We have found two classic purveyors who we never fail to visit on our trips to Argentina and Uruguay.
Benitez is the talabarteria where I buy my bombachas. A talabarteria is the traditional shop for all things gaucho – from harnesses to boots, horse blankets to bombachas. And bombachas are the incredibly comfortable gaucho pants, wide in the leg and buttoned at the ankle, which, once tried, become a closet staple. Every town has a talabarteria but Benitez, located in Uruguay’s San Carlos, is one of the oldest and one of the best.
Located: Corner of Maldonado and 25 de Agosto, San Carlos.
Our other purveyor is Fabry Venta, a wonderful men’s shoe shop in Buenos Aires. Julio, its quiet, knowledgeable proprietor, has been making his small but stylish collection for many years. The styles rarely change which means that, while you may be tempted to buy duplicates of a shoe you love, you don’t have to. They will be there the next time you come back. Now when did that last happen to you, in this world where every favorite product seems to have a shelf life shorter than milk?
And not only are Julio’s shoes well made, good looking and comfortable, they are also so reasonable. We simply don’t buy shoes anywhere else anymore.
Location: Guido 1667, Buenos Aires
Since 2007, when fashion designer and philanthropist Donna Karan founded the Urban Zen Foundation, an inspiringly beautiful holiday market appears at 705 Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan. Each year, Karan creates a marketplace that combines humanitarianism with consumerism, promoting shopping with a purpose. The Foundation is dedicated to three initiatives: preservation of culture (past); bringing mind, body and spirit to healthcare (present); education (future.) The opening last night featured more than 40 artisans from countries as diverse as Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, India, South Africa and Mexico, artisans that exhibit at the International Folk Art Market in the Southwest each summer. The space is the perfect venue in which to display fabrics and objects, photographs and fashion in such a way that they - and you - feel instantly at home.
Of particular beauty were the feather light shrugs, coats and jackets of Farzana Sharshenbieva from Kyrgyzstan; the magnificently, finely tie dyed bandhani silk scarves of Gujarati Abduljabbar Khatri; the sensuous Zulu pots of Jabulile Nala whose mother is considered a national treasure. I adored the heavy, indigo dyed raw cotton jackets of Laotian Boukhong Signavong that greet you as you enter this magical space.
There is nothing more healing, nothing more inspiring, nothing more warming than to be in the presence of passionate artisans who draw beauty from their souls to share it with others. It was hard to leave Urban Zen last night, so hard, in fact, that I shall return tomorrow."
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