Paris Shopping: Kapra Hiska

Fall is almost here, and it's time to break out your favorite cool weather accessories! Oh no, what is that you see? A hole in your stole? An unraveling knit? Cashmere pilling not worth shearing? What to do? Where to go? There are stores for restoring, but there are also stores for exploring... And I enjoy the latter. I love seeing the latest colors, textures, fabrics and styles the new season offers. One store I wish I could visit this very moment is Kapra Hiska located in my favorite area of Paris - Le Marais. 

What is Kapra Hiska? It's simply the best cashmere store I have ever visited. Their scarves are simply sublime -- light, airy and drenched in color. The first time I felt one of their scarves, I thought I was touching the rare (and illegal) shahtoosh (the ultra-fine cashmere once prized by Persian princes for its warmth and ability to slip through a ring). The owner promised me the cashmere was not shahtoosh, but a very refined cashmere from Mongolia!

Indescribable softness, gorgeous colors and light as air -- what more could you want from a cashmere scarf? How about a great price? Say half of the price of an iPhone 5! And when your iPhone bites the dust, this scarf will still be with you. A great investment and well worth a trip to Le Marais when you're in Paris.

P.S. I believe the store is relatively new (so new I could not find a website, just a Facebook page), so I am unsure of its capabilities of selling outside of the EU. However, email them to see if they can or where they may be sold outside of Paris. Their email is kaprahiska@gmail.com .

Kapra Hiska, 43 rue de Turenne, Le Marais, Paris

Here are some images from their 2012 Look Book:

 

The Anti-Socialite Delight!

If you live in New York City or follow the gossip columns, you've probably read about the very nasty parting of wealth and vows between Chris and Tory Burch. 

It is well known that Chris Burch helped his young and "perfectly perfect" wife build her incredible Tory Burch empire. But according to a recent NY Magazine article, while Chris was helping his wife, he was also nurturing his own brand of women's clothing and accessories called C. Wonder.

Well, I'm not a socialite and really don't care about labels, so I'm not going to worry about buying something anti-Tory. However I do love adorable things, which C. Wonder offers in a delightful array of colors and collections. C. Wonder is truly wonderful!!!

Now I shouldn't be giving this secret away (since I have yet to get my fill), but CWonder.com has an incredible sale going on (up to 50% off) and has some great offerings. I love the smiley mugs, bracelets and basics. I tend to shy away from anything with a monogram or loud label, so you won't find me buying "C" belts, tops or totes... But I am definitely going to snag me some colorful smiley mugs :-)

Happy Shopping!

Promoting a Pet's Paradise in a Fast-Paced City

I've been a bit busy these past few weeks helping a friend create some web pages for her business. It's been fun, challenging (I'm new to web page development), and I hope will bring me some good pet karma! One reason why I think there is some good pet karma involved is because my friend's pet store does a lot of great things for pets. For instance, they sponsor a dog adoption day every Sunday; they offer training and educational seminars for pet parents; the proceeds from their park passes go to pet charities; and more (I can't keep up with all the stuff she does)... Ok, so where is this place?

My friend's business is based in Hong Kong and called Whiskers N Paws. It's a really cool store and offers more products, perks and personality than almost any pet store I have ever visited. And I'm not saying that because it's my friend's store. I'm saying it because it really has amazing pet toys, gadgets, food, and get this: A MASSIVE OUTDOOR DOG PARK on the 10th floor (it's called the Bark Park on 10)! It is just too cool and I wish we had one in NYC. Imagine being able to let your dog loose while you have a nice place to sit and relax. And since the store kindly enforces "Poop Pick-Up and Pee Mop policies," the place is always clean and you don't have to worry about all those horrible germs that lurk in dog parks (ask any pooch pro, and they'll tell you to stay far from dog parks).

So, if you are ever in Hong Kong and you want to see what a Dog Park in the Sky looks like, you definitely  should visit Whiskers N Paws. Check out the store's Facebook page to learn more and become a fan. You'll be able to see all the great cat and dog pics - definitely will make you smile.

And if you are visiting or living in Hong Kong and want to do some pet shopping, definitely head out to WNP at Horizon Plaza, which is also considered the best place for Designer Outlet Shopping in HK! Oh, and there's a Ferrari dealership there, too :-)

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/WhiskersNPaws?sk=app_106171216118819
Website: http://www.wnp.com.hk/

P.S. Here are some pictures I took. Def, not professional, but you get the idea. I went to WNP while they were having a store blessing party - very cool. So if you wonder why it looks empty, it's because they were celebrating the store's expansion and sending good vibes to pet store gods...