The Selma

Once again, we have neglected to update the blog 😦 Mostly because I have been sick and trying to manage and juggle everything is really tough! My free days are all about recovering from my dialysis treatments and when I am better I try to get some work done. It is all very overwhelming and I de-stress by watching downloaded TV series haha… Fun to me now is looking forward to the next episode of whichever series I am following.

I promised in the previous post to blog about the ‘it’ bag from Michael Kors and that bag is none other then the Selma satchel which comes in various sizes.  First, the Selma comes in satchel form with handles as well as a long strap, and it also comes in a messenger style which only has the long strap. The messenger is smaller than the satchel.  Messenger comes in two sizes – mini and medium. Satchel comes in three sizes – medium, large and north/south. North South is quite tall and not as popular as the other two. For accuracy sake, I must point out that the medium satchel is more like a small satchel, and the large satchel is more like a medium satchel in my opinion.  Here is an example of the measurements for the satchel: Above is the medium satchel shown here in Coffee & with studs. Below is the large satchel in plain Black.

This may give you some indication as to the size and below are some pictures of people modelling the large:-

  Beautiful, isn’t it? And that’s not all, the colors are mostly seasonal so you always see a fresh wave of colors to suit all kinds of people and trends.  The latest to this collection is a luxurious looking patent version. Patent leather is one of my favourites because of the fuss-free nature of this leather – not easily scratched, water resistant, and very tough. The only downside is to be careful of putting it next to a magazine because the print can transfer onto the bag. Here is a sample of the patent leather Selma in Black and Red:   Overall, I’d say this is definitely a bag to add to your collection. No matter what size you choose, and what kind of leather you prefer, the shape alone is sophisticated and fun. And if you don’t fancy a bigger bag and just want something small and cute, you may consider the messenger as shown below: Also comes in various colors to suit your style 🙂 Feast on these pictures, till the next entry then!

Cathing Up

We have been delinquent! Or playing truant and not been blogging here for months! 😦 So sorry as life and other things got in the way of passionate writing and heart-pouring if you like! Haha.. Let’s see, last update was in June, wow that’s a really long time to have gone M-I-S-S-I-N-G! I guess this will be a catch-up post of things gone by then. 

We’ll start by talking a bit about London.  London was colder than expected 😦 I personally do not enjoy cold weather, so wasn’t too keen on venturing out much.  However because we had to get all the items on our buying list, I dragged my butt out into the streets nonetheless and tried to get as much done in as little time as possible.  The stores were nice and warm so that was pleasant.  Look at me being all mengada-ngada when the temp was only about 13-15 degrees celcius LOL! Some people who have experienced real winter would laugh at me, but well I have very low tolerance for cold weather so it was quite a jump from the heat wave of 36 degrees here in humid KL!!  Overall though,  being in a foreign country is always nice because you see so much differences from things back home.  Besides doing the usual downtown shopping, we also rented a car and went outlet shopping which was also very nice.  Shopping is tiring though, and I would think again before planning another trip.  It is not so much fun holidaying when you also have to work and shopping has turned into work for me hence taking a lot of fun out of the adventure.  There was a last minute client who was quite demanding and fickle, but alas every job has it’s challenges and this is definitely one that is down my usual alley so I handled it as best I could and thankfully everything turned out well 🙂 Phew! Besides this, I got a really good deal in terms of lodging.  We rented a room in a new and modern apartment with a guy who was half English and half Kuwait-ie.  Had interesting conversations with him and he is a cool dude! Was very flexible and easy to live with for those few days of our stay.  Our room was extremely comfortable although the bed too soft for me, but otherwise it was really nice, clean and having a patio was definitely a plus.  I would definitely go back there again if I could, as the location of this apartment is right opposite Madam Tussaud’s and near the Baker Street Underground station as well. Super convenient! 

I managed to get one session of dialysis done at the St John’s and St Elizabeth’s hospital there. Facilities were good, chair was very comfortable, even had a personal TV.  As usual, very expensive to do holiday dialysis but no choice for me.  I have to get at least 1 or 2 sessions done when I go away for a long trip. Thankfully, in first world countries hospital facilities are top notch so at least you aren’t worried about hygiene. 

Back home in Malaysia, July came and went rather swiftly.  We celebrated two birthdays and had a blast.  I had the chance of going to The Lakehouse in Cameron Highlands.  Really enjoyed the old-world charm of the house and the cool (but not too cold) surroundings.  Plants and flowers thrive there and I really found simple happiness in them.  Sitting out in the garden was a really nice experience since you don’t get hot and sticky there. I do look forward to going again sometime soon. 

August and September were busy months where work is concerned and that has somehow spilled over to October as well. We have had much interest in Michael Kors lately and I think having the boutiques here in KL help.  Before the shops opened here, there was absolutely no interest in these brands.  Well, Malaysia being a relatively new country where designer items are concerned, it is no wonder at all.  Will blog soon about the “IT” Michael Kors bag of 2013, coming out soon in new colors and maybe will pick a favourite as well. (Although previous attempts at doing so prove futile since they are all very lovely!) 

Till then! 

The Dior Panarea Tote

What an inspiring array of colors on this jaw dropping beauty! We love this bag and you will too. This is called the Panarea Tote from Christian Dior which comes in two sizes. In Europe they call it the Small and the Medium, but our petite asian built has us renaming them informally to Medium and Large respectively.  

The Medium is a great every day bag and is a perfect size for your daily go-to needs. It carries everything a girl could need, even your ipad, a couple of folders and more!  If you are an absolute horder, and require a much much bigger tote, then the Large may be for you, however, if you are petite this size could be a tad bit overwhelming. 

This tote isn’t always available in all the colors shown. The colors are seasonal and summer is a good time to catch the awesome colors on display provided they haven’t sold out yet! A popular choice is the Light Pink.  For those who prefer bright dazzling colors, the Coral is also a popular choice.  Beige and Black is of course the classic favourites for the more traditional carriers. 

Whatever color your heart desires, this is a practical and versatile tote. Dior gives it a beatiful quilted classic look that only Dior can and we believe this will be a classic beauty for many, many years to come! 

Get Well Quick!

We leave in a few days for Europe and todate am down with the flu..boohoo.  Was suffering from bouts of nausea last week.  Thought it was gastric induced, and suddenly we got our monthly friend and everything started to make sense – the mood swings, the nausea, etc. And suddenly, sneezing! Lo and behold it turned into a full blown flu overnight. Fever, chills and all.  Suffered immensely and went to the clinic only to be told it’s viral. By Tuesday phlegm was green so I guess it turned bacterial overnight. During dialysis on Tues  I asked the doc to prescribe antibiotics. Hopefully recovery will come fast  because we travel soon!

Booked a private room, bathroom en-suite and patio, adjacent to Baker Street.  It is one stop away from the shops and one stop away from the hospital where I will be having my dialysis. Hopefully we made the right choice.  Also rented a car to travel outside of London for more shopping! Hopefully we find some good deals and things worth buying.  Otherwise it will be an adventure still, no doubt.

Very excited!  At this juncture, one can only hope for a better tomo and a great travel week ahead! Wish me luck!

xoxo

Our Euro Summer Spree

Join our Summer Spree!

We are excited about this Spree because it gives buyers the flexibility to pay in installments of up to 3 payments if they need it. When they complete payments, the items will be here and ready for delivery 🙂  This special arrangement is for months April, May and June only and the items arrive in June too.  So everything will be all set and ready with no long waiting periods once final payment has been made!

There are quite a number of terms which I thought buyers should read through though.  Mainly pertaining to issues like paying on time as well as managing expectations on what their items come with and to what extent is our liability towards the items purchased.  I think many people may not really understand that a reseller will never be able to truly address issues pertaining to manufacturing.   Besides this, many buyers do see purchasing in terms of just 1 item (their item basically) and they don’t really see the process as a whole involving many items which are bought and hand carried back.  It can be quite complicated with different boutiques having many rules and regulations, and various SAs with inconsistent sales practices.  My regular buyer who usually goes few times a year has been facing some problems with SAs not wanting to give small boxes and additional paperbags for smaller items when big items are purchased together.  I feel that’s just down right mean because a legitimate purchase deserves the packaging we ask for.  On top of that, if a buyer is difficult, the store can actually chose to blacklist you and not allow you to purchase for a period of time.  So it is no longer the store who wants our business, it is more of the customer now asking to allow the store to even let them purchase their items in the first place! So the store can afford to be snobbish when they feel like it since the demand from the customers are so high.

Stores also have issues printing duplicate receipts. No idea why this is such a big issue, but they will say ‘sorry we don’t do that’. So if you want individual receipts for your items for any reason, you may have to buy 1 item at a time, go out, come back in and purchase something else. This is fine if there is no line, but in Europe there usually is a line! Especially during peak travel seasons. So all this is fine if you only have 1 item to buy, but totally inconvenient if you have a shopping list!  Now if you think buying is the easy part, well despite the difficulties faced, it actually is the easier part of the process because nobody really gives a thought to how heavy these items are when you have to carry them back to the hotel with you. One bag – easy, two bags – no sweat. Anything more than 3 or 4 and you start to feel the stress of it all 😦 More than 5 or 6 and you wish you had a personal butler! They are insanely heavy, the paperbags are bloody heavy too and your arms, shoulders, back and every center of your being is wondering why you are here and doing this AGAIN! 😛

Now once the items have been purchased and lugged back with much difficulty, the task now lies with doing some magic with space allocation. Luggage bags can’t be too big (less they attract unwanted attention from greedy customs officers) and they can’t be small because space for items is really needed. So they are big but not huge.  This means bags have to be packed in such a way as to maximise space while ensuring the condition of each item is maintained throughout their journey.  Easy? Not in the least!  It really requires a lot of planning, a lot of trial and error and packing and repacking several times in order to get everything to fit in the best way possible.  Truth be told is that when packing is done, you feel like somewhat of a packing genius. You look at your partner and friend with a satisfied cheshire cat smile as if you have done a wonderful job of packing that no one else could accomplish! 😀 To an extent it really really feels like it because so much brain power is needed..it’s like solving a jigsaw or a rubics cube. So you smile a “I am so smart” smile only to be given a “have you forgotten how heavy these bags are going to be” look from your partner 😦  Oh dear..the journey which you for one second thought completed, is only half on it’s way! The rest is yet to come, and that being lugging the heavy luggage to the cab, to the airport, claiming VAT, checking in and finally boarding your plane home.

Yes it is a long process, but it is a process we must do as part of our job which we undoubtedly still love. While you – the buyer wait, eager, impatient sometimes, maybe excited, some even delirious, to receive, open and see the goodies you have ordered. Ahhh the satisfaction of that moment makes it all worth the while, for you as well as for us 🙂

To be a part of this adventure, join us HERE

Too Hot To Handle

So this  is the bag that is all the rage at the moment. The Marc by Marc Jacobs Too Hot To Handle Hobo.  Well hot it definitely is!  To be honest, it’s been popular for quite some time already, but this season the Lipstick Red as seen here is really to die for.  Now there are people who like red bags and there are people who don’t.  Personally, I am a Red person. Anything Red, and I am in.  However, these days there are so many kinds of Red around so much so that we find designers have started to name their reds things like “Lipstick Red” which I think is both sassy and cute.  I would like to have a bag called Lipstick Red, wouldn’t you?

Now if you aren’t enamoured already, how about Nude?  No, not asking you to get nude, just that the other new color this season is called Nude! LOL… Well seems like they’ve got a theme going here. First, you wear the red lipstick, then maybe, just maybe you might have to get nude! (pun intended) *wink* Back to the bags, here is the Nude which I personally think is really classy looking:

 

Nice right?  You really can’t go wrong with either color.

Did I mention the gorgeous, luscious Italian leather? This is what Marc by Marc Jacobs is famous for. The soft smooshy luxurious leather they make all their bags in. ❤

We are so glad Marc Jacobs decided to create this line of more affordable bags & accessories for us who can’t always afford a Marc Jacobs Stam for example. Many premium designers have gone down this route –

Donna Karan created DKNY

Armani created Armani Exchange

Just to name the two which comes to mind. I know there’s more. So Marc Jacobs creating Marc by Marc Jacobs is just another step in the right direction. A creative team that keeps designs interesting and fashion forward, while selecting high quality materials that is deserving of the MJ name, but keeping production costs low by producing outside of Europe.  Really smart.

As an avid shopper and personal shopper for many, I think an affordable designer bag is the next best thing to a fabulous pair of shoes and a yummy macadamia brownie..but I digress. The brownie topic is one for another day. Right now, we drool over the Too Hot To Handle Hobo and the many many hot days and nights we will get to use it. Hopefully, it’s “hotness” will rub off on us 😛 (so cheesy!)

For now, let’s drool over more colors and then hop on over here to purchase one.

 

 

Something Funny

Something funny about Malaysians which I find endearing is the way we pronounce certain words.  I struggle to correct people when they attempt to pronounce The Chic Sac.  Most Malaysians say “the chick sack” – which undoubtedly is quite comical.  It is like we have a sack full of chicks! That means a house full of girls. (a brothel?) Haha

But no, that’s not how we pronounce it.  Chic is pronounced as sheeek and sac is pronounced as Sack which is correct of course, but the meaning of Sac in French is bag.  Quite different from a potato sack or even when one gets sacked from one’s job.. Hehe.  Chic on the other hand means elegantly and stylishly fashionable.  So The Chic Sac means elegantly fashionable bag – which is what I personally hope to always carry on my arm although I admit that more often than not, I have been relying most frequently on my Butterfly canvas tote from Jim Thompson which I purchased from Thailand.  It is a sweet little thing, although not the most fashionable nor is it the most expensive, it is cute and spacious and washable! (which is very important especially when I use it mainly to travel to the hospital and back)  The Butterfly bag is very often thrown about that I fear for it’s condition.  So far it has proven to be sturdy – but for how long?

Secretly, I love pretty inexpensive bags more because they make the most sense.  I don’t pay a lot for them but I still enjoy using them.  A pretty inexpensive bag is a joy forever – well at least until the end of their lifespan 😛   Do you own a pretty inexpensive bag too?

Hello & Welcome!

Welcome to our blog where we share information and excitement over all things related to bags and their accessories 🙂 Occasionally there will be snippets of my life surrounding the acquisition of new bags and other lovely things and I hope you enjoy the journey together with me.

My name is Corina, as most of my regular blogshop followers would already know.  A little over 6 years ago, I started selling bags and what started out as a part time hobby became my full time occupation.  I enjoy helping people acquire beautiful things, and I think having a passion for your work is always important.  I am so happy that some of my regular customers have turned into friends 🙂 It is always so nice to meet people who share the same passion and who are humble and easy going.

Other than a couple of very self seeking and unreasonable consumers, I am generally thankful for a large base of clients who are happy and easy to deal with.  Some are also extremely caring.  In April 2012 I was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure and so many wrote in to wish me well and encourage me.   I was so touched 🙂  As I continue on with dialysis, most of my time is at the hospital and what ever little time I have left, I try to get my blogshop updated and my work done. It is a lot to cope with, but it must be done and I am determined to try my best to do whatever I can to keep this up and running.  This also means limited time to do packing and shipping and I have streamlined it to twice a week.  I have help for the more physical tasks of packing and shipping, but I no longer meet customers outside due to my condition.  It is just hard to make arrangements as I am uncertain how I will be feeling when the time comes. So far, this hasn’t proven to be a big problem, so I am glad that most people understand the concept of online shopping well.

As we enter the fourth month of the year 2013, let’s hope for a very fruitful and prosperous year for all of us.  Most of all, let’s look forward to beautiful things that make life’s journey more exciting, increasingly motivating and abundantly joyous.

xoxo,

Corina