I was going through the pages of the latest issue of Harpers Bazaar (American Edition) whilst having my morning coffee today and came across two beautiful suede clutches by Tila March.

I hadn’t come across the brand before so I googled it quickly and went onto the company’s website and online shop, www.tilamarch.com. The firm is based in France and was set up in 2006 by French fashion editor and stylist, Tamara Taichman, and her partner Nicolas Berdugo. Its core products are bags and purses but by Spring / Summer 2009 shoes were also part of the collection.

I browsed the whole Autumn/Winter 2010 collection and fell in love with the bags, especially the Colette, Dora and Zelig ranges, so I intend to get my hands on them asap. The question is how?

Matches is the only Tila March stockist in the UK right now but the selection of goods is pretty small – literally three items! And although TilaMarch.com seems to sells on line, the site doesn't seem to have any information on international shipping, exchanges or returns. So I think I’ll wait until my next Caradiaz team meeting in Spain (there are several stockists there) or perhaps make a little shopping trip to Paris.

Left to right: the Colette Cabas, the Zelig Tote and the Dora Clutch
Pictures courtesy of Tila March

This morning, my inbox prompted me to check the latest blog entry from Liberty London Girl, entitled ‘Happy 25th Birthday Elle UK’ and I thought ‘My God, has it been 25 years already?’

I still remember finishing school for the day and going to a big newsagent in Valencia’s city centre for my ‘fashion fix’. I loved clothes (I was 15) and used to check out magazines on a regular basis to read up on the latest trends.

Despite not being short of Spanish magazines, I always had a preference for English and American publications. So I bought that first issue of Elle UK in November 1985 - featuring Yasmin LeBon on the cover - hoping not only to test my English (I had started learning it that year) but also to soak in all the exciting fashion news and tips arriving from one of the trendiest places in the world.

Twenty-five years later, I still love getting lost in its fabulous fashion pages. So here it is, to at least another 25 years at the top.

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY, ELLE UK

From the whole Caradiaz Team

Picture by Gilles Tapie, courtesy of Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Limited

The Caradiaz new Autumn/Winter collection has arrived and we are totally IN LOVE with it!!!!!

With a new and highly talented creative team and production fully established in Spain, our stunning new collection sees the light this week amidst encouraging comments, not only from clients but also from the fashion media (as reported by our Press Office) – so exciting!

Designed for style-focussed women who want ‘something a little different’ and always in keeping with our philosophy ‘unusual, stylish and affordable’, our new A/W 2010 collection showcases statement pieces and unique designs to complement the seasonal catwalk trends, whilst keeping prices in check despite offering the sort of exclusivity that would warrant a designer price tag.

All pieces are beautifully handcrafted to the highest quality, by Spanish artisans, with astonishing attention to detail and using a variety of materials, which include leather, waxed cotton, suedette, glass and resins, as well as precious metal platings, such as rhodium, gold and silver.

Oh, and the original face of Caradiaz , Marian Masiá, came out of ‘retirement’ to shoot our new catalogue, looking just gorgeous as always!

We hope you like the Caradiaz new Autumn/Winter collection as much as we do.

The Caradiaz Team

Our stunning Issa necklace was picked by Grazia's savvy fashion team during a media meeting earlier this year for the magazine's Fashion Charts section.

After months of waiting and hoping that they hadn't changed their mind about our piece - magazines can sometimes change their plans at the last minute and not feature pieces they originally planned to - our Press Office received confirmation of the publication date a couple of weeks ago and... the day finally arrived.

Today's post was delivered (earlier than usual, much to our surprise!) and with it came this week's issue of Grazia, showing our Issa necklace in The fashion Charts as planned (page 10) and describing Caradiaz as a '...treasure trove of unusual pieces guaranteed to make you stand out of the crowd...'

It is the best compliment we could receive from such an influential fashion magazine, so we really couldn't be happier with the piece.

A big thank you to Claire in our Press Office for an amazing job.

Images & quote above courtesy of Bauer Consumer Media Limited

I have been meaning to write a blog entry about the latest series of ‘Mary Queen of Shops’ since it started several weeks ago. But I never managed to do so and tonight, with the last episode in the series just finished, I thought I’d get on with it before it’s totally irrelevant!

It still amazes me how people continue to be afraid of good, old Ms. Portas - or is it Mrs. Portas now that she’s married? Hang on, how does the name change work in same sex marriages? Going off on a tangent… ignore me.

I thought people applied to Mary’s show for help with their businesses but some of the applicants actually have other agendas… Remember Angela, the baker from Raynes Park? It turned out that all she wanted out of the whole experience was a free makeover – forget about Mary’s invaluable advice, Angela had been in the bakery business for 36 years so she knew better.

In fact, everybody seems to think they know better than Mary, so bother calling her in? Seriously, I think that, with the exception of perhaps the couple that run the village shop in Dorset, all the other retailers argued that Mary’s ideas might work in fashion but their businesses were different. Why can’t people see that Mary’s expertise in fashion retail can actually be applied to other types of retail? Are they blind or simply acting in self-defence to avoid the embarrassment of coming across as a bit 'inept' for the job? Probably the latter, I would have thought.

But Mary is no quitter and no matter how much of a challenge a business (and its boss) can be, she will always try her very best to turn any business around, if she is allowed to get on with it, of course – you can’t help someone that actually doesn’t want your help…

I wonder what type of businesses Mary will be dealing with in the next series but I’m pretty sure it’ll be just as interesting and I’ll definitely be watching it - and keeping a close eye on the stunning statement jewellery Mary wears. Hopefully one day, she will choose a chunky necklace from Caradiaz!

Mary Portas flanked by the owners of '3 Sisters' greengrocers in Merseyside
Picture courtesy of the BBC Press Office