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vivavintage lauren

Donate your back-of-the-closet, luxury footwear and handbags and help make a difference to the lives of children with learning differences and special educational needs.

ASK – All Special Kids, a non-profit association providing essential support for local families of children with learning differences and special educational needs, has just teamed up with the Rush Pop Up fashion store, to create a unique charity shopping event in Geneva.

Called Viva Vintage!, the special shoe and bag sale will take place at the Nest Gallery in Geneva on Thursday, 18 December from 17h to 21h.  In the days leading up to the event, both ASK and Rush are asking the general public to hand in once-loved, like-new luxury footware and handbags at various locations throughout Geneva. Click here to find a depot near you or contact event organizer and ASK board member, Cheryl Sanders, to arrange pick-up from your home or workplace.

brappz6

Complementary bracelet for knowitall.ch readers who order before 15 August, 2014 (see below)

Local entrepreneurs, Barbara Traulsen and Selene Folkesson, have just launched an exciting new fashion accessory, which is suitable for all ages and has appeal to both genders, no matter what the season, or time of day. Called brappz, the brightly colored cords were developed initially as a trendy alternative to bra straps, but have also been gaining popularity as stylish bracelets, anklets, cool-looking hair braids and even practical shoelaces!

The new line of silky smooth brappz straps were launched officially at the beginning of July and will be available for purchase online, as well as at local retailers including SB Sport in Gland, A Cause Des Garcons in Nyon, Boutique Ateapic in Geneva, and Sport 137 in Versoix.  While the standard size will be available in 14 different colors, there will also be an extra large size, ideal for shoelaces, cross back bras and halter tops, available in 5 colors of their own.

offtheshelf20pass

If you are looking for some good books to read over the holidays this summer, then now is the time to cash in on OffTheShelf’s great summer offer.

For just Fr. 20.- you can buy one of their special Summer Passes, which entitles you to 20% off in-stock book purchases in the bookstore until 31 August. So, why not bring the family along and browse the bookshelves to see what the shop has to offer? It's so much more enjoyable than internet shopping, and you don’t need to worry about whether the books will arrive in time for your holidays!

To get you in the mood for shopping, take a look at the OffTheShelf website to see the latest arrivals in store. These include the long awaited conclusion to the best selling Mortal Instruments series, City of Heavenly Fire, as well as Hilary Clinton’s candid reflections on her time as Secretary of State: Hard Choices. You can also buy the current Hardbook Bestseller, China Dolls as well as the Paperback Bestseller, The Quantum Age.

 supermarketfrance

New regulations have been announced concerning the amount of merchandise that you can bring over the border from France into Switzerland.

From 1July, anyone traveling through customs, will be able to bring up to Fr. 300.- of goods per day for their own personal consumption, or as a gift to someone else, duty free. Any goods over this amount will be subject to 8% TVA, or 2.5% TVA for goods such as books and non-alcoholic drinks.

As before, there will also be limits on the quantity of goods brought through customs. However, there are some changes. Notably you can bring:

  • 1kg of meat (Includes meat and meat products derived from all animal species, excluding wild animals, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.)
  • 1 kg/l or butter and cream
  • 5kg/l or oils, fats and margarine
  • 5l of alcoholic drinks up to 18% volume (Min age 17)
  • 1l of alcoholic drinks over 18% volume (Min age 17)
  • 250 cigarettes / cigars (Min age 17)
  • 250g of other manufactured tobacco (Min age 17)

The following taxes will apply to any goods, which exceed the limits above:

  • Meat: Fr. 17.- per kg
  • Butter and cream: Fr. 16.- per kg/l
  • Oils, fats, and margarine: Fr. 2.- per kg/l
  • Alcoholic drinks up to 18% volume: Fr. 2.- per l
  • Alcoholic drinks over 18% volume: Fr. 15.- per l
  • Cigarettes or cigars: Fr. 0.25 per item
  • Other manufactured tobacco: Fr. 0.10 per g

It is worth noting that there are no longer any limits on the amount of milk, eggs or cut flowers you bring over the border. However, there is a change in the amount of meat you can bring as this has now all been grouped together under one category, with a total limit of 1kg.

ONMYWAY station service Photo Olivier Evard
Photo credit: Olivier Evard

Exclusive offer to Knowitall.ch readers: 20% off your first order!

A new dry cleaning service has been launched in the Lake Geneva region, which aims to fit in with the hectic lifestyles of its clients.

Called “On My Way”, the new service allows clients to register their garments for cleaning online, and then drop them off at any of their 20 partner service stations, conveniently situated on motorway routes and in towns and cities in the Lake Geneva region.

The pioneering “On My Way" concept is the brainchild of long-standing friends, Cédric Rimella and Carlos Serrano, who recognized the need to simplify people’s lives by giving them access to an easy and efficient, high quality dry cleaning service on their daily commutes.