Well, mega yuck just now at the beginning of the 3 hour long transformation from ‘I can’t look in the mirror’ to ‘wow, is that me?’. Its fantastic really, an easy fix I indulge in every few weeks and works a treat. Problem is, this is an expensive easy fix, and I have to say I am worth every single penny of it, obviously. Come hell or high water this is one thing I will not give up on. No amount of recession, blizzards, riots or pestilence will stop me.

The thing about life is, no matter how bleak the morning news is, how much the fat cats have screwed up, and the politicians do to skin their own cat a million different ways to try and get it all back on track, we still have to keep going and we still have to make that keeping going worth while. I am certain there is still fun to be had. And the odd treat to allow ourselves.

This where one has to get clever…those treats can still be had if one finds ways to make diminishing funds work harder. Surely its what, once the must-have treats are had, the SALES are here for? Hurray, the cake is there, with discounts all over it, and we can still eat a little of it. Not as much as one would like, or as often, and maybe not the whole cake, but we can still have a little of it.

Now, I am in two minds about shops and sales. I am not keen on shops looking messy, with stock all over the place, in a huge mish mash of colours, sizes, fabrics, impossible to get to or even identify easily. I have no time, literally, to sift throught it all to find that gem that had my name on it all the time. And no patience, zero patience for it all. Its a modern conundrum, the bargain is there, but you have to work for it.

On the other hand, it is the only way I can afford to have that treasure, tantalizing and unattainable the rest of the year, and temptingly within reach if I am near it at the right time, in the right place, with the right funds, and the optimum mindset.

So, I choose my hunting ground carefully: small independent retailers whose stock is a genuine reduction, not old rubbish from a few years ago, or sale buys of cheap stock they can still get a chunky margin on. I want my treasure to be a true sparkling gem of a find.

I own a chunk of a business called Franchetti Bond, we design and sell handbags, shoes, scarves, jewellery and all manner of things fashion accessory. When we go on sale, we think long and hard about what we like/dislike about the whole ‘shopping in the sale experience’. No clutter for one. Genuinely fantastic stock, with good reductions, in the sale to clear the way for next season’s genuinely fantastic stock. Proper honest bargains. Someone’s treasure and treat, that they may have saved up for and that will put a smile on their face every time they wear it. There is a silver lining in every recession if one knows where to look…go and take a look at what Franchetti Bond has to offer, I am certain it holds your treasure and it will put a smile on your face.

Coats, scarves, gloves and hats will be put at work along with the age old question of what handbag, boots and shoes do you wear to glam it all up. This season’s colours are set to be classic, easy and flattering: camel, chocolate brown, grey, taupe. Very nice indeed, but in danger of being dull, dull, dull. Lots of shades of mud.

Every winter we descend into the dark recesses of our wardrobes and ditch the bright, airy, floaty summer clothes in favor of warmer, darker, heavier clothes and end up matching our surroundings. All those bare trees, plowed fields, wet brick and concrete, dark and brooding evergreens, flinty skies and steely waters.

Thanks to fashion designers the world over and all the myriad suppliers that provide them with all that is gorgeous, glittering, luscious and luxurious, we can add touches of extraordinary beauty to our lives. Open any fashion magazine or walk into a designer shop and you will be surrounded by fur, snakeskin, shimmering fabric and leather and crystal encrustations. We are dragged from what could have been drab into another world reminiscent of warm and exotic lands and climes far from our daily routine.

This season Franchetti Bond embraces the pursuit of practical glamour and our shops are filled with truly pretty court shoes and ballerinas embellished with patent trims, pretty bows and buckles and brightened with metallic leathers. Texture is everything, it always is. The softest kid suede is juxtaposed with shimmering pewter leather. A classic loafer is updated with an edgy gunmetal fitting over dark metallic calf. A pair of boots acquires urban glamour by going over the knee.

Our handbags are as ever simple, classic and elegant. It does not end there though, our stunning Maria handbag is designed to match the metallic loafer, all luscious pewter calf and gunmetal fittings, exotic and glamorous but never overdone. Perfect for going shopping, doing the school run and going out in the evening.

Take our stunning python print tote with slick silver clasp, it is so smart it’s breathtaking. And yet…it does its job. It fits a laptop, a magazine or book, make-up, phone, wallet, keys and all the other bits we have to have with us at all times. It has these really pretty moccasins to match, understated and elegant. Wear them with a camel coat and you are set to go. Easy. We like that: easy.

We all need some exotic glamour in our lives. It cheers us up and makes us feel good. Well dressed, smart, elegant. It really is easy when you know where to go to get those essential accessories that add that all important finishing touch and finish the look off to perfection.

Mariangela

Hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to be imputrescible. The hair or wool may, or may not, have been removed. It is also made from a hide or skin that has been split into layers or segmented either before or after tanning.

And it gets more detailed, because with modern tanning techniques the amount of coating that is applied to the surface of leather further defines what can be described as ‘genuine’ leather:

If the leather has a surface coating, the mean thickness of this surface layer, however applied, has to be 0.15mm or less, and does not exceed 30% of the overall thickness.

Leather is a wonderful material that is used for a huge variety of purposes. It is in essence a simple mix of the following:

• Water 60-65%
• Protein 25-30%, mainly collagen.
• Fats 5-10%

Before going through the tanning process, raw hides and skins are made up of four elements – the epidermis (the protective layer of cells that make up skin during the lifetime of the animal), grain, corium and flesh.

The epidermis and the fleshy parts are removed by the process of liming during tanning. At the end of liming just the grain and the corium remain.

What we see as the smooth top layer of leather is in fact the grain layer. This is made up of collagen and elastin – protein fibers – and its structure is affected by the breed, age and the  quality of life the animal had. The grain tells many tales of the life the animal it came from had as it carries distinctive and unique marks such as scars, insect bites, growth marks and scarring from wounds. It’s what makes leather so fascinating, as each leather component has its own character.

The corium layer is made of larger bundles of collagen protein fibres, and interwoven to give the structure great strength, elasticity and durability.

As the animal ages the corium increases in thickness – hence calf skin being thinner, softer and smoother than leather that comes from an older animal. The gender of the animal also has a direct impact on the corium – hides from cows are smoother, thinner and softer than the hides of mature male bull hides which are thick, tough, course grained and very strong.

Depending on its application, hides that are thick have to be split through the corium layer to give a ‘grain split’ – to produce grain leather, and a ‘flesh split’ that results in suede. When the grain layer is sanded or abraded it produces nubuck, with a soft and dense nap that is different from suede.

What is not leather?

There are a lot of goods made of leather that are sold and described as leather, when in fact they are imitations. Below are some of the more commonly found examples:

Bonded Leather Fibre

Hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact… If the tanned hide is disintegrated mechanically and/or chemically into fibrous particles, mall pieces or powders and then, with or without a binding agent is made into sheets, such sheets are not leather.

If you look very carefully and you have a practiced eye it is possible to identify the various materials incorporated within bonded leather. They are mostly visible as layers of different colours.

Bonded leather is used because it is cheap and because it is covered by a uniform layer of non-leather material, it has a cutting area that presents few flaws thus lessening wastage.

On the other hand, it cannot be defined as leather, it is by its very nature less durable and strong and often looks cheap.

Coated Leather

A product where the finish thickness does not exceed 30% but is in excess of 0.15mm.

As with bonded leather, coated leather is cheap because it uses lower grade leather and is coated on the grain side with various chemicals, such as polyurethane mix to give a uniform finish. When the coating is thicker than 0.15mm, it cannot be defined as leather.

Laminated Leather

Laminated leather is usually made of a coating usually applied to the flesh side. On high quality metallic laminates it is applied to the grain side. Usually the laminate makes up over 30% of the overall thickness of the leather.

As with bonded and coated leathers, laminated leathers are easy to work with as they have a consistent surface and the fact that they are laminated means they are strong, flexible and have good light and colour fastness.

On the other hand, the laminate layer being artificial does not look natural and has a tendency to crack with use and age.

• When you first take your shoes home it is a good idea to wear them in dry conditions, and not to wear the same pair day in day out.
• Using a high quality shoe polish or cream is essential to keep your calf shoes clean and looking smart.
• Take dust and mud often with a brush or a slightly damp cloth. This is specially important with suede, nubuck or fabric shoes.

Suede Shoes

Suede shoes can be delicate and need careful care to keep looking at their best. Suede doesn’t have a protective finish and can stain and mark easily.

It’s important to remove mud as soon as possible. If the mud is still wet, try scraping as much of it off as possible gently using a blunt knife. Soak up what is left on the shoe with a damp cloth or sponge and then leave to dry. Brush the rest off with a suede brush once the shoe is dry.

If the mud is dry, again scrape as much as possible off with a blunt knife then brush rest off with a suede brush.

Always dry your suede shoes in a dry airy place and NOT on a radiator.

Finally, the best way to protect for your suede shoes is to spray them with a suede protectant/waterproofer. It is much easier to protect suede shoes than it is to clean them once they have got dirty.

How to restore the nap on suede shoes.

Brush the shoes with a suede brush in a circular motion. To raise a nap on small stubborn areas try rubbing gently with fine sand paper.  Brushing when damp is more effective for restoring appearance. The best way to dampen the suede on your shoes is by holding them at least six inches from a steaming kettle spout.

Nubuck Shoes

Nubuck is similar to suede. With nubuck the surface of the leather has been abraded to produce a very fine nap. Like suede, nubuck is unprotected and vulnerable to humidity, mud and soiling by other substances. Nubuck shoes do need to be looked after and will benefit from a protective spray.

Nubuck shoes should be cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth with a mild detergent. When dry they will need brushing gently with a clean suede brush.

Calf Shoes

Calf shoes are a lot easier to look after. The best way of taking care of your calf Franchetti Bond is to polish them using the finest possible quality shoe polish and/or cream.

Make sure your shoes a dry and dust and mud free before polishing them. Use saddle soap or an appropriate leather cleaner to remove surface dirt. You can also use a leather conditioner to keep them soft and supple and you can protect them further by applying a suitable calf leather weatherproofer.

Fabric Shoes

Some of our shoes are made with fabric and may have leather or suede trim. Fabric shoes will be more vulnerable to marking or damage from rain and mud than our calf shoes. Treat them in the same way as our suede shoes, and do try to keep out of puddles and avoid walking the dog in them! They will benefit from being treated with a weatherproofer and if they do get wet, allow them to dry gently in an airy warm place.