AND HARDWARE COMBINATION

Business Card Holder – note that picture shows an extra small, square business card. The holder is a standard size.

Will be added to our website shortly! Meanwhile EMAIL US to set your leather aside

IPAD holder

Will be added to our website shortly! Meanwhile EMAIL US to set your leather aside

Iphone holder (with handy leather neck string so you can wear it around your neck)

Will be added to our website shortly! Meanwhile EMAIL US to set your leather aside

Protect Me tube pass holder (with wristlet)

ORDER NOW IN YOUR FAVOURITE LEATHER, LINING AND HARDWARE COMBINATION

 Pouch/Pen Holder – perfect for holding small items like pens, a comb, even wet wipes. Fits at least 4 pens.

Will be added to our website shortly! Meanwhile EMAIL US to set your leather aside


COIN PURSE

 

Will be added to our website shortly! Meanwhile EMAIL US to set your leather aside

*Please note – almost all leathers showing on our leathers page are part of this Christmas Gift, but we will be monitoring it closely and removing leathers once they are no longer available.  Some leathers like pewter crash are now available only in VERY limited quantities, so we apologize in advance if we don’t catch the order fast enough.  If your chosen  leather proves not to be available, you will have the option of a full refund.  Below is a list of leathers that are definitely not available but are still showing up as we have outstanding orders for them in the system*:

Red sheen
Red Glossy
Navy Glossy

Some chevre leathers are available to make small leather goods, but most are not. Please email us to check chevre availability.

 

What do you do all day?

Last month we became part of an Italian organization which seeks to help Italian fashion companies and brands that produce using artisans in Italy.  One of the first projects we will participate in with their – albeit small – support is the Chinese buyer trip next week.  On Monday, Marco had the first meeting with the other companies from the organization, but there was so much to discuss that the meeting is to be continued on Wednesday.  We’re eagerly awaiting the outcome and round-up of that meeting! I have always been surprised that there isn’t more EU support for Italian ateliers, being a dying breed that really must be preserved, so this was an exciting start to the week that I thought you would all like to hear about.

People often ask me what I do every day and there’s so much I never know where to start. I usually start the day by checking and replying to emails since the BE team members are all on different time zones.  Then my son wakes up far earlier than I would like him to and of course when his father is still sound asleep.  He generally wakes up and shrieks until I pick him up and bundle him into our room, where we spend at least half an hour reading books and looking at animals on the iphone until eventually he says “Mamma?, mamma? mamma! mat!” (Swedish for food) and points at his mouth.  This happens like clockwork virtually every day, so we get up and make breakfast together before daddy drops him at daycare.  After that I do some exercise and then start work around 9am if I don’t have a meeting.

Today I’ve been planning our China trip, checking on the delivery of the bags (they are already cleared for delivery and in Hong Kong, yay!), applying for our visas at the Chinese Embassy, checking trend reports for the coming seasons, finalising our SS12 line sheets and swatch books, writing a few SS12 trend blog posts and starting on AW12.  I finished off with a trip to a farm/park and then dinner with the family and finally had to tuck both Theo AND his favourite ball up in bed before getting back to work this evening.  It’s been a really fun day, some of the SS12 trends are really amazing, especially the prints I found at the Milan show.  Here’s one of my favourites:

SS12 fashion trends, prints

Now it’s time for bed. Hope you’ve had a great day too!

Jackie XX

 

 

Belen Echandia goes to China

Belen Echandia is off to Beijing!

Picture of Beijing

The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy preparing for my trip to China to show our collection to Chinese buyers.  We started our Spring 2012 handbag collection really early this year and what a collection it is – probably our best ever – but it seems that no matter how early we start, we never complete things as early as we would like.

Just before the summer I left Theo for the first time ever since he was born – mainly because his father travels a lot and we don’t have grandparents to help us in Stockholm – and went to London to work on the new collection with the pattern maker.  It was a fun and whirlwind day, since I combined it with a bit of shopping (new shoes!) and a lunch meeting with one of Grazia’s fashion editors to discuss her dream bag. What a treat that was – after 15 months of breastfeeding and taking care of a small baby I was climbing the walls and seriously ready to shop until I dropped!

After the Grazia meeting we went through all the ideas and the patterns and I signed a lot of things off and then we packed up a box with our ideas and sent it off to Marco so that he could begin the next stage of making the samples when he returned from his summer break. Usually Marco goes away during the entire month of August – it’s a tradition in Italy because of the seemingly never-ending summer heat.  They don’t have air-conditioning in all parts of the workshop, making it even more difficult than usual to work.  But this summer there wasn’t any time to take the whole month off, even though all tanneries and hardware producers close, so they spent a part of it working on our new samples.

Our samples take a long time to produce, sometimes even one whole week per bag because of all the back and forth and new details that need to be tested and confirmed. I know that you’re all going to email and ask me to show you the new collection immediately, but I really can’t – I do promise though that it will be worth the wait when you see the final collection.  But just to give you a teaser/a glimpse into the way we work, here is a part of one of our SS12 bags (a flap) being produced

Handbag flap drawingHow to make a handbag flap

I love seeing sketches go from pencil on paper to final leather piece, so I thought you might find it interesting as well.  I guess lots of you would love to be a fly on the wall in the workshop watching those talented Italian hands cut and stitch the leather.  It’s really a treat to see.

The China trip has proved a little more stressful than I initially anticipated.  First of all, we had to send all the samples to the photographer so that we could put them on the line sheet, but of course, they were not ready in time given that they had to be shipped to Bejing 3 weeks before the show.  So we managed to photograph just 7 of them, which was thankfully enough to get the line sheets ready. Phew!

There was a lot of back and forth and worrying about whether everything would go smoothly and then, just before we sent out the bags we were told by the Chamber of Commerce that to ensure we didn’t pay taxes in China (as the bags are coming back), we needed a carnet to travel with our bags.  So Julia and Karon filled out what felt like 100 pages of very detailed information and we  paid over £400 to get the carnet.  It took days and Julia and Karon worked late two nights in a row, bless them, but they managed to get it all done in time.  Unfortunately UPS then had other ideas and refused to let our boxes leave with the carnet unless we used a very expensive freight service, so we had to abandon that route and send the boxes with an ordinary courier and without carnet.

Please cross your fingers for us that the boxes arrive in time!  We’re leaving next Thursday on the 20th, arriving back in Stockholm on Wednesday 26th.  I’m really not looking forward to being away from Theo for all that time, but on the other hand I can’t wait to visit Beijing.  Will post another update here soon.  Have a great week! Jackie XX

AW11 Trends: The Wellington

 

The humble wellington boot has come a long way  since I was a child and wearing wellies really wasn’t considered cool.  Fast forward 25 years and the boot is a style symbol,  worn and styled by celebrities with a pair of leather shorts or skinny jeans and available in masses of colours, from turquoise to bright red.  Even Jimmy Choo, the company known for its sky-high heels and super delicate shoes has introduced a range of wellingtons.  There are surely those who think wearing wellingtons is sloppy, but you only have to look at Hunter’s latest “Styled By” Campaign (on their Facebook page) to see how stylish these boots can be.

The question is, which brand to buy?  I trawled the internet and narrowed my selection down to 3 of the most stylish brands and now I want you to help me decide.  I’m going towards the Hunter right now as they seem to be the best fit for me and available in lots of colours and styles.  But I can’t make my mind up so I would love your opinion. Here is the short list:

Ilse Jacobsen

Ilse Jacobsen Hornbaek


Ilse Jacobsen is a Scandinavian brand founded by its namesake in 1993.  Like me, Ilse Jacobsen wasn’t a fashion designer when she started her fashion brand and like me, she wanted to do something different to the mainstream.  Ilse focuses sharply on quality and simplicity in her design.  I love the vintage look of the lace-up boots, the focus on natural materials and innovation and the fact that just like BE bags they cannot be found everywhere and on everyone. But I’m not so sure about the laces.  On the one hand they are different, but on the other hand I am not that tall and I have thin legs and I think a streamlined silhouette might be better (?).

Two other style options from the Ilse Jacobsen line: this gorgeous pair of grey snakeprint plain boots and the plain pink ones. Perhaps not in pink.  Somehow though, these just do not have the cool factor the IJ lace-up boots have and they are not as refined as my next two options.


Hunter

 

Hunter is probably the oldest brand of wellingtons there is, founded as it was in 1857 in Glasgow, of all places.  Before its international jet-setting days of celebrity superstardom, Hunter also made such things as tyres, golf balls and rubber flooring.  I LOVE these boots because they are simple and recognizable, although I do see them everywhere and I usually prefer to avoid things that everybody else is wearing. But – they are stylish, good quality, I have lots of different colours to choose from and their fun approach to collaborations really does appeal to me. I also love their latest Facebook campaign, “styled by” in which they have asked style icons to style their favourite Hunter boots in their own way.

My biggest dilemma with Hunter is which style and colour to choose. Should I go for the Classic or the Regent? Tall or short? Matte or gloss? Black or bright purple… do you own a pair of Hunter and have an opinion to share?

Le Chameau

Worn by the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa, the Le Chameau brand is a much more conservative look than I would usually go for, but they are reported to be more slender than the other boot brands and they are made by master bootmakers using natural materials, in the same way they were 80 years ago.  It is very important to me to respect and support this kind of craftsmanship, because I have a big fear of fast-food and fast-fashion taking over the world and bad quality becoming the norm.  So I would love to buy them, but this brand reminds me a little of Mulberry before its move to Far-Eastern production and international sales.  In a couple of years they will probably also sell red, purple and blue wellingtons, but for now my choice is a little more limited and the brand less fashionable, much as I would like to support them.

Here are the choices I have narrowed it down to:

So please tell me, what do you think? Should I get the vintage, cool lace-up Ilse Jacobsen, the super stylish celebrity-crazed Hunters or the refined Le Chameau? What would you do?

 

 

Jackie’s style tips: How to survive winter

I actually LOVE the autumn and winter seasons. I love big coats, I love leather bags, I love boots (especially my black fur Muks Mukluks), I love cosy winter nights by the fire and outdoor candles sitting in the snow outside candlelit restaurants.  There are a few things that make winter extra special for me, so I thought you might like to share them.

1. Try some bright red nail varnish

This could actually be “bright pink nail varnish” or any colour that takes your fancy. I just love bright nail varnish against cool winter skin.  I also love bright lipsticks, although they don’t suit me.  There is something so sexy and wintry about bright red lips and bright red nails. A sophisticated red, of course.

Red nail polish                                                                                                 Image courtesy of rednailart.com

My favourite blog about nail varnish is Sara’s Daily Polish.

2. Invest in the most expensive winter coat that you can afford

A well-fitted winter coat is essential.  Depending on your location, you’ll likely spend at least 140 days wearing it and hopefully you will choose wisely and wear it for years to come.  A bright, wearable coat can be just as classic as a smart black one. Buy the most expensive one you can afford, since along with your shoes and handbag your coat is the item you will wear the most and is one of the most on-display items in your wardrobe.  I never thought I would write “love” and Versace in the same sentence, but I love Versace’s Military Wool Coat:

Versace Military Wool Coat

3. Invest in a pair of stylish leather boots/fur boots

My favourite boots are made by Muks. I have two pairs from last winter (grey and black) and I wore them almost every snow day we had.  They are comfortable yet chic and both look and feel very warm and cosy as well as stylish and fashionable.  The new soles can be comfortably worn in the snow without becoming wet.  I almost can’t wait for the really cold days to come so that I can break them out again.

Muks Mukluks

4. Invest in some stylish leg warmers

I love wearing skinny jeans and leggings with my calf-high fur boots in the winter and stylish leg warmers are a must on really cold days.  If you’re handy with the knitting needles, you could even knit some.

Stylish leg warmers

5. Buy a stylish hat

I love hats. I have quite a small head, so I can’t carry off every style and unless you have the perfect hat head (you know who you are) it is worth trying on a few different ones to find out which one suits you the best.  My favourite on cold winter days is a sloppy knitted hat worn baggy on the sides with a scarf draped around my neck.  Whilst we’re looking at this picture, how amazing are Sienna’s red shoes!

Winter beanie hats 2011Image Courtesy of La Vie Boston Blog.

6. Invest in a good skin lotion

My skin gets really dry and chapped in the winter so a good cream is a must. I use Avalon Organics lemon, rosemary or lavender lotion.  Thick and creamy but not sticky, this cream is absorbed easily into the skin, smells amazing and is natural to boot.

7. Invest in some key pieces of jewellery

A classic pair of pearls (mine have little diamonds on them) matches beautifully with the high-neck sweaters of autumn/winter. A beautiful ring takes the place of a necklace, which can no longer be seen under all those layers of clothing.  I love Monica Vinader’s beautiful nugget ring.

Monica Vinader Rings

Invest in a good handbag

How could we forget this one!

Clutch bag season!

From a handbag perspective, autumn/winter is clutch and shoulder bag season for me.  Although I never stop wearing my crossbody bags, I love to wear a big, stylish shoulder bag in the winter.  As for clutch bags, whilst summer means alfresco picnics and long evening walks, the darker autumn and winter seasons bring lots of parties, LBDs and cosy dinners with friends.  This season we’ve ordered some beautiful colours in our classic clutch.

Anthracite

Anthracite is a dark, semi-matte metallic gunmetal which is understated and chic, yet glamorous.  This colour matches with everything, particularly black for a chic Italian look.

Belen Echandia Anthracite Clutch Me

 Buy Now

Leopard Pony Skin

Snow leopard is the trendiest material out there this season, but surprisingly it is also a classic. Trends come and go every few years – in case you haven’t noticed – and animal prints are touted as the hottest thing at least every couple of years.  For those who don’t watch trends as such, snowleopard is a very special material that works with lots of colours, from the obvious black to more surprising colour and print clashes, for those with more daring style taste.

Belen Echandia Snow Leopard Clutch bag

Grey Snakeprint

Snakeprint is not for everyone, but I love it.  This snakeprint is super soft and luxurious, although very hardwearing.  The print adds just the right touch of glamour and the understated colour is lovely with chic black outfits but also matches many other colours.

Grey snakeprint clutch | Belen Echandia clutch bags

Buy Now

Hot pink

Last but not least, bright colours are probably the biggest trend this season, but a happy colour will never go out of fashion.  This delicious pink chevre is bright but wearable.  I would wear this with a cocktail dress, smart trousers and heels or even a smart jumpsuit.

Clutch Bags by Belen Echandia | Clutch Me

 Buy Now

Bright winter coats

This weekend winter suddenly and harshly arrived to Sweden.  One minute I was walking down the street in a short-sleeved sweater, or heading out for a run in just leggings and tank, the next I was freezing.  This happens to me every year – winter begins and I’m always surprised.

This year, thankfully, I’ll be heading to Greece in the middle of September for a lovely week of sunshine with the very good excuse of having to attend a close friend’s wedding.  But there will still be plenty of winter in Sweden to wear warm coats – and this year I intend to wear bolder colours than I normally would.

Here’s a rundown of the coats I’m considering this season. Leave me a comment at the end and give me links to any winter coats you’re currently lusting after.

Vermillion

Those of you who read my blog often know that I am currently obsessed with vermillion orange. It suits my skin tone perfectly, is a wearable bright (unlike harsher or darker shades that can wash me out), will match with so many different things  and best of all, I just love the colour. It makes me feel happy just to look at it.

Here’s one of my favourite vermillion coats for this season. Do you have a favourite?

Vermillion winter coat

Here’s our Madrid crossbody in vermillion orange, which would look so great with this coat!

Belen Echandia orange crossbody bag

Purple

Purple is a wearable colour for some, but tricky for others. It suits fair or dark skin tones set against dark hair best.  Think Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada.  The darker/milder the shade, the easier it is to wear.  Overly bright colours can look harsh in certain lights, so choose your colour wisely if you want this to be an investment piece.  I love dark purples and aubergine colours like this one:

Purple winter coat

Red

Red is another wearable bright, although some people are quite scared of wearing it, or see it as an aggressive colour. I like warm reds the best, those with a slight pink undertone.  Scarlet is too harsh for my skin tone and really needs to be made in an expensive fabric to avoid looking cheap.  This season’s reds are mainly expensive looking colours, so it’s the perfect time to invest in a bright red coat.  Our red chevre is an expensive-looking matte leather.  Nicole Richie looks beautiful in this light red coat:

Red winter coat

Belen Echandia’s red chevre Milan Satchel would look amazing with the right red coat:

 

 Belen Echandia Milan satchel Red

 

Pink

I believe that a coat is really an investment piece and personally I would not spend a lot of money on a pink coat.  But I am looking to be persuaded. Do you have a pink coat? Would you buy one?  Please send me your tips!

Until next time.

Jackie XXX

 

 

Jackie’s new food blog

Falafel Recipe

I’m so excited to tell you that I have co-launched a food blog!  Many of you know that before launching Belen Echandia, I had written a business plan for a healthy salad bar.  That venture did not go ahead for several reasons, but healthy food remains one of my passions – particularly making healthy food that tastes great.  Since my son was born I have been concocting all kinds of new dishes for him, including sneaking vegetables into everything from burgers to smoothies.  I’ve also taken up baking, but I only bake with almond and coconut flour – high protein and so good for you. I also make a lot more raw food than I used to.

After our sons began to eat, my friend Nina and I would swap recipes for wholesome baby food, feed each other’s children and just generally discuss baby food and the new dishes we had made up.  Lots of people asked for our baby food recipes, many suggested that we start a food blog.   So we did.

Little Foodies is great for those of you who have babies or children and need some inspiration for what to feed them, but it’s also great for those who don’t have children and just want to find some healthy recipes that are tasty and interesting.  Please send us your questions, recipe requests, feedback and/or comments.  We look forward to hearing from you!

English version: Little Foodies
Swedish version: Bra Barnmat

To stay in touch with us, please visit our Facebook page.

Jackie & Nina

BE’s Customer Loyalty Programme Launches

Belen Echandia is launching a customer loyalty programme.  Here are the basic tiers.  Please email us if you have any questions.  We are working on a way to let all customers know their applicable level.  Meanwhile, if you would like to know, please email us individually and we can verify this for you.  Please bear with us, thank you.

Silver (Basic):  Customer must have purchased at least $1000/700GBP worth of items from our online boutique in the last calendar year.  Rewards currently associated with Silver customers are – stellar customer service, birthday stamp, free standard (Royal Mail) shipping on full price stock items, gift certificate worth $50/£35 at the end of the year with a handwritten thank you note, preview of next season’s collections.

Gold: Customer must have purchased at least $2500/1500GBP worth of items from our online boutique in the last calendar year.  Rewards currently associated with Gold customers are – stellar customer service, birthday stamp, free standard (Royal Mail) shipping on stock regular priced items or free Courier shipping if purchasing two or more regular priced stock items at a time, free standard shipping for BE Couture items, gift certificate at the end of the year worth $75/£50 with a handwritten thank you note, preview of next season’s collections.

Platinum: Customer must have purchased at least $5000/2500GBP worth of items from our online boutique in the last calendar year.  Rewards associated with Platinum customers are – stellar customer service, birthday stamp, free shipping (Royal Mail or courier) – your choice) on regular priced stock items, free standard shipping for sale items, free standard shipping for BE Couture items, preview of next season’s collections, option of gift voucher worth $75/£50 or complimentary small item at the end of the year with a handwritten thank you card.

Diamond: Customer must have purchased at least $10,000/6,000GBP worth of items from our online boutique in the last calendar year.  Rewards associated with Diamond customers are – stellar customer service, birthday stamp, right to free courier shipping on all orders (regular stock, sale stock, BE Couture), free return shipping, preview of next season’s collections, book of new season’s leather swatches*** (where available), gift certificate worth $75/£50 and complimentary small item at the end of the year with a handwritten thank you card, option of ordering a maximum of two small leather goods from pen holder, angel purse (fabric lining only), business card holder and having them made as a custom order.**

*As of February 2011, all Belen Echandia members who have purchased during 2011 will be started at the Silver level.  Customer’s status will be reviewed on a yearly basis, in January of the present year.

** This does not include wallets. This list may change at any time, depending on our atelier.

 

Winter 2011 trends in pictures

Row 1, left to right

1. Kara Ross Cuff, now on sale via Matches Fashion:

2. Amazing Burberry Coat in bright orange

3. Belen Echandia Warm Red Milan medium satchel in chevre (goat skin)

Row 2, left to right

1. Leopard Print heels

2. Shoe boots (Prada, what were you thinking?)

Row 3, left to right

1. MIH Jeans

2. Gold

3. Fur

Fashion Trends AW11

We have only just started wearing our summer whites and already everyone’s talking about autumn – but as we’ve learned to our peril in previous seasons, the early bird catches the worm, or rather, the best clothes. I am always surprised when I do my last-minute seasonal shopping to discover that the best pieces sold out several months previously. But not this year, I won’t make that mistake again.

If you’re a last minute shopper like me, don’t worry because I have rounded up some of the hottest pieces for this coming autumn/winter 2011 that you can still get your hands on.

Androgyny

I love this season’s androgyny trend, because rather than being all about women looking like men in suits and men’s shoes, there is a big focus on details: I call it girly androgyny. An oximoron, perhaps, but the fur, the lace, the scarves and red shoes:  it is undeniably feminine if not girly.

Block colour

Finally, my favourite way of dressing is flying high at the top of the fashion charts.  Good news if you’re partial to a colour pop.  The autumn runways started off where spring ended and sent a riot of bright colours to extend summer well into December and possibly even make it last until next spring. Red/blood orange was the clear favourite, from cardinal to vermillion, whilst greens, blues and pinks sat alongside the usual blacks and warm October shades.  I think this Burberry trenchcoat from the AW11 collection is amazing.

Texture

Texture is everywhere this season, from fur to sequins to knits and suede.  Of course, my favourite trend is textured leather.

Textured leather has been around for a while, but I still just cannot get enough of it.  This season, textures and prints are hot news alongside block colours.  Autumn/Winter is always my favourite fashion season, but this one is going to be my favourite for a long time.

I love texture on bags because it adds detail and distinctiveness without the need for big logos, which I don’t like at all.  I love all kinds of texture, from subtle to strong, from irregular to regular, from soft to hard.    My favourite combination is an irregular, soft texture, which is why I love our new super soft, black textured goatskin LA Tote.  I love this style because it works just as well as a hand-carry (one of the coming season’s big trends) as a shoulder bag and it is just so comfortable and stylish as an elbow-carry, which is my favourite way to wear a bag.  I also love the strength of this leather, its boldness.  It also fits nicely into the androgyny trend and could be worn by both men and women.


COLOUR OF THE SEASON: VERMILION ORANGE (Burnt orange)

Visit to Roma

Many brands call this colour “burnt orange” but I much prefer the sophisticated, French “Vermilion”. Whatever you call it, burnt orange/vermilion is a hot colour this coming autumn 2011 season and I, for one am very happy because this colour is amazing.  For a colour, it is so wearable that it is almost a neutral.  It pairs well with so many colours and outfits.  It works with every hardware from gunmetal to gold and suits most skin tones.  Best of all, it is just sooo pretty and makes a nice change from the even more ubiquitous cardinal and scarlet reds (not to mention a great change from my usual favourites, black and pewter).

As is often the case for me with colours, I prefer my accessories to do the talking.  This coming season, a bag, cuff or perhaps a coat in this gorgeous burnt orange/vermilion will see you through to next spring.  On that note, I actually don’t see this colour going anywhere for quite a while.


See by Chloe elbow patch sweater
$295 - net-a-porter.com

 

Diesel distressed jeans
$94 - coggles.com

 

Jimmy Choo platform high heels
$895 - net-a-porter.com

 

Monica Vinader ring
$355 - net-a-porter.com

 

Annina Vogel diamond earrings
£1,250 - net-a-porter.com

 

 

 

Belen Echandia: Belen’s Scrapbook: Inspirations

1. Black and White Stye Icons via My Inspiring Dream

2. Vintage Magazine Cover: Interiors Magazine

3. Paolo Navone’s Parisian Flat

4. Book shelves

Animal prints and pony skin – AW11

Animal prints and fur are hot news again for the AW11 season, but this time we’re seeing subtler prints like milky-white snow leopard alongside their flashier cousins.  We’ve used pony skin for the Belen Echandia handbag collection before, but this is the first time we’ve ever incorporated leopard and zebra into our larger handbag range. Only a small number of pieces are available and we’re very excited with the results.

It has taken me a while to get here. I have never been keen on animal prints.  But a couple of months ago, I was at a museum with my son when I spotted a woman wearing a velvet leopard-print crossbody bag which was a very similar shape to our Covet Me Mini.

The bag was quite simple, so I don’t know if it was the otherwise chic Scandinavian style that did it, or the fact that I could suddenly visualise a BE leopard print Covet Me Mini, but this woman rocked her animal print bag.  Animal prints suddenly seemed very wearable.

And now for a few pieces from the up coming animal print collection:

1. Clutch Me in leopard with black super soft matte trim

2. Milan Satchel in snow leopard with black super soft matte trim

3. Covet Me Mini in snow leopard with black super soft matte trim

 

Autumn Winter 2011 handbag and leather trends in pictures

Row 1,  left to right:

1. The clutch – The Duchess of Cambridge, AKA Katherine Middleton, made the clutch the handbag of the moment.  From weddings, to evenings out with the girls, to dinners and formal events, as well as just a date at the movies, we all need a clutch. Stuffing things in pockets is so last season.

2. The mini crossbody – If you think this bag looks too small, think again.  If you like any of the following, you need a mini cross body bag: Travelling (this style is perfect for looking chic and keeping cool whilst strolling through markets/cities/tourist attractions, running through airports when you need to quickly access passports and tickets), strolling around your own city, going to concerts or cycling (are you seriously going to carry a shoulder bag?), doing anything with small children (hands-free? It’s essential).   My stepfather once asked me why I had brought my “suitcase” to dinner – don’t make the same mistake.

3. Cuffs -  What more to say? Leather cuffs are now. They are hot. I usually have trouble wearing them because my wrists are so small, but these are lovely and so comfortable.

Row 2,  left to right:

4. Hand-carry/elbow-carry – If you like to hand-carry your bags you’re in luck this coming season. Luckily for those who don’t, our L.A. Tote has an adjustable handle that can be worn either way.

5. Red – Some people are scared of red. They think it is aggressive or difficult to wear. I think red is amazing. It can provide a drop of glamour in an otherwise monochrome colour palette in the shape of red nails, red shoes or a red bag. There is a shade of red to suit everyone, from cardinal to vermillion and back to scarlet.  Our red bags with chains are made from chevre (goatskin) and they are amazing. You will feel like a million dollars.

6. Prints/black and white/pony skin – Three trends in one, would you expect anything less? Our snow leopard pony skin bags are of the moment but don’t worry about them being trendy, have you noticed that animal print are “in” roughly every 2-3 years, maybe even more often? This is a trend that never really goes out of fashion. If you’ve been hesitating like me, don’t hesitate any longer. Buy now!

Row 3,  left to right:

7. Coin purses - Little coin purses are so cute and so useful: we all need them.  They are great for loose change, for tickets, for receipts, for taking as a mini mini clutch bag on an evening out.  An essential item in a woman’s wardrobe.  I’m going for the anthracite or the zebra pony skin.

8. Texture – Textured leather is amazing, particularly if it’s soft and smooshy.  I love the uber luxurious feel of Belen Echandia’s textured chevre leather (goatskin).

9. Colour – Ah, wearable colour… where have you been all my life?  In the deep dark trenches of Scandinavian winter (my husband is Swedish) I survive on colour therapy.  But thankfully, this season brings a lot of wearable colours and particularly colourful accessories, so I can wear my dark jeans and boots with this darling little colourful crossbody.

I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of upcoming handbag and leather trends.  If you did and/or you have any comments, please drop me a line!

Brightly coloured chevres

Ever since I wrote that post (this one) we’ve been inundated with emails asking us about available colours of chevre.  So we’ve started taking pictures of the chevre colours that are available now.  Today, we’re posting the bright colours. If you’re looking for a brightly coloured goatskin bag, here’s a run down of what we have (please not that these colours are fully-stocked and available now, but leathers frequently go out of stock so if there is a particular leather that you know you want, the best thing is to put down a deposit on it):

PARIS

We’re calling this colour chart “Paris”.   The colours look (on my screen at least) exactly as they do on the colour chart. This is an extremely soft, beautifully uniform leather. It does not show marks easily.  The colours are saturated and deep.

 

DIXAN

This is a washed chevre, meaning that it is a little more matte and has a little more texture – and the colours are a bit less saturated than Paris and Guanto.  These colours are my favourites, just because I like that “washed” look.  Here is a close-up of the texture of that leather in red, with all our linings:

Here are the bright colours from the Dixan colour chart:

GUANTO

This is a glove-like leather, the most classic of the three and as saturated and uniform as Paris, just with a little more gloss. This colour chart is a little harder to shoot, but we’ve had a go!

Please email Janelle (@) belenechandia.com – removing brackets – if you have any questions or would like to know more about these amazing leathers.

Jackie XX

Rock Chic Style for AW11

Rock chic style

 

 

Otis Maclain short sleeve shirt
$128 - new.amrag.com

 

Oasis cropped denim jacket
£45 - oasis-stores.com

 

Balmain black leather pants
$3,020 - stylebop.com

 

Supertrash gladiator sandals
£94 - theoutnet.com

 

 

Inspirational women design their dream bags

I recently read an article in the Sunday Times about girl power.  Although female emancipation occured a long time ago and gender equality has been a hot topic since the 60s, it is only really now that companies are actively seeking a high proportion of women as directors and non-executive directors.  “Girls, your time is now”  the headline said.

I went to London to meet one of the fashion editors of Grazia recently for a new project we’re working on, which ties in nicely with the topic of girl power.  With our all-girl team and our focus on customer interaction, participation and feedback, girl-power has always been a big theme for us.  I remember how excited we all were when we first started offering custom orders, at the prospect of handing back some power to our customers to decide many aspects of their bags for themselves.

This ongoing project will involve championing girl power by working with inspirational women from various fields to design their dream bags, inside and out.  We have always placed as much importance on the inside features of our bags as we do on the outside, with the aim of making them luxurious and as practical as a busy woman needs them to be.  But of course, what you need from a bag will depend on your lifestyle, your job and what you need to carry around with you all day as well as what you would like it to look like.  So instead of asking these women to simply design their dream bag, we are asking them to design their dream bag as a fashion editor, or singer, or lawyer… the bag that will fulfil their daily needs both in terms of aesthetics and practicality.

The meeting in London was fantastic and we can’t wait to show you the results later on this year.

Stay tuned!

Jackie XXXX

Some of our prices went up, yet others are going down…


We recently increased some of the prices on our custom ordered bags.  There were many reasons for this, which I won’t go into again here.  In short, custom bags are expensive to manufacture in Italy and we needed to raise the prices so that our super high standards didn’t slip.   But now, we have different news – some of our leather prices are going down and we’re passing the difference on to you.

We tend not to use the sheen, original matte and glossy leathers for stock bags any more, because although we love them, they smell great, they wear in beautifully and suit lots of different styles of bag, some of the colours of sheen and original matte (not glossy) can be a bit delicate and mainly we’ve just moved on a bit from our original leathers and we are using more expensive ones.

They are also not as readily available as they used to be.  We have many other customers who love them, though, so we have kept them as a BEC option and for those customers we now have some really good news. Since this is an older item, the tannery has dropped the prices on these leathers and now we can pass these savings on to you.  The prices of our in-stock bags and all future custom-ordered* bags in sheen, matte and glossy bags will drop by up to 20%.

*Please note, this applies to future orders not yet placed.  It does not apply to all styles, since some styles are already so low in price compared to the production cost that they cannot be lowered further.*

UPDATE: By delicate I mean that these leathers are not highly treated and thus they can show some signs of wear a little more than say a pebbled leather might.  If you prefer a leather that does not patinate at all and does not show any marks, this leather is perhaps not for you, especially not in the light pink or light grey, or other light colours.

Belen’s Scrapbook… The world through a designer’s eyes

Buy calf, get goatskin

Red chevre with all the different lining colours we have available to order

As many of you will know, spring 2011 ushered in a new era for Belen Echandia.  Several months of research has paid off and we now have access to the best chevre leathers available – chevre is goatskin, in case you’re wondering.  These skins are small, which means that we can buy them in small quantities for our custom-ordered bags.  They are soft and they come in lots and lots and lots of colours.  Being small and being goat, they are more expensive than our usual skins.  But the quality and the feel of these leathers is amazing.  The Belen Echandia BLACK collection was born.

For the avoidance of doubt, there are various different kinds of chevre. Some are more matte, some are shinier, some are more hard wearing and plumper than others.  Some have a bubble texture or deep veining, others are so smooth you might mistake them for butter.  I personally prefer something with texture as the most buttery lambskins can be a bit classic and delicate for my taste, especially in colour. But who cares what I like, the point is, there is something for everyone.

To give you the chance to try it for youreslf, throughout the month of August, we’re offering all purse forum members and all Belen Echandia customers the opportunity to try our chevre skins in any colour for the same price as our premium crash and metallic leathers.  This applies to custom orders only.  Not all types of chevre are included.  Please email Aimee-@-belenechandia.com or janelle-@-belenechandia.com (removing hyphens) for more information.

 

STYLE CRUSH & PHOTO OF THE WEEK

My latest Style Crush: Alexa Chung in her Burberry mac

We are excited to announce our weekly “Style Crush & Photo of the Week” Contest

We love reading style blogs. We love fashion photography. We love street-style shots in particular: in our opinion, real, inspirational women (and men!) often make much better style icons than over-styled film stars wearing the same old thing. We think Ms Chung bridges that divide, before you ask. She has become a celebrity thanks to her amazing style. Amen to that.

As with most things, style photography is much more fun to share.  So each Friday, we’re going to share our Style Crush with you – and in return we want you to share your latest Style Crush with us.

Here’s how it works:

1.  The first three weeks of the month will be a “Style Crush” contest and the last week of the month will be a general “Photo of the Week” contest. We will specify the focus of the contest each week on our Facebook page.

2.  To enter the “Style Crush” Contest:

a. Share a photo on our Facebook page of a stylish look you love (it could be one you’ve found on the internet, e.g a celebrity, your favourite blogger or a street style shot (we love the Sartorialist), or one you shoot yourself).

b.  Share the same photo on Twitter by mentioning @BelenEchandia #StyleCrushFashion in your tweet.

3.  To enter the “Photo of the Week” Contest:

a.  Share pictures of your Belen Echandia handbags on our Facebook page.  If you upload them to your personal page, tag them with “Belen Echandia”.

b.  Share your photos on Twitter by mentioning @BelenEchandia #PhotooftheWeek with your photo.

4.  The contest will run weekly from 12:00 am EST Friday through 11:59pm EST Thursday.  The winner will be announced each Friday on our Facebook page and receive a £25/$40 gift voucher off their next purchase from Belen Echandia. One voucher may be used per purchase and each customer may redeem a maximum of two vouchers.

Winning photos will be used on our website or blog with a special mention to the winner. We cannot wait to see what you come up with.

Belen Echandia Latest Press

Belen Echandia Press: Edge Magazine