Bensimon Now in the Philippines

This is Berry in her Bensimon x Bonpoint sneakers, back when she was 2 years old.

These sneakers don't fit her anymore. But I am saving them for Xavi. Yes, because real boys wear pink. Haha.

This is me in my Bensimons when Berry was a year and a half. I was not strangling her, I was trying to get her to look at the camera. Heehee.

We love our Bensimons. They are so comfortable. And chic. And are real classics. Yes, I sound like such a cliche.

I discovered Bensimon during our New York years via my friend Sarj, who wears them for walking around Manhattan. There were no sexy shoes in that city for us, haha.

I ended up getting my pair at Mick Margo on Commerce Street in the West Village, when I found myself hobbling and needed comfortable shoes, because I got blisters from wearing a pair of Melissas that got wet because some cab splashed water on me while I was on my merry way to meet my friends Rissa and Happy at Cafe Cluny, also in the West Village.

I've been wearing them since then. So imagine my thrill when I got invited to the launch of Bensimon in the Philippines, along with my friends Jackie Go (btw, please vote for her, she's a finalist for best style blog at Globe's Tatt Awards! Go Jackie Go!) and Janice Villanueva. 

I have been a long time fan of Bensimon and was all the more thrilled when I found out they brought in the line for kids too! Yay Berry and Xavi!

There's a slip-on version too. I am going to get one in navy. I can imagine it na with white jeans and a white Alexander Wang t-shirt. Heffortless!

Lest you think Bensimon is only about classic tennis shoes or la tennis Bensimon, it is in fact a lifestyle brand. Started thirty years ago by brothers Serge and Yves Bensimon, with a small shop in the Marais district of Paris, on the famous Rue des Francs Bourgeois street, the brand is "inspired by travel, military and true Parisian fashion" selling not just sneakers but clothing, luggage, fragrance, and well-designed home goods.

In the Philippines, Bensimon is brought in by Terry S.A., distributor of Havaianas, David & Goliath, Dupe and Pininho. Ammiel de Leon, brand director of Bensimon Philippines believes that with Bensimon, they can change the Filipino perception of sneakers into something sophisticated and stylish.

And like those darn Havaianas, I want one in every color! I am not stopping at two. Eeep!

My old Bensimons meet the new, hello hello!

Xavi, you won't be barefoot for long. I am getting you and Atchi Berry a pair each too. Heehee.

Bensimon sneakers are available in Center of Gravity (Forbes Town, Burgos Circle and Centris Walk), Shoe Salon (Glorietta 3, Power Plant Mall Rockwell, Robinson’s Ermita, Shangri-La Plaza Mall and Trinoma Mall), and Shoe Thing (kids styles only: Bonifacio High Street, Eastwood Mall, and Greenbelt 5). 

Prices range from Php2,095 to Php2,565 for men’s and women’s styles and Php1,295 to Php1,795 for the kids’ styles.

For inquiries and updates on Bensimon Philippines, like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BensimonPhilippines 

Very Well, Madewell!

Finally! You've opened an online store! Like after forever! Now I don't have to step out of the house to check out what's new! Woohoo!

And I'm seeing so many things I like for summer!

romantic ruffle dress $88

wanderlust sumatra shirtdress $88

chignon dress $148

Plus Bensimons in a rainbow of colors! But at $65 for the vintage lace-ups, come on now! I got mine for $55 at Mick Margo! Although I do have to say, your ropey soles espadrilles are slowly drilling into my head. Never mind that I have 2 pairs of Toms plus a pair of pink espadrilles already. But nah, I think I'll pass.

 

Now, that's the bad thing about this whole shebang. It's just too easy to click and add to bag! Then again, I can always choose not to checkout! Ha!

Breastfeeding Style

(Wearing my favorite breastfeeding/summer dress from Cheap Monday)

Hi! Read your blog, it's really interesting!

Could rather relate to it, as I'm an expat wife living in Manila now. Just wanted to know, how'd you dress fashionably when you've got such a young baby around?

My baby's 7 months old now (almost the same age as Berry!) and I'm stuck in the same few breastfeeding tops and berms all day. :(

Plus, I'm always lugging around a huge backpack full of baby stuff... can't ever use a small chic handbag anymore.

Cheers
Jean

One thing I told myself, back when I was still single, was that I will never allow myself to slide (in Filipino, "Ayoko maging losyang!") when I get married and have babies. I want to look stylish, fresh, and smelling clean always. Well, it turns out, it's not that easy when one does not have yayas and helpers at home. That means, yes there are days when I putter about the house and run after Berry in pajamas the whole day. That's real life.

So, I "got it" when I became a mom myself. Mothering can really be a challenge, style wise (and grooming wise, I haven't been to a salon in months!). I totally see where you're coming from Jean.

But since I never was one to sacrifice style, I vowed I would never be caught outside the house wearing "boring" clothes. I still want to be me, I don't ever want to hide behind mommy clothes just because I am a mommy now. That was my philosophy too when I was pregnant. It just didn't make sense to buy maternity and breastfeeding clothes. (First, because I wanted to save. It wasn't worth spending on clothes I would only get to use for a few months. And second, there are just too many cuter clothes out there that are worth spending on!)

So I figured, the best clothes that were still "me" but practical enough to wear for breastfeeding would be roomy clothes (I wear a lot of A line tanks and oversized tees) and clothes with easy access points - button downs, snap-ons and wrap styles.

As you can see below, I have button down clothes in all its incarnations:

A button down dress from Cheap Monday which I wore every chance I got the whole summer with my K. Jacques...


A button down drop waist tunic from Old Navy which I wear with leggings or tights...


A button down flannel shirt from Uniqlo that I wear with jeans and Bensimon sneakers...

A button down onesie from A.P.C. that I wore with flat sandals in the summer and tights and my Golden Goose boots during fall/winter...

And yes, a hand-me-down button down shirt from Dear Hubby that I wear with leggings. I suggest you check out your husband's closet for shirts that he can pass on to you...

I also found this really cool Union Jack dress from Twenty8Twelve...

...that has snaps all the way around the neckline and down to the sides, that I can easily breezily remove come feeding time.

Finally, a wrap/mock wrap dress (or a top) is very breastfeeding friendly too! This one from H&M is pretty versatile. I can dress it down with sandals or dress it up with pumps if I have to...

And it is so easy to pull down the front come breastfeeding time...

My best accessories for these clothes are a breastfeeding cover and my breastfeeding bras from Bravado Designs (which I discovered, thanks to my friend Belle!). So there. I still get to wear real clothes, clothes that I love, and I don't have to sacrifice my style over breastfeeding at all.

Now when it comes to bags, you may have given up on small, chic, handbags, but you can easily replace those with big, chic handbags! I have friends who stuff a Louis Vuitton Neverfull with all their essentials, plus that of their baby's. When I go on short trips out, I put 2-3 nappies, baby wipes, a changing pad, an extra set of clothes, a bib and some snacks in a Rootote tote. And when I can only really just carry one bag, I put Berry's stuff inside my super lightweight bag (a Goyard Fidji).

I bring out the big diaper bags when we're out the whole day. Because when we are out for 2-3 hours, Berry hardly needs to change clothes and she only needs to change nappies once if at all (thanks to Pampers Baby Dry!). So in essence, it doesn't make sense to bring along so many things if it's just a short trip out to run errands.

In a nutshell, shop your closet for button downs, wraps and snap-ons and retire your breastfeeding tops. You can wear "real" clothes. Always bring a breastfeeding cover and use an easy to unsnap breastfeeding bra. Get yourself a nice lightweight and roomy tote or hobo (Longchamp, Kipling and LeSportsac are affordable alternatives to luxury bags) and try to whittle down the baby stuff to the essentials. That way, you don't have to lug around a huge backpack. Hope this helps you Jean!