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9:30 am

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS | Brenda

What do you want for Christmas? Books, DVDs, perfume? Or something a bit more out of place, like DNA kits or breakfast trays? Because it's November and we're forward planners we've been thinking about gifts a lot recently, and we thought we'd get some of our friends and family to share their ultimate gift guides for the year. First up is our Creative Director Brenda!



Of course I've seen some episodes, and of course I know that general story line of the show. But I haven't seen all of the episodes and never in chronological order. This is the show that started it all. Debuting in 1999 (that's over a decade ago people) The Sopranos was the first cable TV show ever to win an emmy for drama and has open the flood gates for all those shows we love today. In its time was considered the most financially successful show in the history of cable, and some say the best show if all time. Which is probably the reason it's never in the bargain bin, or being sold at JBHI for $9.99.




Before I had a baby the beach for me was all about planning. When I go to the beach, I intend to make a day of it. I need the umbrella, the fold out chair, the towel, the reading material, the food, the hydration liquids, sunscreen etc etc. Now, since Milla was born, well the planning has totally gone over the top. There are changes of clothes, many many snacks, hooded towels, baby towels, toys, beach balls, she even has her very own itty bitty fold out chair! I love these beach towels by Maslin&Co. Such a unique and quirky idea. Perfect for those long days at the beach and at the picnic. Plus it is something that I would never buy for myself. And with all that beach paraphernalia, the little leather carry straps are perfection! 


three. Ancestry DNA test

Ok this is a weird one. Again, not something I would buy myself. But SO fascinating! I'm not into finding some crazy long lost relatives or anything, just more about what makes up me. Being from New Zealand I know that I am a crazy mix of english and european something. But it would be amazing to know exactly what it is and where my family came from.

four. D.S and Durga perfume


I discovered this perfume brand while in NZ a couple of years ago. They have amazing names for their scents like Barbershop Burning and wonderful little stories that accompany them. A fire broke out in the Curling Bros. barbershop in Westlake, N.Y. in 1891. All the shaving tonics with their spearmint, lime, vanilla&lavender burned. A charred bottle was found half-full. It smelled like this. I actually bought my husband some of their cologne last year for Christmas from Simon James at The Department Store. Every time he wears it, which is pretty much everyday, it makes woman swoon and always get a lot of comments and compliments. So I thought it was time I got some as well! It seems that you can not get it here in Australia, but there are a few online stockist that ship internationally. Like the wonderful Needsupply. I wouldn't normally buy a scent when i hadn't even smelt it, but I would with these, thats how good they are!

five. Vanity Fair Subscription


 source

 I am currently obsessed with reading this magazine right now. Yes, I'll still have my UK Vogue, Paris Vogue, Gentlewoman and Apartmento subscriptions. But Vanity Fair is on the list this year.

six. art, Art, ART

 I seem to be on an art rampage at the moment. I have been discovering a lot of amazing artists over the past couple of months. Some on them within my budget and some of them not. But I also made the discovery of Society6, which is a site with hundreds of different artist selling their work in various mediums. There is something for everyone here, and at really reasonable prices as well. They also ship internationally, yay! I really love the photographs of Kevin Russ and he sells through this site. I would love either of these

Anderson Lake by Kevin Russ



Winter Horses by Kevin Russ



 seven. Free blow-dries for a whole year


I have just acquired a fringe. We are still getting to know each other and I think Miss Blow-dry could help make this relationship stick.

eight. Karen Walker Cadet straw cap

 source

I love this. Equal parts crazy/fun. I wonder which I will be when sporting it all over the beaches of New Zealand when I'm home for Christmas. Crazy? or fun? Hopefully I'll be both.

Happy Christmas! What are you wishing for this year? 
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2:19 pm

ART | Francis Bacon



We are having a bit of an 'art' moment here at Benah HQ, and something that is propelling that obsession is the Francis Bacon exhibition that has just opened at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. We can't wait to head over and see it for ourselves next week - we've heard that it is amazing on a whole other level, with international-standard curation and an incredible array of works spanning Bacon's entire career. The anticipation is driving us crazy. We've always found something quite eerily beautiful about Bacon's work. It's visceral and it's in your face and it's quite confronting but most importantly you feel something rather than nothing, which, we guess, is kind of the whole point of art, isn't it?

Some of our favourite artworks by Bacon - like his self portraits and his triptychs - are going to be on display and we're really excited to see them. We love the ritual of going to art galleries - the arrival, the atmosphere, the quiet, the contemplation, the mood-lighting, the gift shop. It's one of the many funny, slightly surreal moments of modern living that we are so fond of.


Find out more about the exhibition here. Let us know if you've been already and what you thought about the exhibition!


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12:57 pm

ART | Bonoui



Bonoui

We love art. It is one of our major inspirations, and we love to enter into the slightly wacky, slightly off-kilter world of modern artists that inspire us. People like Alia Penner, Henrietta Harris and one of our new favourites, Olivia Mai, as known as Bonoui. Her work is all about popular culture stripped of its context: she uses images from fashion magazines in her collages around specific themes, but everything is zoomed in, everything is magnified - the detail of a sequin or a glittery texture, or the red lips and gap-toothed pout of a model isolated against a colourful background.



Two of our favourite series of hers - Blonde and Gems - are so inspiring we want to look at them all the time. There really is  something about blondes and the way they are represented, the shiny golden locks, the vampy lipstick smile, and stripping that of all of its associations is so powerful. We love Blonde 08, with the face made up entirely of flaxen hair because, sometimes, it's easy to reduce blondes down to the sum of their parts.  It reminds us of a great poem by William Yeats about a man so enraptured by a girl and her blonde hair. "Only God, my dear, could love you for yourself alone and no your yellow hair".



Benah is inspired by:
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12:19 pm

V.I.P Sample Sale

Come one, come all!
Prices start at $20
Cashmere | Leather | Silk

And because we love you, we will be posting items on here, instagram and Facebook leading up to the event for our international and interstate community. If you want to be a VIP and shop the sale on the opening night, email info@thebenah.com with your details, but numbers are limited so be quick! Stay tuned to the blog for more information, and start compiling those wishlists, the sale is just around the corner...
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1:52 pm

ART | Henrietta Harris


There is something about people who can draw, like really draw.
And people that draw people. Well, they are just more amazing.

Henrietta Harris is one of these gifted people and I recently discovered her work through an interview she did with one of our stockist The Department Store


I think there is so much digital art around these days, seeing an actual sketch or painting is much like receiving a hand written letter. The

I like  a lot of things about Henrietta and her work, but here are a few reasons in no particular order

1. Her first name and last name have the same letters
2. She is a New Zealander
3. She has been able to blend her style and talent into the commercial world with ease
4. She will draw your pet if you ask nicely
5. Her skewed portraits are so beautiful and memorizing
6. She seems to just draw things she loves and not things that she thinks she should

'Till'



'Mask'
'Very busy and important'
You are able to buy a selection of her works directly from her website.
Did someone say Christmas present??

Bx
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9:30 am

JUST IN | Lola clutch



It's not easy being the last one standing at a party. All your friends have left and you're kicking on, dancing to songs you haven't listened to in years as the sun comes up. Well, think of these little bits and pieces as those hard partygoers that never give up. We've unearthed them in a recent studio clean up and can't believe that they're still around - A khaki Nico bag, a black lola clutch, and one shiny, life-of-the-party holographic large zip pouch. Three very different little bags, three last ones standing. Would you like to give them a good home?

If you want any more information or would like to purchase any of these three bags, please email info@thebenah.com . And let the party go on!
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2:49 pm

THIS IS MY CITY | Jamie's Adelaide

We love sharing with you the people behind some of our lovely stockists - such as Krystle from Need Supply. Well, here's another, the beautiful Jamie from Suede, an online store that stocks a fantastic range of Benah (as well as other favourite Australian labels like Amy Kaehne and Therese Rawsthorne), based in South Australia's capital city; Adelaide. A city of churches, hills and - so we've been told - unparalleled foodie delights - we thought Jamie would be perfect to share an insider's guide to her city. This is Adelaide, by Jamie.

source - Central Markets

one. Best thing about Adelaide? Best thing about Adelaide is that we have the best wine; Barossa Valley / Mc Laren Vale / Adelaide Hills are probably Australias best known wine regions. 

two. Worst thing about Adelaide? Its small and everyone knows each other.. 

three. Favourite secret spot? China Town Cafe and Central Markets.

 four. Favourite everyone-knows-it-but-it's-still-good spot? Melt. My absolute favourite tapas/Pizza restaurant/bar 

Melt - source

five. What was your newest discovery in Adelaide? What about somewhere you've been going forever but can't quite give up? The Pantry on eggmont. Cool organic cafe. Obsessed. 

 six. Where is the best place for.... morning coffee/pick-me-up? Mothers Milk on Unley road. Great coffee and 'pick me up' juices. 

seven. Where are Adelaide's style spots? Where is the best shopping? Rundle Mall / Rundle Street is known to be Adelaide's main shopping region, but also King William Road has some decent boutiques. 

 A mother's milk - source

eight. What is something you can get/read/experience/eat that you can only do in Adelaide? Adelaide's Fringe Festival. Held in Feb / March every year - is a festival with music, arts, dance, comedy acts, and culture from all over the world. Supposedly it's the 2nd largest fringe festival in the world. Such a great time in Adelaide, alot of fun and everyone is in a cheery festive mood. 

nine. You can tell a lot about a city from their airport. Describe Adelaide's. New airport - up to date and easy. 

ten. How would you describe Adelaide to someone who has never been there before? Quiet, peaceful, great food and wine, it might be small, but as long as you are surrounded by people you love and have fun with, then is doesn't matter where you are. 

Benah's This Is My City guides:

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12:55 pm

BENAH LOVES | Benah Be Mine



We couldn't be more excited to share with you the campaign images from our recently launched jewellery collection; Benah Be Mine. Featuring pewter cast cuffs, dainty bracelets with rainbows of crystal and glass beads and adjustable wire rings, these pieces will never leave your wrist. They're the perfect gift - for sisters, best friends, lovers or even yourself. We love everything about this campaign, from the blush pink background (our favourite!) to the bunches of beautiful blooms and slowly dripping ice cream cones. We think it showcases our new range of jewellery perfectly - we can't get enough of the pyramid cuffs and our twisted wire rings. What are your favourite styles? Have you put any Benah Be Mine on your Christmas wish list?

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11:48 am

election day




We can't believe that it's election time in the US already, and suddenly it's time for votes to be cast and the next four years of American life to be decided. It's crazy how close this election will be - it reminds us of the Australian elections in 2009, which really went down to the wire - and so we thought to take the edge off a little bit we'd share this hilarious lip-reading dub of the first presidential debate. So take a break from obsessively refreshing the Australian live blog of the election and watch this instead. You'll laugh, we promise you.
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11:09 am

ART | Alia Penner

1 - Alia Penner, 2 - Tales of Endearment

We always love an artist who has a subversive take on popular culture. Take Alia Penner; This multi-talented (artist, illustrator, designer, photographer) lady uses colour, line and a fiercely individual sense of style to create images that pop off the page. She's worked with brands like Meadham Kirchoff and Missoni and stores including Colette in Paris and one of our favourite stockists, Beautiful Dreamers in Williamsburg (she designed their dreamy logo). She also has a fantastic personal style; quirky and kooky and totally vibrant, which mirrors her work and shows that true creatives never really stop creating. There's always something to be done, whether an artwork, an illustration, a piece of design, or an outfit for a day in that sunny LA light. We are so inspired by Alia's take on the world, and we love checking her blog, where she shows behind the scenes on her projects or teasers for her upcoming work. Check it out!

Benah is inspired by:
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