photo courtesy of Hermes
I’ve never been a person of precision; don’t really follow recipes exactly when I cook (pinch here, pinch there, and then I wonder why it doesn’t always taste the same or…good) or always take the most exact route somewhere. Things become even more challenging when there’s metric conversion involved. For example, while setting up the treadmill here, I confused 2.2 km for every 1 mile with the actual 1.6 km (it’s 2.2 pounds for every 1 kilogram, isn’t it?) and then wondered why it took me longer than usual to pass the measly 2-mile mark. But at least in my conversion confusion I managed to run a bit more than I’d planned on, which then turned out to be a very good thing since that day ended with another case of food coma…
Do you suspect that I am really moonlighting as a food critic in Europe? Er, maybe not, but sometimes some good Thai food really hits the spot.
But OK, what’s with the first photo, you ask ? Well, after several disappointing visits to the few Hermes boutiques around here, all I managed to bring home was the winter catalog cum magazine,
which has some very nice articles to practice my reading comprehension. But alas, it is that photo on page 70 that requires no French language skills to appreciate its essence:
So they’ll continue to tease and tempt and torture me with these exotic Birkins…with none available for purchase. I still want the “boutique experience” with the first Birkin, so there’ll be more unhappy store visits until the right one comes along. And I suppose when it does, I might have to take it with me even on the treadmill!
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
Vienna is a very cosmopolitan, multi-cultural town. It has its own sense of fashion vibe like any city secure in its identity:
So on one of my days here, I thought I’d chase down the shopping scene while touring the historic center. I get to the Kohlmarkt area first, where all the fancy stores are…
and my first pit stop is Hermes. Wouldn’t it be fun to buy this bicycle and see the rest of Vienna Hermes style?
Where there’s Hermes there’s usually Chanel…
In fact, I spot quite a few Chanel bags on the arms and shoulders of many ladies including this one:
By the way, the sorbet I’m enjoying is from this tourist favorite:
Did I say how warm it’s been here in Vienna? What better way to fight the heat with a nice cold glass of Austrian beer?
If you love pretty sweet treats and gorgeous architecture as much as I do, I’ll have a very special entry for you soon. I’m heading across the border again today so if there’s no wifi where I’m going, I’ll see you in a few days and I’ll pick up the story from Vienna then.
1. No vintage bags.
2. No lambskin bags.
3. No children-sized bags.
Those have been my longstanding rules in collecting bags. However, there’s an exception to every rule.
Now, you’ve seen me drag a Gucci bag across the Sahara and a Balenciaga through the snow, so you must know the road does not make a friendly companion to more precious bags, particularly the Chanel kind. So in anticipation of this summer’s trek that will involve planes, trains and automobiles, I found a couple of mini flaps that I believed would be more suitable for traveling.
This first one, a quilted, semi-circle goody from the 80s, was a no-brainer purchase since the price was just too good to resist. It has been lovingly broken in yet immaculate on the inside, so I know it will be perfect for sweltering, rainy, or any other kind of day when I don’t want to carry the Hermes I posted about the last time.
The chain is not quite long enough to wear it messenger style, but the lambskin is supple enough to hold a lot more than expected. They sure don’t make bags like this anymore! Here’s an action shot of it on some random street in Antwerp (more about this in the next entry):
It’s also a great size to double as an evening bag. I suppose after this trip the bag will get sent in for “spa services” and hopefully it will come out looking even better than ever. But the one bag from a seller in the UK is the one I had written about before I left LA…
When I finally picked it up here and saw it in person for the first time, I was hooked. How is it possible that I never gave these vintage bags a second look simply because they were not made…like yesterday?
This particular bag is probably over 15 years old and yet it looks like it’s been held maybe twice. It is in better shape than some display bags I’ve seen at the Chanel boutiques. I can wear it messenger style, by the arm by doubling the chain, or in the hand as a clutch if I hide the chain. And you know, all those lovely ladies I see around Europe in their vintage Chanel bags that show a whole spectrum of wear and tear…I’m starting to become a believer that there’s an amount of charm–a je ne sais quois if you will–to carrying bags that show as much life lived in them as in the faces of the women who wear them. If every laugh wrinkle on my face records some fantastic memory from a trip, then why not carry a lambskin bag that will witness and commemorate those memories as well?
So those are my reasons for breaking the first two rules. As for the last, I’d like to think that by carrying a smaller bag that may look more like a full-sized bag on say, a ten-year-old, I will save my shoulders from the weight of a jumbo-sized classic flap (you gals know what I mean here!). The smaller the bag, the less temptation there is to fill it up with unnecessary things that we women like to schlepp around on a daily basis.
PS: I guess this means I brought 3 bags on this trip. And yes, also an extra pair of sneakers .
Tags: Antwerp, Balenciaga, Chanel, Hermes, vintage bag
