Beware Coffee Shops

It was in the 18th century that coffee houses were the hot bed of money, politics, intrigue, news and business - a veritable place for ideas to percolate. Today, a local cafe provides a few minutes of timely solitude for a mother of a two year old.

I've been training my son to sit with his peach juice and Italian wafer biscuits for months in Caffe Nero. He duly sits and scoffs while I read the paper. I'll grab any available one, not fussy as I enjoy 20 minutes of reading. As luck would have it, the one paper abandoned for the next customer was The Guardian. Skipping the main news section to G2 I tucked in greedily to Linda Grant's article on ethical shopping. The main draw was her questioning the price of luxury goods and a fab piccie of Anna Wintour (who I shamelessly adore despite her dreadful ways including wearing fur). Anna aside, (imagine!) the article was arresting and repelling in one go. http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,2248591,00.html

I have one longing this season - specifically a Marni skirt and now I'm filled with doubt. Not just for said skirt but having to question everything. Fashion, production, pricing and where to buy. I felt very strongly when Burberry shut their South Wales factory to hot foot it off to Asia. Three hundred people dispensed with - just like that. So I don't buy their clothes, don't use their clothes for styling shoots and don't buy their clothes for my clients either. But now the net is widened. From High Street to High End, issues galore - only a Hermes Birkin bag and a Chanel couture number escapes the cheapness - alas mere mortals.

Pushing the young boy home I struggled with the options. I decided I needed to earn money so mustn't cut off my nose to spite my face ref clients and their needs/budgets. After all better to be dressed well than not. And, anyway I don't tell people what to do, just how to look good. But I'm stuffed, my conscience is going to win over my heart.

I need to figure out how and what I'm going to do.....and is the Marni skirt off the wish list....