Rarely do I have enough (or more precisely, take enough) time to read a magazine cover to cover, but on Sunday I actually managed to get through the September 2013 issue Town and Country. Now, I will be the first to snicker at the fact that in an article devoted to describing the good works of two beautiful, young, and very wealthy young women, namely Claire Courtin-Clarins and Lauren Bush. (you can read more about them here ) the total cost of the fashion and jewelry these ladies are wearing could feed a small country for an indefinite period of time, but I do admire their open-heartedness.

Lauren Bush started FEED in 2006. “FEED began in 2006 when acclaimed model and activist Lauren Bush designed a bag to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) School Feeding program. As a WFP Honorary Student Spokesperson, Lauren visited countries around the world in Asia, Latin America, and Africa where WFP is operating and was inspired by the plight of the people she met on her travels. She took a special interest in WFP’s School Feeding program, which feeds and educates hungry children. She first created the FEED 1 bag, a reversible burlap and organic cotton bag reminiscent of the bags of food distributed by WFP, to help raise funds and awareness around these school feeding operations. It was stamped with “FEED the children of the world” and the number ‘1’ to signify that each bag feeds one child in school for one year. And in 2007, FEED Projects LLC was founded by Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson to produce and sell these bags.” (you can read more about FEED here )

Of course, helping out the less fortunate is not a new thing: in 1913 noted French poster artist Theophile Steinlen produced a haunting poster for an ‘artistic raffle’, the proceeds of which would go towards ‘hungry Belgians’. It would be difficult to measure which approach is more effective, but to me, almost any donation to charity is a good donation to make…

Also from Town and Country, a great story about a collaboration of a different kind – this time between a cosmetics company and a bicycle manufacturer. I’m not sure I truly see the value of matching your nail polish color to the tint of your ride, but who am I to say?

Fashionable women have always been bike riders: when this poster was produced (in the early 1900’s), bicycles were considered downright liberating as they permitted women to gallivant around town, unescorted (imagine!)And because I really do always think of posters, the T+C story about the most eligible bachelors and bachelorette reminded me of this stupendous Davis Cup poster from the early 80’s:

 

and the Paris travel guide reminded me of these.

I’m thinking I should start finding time to read these magazines more often.