Globally Chic Gifts

One of the more useful shopping tips passed on to me actually came from a guy. My ex-colleague John told me that he stocked up on his presents whenever he was overseas, no matter what month it was. Gifts turn out to be more unique, exotic, and (in most cases) cheaper. A bracelet from a Morrocan bazaar has the "ooohh/aaahh" factor than the one from the mall around the corner.

This is why I was extra pleased to find out last Friday that I needed to be in Bangkok starting today till Thursday! Aside from looking forward to pigging out to Thai food again (ah...pad thai! catfish and mango salad! thom yang!), I can't wait to hit the night bazaar. Wonderful clothing (quality textiles + unique designs) and exotic accessories are to be had. So thats where i'm going to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping. I promise to take lots of pictures and blog about it when I come back.

If you're not planning to fly out but still want to give globally chic presents, there's always the option of buying online. Novica is one of the best sites I found for this. Partenering with the National Geographic Society (well, thats jetset cred for ya), Novica features the craftmanship of artisans from all over the world.

We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow. We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.

My favorites from the site includes the "Diagonal Daisies" silk handbag from India. With its vibrant silk, beads, and tassels, it instantly reminded me of the "Arabain Nights". The silver Lotus necklace is wonderfuly elegant and exotic at the same time. The rose quartz sparkles without subduing the overall design. Last but not the least, I like the hot pink woolen shawl. Shawls are always good buys because they can accent your outfits in many, many ways...you may use it as a skirt, a wrap, a scarf, or even tie it around your bag. Yep, thats the magic of the scarf.