The Row for Toms Shoes

 (Image Credit: LDN Fashion, Toms Shoes)

I've been a fan of MK&A (Mary Kate and Ashley, duh.) since their Michelle Tanner days. I religiously followed their careers from solving any crime by dinnertime to Two of a Kind to Mary Kate's brief stint on Weeds, so I was thrilled to hear about the twins teaming up with Toms Shoes for a collaborative collection.

As I've mentioned before, Toms Shoes is a company that runs on the philosophy one for one: for each pair of shoes sold, a pair is given to a child in need, and this collaboration is no exception to that rule.

Made with cashmere and Italian wool, the collection is currently available for purchase on the Toms website, and prices range from $140-150.

Readers, what do you think of the collection? Is $150 too much to pay for a pair of slip ons?

Gift Guide #2: Gifts that Give Back

The holiday season is about giving, and here are some presents that do double duty. Each product in today's gift guide benefits charity in some way, so you don't have to feel guilty if you have a few To: me, From: me gifts under the tree.

1.) Rachel Roy UNICEF Charity Tote (Shopbop, $20): After designer Rachel Roy heard about the recent floods in Pakistan that affected over 10 million children, she teamed up with UNICEF to design a tote for the cause. For each bag sold Roy will donate $20 to the US Fund for UNICEF in support of flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

2.) Tory Burch Foundation Studded Cuff (Tory Burch, $95): These colorful bangles with metallic studs are so popular, the Tory Burch website already sold out! If you're dying for one of these bracelets that benefits the Tory Burch Foundation, give customer service a call at 1-866-480-8679--they assured me that all colors can still be found in stores and would be more than happy to ship them through the mail.

3.) Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream (The Body Shop, $7): The Body Shop's moisturizing cream does more than leave hands soft, 100% of the proceeds from the product go to ECPAT International, a nonprofit that focuses on combating and raising awareness of sex trafficking of children and young people.

4.) Silver Morocco Women's Classics (Tom's Shoes, $54): In 2006 Blake Mycoskie created Toms Shoes, a for-profit company with a mentality of giving. After spending time with children in Argentina, Mycoskie was struck by how many could not afford shoes, and pledged to help the situation. Toms shoes operates under the motto "one for one," for every pair of shoes, like these chic silver morocco classics, the company donates a pair to a child in need.

5.) Brass Wrapped Circle Earrings (Ten Thousand Villages, $24): I've written about Ten Thousand Villages on this blog before, but it is such a great non-profit, I can't help but include it in this post. Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world's largest fair trade organizations and focuses on improving the lives of artisans in over 35 countries. These particular earrings were handcrafted by jewelry artisans in Mombasa, Kenya.