Something new, something small, something red

 

In the past couple of months, I was in a special mission to find a SLIM long (continental) wallet. My objective is simple. I want a continental wallet that can easily fit into my Celine Trio or Dior Miss Dior Promenade (check both bags here). Currently I have several continental wallets (last family photo here) but there is only one wallet that can fit into those bags (this one here).

To be honest, it was not an easy task as most of continental wallets had a standard design, i.e. plenty of credit card slots, a coin compartment, 3-4 compartments to keep money or receipts, which caused a rather bulky continental wallet. My requirement was simple, where I wanted max. 2 compartments (just to keep money and receipts), 6 credit card slots and NO coin compartment and the width of wallet must be less than 10cm.

Well, I almost gave up for my mission (and almost decided to use a small bi-fold wallet) until I saw this wallet in Bottega Veneta store (By the way, the wallet was kept in men's section as it is actually a men's long wallet. No wonder that I never knew this wallet before as I kept looking at the women's section). The size is just perfect and its details match to my specific requirements. Yay! I then became more excited when I saw a true red colour from Bottega Veneta's Cruise 2014 collection, called 'New Red'.

Without further ado, here is my New Red continental wallet which has become my favourite wallet in the past one month.

Recent Longchamp haul

About a month ago, Longchamp held its annual End of Season sale for the fall winter collection. Of course I did not miss the event especially when the SA called me in advance and advised me for the upcoming event ;)

So on the first day of sale event, I went to the store, stayed inside the store for total 15 minutes (I was in hurry) and went home with a big green 'Longchamp' paper bag. Well, I bought 3 Le Pliage bags: 2 Le Pliage Cuir in cumin and bilberry and 1 Le Pliage Plumes in bronze. All are in medium size (length 32cm) with long strap.

In my opinion, the Le Pliage Plumes bag is quite unique as Longchamp claimed that it uses printed moleskin fabrics and the fabrics feel super soft!

All these bags have been actively on duty in the past one month. They are great for daily bags and the medium size is just perfect for me.

See the printed moleskin fabrics of Le Pliage Plumes in close up. There are many 'Longchamp' letters printed randomly all over the fabrics surface. What a great details!

 

 

Pssstt, please check out my other Le Pliage Cuir bags here.

V73 Birkin-inspired canvas tote bag

V73 is an Italian brand that designs and makes a Birkin-inspired bag made from canvas. They claim that the bags and accessories are made in Italy (not made in China!).

I was so tempted to get this bag as I read quite positive review from bag lovers around the globe. I have seen the other Birkin-inspired bags from Banana Taipei (a Taiwanese brand) or Thursday Friday (a US brand) and one thing that I noticed was that both brands uses unlined canvas fabric to construct the bag. Hence the inside pocket was relatively minimum (only one open pocket) and the bags do not have a nice structure (very very slouchy).

The Birkin inspired bag from V-73 is different. It is made from thick canvas and inside is lined with red cotton fabric (yes, red lining is always nice). And since the bag is lined, there are some functional pockets built-in inside the bag. Even there are 2 zip pockets with unique metal zipper pull, i.e. in number 7 and 3.

The bag is decorated with metal buckles on the front side which improves its aesthetic look. Another decoration of the bag is a set of bag charm which I do not feature in this post. Oh, and the bottom of the bag is protected by some metal feet.

Although the bag is made from canvas, it is actually a rather heavy bag. I guess it is due to the thick canvas, lining and those metal hardware used in this bag. Because the bag is heavy (even when it is empty), I  have intentionally removed the metal bag charm to reduce the weight.

I have used the bag in the past one month and yes I quite like it. I have used it as a pilates bag to keep my exercise clothes and I guess this bag would serve well as my pilates/gym bag.

If there is a smaller size for this bag then I might interested in getting another one which would be nice for daily handbag *wink*

 

 

The bag has plenty of pockets!

 

 

 

I bought the bag from Reebonz.com and was so surprised when I received the package. It was delivered inside a huge black box from Reebonz. And with ribbon tied on it. Nice!

End of season SALE is on!

Yes, year end is coming very soon and my favourite brands start to have their regular end of season sale events. Yay!

Bag Acquisition - November 2013

 

Nil or zero. No new bag acquisition in November.

Random shots from Mumbai

 

These photos are from my trip to India in September. I visited Mumbai for a week and managed to snap some photos that are worth sharing.


The train station, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)

An old tiles painting displayed inside the train station

 

 

Various buildings around Mumbai



 

 

 

A building opposite the CST train station

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

Gateway of India

Bandra-Worli sealink
The 5.5km bridge over the sea connects Bandra and Worli areas which were previously separated by the bay.

Our cozy hotel at Sofitel Bandra Kurla Complex

 

 

And lastly, a picture of my favourite bag for travelling: Proenza Schouler PS1 medium in dark red.

 

 

Another beauty haul

 

In October, coincidentally I was running out of some critical items for my daily routine. So that was the reason I splurged on cosmetics recently.

All of these items are actually repeat purchase, except for Bobbi Brown cream shadow stick. It is my first shadow stick and surprisingly I quite like it. It has a nice finish and quite durable (was told that it is waterproof). I can keep it handy inside my small make up pouch and it is much lighter having this stick rather than carrying an eye shadow pallete at all times (just think about 7-colour eye shadow pallete with mirror, where only 2-3 colours will be used and the rest are rarely touched lol)


Giorgio Armani

• UV master primer
• Sheer blush #4
• Microfill loose powder #2

Bobbi Brown

• Brow pencil 'Ash'
• Cream shadow stick 'Bark' (Note: certainly I will add more colours)
• Instant long-wear make up remover (Note: for me, this is the best eye make up remover!)

Recent beauty haul

I simply can't leave home without applying this amazing cream (together with La Mer eye cream and sun block) *love*

My new 'toy'

I have been a loyal Canon user in the past 3 years or since I learnt about photography. Before buying my first Canon DSLR camera, I knew nothing about photography. Even until now, I am still an amateur photographer where I never took any photography class. I learnt the skills through various means, but most importantly I have a best friend who is willing to share her photography tips to me.

My favourite part of photography is taking pictures of my kids. In fact, it was the main reason when I decided to buy my first DSLR camera.

However quietly I have been observing another friends who have moved on to Leica M series camera and regularly shared the amazing Leica-quality photos (through social media) and that has gradually inspired me. However I simply can not justify myself for buying a Leica M series camera. It is damn expensive and it is like entering an entirely new league. It is like to upgrade myself from economy class to a suite in Singapore Airlines A380 flights lol.

The desire to have a Leica camera was very high on me, so that I decided to get my first Leica camera, but not M series yet. Here I am happy to settle with Leica X2 which has the manual function just like any DSLR camera, but it is not equipped with interchangeable lens. And it only has a fixed 35mm lens hence has no ability to perform zooming in or out. Nevertheless, this issue does not affect me for actively using the camera in the past 2 weeks.

After using Leica X2, I think this camera is quite handy and relatively smaller than regular DSLR cameras (yet it is not as lightweight as digital compact camera). This camera will be useful when I have a short trip or when I am lazy to carry extra bag for DSLR camera and its many tools. Well, for me this camera is hassle free and still offers the flexibility to apply manual function just like DSLR cameras. So as a conclusion, I am pleased with this Leica X2.


Psssstt, now I am still dreaming that one day I can own a Leica M series, i.e. M240, although it would cost me and arm and leg (RRP $8,000) *sigh*

Bag Acquisition - October 2013



Celine Trio Indigo Blue FW13

Dior Miss Dior Promenade Black

Givenchy Antigona Clutch

 

 

I have a soft spot for anything croc-stamped, especially those in black!
In my collection, I have ever had Celine phantom, trapeze and zip clutch which were all in black croc-stamped (check here).

Hence, it was obvious that I was immediately sold for this Givenchy Antigona clutch in black croc-stamped. Size-wise, it is smaller than Saint Laurent Cabas clutch, yet a continental wallet (and a mobile phone and a small pack of tissue) can still go inside this Givenchy clutch. I was quite surprised knowing that a number of essential items can fit inside this small clutch.

At the end, it was one happy purchase and I have no regret so far.

See below photo for the comparison between Givenchy Antigona clutch and Saint Laurent Cabas clutch.