We’ve been having a heat index of triple digits here in my part of the world, and I can see people literally walking around in slow motion. The brain functions at half capacity and the body is twice as sluggish. Let’s see if I can even put more than three sentences together in today’s entry!
So let’s kick off this week with this skirt #3, a fun red/white tweed number from the 11P collection. For someone who doesn’t wear a lot of color, I have quite a few red skirts. Not sure what that’s about, but they are actually rather versatile both for work and play. I had circled in on this look very early on when the runway photos first came out for this collection (photo below courtesy of www.chanel.com):
And while I can totally put together many different outfits by breaking the ensemble up, it’s one of the few suits that I actually enjoy wearing together…
Today’s entry’s title is rather timely, based on my last post and a recent comment from my dear reader, D. She recounted a bittersweet story about her own hunt for the Birkin and unfortunately, it’s not the first time that I’ve heard from people who have not been treated well by the orange house. I always thought cash was the common denominator that leveled the playing field in most economies, but apparently some vendors still see shades of currency and don’t even bother to disguise their contempt for certain buyers whom they feel may not deserve to spend money in their stores. I know, shocking. It’s 2011. Consumers are tightening their belts–the level of customer service should be at an all time high. Ok, enough soapboxing. Let’s get to the real adventure I want to share with you today!
The month was March. The date the 19th. This year. People remember birthdays, anniversaries, phone numbers. Me, I remember inception dates. What do I mean by this? Well, they’re dates when ideas germinate, whether it’s for business or for pleasure. In this particular case, it was the date when my virtual bff from Kuala Lumpur and I conspired to land me a very limited edition Chanel flap that was to be released just for Malaysia. To be honest, the chatter surrounding this bag was back in early February, but we didn’t really fixate on the idea until that fateful email in March. Almost exactly five months later I was tracking its voyage online as it crossed the Pacific this past weekend and cleared customs yesterday then finally arrived here today…
I paused and exhaled before I took it out of its sleeper bag. I’d only seen a few spy pictures of it, so this was definitely do or die time for me. Would it be as amazing as I imagined? Would it be love at first sight?
Move over orange, Malaysia Exclusive is here. Birkin who 
?
The tweed versions were released globally, but I knew it’d be the pale champagne leather for me. The whimsical enamel charms of this Secret Garden flap make the bag fun and dressy at the same time.
Check out the butterfly charm attached to the chain strap…
and the logo-ed ladybug on the lock:
Can’t wait to put together some looks for this bag!
Tags: Birkin, Chanel, Hermes, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia exclusive, Secret Garden flap
It’s Friday here, the markets are still in free fall around the world, Mother Nature won’t let up with the natural disasters (did you hear about that freak storm at the concert in Hasselt, Belgium right after the one in Indiana?), and I just finally watched the documentary Waiting For Superman, so things are bleary.
I woke up this morning asking myself where do average Janes like me find inspiration to regain a bit of lightness in our steps as we trudge through another tough week of more bad news? I suppose some of us recharge our emotional fuel tanks by watching our (fur)kids sleep …
or find a bit of escape by sitting through reality shows. Or, especially in my case, reminisce about one Sunday afternoon in Paris. Let me take you back to that one Spring day, when the streets were emptied of people who were now either at mass or spending time indoors with their families…which was great for me to take in all the windows without people crowding my view:
But the view I was most looking forward to was behind these doors:
The hunt for orange, as in that famous orange box that Hermes goodies come in, began for me over a decade ago. I’ve dabbled in those H scarves and shoes and have coveted an English saddle for a very long time. And I don’t even have a horse, at least not one that isn’t imaginary anyway. I thought about getting one customized and then just displaying it in my office. Saddle, not horse. But let’s not go there. Let’s go back to the real story.
Everyone who loves handbags, for better or for worse, knows that sooner or later the trail stops at the doors of Hermes. Considered a holy grail for many fashionistas, the Hermes Birkin or Kelly is “the one” to have. Even in the aftermarket, the price can be prohibitive. The fact that the Birkin is so difficult to get even at full retail price drives some worshipers to brinks of insanity, enduring games of politics with the sales associates in order to score a bag. As a consumer, I prefer to be in the driver’s seat and not have to work so hard for the honor of buying a bag, which probably explains why I’ve yet to own a Birkin. Or maybe it’s something else.
The bag is too heavy. The bag is too mumsy looking. The bag is a pain to open and shut. So the naysayers tell me. I do agree a little. Yes, it’s heavy even when empty, and yes I’d probably leave it opened while carrying it so I wouldn’t have to fuss with it. And yes, it does look rather conservative. And worst of all, it’s never available in any of the H boutiques that I’ve visited to even try on for size. So for over ten years I would think about the Birkin and come home with something else.
But a couple of years ago, I spotted a woman in rainy Venice carrying a gray ostrich Birkin that matched the color of the clouds. I still can’t get this visual out of my head. She stood across from me on the water bus and I missed my stop because I was too busy staring at her bag. Fast forward to this Sunday in Paris, and…
Be still my heart.
This blog is about happy endings, usually, but not today. I called the boutique the next day but the bag was not for sale. They were kind enough to give me all the information about the bag, but just not the bag. So the hunt goes on.
Sometimes I believe I want to not find it just yet, so that I have something to motivate me to work even harder. And maybe I’m more about the chase than the actual kill, which is often anticlimactic in my book. So you see, the hunt is what puts lightness in my steps and inspires me to get through a week of bad news. How about you?
Tags: Hasselt, Hermes, Hermes Birkin, Hermes Kelly, ostrich, Paris, Venice
Part 2 of my Chanel skirt series is about a floor-length heavy tweed skirt from the 08A season that’s more about Carolina Herrera than Coco Chanel. When I was fifteen or so I saw a photo of one very elegant Ms. H sitting in a floor-length skirt and a chair, on a tree-lined dirt road next to her very dashing husband. The photo was, I believe, black and white, and the way they looked…the way they were dressed, so effortlessly, so classically chic…in that photo struck me like a 600-page September issue of Vogue. I was stunned that a photograph capturing a quiet moment of an understated couple could resonate so loudly in my head. I believe that was when I first fell in love with photography. And the art of class.
One photograph can inspire you to do extraordinary things with your life. It can console you in your darkest hours. And sometimes it is simply an outlet for the human imagination when we don’t have the words to describe what our minds can see. Mostly for me, photography captures moments in life that pass us by. I savor all these moments in my poorly taken photos–those of my parents on their emotional first trip back to Saigon after some 25 years, out of focus with poor lighting–as well as in my incredibly lucky shots of a spectacular sunrise over Sydney that helped me find confidence in the anxieties of leaving my 20s behind.
And here at my blog, when I’m not on the road photographing lives that are not mine, I find inspiration in beautiful fabrics and buttons and trims– little, unimportant things that I hope you nevertheless enjoy sharing with me through my lenses.
In today’s Skirt #2’s look, given that it’s a rather formal length, I’m pairing it with a crispy silk Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo shirt and ornate flat sandals. The skirt hits the floor just at the right length on me when worn without heels, but I think a fancy pair of flats may do the occasion justice. I hope Carolina Herrera would approve this look.
Tags: Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent
I don’t know what you’ll all be doing on September 13, but I’ll be the crazy one running through Target sweeping anything Missoni into my shopping cart. Get out of my way, people!! Cannot wait for this collaboration to get on the road!
There are about 88 looks out of 400 (!) at this link. Is it crazy that I want those zigzag shorts to wear while riding the Missoni bike and then come home and nap inside the cool wavy blanket? Umbrellas! Laptop covers! Dishes! I may need a Valium the night before to calm myself down . Or, I could wait to take it the day after while drinking from my Missoni glass!
But today’s post is really about the Chanel “reissue” flaps. A dear reader had asked for comparisons on the various sizes of my 2.55 collection while she’s debating which size suits her best. And to tell the truth, I love them all, small, medium, or large.
They all serve different functions, depending on how much I need to carry with me and what time of the day I’m using the bag. Even with the small (black) one that’s my most recent buy, I can fit a small wallet, phone, keycase, and lipgloss. With the large size, I could also fit my eyeglasses and flat makeup case. BTW, did you see the Missoni makeup bags at that link above? I die!
So dear reader, I’m afraid I can’t really help you decide which size is best for you, because as you can see, I once posed the same questions before I bought my first 2.55 flap. It turned out to be the medium (226) size, but the real answer is that I ended up saving up my cents to come back for the other sizes.
And the real sad truth is that the XS size is still calling my name. I’m not quite done yet…
Tags: 2.55, Chanel, collaboration, Missoni for Target, reissue flap
