spot the difference.

So, spot the odd one out. No, it's nothing to do with the fact that perhaps some of them use child labour, and others don't. No, it's nothing to do with the fact that the H&M logo is the only one which has a bit of colour in it. And, no it has nothing to do with the fact that some of the brands are British, some Scandanavian and some European. No, it's something much more fundamental than that. What am I talking about?

The price.

That's right, whilst the others are all high-street chains, Chloé decidely isn't. Again, which brand do you think it's easiest (at least, in the streets I walk down on a daily basis here) to find here? Yep, that's right, Chloé. In fact, I haven't seen a French Connection, Topshop or River Island here. There is a H&M, but you won't find it on the Italian high-street; instead, it's tucked away in the shopping centre on the outskirts of town, lest it blemish Brescia's boutique-lined streets.

I went for a piadina (sort of like a hot tortilla, filled with crudo, cheeses, salads, mushrooms - whatever you want, really) tonight, and walking back to my dorms from the bus stop we went past a place that has Hermès handbags in the window. My friend commented that she liked some orange one that was on display, and I casually asked the price: "4000€ - oooh, not bad." It was at this point that my chin hit the floor with a resounding thud. "Four thousand euro?", I responded, thinking that maybe my Italian wasn't up to scratch at all and that I'd put one too many zeros on the figure. "Yes", she responded, perplexed at the completely confused look that was now sitting on my face. "Actually, yeah", she continued, "I went to England one time, and there was, well, nothing." "What do you mean, 'there was nothing'?", I asked, thinking that maybe there hadn't been the nightlife she'd been hoping for (and then I promptly remembered that I'm staying in collegio and that this is therefore unlikely). "You know, there's just no shops." Turns out she'd been staying near Canterbury, and I tried to explain that not every town or city in England is a shopping mecca, much less is every street crammed full of designer labels. "Well, [her city] isn't exactly known for its shopping, but there's still Gucci", she replied indignantly. It was then that I realised that I was fighting a losing battle. I tried to explain that people in England don't judge clothes by the label they're attached to and she just went on about the higher quality. Which, y'know, may or may not be true. But I don't care if something has the ability to last for years if I'm gonna get bored of it after six months.

And then I finally came to my senses, enough of the discussion of the quality of something, but it costs FOUR THOUSAND EURO. How ON EARTH does a student afford that? I know that most people in England couldn't. She was like, "But it's not a question of money." She just couldn't understand that if you don't have enough money to pay the rent, or eat, you're not gonna spend what you do have on some over-priced item.

A Catholic country, which generally has such high moral standards yet which has such a high rate of consumerism makes for an odd juxtaposition. It's not just clothes, though. This girl is almost twenty-one and, okay, she goes to university, but she gets una borsa di studio (basically a non-repayable grant from the university) and yet her parents still pay all of her accommodation, her mobile contract (she has an iPhone 3GS) and buy all of her (all designer) clothes. And she's not alone. There's one girl I know here who doesn't dress in head-to-toe Chloé, Chanel and Fendi. It's crazy. I think it probably is a case of parents who spoil their children massively. Plus, I'm in one of the richest parts of Italy - although I've still heard similar stories from other people in other places.

Crazy times.

I seriously CANNOT WAIT to get to Primark - where stuff costs way under 4000€, and the biggest size available isn't a size6.

Saying that, I wouldn't say no to one of those Chloé Paddington bags...