Sometimes a bag can be so special people literally run into you just to get a closer look. The dark silver “lucky charms” flap of mine from many seasons ago is a case in point. It’s a very precious bag to me and I baby it more than usual, but once in a while I like to take it out into the daylight and enjoy it. The fun part is seeing other people enjoying it–I get stopped every few minutes by women and men alike who want to get a closer look, and invariably they’ll ask me if I get stopped all the time by strangers like themselves! The not so fun part is having a very taken fan walk right smack into me today because she was so busy looking at it that she didn’t see the person carrying the bag. Helloooo, I’m right here 
.
But that’s ok, I recovered, and trust me, this special bag still has the same effect on me all these years later. I’d probably run into a wall, too, if I saw it being toted around by someone else. Well, no, I’d just stalk her stealthily and admire the bag well outside of her personal space. I’m a huge fan of handbags, not only those in my closet but also those worn by others. I love seeing them on other people, to see how someone else would edit the same bag that I might have or covet. It’s great inspiration.
For now, let’s get to the ODJ that accompanied my bag.
ODJ 249: Chanel 10P fantasy tweed jacket (check out the killer leather trimmed pearl buttons!), 11P sweater, 11C camellia flat slingbacks, and dark silver 2.55 flap. 7 for All Mankind slim jeans.
Tags: 2.55 flap, Chanel, fantasy tweed, lucky charms flap
Today’s ODJ is about transitioning a Chanel 08A jacket from work to play. Last night I took the (sparkly) jacket down a few kilowatts by pairing it with black jeans and a black t-shirt to watch the Clippers play the Mavs:
The Kardashian clan (Kris, Kim and Kloe) was courtside…
and each time they were shown on the Jumbotron, the crowd booed. Tough audience. I wouldn’t want that kind of fame for anything, but on another note, I wonder if mama Kris was wearing something Chanel like she usually does …
So speaking of doing other things while watching the game, I just realized, after all these years, that the ceiling of the Staples Center looks like it belongs in a spaceship:
And I also examined my purse–as I’m prone to do when I have to sit still for too long–and thought how weird it would be if one day my forehead looked like the inside of my 2.55 flap…I’d resemble my bag, sort of like dog owners and their pets:
At least there’s Botox for me. But till that day happens, I’m going to heed my mom’s recent advice and enjoy it while I still can.
So if that means wearing a fancy jacket to a basketball game, I might show up at the Spurs game in a ballgown!
Tags: 2.55 flap, Chanel, Clippers, Mavs, Spurs, Staples Center
I still have to blog about the train trip I just took with my parents as well as finish recounting the adventure I had with my Belgian visitors before Christmas. But today, what say we take a fashion break because I need to vent about a 5-figure dress that I tried on at the store. Did I just get your attention?! I’ll get to that in a bit.
Today was a beautiful, balmy 65-degrees day in LA so I took the afternoon off to check out the second round of markdowns at the stores after receiving a text from my SA about CHANEL going to 60% off at her store. I didn’t have high hopes about there being anything left in my size, so I actually loitered in the shoe department instead. Found these gorgeous Louboutin boots that I’d love to call my own (they match my purse!)–if only I could walk in them…they came home with me for my girlfriend who actually knows how to maneuver these skyscrapers:
There were still lots of CHANEL boots and shoes on sale, but none in my size. So I tried on a bunch of Spring/Cruise shoes instead. There’s a pair of YSL platform slingbacks with my name all over them. Well, there were lots of shoes with my name all over them, but I have resolved to look through my closet and make a short list of shoes that I absolutely need and not just want. Then only with this list will I do my spring buys in March. At least that’s what I’m telling myself this first week of the new year anyway.
By the time I made it upstairs to RTW, there were less than 20 pieces hanging on the sales rack in CHANEL…as expected. The items left were either hideous or just hideously expensive, and either way, they will probably stay on the rack for a while. The SA threw a jacket over me, showing me how easily alterations could be done to fit me perfectly. I was not feeling the tweed so much so I escaped unscathed.
From there I ventured to the CHANEL boutique. Their sale was still only 40% off and yet, there were very few items left, especially in my size. Don’t tell anyone at CHANEL that there’s still a recession going on because their business is not feeling it. The one jacket that made number 1 on my Winter buy list from the runway photos was still available in my size; however, it was in my third favorite color out of the 3 colors it came in…
It was also a bit (OK, a lot) big on me and would require expensive alterations, so I will wait and see if it makes it to the next markdown…ahem, along with one or three other pieces that I asked my SA to keep an eye on for me. So once again, I left empty-handed.
Then I drove over to the Allsaints Spitalfields store, where a winter sale was raging. I picked up the embroidered leather military tailcoat for another girlfriend. It was probably 4am where she lives when I got to the store so I had to make an executive decision and bought the dark gray version instead of the light taupe one that I tried on here:
This friend was the one who told me about this label, and I have to say, as soon as I saw their jackets in person, I was sold. Their leather jackets are incredible. I felt ten degrees cooler just stepping inside the store. Loved the rocker chic vibe. Loved, loved, loved their aesthetics, and all at very reasonable price points. I’m going to see if I can find this style in grey before I go back for the black one as a last resort:
Happily, Allsaints was just a few doors down from the other CHANEL boutique. You’d just have to walk quickly past the Ivy in case some paparazzi jump out of the bushes to snap photos of some celebrity exiting the restaurant, and then the boutique is right there.
I fell in love with a couple of bags as soon as I entered their breezy foyer (hello matte patent dark fuchsia 2.55 flap!) but the SA led me upstairs to check out the sales. And that was where I saw the $10,000 dress–one sick LBD:
It had a very simple neckline and cap sleeves, all hand-sewn in a crisp silk, with a row of sueded roses just above the hip.
There was only one and it was in my size. It begged to be tried on–and let me just say that I felt like a Degas ballerina in it:
So you can do the math, even at 40% off, it is one expensive dress. Even at 60% off it is still one crazy price tag. And as yours truly did not win that $280M lotto this week, I had to leave the dress behind. BTW, I got locked inside the dressing room and the SA had to get the manager to come rescue me with the master key. For a second I did take that as a sign that I was meant to stay at CHANEL in that LBD .
No dress, dear readers, but I did not leave empty-handed this time. One hint: it’s black. Another hint: just a little something-something. Will photograph it in the morning as it’s already so dark here right now.
Tags: 2.55 flap, Allsaints Spitalfields, Chanel, Louboutin
I stand retracted. I soooo need the internet. How did I ever live without it before? I’ve tried everything, including sitting as close to the nearby casita as possible–without those people calling security on me that is–to hopefully latch on to their connection. I’ve even considered driving around the golf cart with the MacBook on my lap to see if I could score a hit on any hill around me. By 6 pm I am pacing inside my casita like a crack(Berry) addict, wired up from being unwired. How is it that people can stream videos across the internet on subway trains in Tokyo and I can’t even make a single phone call from up here in California? But enough whining already! Who goes to paradise to escape the grind and complains about being disconnected? I just have to learn to sit still, and enjoy nature:
This is what I’m looking at:
I know, it’s pretty freaking beautiful here, right? Cue cricket sounds.
So let’s talk about my golf cart. Show me anything motorized or halfway fast and I can stay entertained for quite some time. Nobody is dorky enough to cart around with a 2.55 flap bag over the shoulder, but heck, I might as well goof around in style:
Truth be told, even if I don’t play golf, I do enjoy seeing the various courses for the engineering designs behind each hole.
Doesn’t mean I understand why anyone wants to chase that little white ball around all day long, or why golf clothes can’t be a tad more flattering.
I really have to comment on the hospitality here. We’ve had nothing but fabulous reception from the staff, including turn-down service,
following top-tier dining experiences all day long. For my first dinner I have the spicy tuna over an edamame salad then spinach pasta with smoky wild mushrooms in a fantastic wine sauce. Everything just tastes much more organic and vibrant here. Some of my neurons may be taking a hit out here, but my tastebuds have loved every minute of being in Mayacama:
Full of energy from a power meal like that, the next morning I literally jump out of bed on to the aforementioned heated floor. We’re going to Napa Valley for wine tasting. Do you know what that means? That’s right, civilization! Yes! During the hour-long car ride on the hilly, curvy narrow road, I catch up on my emails and phone calls while enjoying this marvelous scenery:
Tomorrow I’ll show you the wineries we visit. I can still smell the champagne in my head.
Tags: 2.55 flap, golf cart, MacBook, Mayacama, Napa Valley, wine tasting
