BagBible

I like the Gucci Charlotte asymmetrical adjustable shoulder straps, they certainly add appeal to the otherwise simple and regular looking bag.  If I were to buy the bag, these shoulder straps would be the main reason for me to buy the bag, since I don’t care much for canvas nor monogram designs.  However, for Gucci monogram fans, this will be a great bag.  It has a classic shape which means it will lasts for many years to come, and the neutral color matches easily with your wardrobe.  The shoulder straps look comfortable and would fit well on the shoulder without slipping. The 16 1/2″W x 11″H x 7″D measurement assures it’s functionality.  All in all, this is a good and functional bag. It’s just not an exciting bag for me.

Buy from Neiman Marcus for $995

On Sunday, we finaly made it to Amsterdam after all the travel drama.  The first thing we did was take a nap.  After we woke up from our nap in the afternoon, we went to The Amstel Hotel for a Royal High Tea. The Amstel Hotel is the finest hotel in Amsterdam, and the choice of public figures such as The Rolling Stones, Madonna, and Nelson Mandela. It is also where the Dutch Royal Family hosts many events, and accommodates visiting dignitaries and royalty from around the world. When Princess Maxima entered the Royal Family in 2002, guests of the wedding were housed here.

This is my first High Tea experience.  It’s pretty much like the tea party that you played when you were little; only a lot fancier.  We were served six different kinds of world’s finest tea, accompanied by exquisite delicacies from Amstel’s chef. I don’t remember all the tea names but I do remember the Darjeeling tea which is supposed to be the champagne of teas.

As much as I enjoy the experienced, I must say that Royal High Tea is not for kids.  My 3 year old daughter seemed to enjoyed it and thought that she was a princess.  However, my 5 year old son was very restless. If you would like to experience and actually enjoy the Royal High Tea, I would strongly recommend to leave your kids at home with a sitter. Click for more pictures! More »

This is by far the most understated and minimalist bag that I have ever seen.  There is no hardware, there is no pocket, there are no bells and whistles, nothing.  This bag only has the absolutely necessary to be called a bag.  I’m sure this bag will look like a lump of suede when empty.  I absolutely love this.  You might think I’m crazy, but sometimes I need to take a break from all the crazy designs and colors and just be subtle. You really can not go anymore subtle than this.  Even the color of this bag is very subdued: light grey. When I look at this bag, I think about the word “zen”. Don’t you agree?

You can buy this from Shopbop for $795.  Now, as much as I like this bag, I probably won’t spend that much for this minimalistic looking bag.  However, I would definitely consider it if it ever goes on sale.  This bag measures a generous 20″H x 19″L x 7″D, with 9″ strap drop.

Below you can see Kate Bosworth wearing this bag.  I think the bag looks pretty huge against her small frame.

Source

I can’t decide whether to like this bag or not.  It is definitely not ugly, but if I were asked to point out it’s beauty, I’m stumped.  I like the interesting shoulder strap, but I think the opening is too small for us to be able to wear it on our shoulder.  I know it’s not a shoulder bag, it is a tote, which means you should carry it in your hand.  However, this bag is shaped so much like a shoulder bag that my first instinct would be to wear it on my shoulder.

I’m also not so sure about the protruding twisted seams; it looks like they are trying to make wavy lines with them.  However, they do not turn out as nice waves, they are more like crooked lines. Luckily, the flat twisted seams came out nicely, but they are not as noticeable next to the protruding seams.  Oh well, at least the belted tassels were done well;  they add nice accents to the bag and make the bag look like it has a cinched waist.

Buy from Bloomingdale’s for $398

Rocker Chic on Crosby Street

“Leather. Zippers. Studs… the Botkier Fall 09 collection flaunts all the details we love about Botkier. Taking it back to street chic NYC cool. Inspired by the seductive pulse of New York City streets and my favorite pair of worn in, black leather motorcycle pants. Handbags and shoes in a palette of moody darks and sexy neutrals that get better with age. Slouchy silhouettes that live with us. This is quintessential Botkier”.- Monica Botkier

Sydney

Logan

Uma

Angie

Taylor

I just love, love, love this bag.  As you probably already know, I’m obsessed with slouchy bags right now.  I know for a fact that not all slouchy bags are created equal.  Some will fall nicely from your shoulder and some will just sit like ugly shapeless lumps.  I noticed that what sets the great slouchy bags apart from the bad slouchy bags is the bottom part of the bags.

A great slouchy bag has a proportionally wider bottom than the top, like this one. Furthermore, it has to have supple leather that will conform to the content of your bag.  The leather on this Tano bag looks supple from the zoomed in view. The side drawstring pulls reassure the suppleness by creating beautiful ruch instead of rigid and spiky folds.

Now, let’s talk about the color.  It only comes in one color: bronze (in Neiman Marcus).  I think bronze is a great color, because it goes with everything and it is more interesting than just a plain old tan color.  If you look at it closely, the bronze color of this bag is not just a flat bronze, it is more like a distressed bronze, which I think adds character and richness to the bag.

Another great thing about this bag is the price, which is only $225. You don’t even need to wait for it to go on sale. Buy from Neiman Marcus.

As you are reading this, you probably think that I have already arrived safe and sound in Amsterdam.  No, I have not.  In fact, I’m still at home right now.  Everything was great and smooth until we were about to get our boarding passes.  When they looked at our passports, they said my son’s passport had already expired.  Of course we were not allowed to board on the plane, and we did not have enough time to get a new passport.  In the end, we had to reschedule our trip and pay very expensive penalties for our tickets (designer bag expensive) *sigh*.

On top of all that, we felt so bad for our friend that generously offer to take us to the airport, which is not close to where we live.  She had to drive back and forth just because of this expired passport incident.  Today, we drove a total 130 miles going all over the place trying to fix this mess.

Even though the whole day was a total mess, something good came out of it.  After, we got back from the state department in San Francisco, we went to Costco to take my son’s passport pictures.  While I’m waiting, an old man came up to me and asked where I’m from, and told me that he thinks I have a beautiful face.  I know that he is old and he’s probably does not have a clear vision.  But hey after a whole day of stress at least I have something to smile about. FYI, I stayed up until 5 o’clock in the morning to do last minute packing, and I did not put any make up, not even powder when I walked out the door.  So, I’m very sure the old man is just trying to be nice.  He probably knew that I had a rough day and needed a little bit of cheering up.

Image from Take to tour world

For the next two weeks, I will be vacationing in Amsterdam with my family.  This means that my posts will deviate from my usual postings and that my posting frequency will be a little less. However, while I’m there, I will definitely try to blog about bag shopping and other (PG rated) stuff related to Amsterdam. Let me know if you have any request. Happy Summer!

How would you like it if you could see and use your phone from outside of your bag? Yes, you read it right. I did write OUTSIDE.  There is a saying that necessity is the mother of invention.  Apparently, people have a need to use their cell phone without having to take the cell phone out of the bag.  Personally, I don’t think this bag will be pretty to look at, but I’m sure it is super functional.  It is like having a huge cell phone sleeve that can carry your other belongings.

This product comes in 3 different size: purse, clutch and wallet.  Most of them are made of faux leather, which I’m not too fond of.  But maybe if it gets really popular, high end designers would start making a more luxurius version of this bag, you never know. Chanel has already made the Transparent Case Bag that is very unconventional.

You can buy this bag from Nectar Accessories for $100.

Here is a video where you can see how the bag works together with your phone:

YouTube Link

Since super slouchy bags are my current obsession, I clicked on bags that I would not normally pay any attention to; like this Christian Louboutin Saba Water Snake bag here.  If you look at the first picture, there is nothing really attractive about it. I thought the shape is kind of odd. Luckily, being the curious person that I am, I clicked more.  I actually have faith that Louboutin is very capable of making drool worthy bags.

This is a very casual and easy looking bag.  The one that you can wear and instantly have that effortless chic look, even though in reality it takes you an hour to get ready.  The color of the bag is very neutral, even though it is not eye popping, it is still very suitable for summer.  You can always tone it up by pairing it with bright outfit or tone it down with neutral outfit like the model is wearing.  You can pretty much wear this bag all year long.

One concern that I have is the stiff looking shoulder strap.  I think it is taking away some of the slouchiness effect of the bag.  I would prefer a flatter and supple shoulder strap.

Did you see how Louboutin is applying his signature on his bags? Notice the shoe charm and the red lining; I believe that the red lining is representing the red sole from his shoe line. I must say it is a smart marketing strategy. Given that Louboutin already has one sucessful shoe empire why not remind people of how good he is and how he also is committed to deliver the same level of satisfaction to his loyal customers.

Buy from Net-A-Porter for $2,097

This simple but intricate tote is a perfect choice for career women. The rectangular shape makes carrying documents a breeze; there won’t be folds and wrinkles on your papers since the bag is shaped like a stack of papers.

I’m pleasantly surprised with this tote. I always thought that exotics are best to be presented as it is: meaning no weaving and no complicated pleating.  I thought doing all those would hide the beauty of the exotic skin. Obviously, I was wrong.

The intricate work on the snake skin does not hide the beauty of the leather at all.  You can still recognize that the tote is made of snake skin.  The weaving technique gives the bag a faceted look which makes it like a piece of art. And do you notice the zipper pull? It totally reflects the shape of the bag. Genius!

You can buy this from Vivre for $2,800, they also have the eel version of this bag. I know it is an expensive bag, but if the recession doesn’t stop you from buying luxury goods, go ahead and buy this bag and help the economy. By the way, that’s how Paris Hilton justifies her shopping habit.

Jimmy Choo has proven that his bags are as hot as his shoes. This Lohla bag is one of them.  This is definitely not your regular boring black bag.  First of all, it has detachable handles that are connected through eyelets on the top of the bag.  I think this feature is strictly for creative design purpose. There is nothing functional about it, since it does not come with any other straps or handles.  I guess you can criss cross the handles if you want but it’s just make the bag look odd and hard to use.

Second of all, the leather is very glitzy and glamorous looking. It is not only shiny like regular patent leather bags but it has the overall paillette detail that makes the bag sparkle.

From the modeled picture on Net-A-Porter, I can see that this bag is somewhat on the bigger size.  So, if you are tall and slim, this bag will definitely look great on you. However, I would suggest petites and full figured ladies to avoid this bag. Since it will be disproportional for the petites and add width to the full figures. Buy from Net-A-Porter for $1,995

I have been noticing Elie Tahari bags lately.  I’m already a fan of her clothing line, because of  her timeless, sophisticated and understated style.  Fortunately, Elie Tahari has also applied those principles for her handbag line.  This Estelle Tote has a timeless and classic shape. I love the V shape pleats on the body and the ruched flaps on the pockets. They make this simple bag look more elegant and attractive.

This bag has a zippered closure, which I like a lot better than magnetic closure.  I just don’t feel safe with magnetic closures, because I once lost my favorite lip gloss in a bag that uses a magnetic closure.  I know it’s not expensive but I just don’t like to loose my things.

I also think the braided handles add a nice touch to the bag compared to the boring plain rolled handles. It is like comparing french braid to a pony tail, both keep your hair away from your face but the french braid does it with more style. The hardware on the handles bothers me a little.  I don’t think putting metal on your shoulder is going to be comfortable. I would prefer the braided handles without the hardware. Other than that I absolutely love this bag, especially the bright teal color. This color is a happy color for me as it somehow always makes me smile and it is perfect for the summer.  They also have one in black if you need a more classic and versatile color.

This bag measures 15.5″W x 9.5″H x 7″D, you can buy it from Bloomingdale’s for $798

Please click the links for sale invitation!