Tag Archives: family

Jessica Alba Launches The Honest Company

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From Forbes: Dressed conservatively in a pastel pink top and pale blue pencil skirt, actress Jessica Alba looks ready for her next role, as co-founder and president of just launched The Honest Company. The new online business offers a line of eco-friendly, non-toxic baby products that boast ease, affordability and playful design. “When I was pregnant, I realized there are a lot of toxic chemicals in everyday products, including baby products,” recalls Alba, a 30-year-old mom of two daughters, ages three and five months, in a recent interview with FORBES. “I thought: That’s insane. How is that allowed?”


Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber for Young Versace

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Young Versace has unveiled its new advertising campaign with supermodel Cindy Crawford’s 10-year-old daughter Kaia Gerber as the face. Modeling designs adorned with the label’s iconic Greek key motif, Gerber was shot by acclaimed fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

According to the fashion house’s creative director Donatella Versace, Gerber proved she has inherited her famous mother’s talent when modeling the collection.

“Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift,” she explained in a release. “The camera really, really loves her.”

Crawford was thrilled for her young daughter and mentioned that she was happy as “Kaia was chosen to be part of the first Young Versace Campaign. I have so many fond memories of the times I spent with Gianni and Donatella. There is something so very special about the House of Versace.”


Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber for Young Versace

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Young Versace has unveiled its new advertising campaign with supermodel Cindy Crawford’s 10-year-old daughter Kaia Gerber as the face. Modeling designs adorned with the label’s iconic Greek key motif, Gerber was shot by acclaimed fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

According to the fashion house’s creative director Donatella Versace, Gerber proved she has inherited her famous mother’s talent when modeling the collection.

“Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift,” she explained in a release. “The camera really, really loves her.”

Crawford was thrilled for her young daughter and mentioned that she was happy as “Kaia was chosen to be part of the first Young Versace Campaign. I have so many fond memories of the times I spent with Gianni and Donatella. There is something so very special about the House of Versace.”


Fendi luxury baby stroller

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Fendi has partnered with Inglesina to release a luxury baby stroller for the fashionable baby — complete with the brand’s iconic “F” logo embellishing the hood. In addition to the stroller, the Fendi-Inglesina line will also include a pram and a baby carrier which boasts of a perfect and a seamless integration of child safety and design elements inspired by the Rome-based fashion house’s style.

Here’s the official release: Fendi and Inglesina have decided to embark on a partnership for the launch of a line of accessories dedicated to infancy. This is the fruit of a fusion between the design of the much celebrated Roman fashion house and the know-how of the famous brand leader for baby products.

A shared agreement between two significant representatives of “Made in Italy”, and, although coming from very different worlds, they are entwined together by a strong entrepreneurial tradition and a profound sharing of values such as elegance, high-quality and innovation.

The new line of Fendi-Inglesina products includes: the stroller, practical and manageable; the pram, a traditional product from the Vicenza house reinterpreted according to the Fendi style and finally the baby carrier, a fashion accessory to enjoy the pleasure of the first outings together, guaranteeing warmth and security for the baby. The colour palette combines the refined tones of cream with those of mahogany and blue. The whole line is enhanced with iconic features of the house, which has always been an emblem of class and style.

The liaison with Inglesina continues along the road taken by Fendi in its choice of Italian partners of excellence, such as Simonetta, to whom was entrusted the children’s clothing lines of the house, and who will take on the role of product distribution for the Fendi-Inglesina brand at selected and prestigious points of sale around the world.

This is a union of three companies that symbolise “Made in Italy”, a synonym of excellence and reliability, an expression of a perfect synthesis between tradition, craftsmanship and exclusivity.


Blue Ivy Carter, welcome to your celebrity world

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Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “Welcome to your celebrity world, little baby Blue Ivy Carter” was written by Marina Hyde, for The Guardian on Thursday 12th January 2012 20.00 UTC

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of the birth of a celebrity child. In scientific terms, it is the moment at which the celebrity subdivides as an ethereal entity, and the newly hatched star-child is automatically invested with 63% of its famous parent’s wattage, as well as an air of mystery not cultivated by a nappy-wearer since Howard Hughes’s “hidden years”.

If that child has two celebrity parents, the force generated by its birth is such that it can cause a disturbance in the very curvature of space-time.

And so to the birth of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue – a nativity that took place at the weekend, but has already been the subject of so much myth-making it is likely to become the springboard for a new world religion by next Tuesday.

Before we lose ourselves in a fantasy land of solid-gold rocking horses and security entourages, however, it is vital that you understand the three sacred principles of celebrity birth reporting. So know this: the only criteria for evaluating showbiz births are the following:

• How much hassle the event caused for civilians.

• How much stuff the little mite has already been bought – or rather, how much stuff is claimed to have been bought for it.

• How badly most online commenters already judge the celebrity to be doing with their child-rearing.

This is the holy trinity of celebrity birth reporting, and if you’re a star who just has a baby without fuss and without involving 36 ex-Navy Seals working on a “shoot nurse first, ask questions later” basis, then you are basically offering the first draft of your resignation from fame. It’s almost as if you don’t want to give your child the chance to attend one of the more prestigious rehabs by their 13th birthday, allowing those aforementioned online commenters to post 486 versions of the words “I told you so”, even as their own children play with matches and run with scissors, wondering why Mummy is lavishing another three hours of “me time” on the Daily Mail website.

All that having been established, we return to Blue Ivy Carter, whose arrival has been covered in strict accordance with those three immutable principles. Reports have claimed variously that the couple spent $1.3m renting and redecorating an entire floor of New York’s Lenox Hill hospital; that their private security team was over-zealous; and that other parents were barred from entering the neo-natal intensive care unit in which their premature babies lay. Asset-wise, $1.5m of nursery furniture has already been assigned to young Blue, from a $20,000 cot to a solid-gold rocking horse.

Is any of it even remotely true? Lenox Hill confirmed that the family had their own security detail, but has deemed complaints about restricted access for other parents “not credible”. Meanwhile, the golden rocking horse has already been debunked, with the Japanese jeweller said to have been paid $600,000 for the burnished beast releasing a statement regretting that no such order had been placed. I can’t help feeling the $15,000 crystal-encrusted high chair will go the same way, but the lies have gone round the world before the truth has even got its reasonably priced bootees on, and Blue is already being deemed Earth’s “smallest diva”.

So perhaps you’ll be wondering where her delivery fits into the all-time rankings of Lunatic Celebrity Births. The answer is: it’s never going to come within a hundred miles of displacing the daddy of them all. That spot is held – surely in perpetuity – by Angelina and Brad Pitt, for the birth of their daughter Shiloh.

Allow Lost in Showbiz to refresh your memory of this 2006 event. For reasons best summarised as “affectation”, the couple decided to give birth to their child in Namibia, to where they decamped a couple of months before the big day, taking over an entire luxury resort, and flying over a prestigious LA obstetrician.

Thus it began. Within days, Namibia’s tourism minister had claimed Brad and Angelina’s gracious decision to stay in their country to be “of major marketing value for us”. And so it was that government-backed security teams ran draconian house-to- house searches of the areas near the resort, apparently to see if local people were harbouring any journalists.

Next? Well, “spiralling out of control” is a phrase overused in print, but I can’t help feeling the Namibian government lost their handle on the situation when they decided to put a no-fly zone in place over the entire coast on which the Hollywood couple were staying. They had basically ceded control of their airspace to the stars of Mr & Mrs Smith. Yet even that was not enough. Shortly thereafter, the Namibian government banned any journalist who did not have written permission from the Jolie-Pitts from entering the country, causing the Washington Post to wonder: “Surely Hollywood stars can’t dictate who enters and leaves a sovereign state?”

“Imagine if a celebrity couple controlled England’s borders,” Namibia’s foremost human rights campaigner fumed to the New Statesman, while other locals raged that extraordinary measures were undermining the country’s fledgling democracy.

Unfortunately, their concern was not shared by Namibia’s president, who took the beyond-satirical step of issuing a formal thank you to the couple for putting his struggling country to such vast expense. “You didn’t just birth a child,” he gushed, “but a new era for our country.” Or as the human rights leader put it: “Ms Jolie is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, yet she seemed to tolerate the removal of human rights that are guaranteed by the UN.” So until another couple manage to turn an entire developing-world country into a VIP room, Brange retain the top spot.

As for what’s next for Blue, she’ll already be being considered for one of the rapidly proliferating lists ranking the best dressed or most powerful celebrity offspring, now run by everyone from gossip mags to Forbes. Last year’s most eye-catching one was Daily Beast’s Most Influential Celebrity Child, in which Suri Cruise just pipped Harper Beckham to No 1. Some of Angelina’s children made the list but others didn’t – Lost in Showbiz can’t help noticing only the white, biological ones hit the Top 10, while those adopted from Cambodia and Ethiopia and so on had to content themselves with lower finishes.

Still, that’s kiddie showbiz for you, and we can only wish little Blue all the best in this “gilded” existence.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

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Best Family Summer Destinations for 2012

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Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “The best summer family holiday deals” was written by Will Hide, for The Guardian on Friday 6th January 2012 22.45 UTC

FRANCE

Cycling in the Vercors mountains

Based in a former 18th-century mill in the foothills of the Vercors mountains, this cycling holiday is more about having fun than attempting to beat any Tour de France records. The British owners are on hand to help with route suggestions – picked for low amounts of traffic, and child seats are available. You’ll pass orchards, caves, lakes, rivers and plenty of other spots in which to pause en route. There are just three self-catering gîtes, which get booked up early for school holidays.
• Velo Vercors (+33 4 7571 3550, velovercors.com) offers a week self-catering for four in high season, including transfers from Lyon, bike hire, mapped cycle routes, and a home-cooked evening meal on the day of arrival, for £1,310. EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Geneva from £85 return in August

Camping in Brittany

If you’re sniffy about camping, consider two things: you’re not Hyacinth Bucket, and you’ll save lots of money to spend on fine French food. Venue Holidays is offering 10% off summer rates if you book this month – for example a week in late July is £567 for four at Fouesnant, which is near a sandy beach and has a pool. The price includes fully equipped tent and midweek Dover-Calais ferry crossing for car and passengers.
• Venue Holidays (01233 629950, venueholidays.co.uk)

B&B in Provence

Les Sardines aux Yeux Bleus is a chic B&B near Uzès which keeps its prices the same all year round, so summer books up quickly. The owners, a former Paris model and a photographer, have three cats and two children and the place is family-friendly. There’s plenty to explore round about if you don’t want to just linger by the pool.
• With i-escape.com, an apartment for four for a week with a double bed and a sofa bed, including breakfast, is £936

Gascony farmhouse

Warm summer days, great food, plenty of wine, a sultry jazz festival – who’s in? A lot of people, actually, which is why rental properties in Marciac, west of Toulouse, get booked up for the two-week festival each summer (jazzinmarciac.com). Try La Ferme, a stone house sleeping eight (so good to share with another family) just outside the town, with great views over rolling countryside. It has a good-sized lawn for evening boules, and a pool.
• Booked through The Gascony Secret (0844 8001637, gascony-secret.com), La Ferme costs £925 for a week self-catering in August. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies from Stansted to Lourdes, 40km from Marciac, from £145 return in August

Treehouse stay in Paris

Some youngsters might yawn at the prospect of being dragged round the French capital, no matter how fantastical the tales you conjure up about gargoyles atop Notre Dame. So bribe them by saying you’re staying in a treehouse. Keycamp offers them at its Paris International site, a 20-minute train ride from the centre.
• Keycamp (0844 406 0319, keycamp.co.uk) offers four nights in a treehouse sleeping five from 20 August for £551

Dordogne cottage

Tour operator Simply Perigord’s high season starts on 13 July, so if your children finish school before then, head south to bag an early bargain. Jolie Maison, for example, is just outside the market town of Le Bugue. It’s a lovely old stone cottage that sleeps four and has its own pool, with a garden and vine-covered eating area for balmy evenings.
• A week in Jolie Maison (+33 5 5354 5431, simply-perigord.com) before 13 July (and after 31 August) costs from £660. Bergerac airport is 45km away – Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies there from Bristol, East Midlands, Liverpool and Stansted from £140 return

Camping on the Ile de Ré

Eurocamp is offering discounts of up to 20% for summer bookings made by 22 February, so for example a week in late July in a fully equipped tent sleeping six at the Interlude site on the Ile de Ré, with pool and beach close by, costs £662. All you have to do is show up and start playing pétanque.
• 0844 406 0552, eurocamp.co.uk; this holiday, with Portsmouth-St Malo return ferry crossings included, costs £1,102

SPAIN

Extremadura farmhouse

La Lancha, a farm in Extremadura, well away from the costas, has been restored by a Swedish designer. Ikea-phobes, fret not – with an ornamental, twisting staircase and French antiques, it’s the anti flat-pack. Outside there’s an olive grove, pool, tennis court, basketball hoops and bikes, so you can pedal off and explore. It sleeps 14 so is perfect for several families together. As it’s only available to rent from July to September, it gets booked up fast.
• Booked through Sawdays (01275 395430, sawdays.co.uk/selfcatering), a week in high season is £2,100

Menorca beach apartment

Cosmos Holidays will throw in free breakfasts on some summer bookings made before 19 January – every little helps – for example at its self-catering apartments in Menorca. The ones at Punta Prima, in the south-east of the island, are on a hillside overlooking the beach, sleep four in two rooms, with kitchen and satellite telly if you want to watch the Olympics. There are plenty of bars, restaurants and shops nearby if you don’t.
• A week self-catering with Cosmos Holidays (0844 573 4261, cosmos.co.uk) from 25 July is £1,739 for a one-bedroom apartment sleeping four, including flights. Breakfast is included if you book before 19 January

UK

Country cottage in Fife

One reason to book your holiday now is to make sure you get exactly the property you want for summer. Cambo Estate in Fife has a range of cottages and apartments – including some that were former servants’ quarters, if you’re still getting over Downton Abbey – and its location makes it handy for trips to St Andrews, a host of lovely golf courses in Fife, fishing villages, beaches, pubs, shopping in Dundee, a day out in Edinburgh and hikes in Perthshire.
• East Cottage (01333 450054, camboestate.com) has one double and one twin bedroom and costs £665 for a week in peak season

Cabin in Worcestershire

The eclectic, bucolic Hatch Cabin – “a wendy house for grown-ups” – is located in a private meadow near Lindridge and always gets snapped up early for summer. It comfortably sleeps six so is perfect for a larger family or a group. In the evening you can listen for owls and stargaze through the telescope, there are supplies of paper if you want to draw or paint, and in the main house, a short distance away, there’s a recording studio and performance space if you want to create your own rock festival.
• Stays at the Hatch Cabin, booked through Canopy & Stars (01275 395447, canopyandstars.co.uk) cost from £110 a night in summer (two-night minimum)

Hiking in the Lake District

Children under 11 go free, those aged under 17 get 50% off and if you bring a grandparent accompanying at least two adults and one child they get 10% off too on this walking holiday deal in Cumbria. You’ll be based by the shores of Derwentwater, and can choose from up to three guided walks each day – to Helvellyn’s Striding Edge, for example, or Scafell Pike.
• A week’s hiking with HF Holidays (0845 470 8558, hfholidays.co.uk) in the school holidays costs £695 for adults and £347 for 11-17s, including full board, guided walks, social activities and transport to and from the hikes

Sailing in the Norfolk Broads

Get a free half-day’s sailing lesson worth £60 when you book this month for a week on a four-berth boat in the summer holidays with Waterways Holidays. Tornado is a 27ft yacht with a motor, but the kids can have fun helping raise the sails if the wind gets up. Inside it’s compact but the dining area converts into a double bed and there are two single beds at the bow.
• A week on a cruiser with Waterways Holidays (01252 339023, waterwaysholidays.com) costs £799, including a tank of diesel, gas for cooking and hot water, and car parking. Quote code “GD12″ for the free tuition

SWEDEN

Cottage on Grinda island

There are around 30,000 islands in the archipelago east of Stockholm, the larger ones easily reached by ferry (waxholmsbolaget.se). They are idyllic places to spend long summer days hiking in meadows, kayaking, picnicking and barbecuing – so act now to grab a spot before the Swedes. Grinda is one such island, with plenty to do for outdoorsy families and a range of accommodation, including an old inn (good for a splurge meal on the outside deck), a hostel and 27 cottages near the shoreline.
• A cottage for four in summer costs £655 for six nights (Mon-Sun) with Grinda Wärdshus (+46 8 542 49491, grindawardshus.se). Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Stockholm Skavsta from Edinburgh, Liverpool, Gatwick and Stansted from £75 return in August

GREECE

Villa in Malathiros, Crete

Freelance Holidays is offering 5% off high-season villa rentals if you book before the end of this month. You’re not restricted to weekend changeovers, which means you could take advantage of cheaper midweek flights. Malathiros villas have one double bedroom and comfy sofa beds for the kids. There’s a garden close by where you can pick your own vegetables for salads and the owner’s son Kosta will, for an extra charge, bring meals from the family taverna to save you cooking. Beaches in the bay of Kissamos are a 15-minute drive away.
• Freelance Holidays (01789 297705, freelance-holidays.co.uk) has a week’s rental in high season from £694 if booked by 31 January. EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Chania from Gatwick from around £240 return in August

TURKEY

Princes’ Island apartment

If you want to see a different side to Turkey’s largest city, stay on one of the traffic-free Princes’ Islands, which are a 50- to 90-minute ferry commute from Istanbul. Cycles, horse-drawn carriages or feet are the only ways to get around, whether you’re heading towards the beaches or meandering along forested paths. Demand for the few rental properties always exceeds supply in the school holidays, so it’s a good idea to book now.
• A week in a flat sleeping four in high season with Istanbul Islands (020-7436 8009, istanbulislands.com) costs from £760. Turkish Airlines (turkishairlines.com) flies to Istanbul from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester, from £310 return

MOROCCO

Atlas Mountains trek

The Adventure Company offers 5% off if you book at least six months in advance, so you can sneak a discount if you get in early on its eight-day family trips to Morocco. There are departures on 23 July, and 6 and 20 August, when you’ll take part in a four-day trek in the Atlas mountains, staying in Berber villages, and spend time in Marrakech.
• The Adventure Company (0845 2871198, adventurecompany.co.uk) has eight-day trips (for four, children must be 12 or over), excluding flights (£2,796 including flights), with accommodation, most meals, local transfers and guiding

SOUTH AFRICA

Wildlife lodge, KwaZulu-Natal

If you want to see wildlife in a setting normally only visited by South Africans, bypass Kruger and head to KwaZulu-Natal. Umkhumbi Lodge has 12 rooms and a pool and is offering 20% off for summer bookings made this month (mention code WHGUA). Not only do you have the wildlife-packed Hluhluwe-Imfolozi and Mkhuze national parks a short drive away, but there are sandy beaches and fishing at Sodwana and Kosi Bay and Isimangaliso Wetland Park too, which will be more than enough to keep everyone happy.
• A week at Umkhumbi Lodge (+27 76 164 1134, umkhumbilodge.co.za) in two interconnecting rooms costs £1,272 half board for two adults and two children under 12. Activities, drinks, flights and transfers are not included. The nearest international airport is Durban, two-and-a-half hours away by car. Emirates (emirates.com) flies from Gatwick to Durban from £620 return in August

WEST INDIES

Beach villa on Grenada

If you book by the end of this month you can get 30% off a villa at Mount Cinnamon, which means prices in July start at £150 a night for a villa sleeping two adults and two children. The small resort overlooks Grand Anse beach and has a children’s club in the holidays. You can go sailing and snorkelling and visit cocoa and spice plantations.
• Seven nights in a villa for four at Mount Cinnamon (0808 234 2497, mountcinnamongrenadahotel.com) starts at £1,030, excluding flights. Monarch (monarch.co.uk) flies once a week from Gatwick from £500 return

PERU

Inca trail trek

If you’ve always wanted a family adventure hiking the Inca Trail be aware that permits for the year become available in January and those for the popular trekking months of July and August go quickly – so book early.
• Journey Latin America (020-8747 8315, journeylatinamerica.co.uk) has a 10-day holiday to Peru from £2,238pp, (£1,888 for under-12s,) including flights, transfers, B&B accommodation, camping equipment for the trek, guide and porter services, full board on the trail, and guided excursions in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

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Shoesme Shop in Tilburg, The Netherlands

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Dutch designer Teun Fleskens created the interior for the original looking Shoesme Shop, located in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The shop has a playful, inviting feel, as it based on one special item: the dice.

The use of dice allowed the project team to configure the unit in a unique, modern style. A single dice can be used to serve as a seating element for kids, while two dice make for a table’s height. If you look closely, you will observe that even the presentation stands were created with the help of stacked cubes. When the company participates in various fares, they literally give the dice away to participants, after the events.

But this creative and inexpensive way of promotion is not the only ingenious feature of the company. Shoesme attracts customers due to an interior design characterized by flexibility and originality, even if you rule out the use of dice. The ceilings for example are filled with wires and lighting units. Pendant lamps descend from the roof and emphasize each pair of children’s shoes. Color is also present, contributing to an inviting environment, for both kids and adults.

Photographer: Michiel Maessen. Visit the official designers website here.

 


Versace Children’s Store in Milan

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Italian fashion house, Versace, has opened the doors to its very first children’s store in Milan, Italy. The new children’s boutique is dedicated to the brand’s “Young Versace” collection that debuted at the Pitti Immagine Bimbo fashion show in Florence last June.

“This is a high-end, glamorous and colorful collection in line with the brand’s essence, with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll. Donatella Versace strongly supports and is behind the project, we have a state-of-the-art technological platform and supply chain, and we directly manage our core business,” said Gian Giacomo Ferraris, chief executive officer of Versace SpA.

The collection includes clothes and accessories for both girls and boys from infancy to age 12. The Milan boutique contains exclusive pieces from the Young Versace line, which was first shown at a special international children-wear exhibit in Florence earlier this year.


Pave Bicycle Shop in Barcelona, Spain

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The resemblance between this contemporary bike store and a museum is striking. Envisioned by architect Joan Sandoval, Pave in Barcelona is definitely not your average bicycle store. All the items are properly emphasized on, with the help of back-lit compartments. Moreover, the unusual shop features a lounge where customers can watch important cycling races on TV, a library with magazines where they can have drinks and showers they can use after training .

Pave store in Barcelona is a true biker’s haven. It features various products, from footwear to bicycle components. As stated before, walking through the shop can be similar with strolling through the galleries of an art museum, as the products are carefully and logically displayed, making it easy and pleasant for bikers to find what they need.

The person in charge with the branding process was Marcel Batlle, who stated in an official press release: “The idea is to offer much more than just a cycling shop. We have showers for use after training, a nice TV to watch Giro, Le Tour, Paris Roubaix…There is a paved entry, making reference to the name of the shop and the classic bicycle race. The shop is 700m2 with lots of space where you can enjoy all the products.”


Burberry Hobo-Style Diaper Bag

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Diapers rarely have anything to do with style, so we were thrilled to share this snappy looking hobo-style diaper bag from the folks at Burberry.

It does not look like a diaper bag. It is a discreet and stylish tote that features the iconic Burberry check patter, plus Italian leather trim.

The bag features a tan check cotton canvas with dark stone leather trim and golden hardware. There are tubular top handles with square rings and a removable, buckled shoulder strap.

Made in Italy, this diaper bag runs about $1,200.