belenchandia

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:

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

Jackie XX

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 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?

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.

                                                                                                 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:

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.

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.

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!

Image 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.

Invest in a good handbag

How could we forget this one!

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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

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

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.

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.

For those who don’t yet know, Rose is taking a sabbatical for personal reasons.  We are very sad to see her go and we know that many of you will be sad too, but we hope that you will warmly welcome our new member of staff, who is all the way over in Hawaii!

Janelle Walters has been training with Rose for the last few weeks.  Janelle is a long-term customer and fan of BE, so she knows all about our bags and our service – many of you may already know her.  We asked Janelle to take a picture of herself and set up a little interview to learn more about her.  She created this great collage and sent over this warm response.  Welcome Janelle!

• You’ve told us a bit about yourself in pictures, please tell us a bit more about them and what each one means to you.

The pictures of the scenery with the bright blue skies, palms, ocean, and waterfall signify my love of the water and the place where I live.  Hawaii is often called paradise and that is a pretty accurate description!  I included a few “modeling” shots of the styles that I love and a picture of my little white Maltese.  I also snuck in a couple of personal photos which show the center of my world-my three beautiful children and  my most favorite person in the world (a.k.a. cute husband!) and I from our wedding.  We were dancing to a classic Sinatra song as our first dance.  You’ll also notice a cup (probably filled with a fragrant jasmine dragon phoenix or matcha tea) with a fun saying, “If the tiara fits wear it.”  Mugs and tea cups are one of my favorite things to collect.  While I do actually have a beautiful tiara from my wedding packed away, this is just a fun reflection of part of who I am.  I love pretty things, being pampered, and have a major obsession with shopping and fashion!

• We love dogs and so do lots of our customers. What is the name of your puppy?

I have a furry white, seven pound Maltese who is about a year old.  I fell in love with him instantly and though my husband really didn’t want a dog at the time, he bought him for me (and all of his supplies-eek) while I cuddled him and decided on a name.  Cosmo!  Cosmo loves to play but he thinks he is a human and turns his nose up at other dogs.  We need to socialize him more at our neighborhood dog park!

• You’ve obviously been a big fan of Belen Echandia for a while J. Which are your favourite styles, and what are you going to try to convince us to do more of now that you’re working for BE?

I love arm carried satchels like the LA Tote, casual bag, Make Me Smile, and a good messenger bag like my current favorite anthracite Covet Me with the gunmetal hardware.  Did you know that it also looks great on the shoulder if you shorten the strap as much as possible?  I love this bag!  I’m going to try to convince BE to do more arm carried bags with short rolled handles since boston bags are my long standing favorite.  Being of mixed Asian descent and going from a fair to more tanned complexion through the year also means that I struggle with color.  I hope to contribute some color suggestions that would work for those of us who hail from sunny cities and sport tans and also those with the typical Asian skin tones.

• Anything else you’d like our customers to know about you? They are surely all excited to meet you.

I’m a total foodie but also am very into healthy, clean eating for the most part.  I love to read, cook, and bake and am very hands on with my children and all of their lessons, along with the virtual charter school we chose to enroll them in.  I’m also sort of obsessed with cardio and weight workouts!  Since I was little, I’ve always been described as a “people person”.  Some of my strong core beliefs include the importance of honesty and always giving others the benefit of the doubt even if you don’t understand their intentions at the outset.  Treat others as you wish to be treated.  My spiritual beliefs shape me.   Although I may be a realist, I consciously choose to have an optimistic view of life and of others.  I really am just so grateful to be exactly where I hoped I would be at this stage in my life and I’m excited to bring my happy enthusiasm to BE while getting to know all of you better!

In this, the second part of this series, I’m going to talk a little bit about more how we start with a sketch and end up with a bag.  This time we’re looking at the L.A. Tote bag from our summer 2011 handbag collection.

These bags at first glance may look exactly the same, minus the front pocket, but they are in fact quite different.  For a start, the first bag we made from these sketches was big.  No, not big, huge!  The dimensions made it very deep and boxy, too boxy to sit comfortably against the body or be worn as a shoulder bag.  All Belen Echandia bags must be comfortable to wear, it’s essential, so  I didn’t like the shape or size of the first sample bag at all… but only because the dimensions were wrong.  I also wasn’t keen on the front pocket. In the sketch it looked kind of stylish, but in real life it looked like it had been tacked on to the bag as an after thought.  Here is the first sample bag:

Exterior pockets were a must on this bag, though, since I use mine a lot: for my bus pass, or gym card, or whatever I need handy.  Belen Echandia bags must also be practical as well as chic!  I want to find things quickly in my bag and I’m sure that you all feel the same.  Whilst pondering this I thought about my London Tote bag (mine is black super soft snakeprint) and how I love the slip pockets on the outside.   They are so useful for getting everything in and out.  So I suggested to the design team to try adding slip pockets to this bag style and remove the “stick-on” pocket, which by now was bothering me more and more each time I looked at it.  I also changed the dimensions.  I know that our customers (and for that matter most women) want a bag that can be worn comfortably against the body, something which doesn’t jut out excessively.  So we narrowed the bag right down and went for the next sample.  We made that sample bag in cornflower blue and although these are not professional pictures by any means, I will share them with you for the sake of completeness (this sample has now been sold, thanks for all your enquiries).

When we received this next sample we wondered if it was now a little too small.  Hmm… a few discussions later we realised that the problem was not the overall depth but the shape of the side.  It need to be a little bit deeper at the bottom (just a bit) so that it would taper up nicely.  The bag already fitted nicely both on the shoulder and the arm and we all loved the adjustable strap.  Here’s the piece that Marco cut. As soon as I saw it I knew that it was just perfect. I would love to hear your thoughts!

And here below of course is the final bag.  It is super soft and slouchy. It can be arm carried or worn on the shoulder. It can fit a lot but also be worn with not much in and still look good.  And of course, it has a very handy pocket spanning the outside of the bag, inspired by our very own London Tote pockets in a moment of genius .

Truly one of my favourite bags ever.  Should you like our design aesthetic and want a Belen Echandia handbag for yourself, thank you! You can buy one here: