My favourite clutch: Saint Laurent Y Clutch

 

 

My clutch collection has been very minimum and I have been thinking to slowly grow my collection. My wish is to have few clutches in several neutral/basic colours (thinking of black, beige, red and blue).

 

When I saw YSL Chyc clutch in YSL store last year (and it is now labeled as Saint Laurent Y clutch), I knew for sure that the clutch would meet my basic requirements, i.e. the clutch is big enough that a continental wallet can go inside it and its magnetic closure would make it easy to open. Yet I just held the thought of buying it as I had other bags on my top wishlist.

 

But this year I can not wait any longer, so I decided to get the clutch. Two clutches.

I am now excited to share my recent Saint Laurent Paris haul: Y clutch in red and light beige. The red one is in texture leather while the light beige is in smooth leather.

 



Saint Laurent Paris Y Clutch in red

 

Saint Laurent Paris Y Clutch in light beige

Most of the time, the clutch will accompany me for attending wedding reception. For such an event, I will carry basic stuffs like bellow and leave everything else at home (no power bank for instance):

Bottega Veneta continental wallet (the wallet is thin enough so it can easily fit inside the clutch), mirror, lipstick from Bobbi Brown, smart phone and a green pouch as a tissue pouch.

The green pouch has tissue (wet and dry) inside

A roomy clutch



Celine Trio in the perfect shade of red

I have been wanting to get another Celine Trio bag after I got (and was pleased with) my first Trio in black (check here).
And now my waiting is over. I was instantly smitten by this bright red colour from this season and I have no difficulties to make a (purchase) decision. For my own note, the colour code for this shade of red is 27ED and I am not sure whether this is a seasonal or classic colour.

I adore these Victoria Beckham bags

Victoria in powder

Victoria in purple

E/W Victoria in sunset

E/W Victoria in powder/black

Liberty in grey

Cross body zip pouch in black on black

My admiration towards Mrs. Beckham's fashion style and collection is growing steadily in the past 2 years.
In particular I adore her handbags collection. I think the handbags are all meticulously designed and carefully crafted by using high quality leather and hardwares.

These are some of my favourites from her S/S 2013 collection.


images from victoriabeckham.com

I am drooling over Anya Hindmarch Bathurst

 

I have been a loyal fans of Anya Hindmarch for almost a decade. Started circa 2004, I got myself an Anya Hindmarch Be A Bag tote. It was the popular photo bag and a big hit during that time. That year was the beginning of my bag addiction and further down the road I finally managed to 'collect' around 6-7 Be A Bag with various photos/print, like dogs, cats and grannies. I do still keep 2 of them (with cat and dog photos) as these 2 bags have some sentimental values for me.

Since then, I classified Anya Hindmarch as one of my favourite brands and regularly checked the website. Most of the time I was drooling over their bags which I believed to be made with excellent craftsmanship. And now I could not help myself from making a special post for this elegant bag.

It is named Bathurst, as inspired by the 1st Baron Bathurst, a renowned 18th Century politician and the bag is made from box calf leather. This type of the leather reminds me of Hermes box calf leather which is often used in belt or bags (like Kelly or Birkin). In my opinion, the bag has the 'Kelly' theme, i.e. a classic bag in boxy shape with handle and long strap. Yet Anya Hindmarch has added some elements of fun to the bag, like bi-color long leather strap and enamel lock featuring a discreet lucky clover. The enamel clover portrait inlay has given a sense of cuteness to the bag, and I like it.

Bathurst can be considered as a small-sized bag. Its dimension is 21cm x 17cm x 8cm and a continental wallet might not be able to go into the bag. The bag is lined in soft suede and has few useful inside pockets. Its quoted price is GBP1,195.

The website also provides the interesting history of 'box calf' leather which is worth quoting.

Calf is a young hide, highly valued for it’s smooth and regular surface. Named after Joseph Box, a 19th century London shoemaker, Box calf is a very traditional leather identifiable by its unique subtle square markings on the grain. This is achieved by softening the leather and lightly creasing it by folding grain to grain and then working the fold across the leather to and fro. Anya Hindmarch's box calf has a “aniline” finish which maintains the natural feel of the skin.





images from anyahindmarch.com

Saint Laurent Paris Cabas Classique Y in blue

 

 

 

About 3 weeks ago, I gave a teaser on my latest Saint Laurent purchase (check here). But then I was on a long hiatus as I was out of town for more than 2 weeks. So without further ado, I am super excited to reveal my latest Saint Laurent joy, a Cabas Classique Y in bleu de France (this style was formerly known as Chyc Cabas Medium during Stefano Pilati's era).

 



 

 

While I am not so sure about Hedi Slimane's latest duffle bag (check here when I was seriously contemplating Saint Laurent  duffle bag), I never have any doubt about this bag. I already own a Chyc Cabas medium in green from the previous/first version of Chyc Cabas (i.e. the original creation of Mr. Pilati with Y accent panels). Therefore getting another one (in new version and pop colour) seems like a normal conduct for me lol.

 

What I like most about this bag is the leather and hardware. The leather is very luxurious and the new square-ish hardware has given a sleeker and more modern look. I notice that the removal of accent panels that create the 'Y' outline may cause the bag feels slouchier (this is also due to smoother leather used) as it becomes less structured. However this is not an issue for me as most of the time I carried the Chyc Cabas medium over my shoulder, hence the slouchier the more comfortable.

 

As expected the craftsmanship is excellent, and please note that the bag is made from full leather. It means that there is no cotton lining used when crafting the bag. In bag is lined in leather (suede). So please imagine when you open your bag you can also get the sensation of luxurious leather 'smell' lol. Well, this is the same sensation that I experienced with my first Celine mini luggage. Please beware that the nice leather smell is simply seductive and addicted lol.

 

Guess what, by the time I post this story to my blog I am already drooling over the new colour of Saint Laurent Classique Cabas Y in emerald green which was recently released in the website. I think I should make a separate post for this gorgeous green bag. And now please excuse me to review and revisit my bag wishlist.

My souvenir from China trip



 

 

From my recent trip to China, I got myself this special Longchamp Le Pliage with Great Wall of China print. This special edition bag is only issued in China (including Hong Kong). During this season the Longchamp stores in China offer several colours for this print like red, khaki and indigo blue. The indigo blue is so vibrant and I simply could not resist it.

I have to confess that this is my THIRD Longchamp Le Pliage with Great Wall of China print. I also own the same bag in grape red and brown, please check here and here.

And you know what, until now I have never been to the Great Wall.... One day, definitely I will climb up and walk on the famous wall.

The Great Wall of China
image from wikipedia.org

Just received it today

I am super excited!!!

My new found love: Celine Edge Medium

I never thought that I was instantly smitten by this bag. Having seen the bag from Celine's website only made me more curious than ever. I was glad that I had the chance to see the bag in real life and it was an instant love!

The leather is simply amazing. It is thick enough and it has small/very faint grain (which sometimes it reminds me of Hermes' togo leather). The bag is so easy to wear. The zip can be easily open while the bag is still on my shoulder (the long leather tab attached to zipper pull is a great help to open the zipper). And the small back pocket is very very useful to keep my mobile phone or parking ticket. While the bag is worn over the shoulder, it doesnt loose shape shape (thanks to its thick leather) and it doesn't feel boxy at all!

This may look like a simple bag but in my opinion the bag was carefully designed so that it has smart and luxurious details that makes me constantly amazed. This Edge bag is totally a great refresher after the ubiquitous mini luggage and trapeze. So for sure it is a keeper for me ;) I can't wait to see what colours that Phoebe Philo will offer in Fall 2013 collection.

 

 

 

I love this bag!

More pictures will be posted soon.....

Fendi 2jours Medium

I am still in Fendi's cloud nine. I am still excited with my latest acquisition, i.e. Fendi 2jours medium in orange. And I think this season Fendi launched the 2jours lines in beautiful bright colours which are perfect for summer. I want them all! lol

images from Fendi.com

Made by Longchamp

This bag is from Longchamp SS2013 collection, under 'Made by Longchamp' series.
It is my latest impulsive purchase (bought yesterday at Longchamp local store) and I really like the canvas material combined with red-blue leather trims. To be honest, the colour combination (red-blue-ecru) reminds me of French national flag lol

The bag comes in 2 sizes and I opted the medium one (32x28x17cm) as it suits me better as a daily bag. The other size is large (45x35x23cm) which will be a great travelling bag and guaranteed to be a chic cabin bag.

image from Longchamp.com

Saint Laurent Paris Petit Cabas Y

Image from ysl.com

 

Image from ysl.com

I have been on the fence with the new YSL chyc cabas or now I must say it as "Saint Laurent petit cabas Y". The reason is that I miss the Y stitching panel on the old chyc cabas.
But when I checked the new bag in person in local YSL or SLP store, I have to admit that the bag is a winner. I experienced a moment when my heart skipped a beat lol. I instantly adored the leather (smoother) and its sleek hardwares. And I think the size is just perfect for a daily bag and its long strap is very handy.

The bag sold out quickly in SLP local store especially for black, electric blue, purple and fuchsia *sigh*

Until now I still can not decide the colour that I should get ... purple or red
Surely it is going to be a tough decision for me to take lol