DIY in Hawaii

Because I have been bringing my LV Speedy 30 around EVERYWHERE, including my hikes, I have resolved to make a new beach bag. I don't know what my problem is, I didn't bring my Longchamp Eiffel with me. Well at the time I was packing, I had just gotten out of school so maybe I didn't want to be reminded of it. HAHA I had been using that as a school bag for my entire third year of college.

So how did I make these babies? click over the jump to learn more!

Satchel - to buy or not to buy?

The hottest trend right now is the satchel, and everyone's going gaga over a UK brand called the Cambridge Satchel Company!

These satchels are handmade in the UK using real leather. The price is amazing, as their largest satchel, the "batchel" (backpack + satchel, it's convertible) is only 184 USD! This is also one of the biggest reasons as to why I want one. How can you resist a price like that?!

The Cambridge Satchel Co. originally made these satchels and batchels for schoolchildren, which is why their smallest satchel is 11" and the sizes go up to the 15" batchel.

When you order a satchel, you have the option of embossing your name or initials in either gold, silver or blind. If I ever get one, I would personally engrave my initials in silver, matching the buckles. Aaaahhh

This guy looks so trendy with his satchel! But then again, it's also because this photo was taken from the GQ website. Of course he looks good!

Aside from the dark and formal colors in the first photo, they've come out with brighter and happier colors to cater to their market.

This is their newest release. Fluorescent colored satchels and batchels! I'm not sure if I want one, I think it's too trendy for me already and I just might neglect it after a year or even six months of use.

And last but not the least, here is the batchel that I'm eyeing. Again, I'm not sure if I want it! The style isn't so me, but the price is very tempting and I'm sure that if I don't use it for going out, I'm sure to find another use for it. And because it's real leather and made by a reputable company, I'm so sure that it'll last me forever too!

If ever I do really get one, I'll order it online and have it shipped to the States when I'm there. But Schu is currently taking orders for shipments in April and May. So have I tempted you enough? ;)

Banana "Birkin" Craze

Another Asian frenzy that we should all love!

So what's all the hype about this Banana "Birkin" bag? I was so obsessed with looking at photos all over the internet that I just HAD to get one of my own. Oops! Haha

The original six colors pictured above were such a hit when they came out last year that the company just had to make a Christmas collection.


In my opinion, the Christmas colors set a different tone. They're much more muted formal that the first collection. The first collection is a more fun, playful side that adds a pop of color to any outfit. So of course, which one did I choose?!

Maybe some of you would think, oh, no surprise there! Haha :) But I was seriously so torn between 4 colors! Namely Sweet Pink, Tiffany Blue, Midnight Magenta and Supper Champagne Grey (on the lower left of the Christmas collection). But of course indecisive me took so long that they already sold my first and second choices, the Sweet Pink and Tiffany Blue! And the Supper Champagne Grey wasn't in stock o I had no choice but to pick the Midnight Magenta. It was still a choice, and I knew I was going to fall in love with whichever one I got anyway! And yes, it is in fact SUPPER Champagne Grey. Haha, so funny!

This baby is special too, because it's partially handmade and the company can only make approximately 6 bags per hour due to quality control. They're eco-friendly, using all man-made materials. It's made of photo-printed canvas and the handles are faux leather.

In person, the pink isn't so bright. It's in between a light pink and a hot pink, which is good because it's a pop of color that's not screaming at you. :)

The bag is quite small, it can't hold much things :( I originally wanted it as a school bag, but since not a lot of things can go in it I guess when I get tired of using it to go out I'll make it my exercise bag.

Thank you so much to Mouse, who gave me this bag :D Best early valentine's gift ever!

The Banana Bag is available on http://bagahollic.com for Php 4000, much cheaper than in other countries. The best deal! :)

Mom's x-year-old Speedy!

I can't give you the exact number of years my mom had this bag for because it will reveal her age, but it's definitely over twenty! Meet my mom's Louis Vuitton Speedy, the iconic bag that she had bought for approximately 20 USD when she was my age, 19 years old. :)

Funny story as to how she got this bag, one of her close friends was studying in France and when they were out here in the Philippines, her friend described this "new, up and coming designer" that was going to make history! So even though my mom didn't know what the Speedy looked like, she begged her mom, my lola for the money and sent her friend to get he bag in Paris. :) Imagine, for 20 US dollars only! As you can see, the leather vaschetta is so so dark already! I honestly hate the original color of vaschetta and always can't wait until a new bag gets darker. Thank God my very own Speedy is starting to get darker already! But obviously it's still a reaaally long way to go until it gets as dark as my mom's. :)

When beside mine it really doesn't look like a 30mm because it's so soft and slouchy already. I tried as much as I could to puff it up and make it stand as tall as mine, but it just wouldn't! I love that my mom and I got our first Speedies when we were the same age, 19 years old. :)

My mom promised this bag to me when I was younger, thinking that it would last old enough to still be used. It could actually but it looks far too vintage for me. Haha! I'm not sure if you can see but there's a hole already in the bottom from wear and tear. :(

Of course, you must remember that it's been in and out of use for over 20 years. That's way longer than the shelf life of most bags! This is why I love designer handbags. I get so so attached that if/when they get broken, I really have a hard time letting go :( I love stuff of good quality and I never get bored with my handbags. :) I have an aunt who doesn't really like spending on quality bags because she changes so often. Whatever works! :)

My mom won't let me photograph her replacement for her old Speedy 30. It's a Speedy 35 with her initials on it, too. :) she got it about 6 months before I got mine. :D

Birthday list!

After nearly a month of not posting, I'm finally back. so much thinking of what to post about has led to procrastination, and I never ended up posting :( Until now!

I'm about to leave for a retreat with my school in a few hours, and I shall leave these material things behind me (for two days.) Haha!

So my birthday's coming up in less than two months and boy am I having trouble finalizing my birthday wish list! At least now my "maybe"s have become "maybe-maybe"s haha! Whatever I pick out right now, I have 7+ weeks to think about. Let's start with my most sure wants, going down to the most abstract. Haha

So of course the latest Apple product with the most buzz going around it is the iPhone 4, and I've finally mustered up the courage to ask my grandparents for one, and guess what! It's a yes! :D I can't wait until I get to Hong Kong to lay my hands on this baby. I'm so excited, I've been shopping for apps and looking for cases already HAHA. Starting with Gelaskins!

This was the featured design on the header of the iPhone 4 Gelaskin site. One quick glance and I knew I had to have it! It was the first one that I saw and the only one that screamed out to me. I really love reading and I'm so excited to put this on my future baby! Haha :)

I'm a big fan of Tory Burch and I think I'm ready for my second pair! The moment I tried these on my feet a month ago, I knew I had to have them too. Haha I'm such a material girl :( They'll match so well with my newest Vuitton!

Of course I've been looking at jewelry, and I finally found something that I want. I'd been mesmerized by Janina Dizon Hoschka's Stingray cuffs for a while now, but now I finally found the perfect slider! The lotus :D I think I like them better without the mother of pearl detail, as shown below. Again, my birthday isn't 'til late November so I have a loooot of time to decide :)

And from those who love to play, I'd really love a Disney Couture tote or wallet by Loop. I've always been in love by this brand, even when I was in high school and I have a few things by them. Too bad I lost my high school wallet somewhere here in the house :( Which hasn't turned up in years.

Aren't they too cute?! I really want one of the long wallets! Perfect for school. I'm beginning to get bored with my Kate Spade pencilcase already. Hehe. :)

So there, just to keep track of everything that I want! Hopefully I'll be able to finalize this soon. OR I hope I get everythiiiing! Hahaha, dreaming is always free of charge :P

Paul Smith

Last week, at the height of my preliminary exam week, my mother decided to go shopping. And who was I to protest and stay at home? I came along, of course! We looked in Tory Burch while waiting for my dad but didn't find anything that either of us liked. When my dad finally arrived, we went into Paul Smith and my mom found something right away! It was a new hand-carry.

On the outside it's just simple and black, but when you open it, surprise! The lining is a deep shade of purple. One thing I hate THE MOST about travelling is airport security. It KILLS ME! I hate having to remove my laptop from my hand-carry and putting it on a separate bin, lalala and removing my shoes, jacket and belt. :| Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. But what solves the laptop problem better than a separate compartment that zips out and flat onto the conveyor belt? :) Look at the photo below! It also has a red snap-on envelope that screams out to you reminding you not to forget your passport. The snap-out feauture is designed so that you can carry it around through customs and immigration, hassle-free! Is Paul Smith a genius or what? :) I'm so excited to travel again so that I can borrow this bag! Shanghai maybe? I heard it's a must for this year!

Of course, since this was my mom's purchase, I got to pick something too. On the shelves behind the counter I noticed boxes of perfumes that had the word ROSE all over them. My absolute favorite flower is the rose, and though it is a cliche I love everything and anything roses! rose tea, rose fragrance, rose color! Fun fact: my prom dress in high school was the color of old rose and it won me best dressed. Heehee. :)

I especially love this scent because it's not purely rose. If it was then it would remind me of an old grandma. Haha :) It's a mix of two kinds of roses and iris, plus musky bottom notes of amber, white musk and cedar. :) Not really an evening scent, it's perfect for every day! I was getting sick of my Strawberries and Champagne by Victoria's Secret anyway. :)

Now to get ready for lunch! Toodles!

*All photos are from the Paul Smith website. He has a store in Greenbelt 5 if you're interested in shopping over there :)

Finally!

After months and months of waiting, I finally got my Louis Vuitton Mon Monogram Speedy 30! The reason to why I got it so late is because just in case it didn't arrive on time while I was in the States, I decided to order it through a Tita who was going back and forth between Hong Kong and Manila. It's a pain that LV-Philippines doesn't offer the Mon Monogram service, but it was definitely worth the wait! My Tita placed the order in Late May and picked it up just a few days before the end of July. I just got it yesterday, August 4! The best welcome back present ever. Hehe the minute I landed from my flight from Singapore, I went to her house to pick it up!

I played around with a few other designs that I made on the LV website before I finally decided on sticking to this one. This was my original choice because I really love the combination of pink and white, and those are my intials at the center. :) I chose ivory instead of white though because I felt that the whilte stripes stood out too much when I tested them on the site. I'm happy to say that I have to regrets on choosing ivory over white :)

I don't understand why people don't customize their Speedies. Personally I'm not a fan of handbags, I really like bags that go over the shoulder more. I decided to get a Speedy Mon Monogram instead of waiting for the Mon Monogram Neverfull to because even though the Neverfull goes over the shoulder and can apparently hold 200 kilos, I really don't think it's safe for anyone to go walking around Manila with an open bag! I really live in fear of my things getting stolen. Hahaha oh this world I was brought up in.

So there, yay now I have a Speedy (finally, it's about time!) and it's really one-of-a-kind! :)

Travel Ready! :)

I'm leaving for Singapore tomorrow, and I'm soooo excited! :) Even though it's just for 5 days, but only 4 if you think about it because I get there at 10pm of the first day, I'm super prepared! I'm bringing along my Canon 550d which I just got two months ago to take all of my photos. :D

I would post my actual camera but I can't find my point-and-shoot. Oops! Anyway, I'm super excited to use my new Longchamp Le Pliage that I bought in a stopover at the Korean airport on my way home last summer. :)

This is an old style from 2009 that I saw even when I was in Paris, but they didn't have this style with the zipper across and handles that go over the shoulder. I really like shoulder bags because they allow me to walk around with both of my hands free. And aside from that, Longchamp is really known for lasting long and being able to carry a lot of things, which it really does! Plus it's a nice color that won't look bad if it gets dirty. :) So really, it's the perfect bag for travelling! :) I was lucky enough to have found this even though it was out of season already. As my mother always says, if you can't sleep because you really want something, then you should really get it! :)

Of course when in a foreign area with no personal car to drive around, one will have to do a lot of walking. So I'm happy that I've broken into my Torys, they're the comfiest shoes ever.

Very recently I retired my favorite pair of bronze flats that I got in a Payless outlet about 6 years ago, and I was set on getting a pair of Torys to replace them. I'd been looking for a pair of Torys since last year but none of them caught my eye until I stumbled upon these! They're a wonderful color: under daylight they look like a bronze, but in photos they look pewter. The color stated in the stock name is Anthracite, which means a hard coal that burns easily. It's a pretty color really, and they have matching studded hardware logos that are equally as sparkly. I've always been a fan of sparkly things, but now that I'm older I've decided to tone down and wear them as accents instead of big statement pieces. :) These shoes were made for me!

So there, I'm ready for my 5-day vacation! I almost literally broke my back to go on this trip so I better have fun! Of course, just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, "fun" is up to whoever is experiencing it. So I will definitely have fun, I'll make sure of it :D

Will post photos of my travels soon, stay tuned!