Unexpectedly detailed review of the (Michael) Michael Kors Selma (Large) Bag

This is a really late post (and I know I still have the rest of New Zealand to do – I haven’t forgotten) but I am crossing off those home renovation resolutions like a bawsss. Pretty much last year I bludged through my “home renovation” and pretty much passed off replacing two broken bathroom/ laundry items that needed to be replaced and they were done by a plumber, not myself. If not, it was buying the odd curtain or dinner placemat. I’ve just worked through painting all the main living areas and bedrooms and painted them all a fresh peach colour – bathroom, toilet and laundry to go, but that will be easy peasy. I’m a bit caught up because I’m simultaneously replacing furniture and buying things to decorate the home – I should do it a bit at a time,  but I like to multitask.

Painting for newbies is a bitchhhh. Your deltoids and other muscles you never knew existed ache and you get frustrated because you’re using way too much paint on a wall and can’t tell if the coating is even or not or if you’ve painted a spot because half the wall is dry, the other half wet. I will write more about this later in a separate post. Onwards!

The Selma Bag features:

• Two short top handles for arm/ hand carry
• Long adjustable strap for crossbody or shoulder carry
• Two “flaps” to look like a trapeze which can be tucked in for a square look, or pushed out… to look like a Celine trapeze
• Top zipper closure (with the two “flaps” uncovered)
• 1x Inner zipped compartment
• 1x Mobile phone compartment
• 3x Smaller open stitched compartments
• 1x Leather strap with lobster claw for key/ small item lanyard thing that is fixed to the inside of the bag
• MK Monogrammed fabric interior lining (by the way I hate the monogram soooo much I’m only glad it’s on the inside and you cannot see it from the outside)
• Saffiano calf leather exterior and all straps
• 4x Metal base studs on underside of the bag
• Front logo plaque
• MICHAEL KORS stamped hardware
• White rather soft and slippery dust bag with silver leafed logo (which is actually impressive for a dust bag)

Purchased the 30T4MLMS7T in Raspberry/ White/ Black colour block. Raspberry is more like a fuschia or a hot pink colour depending on your interpretation and under certain lighting. The colours are way too vibrant for what I am used to sporting, but a little change won’t hurt.

So my floor and wall backdrop is back after I decided the photography tent was way too whitewashed and eBay-like. Can you guys tell the colour of the wall is lighter than before? Yes, that was me painting the walls.

What Misa thinks of the Selma bag: first impressions

So I’ve pushed this post first since my last post kind of promised this would be next. I’m not really a Michael Kors person – to be honest I don’t know much about the brand, don’t really care for it, and don’t particularly like it either. The only thing I like though, is the Selma bag, because it’s one of the designs that I think actually look quite modern, nice, and can work as a bag you take to work without it costing near $2000. It was almost by chance that I came across this particular colour block Selma on sale which I managed to get (including shipping) for under $300AUD. This is a bargain considering they retail at like $490AUD+ or whatever it is here. It was the perfect combination of colours, especially since the straps were black and not white like most stupid colour blocks (why would you have light coloured handles if you could avoid it?? Yes, aesthetic purposes, but functionally lacking in terms of maintaining the thing).

I know I said I wouldn’t buy a bag (so I still kept with the twice a year thing… except I made it to 3 in 2014 because of the Selma), but when I bought the Selma it was on sale, Christmas, and it was reasonably priced. Later another $50 was hacked off the price (*shakes fist at further reductions* and probably it would have been better spending $250AUD on it (who doesn’t like saving money?)… because IMO it’s okay value for money, but RRP here is just not worth it at all.

Yes, there are articles trying to ride on the Kors bandwagon by writing articles like these to say how the brand is going downhill, is uncool, etc – yeah I get all that. Like I wrote a paragraph ago, I don’t actually like the brand at all. I just liked the design and price wise, it was worth a shot because I wanted to see what it was like for the lulz. Do I have anything to say in response to the article? Well, I do – there’s nothing wrong with a mass produced bag – it makes a brand affordable and in all honesty, undermining the “higher end” brand of the same brand doesn’t really matter because fundamentally the money is going to the same company. I’m well aware everyone is wearing one, but then again, what about Longchamp? Just saying. A bag is just a bag – you use it to carry things and you wear it because you like it or not.

I’m going to be honest – the Selma is a bag that I’m not very comfortable with in terms of its details and design elements when I take apart the bag. It’s like the Saffiano leather and buckle design from Prada, a leather strap with buckle for your keys from Chanel, a shape that really resembles that of Celine’s trapeze or luggage, interior compartments that are like Louis Vuitton and Coach combined, and a monogram interior lining (though uncommon in most handbags) – probably resembling some brand but I just can’t really figure out what at the moment. Yes. It is uncomfortable because it is a mishmash of borrowed (?) elements smacked into one. But if you just look at it on the whole, it seems like a good design – I guess they did combine the “best” of everything into one. Or so that’s what you expect anyway.

This is so the Prada lobster clasp, downsized with a different “link” shape buckle.

Made in Vietnam.

There’s nothing wrong with it being made in Vietnam (probably better than made in China but I wouldn’t have a clue), but it took me ages to find where it was made. It was printed on a tiny bit of white coated fabric somewhere on the inside in small letters – so wee and tiny. It’s not very nice to have it in such an obscure spot – like, it’s nothing to hide right? I can’t expect a bag to be made in Europe if it’s a couple of a hundred dollars.

So. Stiff.

I was expecting the bag to be stiff but not as stiff as it is now. It’s physically hard to stuff into my work drawer (which is actually a cube), it’s in the way when I take public transport, I can’t slide my wardrobe door close because I can’t tuck the two sides in (need to rearrange my contents first to do that) and just a whole bunch of inconveniences.

In fact, it is stiff to the point that I would call it hard/ cardboard. The long strap is almost useless because it actually hurts my shoulder when I wear the bag long. My bag isn’t like terribly heavy, but it is of considerable weight: a phone, wallet, keys, glasses case, bus tickets, a small bag of toiletries and the odd almost weightless cardigan. The handles are also so hard I wonder if there is cardboard inside to retain the shape and hardness… or whatever. There probably isn’t, but it’s just a thought. You cannot wear this bag on the long strap with the handles down because it will bang against your thigh and it hurts. And the long strap hurts. And you carry it on your hand/ arm and the handles still hurt. It’s better now but you don’t exactly expect a bag to be something you “break into”. This is the first time I’ve encountered this problem.

Well, I’m sure you are all like “but this will get better after a bit of wear and tear” – it’s been about a week and while the finish of the bag is sagging (by this I mean the front and the bag are slowly caving in where the bag is empty), it’s pretty tough. And there’s a good reason for it.

Sagging/ losing its original shape.

Saffiano leather is a method of pressing calf leather into a crosshatch pattern. This makes it scratch resistant (to an extent) and the treatment makes it durable and sort of water resistant. It reminds me of the Louis Vuitton Epi leather (same concept, just different pattern). I have compared the grain/ size of the pattern of the saffiano treatment in Prada and Kors leathers and I have noticed that the Prada grain is somewhat larger. The Kors is pressed smaller and hence is a bit “scratchier” – this is most likely due to the fact that they are using leather that is not as good in quality – and that’s why there is a need to scale the saffiano crosshatch smaller to hide these imperfections. The Kors leather also doesn’t have as much definition – so perhaps the leather was also stretched when they did the crosshatch? I don’t know, just making speculations.

Left: Prada Saffiano leather (more definition and larger grains). Right: Kors Selma. Oh, and while we’re here, maybe you may want to compare the quality of stitching – so yeahhhhhhhh.

In other words, if you are a leather connoisseur or someone who really scrutinises quality, definitely choose Prada since they are the originators and probably do it best.

Oh and just in case you missed it – I still think the bag is cardboard. It has softened since I have first typed this draft though.

Details leave much to be desired.

The sealing of the leather seems to be alright and smooth if I run my finger over the edges, but if I look closely the edges of the actual leather aren’t smooth and there are lumps under the seal. I’m not saying that high end brands will not have this problem – I’ve seen my fair share of the slip of the artisan’s hand during the sealing process (which by the way is sort of like painting, waiting for it to cure and possibly doing this process several times – my hand slips even painting a wall let alone something so delicate) so I don’t expect it to be perfect. If I had to rate the sealing I’d probably say it’s about 8/10 for smoothness but 6/10 for shoddiness of craftsmanship because I can see the imperfections under the sealing – no matter how much you rely on the sealing to hide this, I still don’t believe it’s a good idea to leave traces of ruggedness in something that is supposed to be clean cut. I tried really hard to take a photo but I couldn’t as I don’t have the capability to do detailed macro shots.

I’m not sure if it’s my imagination either, but when I compare the symmetry of the bag it seems off – not everything is quite uniform and the same size throughout. This is reallllllly minor, but maybe something to take note of if you’re crazy like me.

Stitching

When I received my bag I was not happy with the long strap because the string/ stitching along the sides of the long strap were already sort of fraying or fuzzing out. This is probably due to the bad quality of the string and just overall finish – especially if they decided to wax the string. My only guess is that this will only get worse over time.

Fuzzy string on long strap: this was as how I received the item, brand new (I knew it was new because the zipper and everything was factory sealed with the swing tag).

Once again with details, if you look at the stitching, the lines sort of look straight, but the actual punched holes in the leather forming that stitched line aren’t exactly straight or aligned. If the higher end brands are given an A+ or above, I would give this workmanship maybe a B-. Yes, there is a difference, and you can tell.

Lean back and have a look at the lines in general – not straight, spacing is not as equal as they could be and stitching “holes” not lining up.

Branding

Considering this is a Michael “Michael Kors” it just sounds as tacky as it probably is. I hate the name of the brand and well, that’s about it.

Proportions

This is the large version of the Selma and proportions are alright. It is a bit bulky, but that’s due to the nature of how stiff the bag is.
The large number of internal pockets is rare to see in bags these days and is a nice touch – but it doesn’t make organisation that much easier or finding your stuff faster if you’re someone who just throws things in and then organises later.

The only negative (apart from the horrible monogram lining) thing I have to say about the internal pockets is that the zipped compartment is not big enough to put in a long wallet. So my wallet is still floating around.

If it’s any consolation a short wallet will fit (duh). But I’m not going to change/ swap my wallet just because of this.

Long wallets do not fit into the zipped compartment.

Overall conclusion

Yeah, alright, so I own a Selma now. I’m probably just going to use it for a while, try to sell it, and then forget I even had it. Or, I would use it, get bored of it, and throw it into the dust bag and up into my closet to sleep with my other maybe 15 or so bags. One’s enough and that’s it – I don’t see the need or whatever to have a second because I think even owning one in the first place was a move that is unlike-Misa. From wearing my casually comfortable Louis Vuitton Totally MM (which I crumple into a ball somewhere in my closet) to this mess of a cardboard slab, it was like a culture shock far too great for me to handle.

There are so many great bags that are under $1000 that perhaps aren’t leather but are structurally well made and would be something I’d be happy to wear every day. Although I wear the Selma to work 5 days a week, I kind of don’t hate it,  but I don’t love it either. I feel kind of lost wearing the bag, because it feels like the bag’s insecurities of its own identity has rubbed off me. It’s still too mishmashed to be an icon (maybe an icon of mass production), and it’s not anywhere near the top of my list in terms of my bag rankings.

If you were hoping the Selma to be the answer to the new saffiano tote, forget it – a classic will always be a classic, and the quality is just too far off to even consider comparing the two!

If you prefer something bulky, heavy, stiff but with a bit more comfort yet bump into people and things when you’re travelling or shopping, consider the Chanel Grand Shopping Tote instead. Although I don’t really love my GST that much, it’s definitely much better than the Selma, but of course there’s the price factor.

I don’t mean to offend anyone who loves their Selma – I mean I like it too – enough for me to actually buy and use it. But seriously, when you compare the quality – and especially when you can afford better quality – I don’t see why I should settle for less. Please note that I didn’t see the bag in person before I actually got the bag, so if you do purchase, go see it in person first!

Overall for a bag this size and this quality, $300AUD is actually a pretty good price. I’m being too strict on the quality – what can I possibly expect? For an internationally recognised brand, decent design and it is leather, I must say it was still a good buy. My only qualm about it is why did I even need to own the Selma or spend the money in the first place. *shrugs*

In a summary – which does not include every single possibility:

Great for: students, people who want a work bag to throw around and not care about yet look modern and organised (go for the classic all black Selma – can’t go wrong), people who do not care for their bags well, people on a budget, people searching for their first designer bag, a pack of friends who want matching bags that are in season/ in fashion, giving away to a friend/ family or as a gift in general – alone or pooled with other people.

Bad for: people with soft bodies (unless you want a free massage with the bag bashing against you as you walk – massage available for 2 weeks of initial use), bag collectors who do it as an investment (no point here), people who are obsessive compulsive, people who nitpick details, people who are against the use of leather, people who do not like Michael/ Michael Michael/ Michael MK Kors.

Plans for the next bag? Considering May is only a few months away it’s time for me to contemplate on what I should get. I have zero plans at this stage, and I am most likely going to push my money towards home renovations/ furniture. I’ve had my desk for about 7 years – it’s still structurally stable and does the job, but it’s ugly and the veneer has always looked awful as it peeled from the very first week I ever used it. I’ve found a desk I quite like, but do I need it? The “trust me, I’m an architect” side of me is telling me yes. I’ve always had this strong idea to pursue the perfect work space. I was somewhat close to it, but not quite. I will get there eventually since I have finally got the chair I’ve wanted since maybe about 9-10 years ago.

I’ve also discovered Pinterest and it has been a great source of renovation ideas. I’ve finally hung a decent looking frame in my room to cover the bare hook I have (see my Instagram feed) and my room feels new again. Now if I get that desk and decent storage I can get all my crap off my desk and off the floor – it’s always nice to have a sexy sleek plane as your desk with minimal clutter.

Hope everyone enjoyed Valentines – mine sucked. I spent about 3 hours just waiting/ traveling to and from work, ignored a couple being way too touchy feely in public while waiting for public transport, had to put up with two girls much younger than me gawking at those two hand wanderers and make comments about it. Anyway, I will be back at some stage – not sure what the next post will be, but I really want to get all my renovations underway and complete soon. We have a lot of furniture that is old – like 10, 20 years+ and needs upgrading. Until next time, stay cool (unless you’re in the northern hemisphere), and enjoy!

Louis Vuitton Capucines BB

Hope everyone has enjoyed the festive season – my 4 days break from work (since were closed) was too short and is coming to an end. I am still feeling dizzy as ever… so I am pretty much typing this with my eyes closed. In any case, here is just a short review on this bag.

I don’t think I will be buying something for quite a while now.. this has officially blown a big hole in my savings. I originally met my ever so hard to reach target of saving after more than 3 years of working… only to spend more haha. Well, it is time to save again and surpass the original target now.

I wanted to originally purchase a Chanel Boy but got turned off by the terrible nonexistent service in the Chanel boutiques. Not only are we paying 1.5 times more than other countries for that bag, I think the amount of money we need to pay and the quality of service is just not up to scratch at all. I was then tossing between the Lady Dior or something else, but I know from people’s stories that the Lady Dior isn’t really great quality in terms of its zipper and stitching. I wasn’t really prepared to spend that much money on a patent leather bag (which cannot be repaired… patent leather, that is), and I don’t want lambskin as it is far too soft and will lose shape.

I was having dinner with the girls from my old workplace a few months back when we were talking about handbags and then I decided to do some research… to my surprise this handbag is filed away under a category called “special”, so it was no wonder that I did not know about it previously. I saw the handbag once in person (a customer was wearing the medium size) and there was some information in fashion magazine… but it wasn’t until then that I was genuinely interested because I knew that it was pricey.

Thankfully, it comes in a smaller size which is what I like/ prefer, and they had a few new colours out – one of which I thought was one that I really really needed.

I purchased the Capucines in BB size on a busy Sunday afternoon. The handbag is located and available for purchase on Level 2 of the George Street flagship store. I didn’t realise that it was that exclusive to be located on a separate level, but the best thing about that is that you beat the masses and crowd on the ground floor level, which is no different to a marketplace on a busy weekend. On level 2 you get to sit on a sofa, and have the freedom to do whatever you want really, and you don’t need to really wait more than 5 minutes for someone to ask you if you need help.

My friend who was with me accidentally picked up a handbag to have a look and to her surprise there were things inside and actually belonged to a customer! It was in a beautiful indigo colour which was very borderline royal purple. They didn’t have that colour in stock, but that colour is definitely my #2 choice.

There were three new colours, the other two apart from the one I have pictured above being a baby blue and a very pale baby pink. To be honest the baby blue looked probably nicer than the one I decided to buy (which is in a colour named cobalt since it is a dark grey), but I liked the fuschia edge as it is so classic, yet a new interpretation of the classic edge treatment without going boring old red edge.

My only concern with this bag is that I have another very similar one which Louis Vuitton doesn’t currently have in their catalogue (though they have a habit of bringing back styles after a few years) called the Sevigne, also in a BB size.

The Capucines is made of a taurillon leather, which is considered one of the best leathers out there. It is quite thick and seems quite sturdy. it is apparently meant to soften over time – fingers crossed it will still look as good as it does now – I hate unstructured leather cough YSL cough!

The handbag is split into two compartments and can be closed with a hook in the centre. There is also a zipped compartment at the back for you to zip up any valuables, such as a passport for instance. The width of the bag is just right for a long wallet. The Sevigne BB on the other hand, cannot fit a long wallet and can only contain a short wallet.

The Capucines also has two hooks for you to hang a long strap (included) for cross body or shoulder carry. The interior is lined in a fuschia calf leather.

There are also metal studs on the base of the bag.

Apart from the choice of leather and colours, what drew me in the most was the reinterpretation classic elements. I believe it is probably one of the first (if not the first) bag with the monogram flower as part of the hardware design. You have a choice to tuck the flap in behind the cut out LV logo, or on top (though it doesn’t sit flat as there is no magnetic closure). I like this design because it can be discreet if you cover the LV sign as the monogram flower is a bit more subtle.

There are also other elements like the rings on the side which are elements you usually see in their jewellery collection rather than in their handbag range.

Other items I did not picture was the box (I actually have the same box from purchasing the Sevigne so nothing new – but it is a hard box, not one of those large floppy ones you get when you purchase a regular handbag) and dustbag, which is a different type of dustbag to your normal sand coloured one. The one that comes with the Capucines is a double layered, super soft type of microfiber or cotton fabric which has an outer brown fabric and the inner fabric being the usual sand colour. There is also an information booklet included which is relatively thick (maybe 3-4mm thick) on just general information on leather and care… though it appears to be a universal booklet and not exclusive to the Capucines (probably given with bags made of special leather).

I think the most surprising thing to me is that this bag is actually far more common than I had originally expected, since I see it quite often on the streets of Sydney. That is a good thing because it means I made the right decision in believing that this is pretty much the new icon or classic in their handbag range.

As per usual I checked the bag over for the quality and the stitching appears to be well done, but as for the sealing of the edge – I can’t really say it is perfect for its price tag. It could be done better, but having said that there were only 2 Capucines BB in the colour cobalt available in stock – one being the display and the other being the one I purchased.

This bag is alright to go traveling (beware if you go somewhere where it will rain because this leather is okay for rain, but like, not 100% like all leathers) but is probably better suited to going out or dinner. Overall I would call this a city bag and the best thing is that it is clean and simple so it doesn’t look too much even with a pair of jeans.

There are two other sizes available in the MM ($6500AUD) and GM ($7000AUD) size, both are only hand/ shoulder carry and do not come with the long strap.

The Louis Vuitton Capucines BB retails at $5100 AUD and is available exclusively at Louis Vuitton boutiques. Check the website or call Louis Vuitton for up to date pricing. As per usual I recommend you all buy duty free or quote pricing to see which country/ city has better pricing.

PS: I will try to get back on track with the New Zealand posts… wish this dizziness would just go away though. And finally when I get back to work I get to work with people who are actually helpful! Cannot wait.

Lazy Review of Stella McCartney Falabella Shaggy Deer Fold-Over Tote Bag

This is a long overdue post that I was meant to do all the way back in July. I have some other things I want to post during Christmas time, but I guess I will leave it for next month. I have been meaning to write about this bag, but I needed to use it a bit more to give it a fair evaluation.

All images were screenshot from the official Stella McCartney website, and for more product information you can visit here.

• DESCRIPTION
  Falabella shaggy deer fold over tote in bluebird tone featuring a ruthenium chain trim, handles and shoulder strap with a Stella McCartney logo disc.
  Fully lined with Stella McCartney logo print recycled polyester, inside pocket and top snap closure.
  This tote can be worn two ways, folded over as a shoulder bag or as a handheld tote.
• DETAILS
  100% Polyester

  This bag is made from non-leather, cruelty-free materials using highly skilled manufacturing techniques.
  The lining has been created from recycled plastic bottles.
  This is part of our ongoing commitment to animal and eco friendly fashion.
  Spot clean with a soft damp cloth and a small amount of neutral soap.
  Avoid scrubbing in order not to damage the textured surface of the bag.

  FIT

  Width: 37cm/14.6”
  Height: 36cm/14.2”
  Depth: 8 cm/3.1″

  – details from Stella McCartney website as above

Earlier this year I wanted a bag that could allow me the flexibility to carry stuff to work without it being an oversized bag. The Falabella came into mind because to me it kind of just looks like a stylish bag without the brand slapped all over it. At first I couldn’t understand why people would spend so much money on a bag that was made of synthetic leather, but eventually I grew to understand that it was the workmanship and the idea of promoting recycled and sustainable materials. When I first knew about the Falabella I was told by someone that the price was for the name/ label/ brand – I’m sorry but now I think that statement was just ignorant. I think you really need to know the reasoning behind the brand to completely appreciate and understand why the price is as is.

Digression aside, the bag allows you to carry it as a full sized tote by the short handles (first image), folded over as a shoulder bag (2nd and 3rd images – imagine it on the shoulder), and as a clutch (2nd image as carried by the model). That way I could easily expand or contract the bag depending on how much stuff I had. I carry two bags to work and I transfer buses – not exactly a very convenient way to travel with a bit of baggage, so if I can have something compact (especially if I am standing on the bus) it means that I don’t need to carry something super heavy for about 30 minutes or more.

The reason why I called this a lazy review is because I meant to take photos, but decided against it. It’s a pretty difficult bag to photograph as it has a slouchy structure. The third image down where you can see the bag folded over (back view) looks nothing like the actual thing because it is not hard/ stiff enough to fold into a perfect rectangle with straight edges. My favourite way of wearing the bag is actually as shown by the model, as a hand held clutch – I just really love folding over the bag for several reasons – your stuff doesn’t fall out of the bag for sure (since there is no zipper, so you fold it to secure items inside), the bag looks really nice with the short handles falling over it like an extra piece of decoration, and you support the bag without the use of the chain (will elaborate later).

The bag itself comes in a 100% organic cotton dust bag with minimal cards etc. Inside the bag somewhere there is a stamp/ label mentioning which year and season the bag was manufactured for (in my case, S/S 2014 or something like that – the bag is in my closet and it’s too far away…). All their bags are manufactured in Italy and the whipstitch attaching the bag to the chain is all done by hand -as are the holes punched in for the whipstitch. The material is specially engineered and I like how the lining is made from recycled plastic bottles.

I didn’t really know what to expect for the bag, and ended up purchasing it in the shaggy deer, which is like a suede texture. All I can say is that I was so surprised I really couldn’t believe it wasn’t leather – it looks like leather and it felt like it. If I didn’t mention it to people, people would have really believed it was real leather, which was surprising.

All synthetic leathers are the same – or are they?

Synthetic leathers/ PU seem the same, but in my opinion they are different and depend on how they are manufactured. One reason why I am hesitant about synthetic leather is because they crack or peel over time, and that’s the end of it. There are so many brands using vegan leather (which is actually same same) with really high prices – and I think it largely has to do with how thin, lightweight the material is, and how well integrated the plastic is with the fabric for it to be “one”, as opposed to a layer on top of another layer (which is the worst thing ever).

There is another type of finish available which feels more like a textured lambskin (remarkably thin texture and seems coated/ water resistant), but I personally prefer the shaggy deer (slightly thicker texture), as I don’t think there is much room for cracking to occur (because plastic cracks… eventually). On the downside it is not waterproof, but this bag has been through downpour rain with me and it dries easily with no problems at all.

There is an internal zipper for smaller yet important items (I put my keys in there) and there is a snap button closure which a decent level of magnetism and strength. It is hard to pop it open accidentally, and it is one of the best snap magnetic closures I have come across. Size wise due to the flexibility and it being a medium size, it so far has been a good size for work or going out.

I’m not saying that the bag overall is perfect though – there are some downsides, such as the bag being reasonably heavy due to the chains, and also the chains opening at the joints. I used the bag (reasonably heavy load) for about 7 months and I can see the chain links being opened/ distorted due to the weight of the chain. This is why sometimes when I can, I try to carry it as a clutch so that the chains won’t pop open. Doesn’t mean that they opened to the extent that the chain will detach and I will need to reattach it, but I probably need to get some pliers and close them back up. Still, I really like the curb chain because it looks so different to any other chain out there.

The chains get scratched somewhat easily, but problem is easily solved as the bag is supposed to look more vintage as time goes by – in fact I probably prefer the bag to be a little more scratched as the chain is really super shiny – it is gorgeous in the sunlight and all, but I purchased the bag in mind that it looked low key… but in fact it was much more flashy than I had anticipated. Another thing you may or may not like is how slouchy the bag is – it is not stiff at all so it will just slouch according to whatever is inside. The bag will not distort, but it may look disorganised though it will allow you to pack lots of stuff inside. I’m a structured bag kind of person and really like my lines straight and clean cut. This is the reason why I don’t like Balenciaga because I can’t stand how slouchy a long bag can get – but with the Falabella, I think it is alright because it’s not as decorated or fancy as the Balenciagas – all the Falabella has are a few chains, and a circular logo plaque and that’s it. I like the simplicity and even though it can be slouchy, I think it’s great for a casual look.

Another thing about the Falabella – like all chain bags – is that they don’t really go down on bare skin. You will probably need to wear something that covers your shoulder or whatever for the chain to rest on, or it will probably be a bit uncomfortable to wear. Otherwise, hand carry and your problems are non existent.

 

I think if I were to suggest an improvement, I wish the curb chains were made of recycled plastic to keep the weight of the bag down and further emphasise reducing environmental impact. What I have in mind is reminiscent of those resin chains that Prada have which can look really nice, though resin can be quite heavy as well. And the curb chain itself should be soldered/ closed, not open links so they won’t pop open from the weight of load.

I was really happy buying this bag because I felt that it was for a good cause. I’m not a vegetarian but it was nice thinking that my bag was made of recycled stuff, and given the workmanship and effort put into making the bag I think it was a worthwhile purchase. I originally wanted to just forget about other bags and only buy different coloured Falabellas from this point on since they seemed so flexible and just about everything I needed, but when I noticed the links popping open, I had second thoughts.

This bag retails for $1,195USD as per the official Stella McCartney website. Australians may purchase the fold-over Falabella from David Jones for approximately $1,500 AUD. Please check your local stockist for up to date pricing.

My next bag review will be end of November/ early December. I will be reviewing the Louis Vuitton Capucines BB. So far I am loving it. I have had my eye on it ever since its release in 2013 (well, the Capucines in MM size anyway – I didn’t know they had a BB size) and couldn’t justify purchasing it due to the rather unprecedented price tag (in comparison to everything else they had), but I was pissed off at Chanel (my now least favourite place to shop) for their non existent customer service. On a side note about structure – my Chanel wallet has gone all sorts of funny and is slightly distorted from the leather softening. I have done a good job keeping it in good condition, but for its price and everything, soooooo so average quality.

Friend’s Wedding D-7: Time to panic

Once again it has been a while!

This past month has been crazy (including the whole getting sick thing and ticking off “meet new people” which I actually am cringing and regretting lots).

So I got my wisdom tooth removed! I think I will write about that in detail in a separate post because it can be quite a big deal for some people. I thought it was going to be a tough one for me because the tooth was not straight and actually pokes outwards and made a hole in my cheek (it’s actually still the gum considering it’s quite low, but you can imagine the part where your gum kind of turns into the inside of your cheek gets a bit iffy). The tooth was also at close proximity with my IDN (some nerve that you don’t want to damage). It took about 40 minutes and I was sedated and didn’t know a single thing until I woke up. Pretty much pain free, but I was very swollen for about 4 days. Will write more about it separately as this was not the point of this post.

So, I was invited to my friend’s wedding which the title suggests, will be in a week’s time. She handed me this handmade invitation which was a really nice touch since she didn’t just go out and buy pre made ones (I don’t know what I would personally do, but it seems like an easy, stress-free solution in a way).

 

This isn’t the first time I’m going to a wedding. The first one I went to was a kid, and as an adult it was maybe 2-3 years ago for an ex-work colleague.

I know I shouldn’t make it a huge deal since it’s not my wedding, but I’ve known my friend since day one of university, before the first lecture even started, so it was kind of special since we just stuck together just like that and made it through the course together. It sounds like a serious case of “omg it was meant to be” in terms of friendships and it certainly feels like that at times.

I’m not going to lie – I have had a horrible time trying to figure out what to wear on the day. The last time was relatively easy because it was cold-ish weather (can’t remember when it was though) and I wasn’t going to take off my jacket so I could wing a sleeveless dress that I just bought online. It also wasn’t particularly formal (in fact I felt overdressed) so it didn’t really matter all that much. This time though, there are going to be like a zillion people attending (large wedding) and half of it will be traditional big Asian/ Chinese family style since the dinner is at a Chinese restaurant. This complicates things a lot because I’ve also been doing my research online and it tells you a million things that are common sense, but also restricts your wardrobe choices.

Basically do not wear:

Black to a Chinese wedding.

Please don’t. Unless you are a male and you are wearing a suit – even so, only the blazer pants and shoes (and belt if you want to be really detailed – okay and watch) can be black, but don’t do all black.

In fact, black is probably only acceptable for accessories such as bags, shoes and blazers/ jackets or cardigans/ shawls. When I say do not wear black I don’t mean avoid black completely, but rather, do not show up in a black dress or completely in black as it is not very nice. Chinese people tend to associate black with unfortunate events, so avoid it.

White to a Western wedding.

Considering half of the wedding itself will be in an outdoor rose garden setting, the bride will be wearing her wedding gown which is white. You don’t want to wear white or else it looks like you are the one getting married (or so this is what the Internet is telling me). I was about 70% close to rocking up in a cream coloured lace one piece dress with a camel tan blazer on top. Don’t judge me please, it just looked good and went with the rose garden theme really well – not only that, I actually have this dress ready to wear and haven’t worn it out to any occasion before.

Anything too tight or revealing.

You will regret it. Because it will most likely be uncomfortable to wear for more than 6 hours, and the one I am going to starts from about 1pm till 9. That’s a crazy 8 hours and the last thing I want to worry about is my hem length or if my stomach juts out or my upper arms are fat. Thank you, but no thank you.

Anything too bright that makes you look like a traffic cone.

Like red, or neon.

Something too formal, or something too casual for the occasion.

Again it’s one of those things you just want to get right or else you will look back on it and think to yourself “what was I smoking to wear that?”. Just because you flick through someone else’s wedding photos and look at what their guests wear (which is what I did) and think “oh hey, she’s wearing that so it should be okay!” but also noticing “she stands out though…” you just don’t want to be in the same position as that same person. Not saying they felt uncomfortable or looked bad, or was particularly out of place – but I’m just super picky. I don’t want to wear something I will regret, feel uncomfortable in (for any reason whatsoever), or stand out from the crowd. We’re not talking fashion runway or whatever here – I just want to go there, look like a guest, act like one, and be treated as one.

Generally the wedding invitation will tell you the dress code, but this didn’t say anything. I merely had to judge what the code was from the invitation, but I still wasn’t sure. I decided semi-formal for benefit of doubt.

I had a hectic time choosing my outfit – definitely plan in advance:

Attempt 1: The online dress which looks absolutely perfect… but not.

I purchased a cream lace dress online (I didn’t think that cream was a big deal, and it was an impulse buy because it’s so hard to find dresses with sleeves and a collar these days – no, really, seriously) thinking it would do.

It was far too short. And showed too many bulges 😦

One of my biggest problems with dresses is either them not fitting me properly, or they are too short or too long. I don’t really look all that good in long dresses so I have long avoided them. A lot of dresses fall short on me, especially ones made by Asian brands/ companies because they generally cater for girls probably 5cm shorter than me. To me, those 5cm mean a lot and can basically turn a dress into a long top. So I wear shorts under to compensate. Once I wore a dress to work (free clothing day, no need to wear work attire) and my manager told me “I wish I told you not to wear shorts to work”, but my (at the time) colleague was like, “…that is definitely a dress”. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way.

Anyway, I’m glad the dress was too short or too stretchy and uncomfortable because if it fit perfectly I would have worn it, and I would have looked so stupid since it is too similar to the concept of a wedding gown.

Attempt 2: Let’s go online, again.

Feeling at a loss since I was disappointed with how that dress failed pretty miserably I decided to go online. I finally found something suitable which was good for the occasion and pretty much fail proof. I put my payment in… and the order didn’t go through. Thinking there was a genuine technical difficulty, I submitted my payment again… and guess what? Funds are temporarily taken out, no order was put through. It has been a whole week for me trying to chase up this “reputable” website to just cancel my payments but their customer service is just so bad it is driving me insane.

I shouldn’t say this as a generalisation, but where possible, do not rely on buying a dress for any important occasion online, even two weeks in advance. Something similar happened to me – I purchased a dress to wear to an anime convention two weeks in advance… and the seller never sent it out. I got my money back, but I didn’t go to my convention. Now I think I am too old to go, so I blame it on some stupid eBay seller who basically shattered my cosplaying dreams. Thank you, but no thank you.

So now? Two transactions that are pending and need to be cancelled, and no dress. 0-2.

Attempt 3: Online shopping is unreliable, let’s go see the physical product.

In forever, I decided to hit the shops and actually see and try clothing that I actually liked because it’s just fail proof.

How wrong I was!

I’ve completely forgotten the reason why I hate clothes shopping so much in Sydney, and now I am reminded why. Everything is just seasonal – similar/ same patterns, textures, fabrics, cuts – I mentioned this earlier in this post, but this is not fashion runway – I just needed something appropriate and there was nothing! I hate that stretchy polyester/  nylon and elastane blended fabric that is trending at the moment. It makes you feel too warm since your skin cannot breathe under it, and it’s so tight – we’re not going swimming, we’re just going out to an event!

If I saw something appropriate it was either I deemed it too casual (to me, a dress only one colour without any special cutting, layering or different textures is boring – as is a dress with just one pattern all the way through, like polka dots) or the colour was wrong. Call me conservative, but a lot of clothing I saw that was well, alright, but not the right colour. I avoided navy as it is too dark and I was afraid it would be mistaken for black.

2 hours of wandering around like a lost and helpless child, I returned home at a loss.

Attempt 4: Resorting to “I can wear this – it’s not the best solution, but it’s acceptable” outfit.

Who says you need to wear a dress? I’m sure that if you wear an appropriate top with pants or a skirt it should be fine, and I have clothing to accommodate for that!

It was extremely comfortable, fun to accessorise (I could add a fashion/ add-on collar to the top) and looked nice.

Too bad it looks like I’m just going out to high tea with some girl friends though. But I was getting desperate and this was the worst case scenario – being that underdressed person.

Attempt 5: I give up. Maybe I should try the first option again. Wait, what is this dress? Why do I have 2?

I went through our storeroom (which is where I chuck all my new clothes into before I start wearing them and generally forget their existence) and got  really confused why I had two cream lace dresses in the same bag. It was a dress I purchased maybe a year ago and threw aside because it was a bit too large.

Ecstatic that it fit so much better than the dress in attempt #1, I was almost going to just declare it a winner. It was the right length, and what I had in mind.

Too bad I then went onto the Internet and with a zillion links telling me NOT to wear ivory, white, cream, off-white whatever, I was back to square one, or perhaps, square minus three.

Attempt 6: Keep on searching. Deny reality. Something must exist!

It was only at this moment that I found a dress that I had purchased 2 years ago intending to wear out shopping/ bar hopping when I was overseas in Hong Kong. I had avoided the dress because it was a camel colour which from afar I was worried looked like I was wearing nothing, but I bought it anyway because the cutting and layering was nice. It’s also in my favourite fabric – a type of chiffon which is flowy, non-stretchy and long lasting. There were a few problems with it, like it being see-through – but I easily solved that by wearing a slip and an underskirt.

Attempt 6 and FINALLY, although not what I had in mind, it was the best option I had and I have no other choice. All I can say is that finally I am stress-free and that’s all.

Plan your outfit with accessories in advance:

I had in mind that I would be wearing gold accessories as I was going to bring my Valentino Va Va Voom with me since it was the most elegant clutch I own, but as you can see from the photograph, the wedding invitation is not letter sized. I ended up having to swap clutches, and change my jewellery colour from gold to silver and tried on a few options to see which seemed the most suitable.

If you’re like me and like to get details ironed out, don’t leave this to the day because you will simply feel stressed and think that you have made a bad choice. I know if I make a bad choice I will dwell on it and start kicking myself in my sleep for not thinking enough.

Take care of yourself:

I have three major concerns – (1) wisdom tooth removal (2) the odd zit that comes up (3) the bruises on my legs.

Thankfully, my face is no longer swollen (my gum is still a bit though). My skin troubles are real and here (though I can still manage) – it’s the bruises that I am worried about.

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A post shared by Polymer Clay Artist 🌸 Misa (@misa.mochilavie)

Basically I dropped a roll of plastic wrap (this wrap is like huge, think of a roll about half a meter long and maybe 6kg with a thick paper core) onto the top of my left foot paper core down. It hurt so much and my foot was swollen on impact – there is a huge bruise there. Luckily most of it has faded but I will be wearing heels that will show the top of my feet (stockings/ whatever are not an option as my heels are open toe). The main concern is that bigass bruise on my right knee, which I got from lifting my knee to a 10kg box in an attempt to not drop it – all I got was a 10kg box slide down my knee, and that’s how this terrible bruise came about. There is also another one near it which is maybe 25% as nasty, but still nasty nonetheless.

I’m sure the bruises will heal by next week, but for now, they are still pretty big and noticeable. Now that I’m getting older, I find it longer to recover from things like colds, acne scars and bruises.

So is a wedding invitation a scary thing?

Yes. Because it took me no less than 24 hours to actually decide what I will be wearing. It took me maybe 10 hours to decide what present to give (I still need to buy it – worst case scenario you get a gift card/ contribute to the wishing well), and the fun part – I still haven’t decided my hair and makeup for the day.

Sometimes it’s a good thing to not be so paranoid. I think I’m fairly obsessive compulsive when it comes to events and I wish I cared just a little less about something as superficial as how I look. Easier said than done.

It will also be an awkward wedding since I don’t really know anyone all that personally at the wedding with the exception of the bride, since none of our mutual friends (as in close friends) will be attending/ have been invited. She didn’t exclude them by the way, they are most likely overseas somewhere. And I get to see my one week bosses again… and maybe, just maybe they will drill me about thinking about a career in architecture again. I sincerely hope that I hit it off with some random stranger (guy or girl doesn’t matter) so I can avoid these types of confrontations. Hopefully they won’t happen – it’s Sunday and it’s a celebratory atmosphere, surely you can let me off this once, pretty please?

This has been a long post. Sorry for the rambling and lack of pictures. I will be back soon hopefully with a more colourful post with pictures, if not actually helpful information. Good night!

June Musings

I had something drafted up before, but wow, it was so boring.

I’m going to be honest and say I have nothing to write about for June. Apart from nursing dry skin due to crazy cold and dry Sydney, working and doing a range of things at work from posters to signage to admin to architectural drawings, there’s not much. I visited another dentist since my usual one moved 1.5 hours away from me (well it’s more like an hour, but if you think of the return trip, that’s very far) and must congratulate my “new” dentist for giving me the most painful scale and clean I have ever experienced in my life. Thanks for only attacking my gums! I’ve never tried pressing a tissue against my gums to have the tissue turn pink! I won’t be going to see you ever again.

My first month ever of a monthly salary seemed a good idea until the end of financial year sales kicked in and left me wondering where my money went. I actually didn’t spend all that much, but when you get your monthly salary in one go, it just seems natural to tuck away all you need into your savings, super or wherever. By the time you actually need money, you realise you can’t take it out of your savings (at least I can’t, it means I get zero interest, so I leave it there). Next month I will do better and hopefully leave more behind in a free flowing account so I won’t be strapped for cash.

After cutting my hair short twice in a row I think it’s about time I start growing out my hair since it will be cold. I have yet to make an appointment at the hairdresser’s (will do so when I get paid next month – er – week OTL), and I have less than 3 months to exercise and work out because I am probably going to attend a wedding and I don’t want to look so… hmm. Yes, hmm. If you count hmm as an adjective. You know, when people describe others as “hmm” – that kind of hmm.

Don’t you hate it when the weather’s cold and you’re not in the mood to move around and just stay warm?? Well, I may have to find something I can do during the colder months to do which will help me slim down. Fast.

I will talk about this Stella McCartney Falabella Fold Over Tote some time later in July. So far I’ve only used it twice, but I can’t stop touching it. It’s a bit like, “I can’t believe it’s not leather!”. It is this gorgeous primary blue colour that I have been really digging lately, which ends the streak of black bags I have been buying for the past 2 years or so.

There is no photo of the month for this month. I’ve been doing my makeup differently for the past week, but unfortunately it looks like nothing in photos. All I did was change my liquid liner to be a super thick cat eye, and the funny thing is that it has stopped smudging since. More liner = less smudging, less eyeliner = more smudging. So much logic

See how to get the cat eye look from this video – it worked for me, and it’s easy with a liquid liner such as the Dolly Wink liquid eyeliner. That is my holy grail so far, so easy to control and has not failed me.

I’ve been watching a few episodes of KBS’s Love & War 2. It’s kind of interesting in some episodes to see how dysfunctional characteristics occur as a result of something that has happened. A bit of a put down if you’re depressed, but still interesting. I’m also missing my weekly dose of Witch’s Romance as that ended 2 weeks prior. High School King of Savvy has been alright so far, and Trot Lovers is promising. Still, the best thing at the moment is You’re all surrounded! which is a bit of a surprise (I think so, anyway).

This is a short and sweet post! Keep warm everyone and take in more vitamin C. Do exercise and keep yourself influenza free!

Remember to tune in every Friday around 10AM AEST for my weekly post.

Home Renovations and May wrap-up

Voluntary and involuntary renovations

One of my resolutions was to do at least one home renovation and I guess I have completed this involuntarily.

So I suppose I can write about this because it wiped out a huge chunk of my birthday funds >:\

You know, a leaking hot water tank can be a pain. This happened to us 11 years ago. I think it was about 6am in the morning we heard this huge explosion sound, and then we saw that the bottom of our water tank had blown itself off from the pressure inside. Now that’s one heck of a bang, woke and scared the crap out of us. Long story short, we got it replaced.

A year ago apparently there was some leakage with our tank, but then it stopped, held off for a year and one month, and then the water tank started dripping. No matter how much water and pressure we released from the tank, the leak just got worse. It was time to replace the damn thing.

Metaphorically… and literally.

I was surprised that the top of the tank had water marks and was rusting! I would have only expected problems with the bottom since that’s where the most pressure is. I guess you learn something new every day!

For those who don’t really know much about this, or haven’t lived in an apartment long enough to know, these things happen. Water tanks are supposed to last about 10 years, so we got pretty much its full life expectancy. The funniest thing was that unlike last time, there was no explosion (thankfully), and it happened around the same time again but on a day that I coincidentally didn’t have to go to work. Talk about timing.

Anyway, I called up a place and they were able to give me the price of replacing a tank without any hesitation. Took it as it was, agreed to have someone come over within the next 2 hours, and simply waited about an hour and someone came. He emptied out the tank, removed it, grabbed a new one from his truck or whatever it was, replaced it, and even replaced an old leaking tap for us. Took a bit longer than expected (about 1.5 hours), but he was still professional, quite gentle (some plumbers like to chuck their stuff everywhere and leave scratches on your tiles *cough*previous plumber*cough*) and he was well equipped since it seemed everything was in his car. He didn’t leave a mess behind, so I must say he was very pleasant.

You really need to release the pressure in the tank by lifting up the valve every few months and you will get the full 10 years’ lifespan out of your tank. If you do the math it’s less than $100 a year for a hot water tank, but paying in one go really makes you cringe a lot.

Pre-birthday celebrations

My friend took me to a place which I will call TBD. Not to be decided; just clarifying.

I can’t really comment on the food except that it was quite pricey and the portions were… well… But I appreciated the effort put in to book the place (which had 2 rounds: we were booked in for the 8:30pm session but arrived much earlier – thankfully we were still given a table because we would have starved).

These were pan fried dumplings with sweet chilli sauce or something like that. It was probably the tastiest thing we had there, but it was $3 per dumpling and there were a total of 3. $3 each! You can buy a loaf of bread for $3

I apologise for the photo quality from here on… we were literally eating in the dark and we used the torch on our phones to give a bit of light on our food.

Raw beetroot, almond, sesame and something else salad. This was alright as well. Texture was good and the seasoning was good.

This was my friend’s beef and cheese. There’s actually not a lot here,  but it was a decent sized portion.

This was my fish in a sea of rather fishy seaweed. I know it’s seaweed, but I’ve never tasted such fishy seaweed before… in fact, I never knew seaweed could be fishy. Maybe it was the combination with the peas? I don’t really know. You can probably see that piece of fish in the centre left – there were a grand total of only 3 pieces in this whole dish, and each piece is no bigger than the size of a medium sized thumb. I didn’t want to finish the salad because of the fishiness, but I did it anyway because my friend paid for it.

Needless to say, we finished everything, but still had plenty of room in our stomachs.

Then we stuffed ourselves with 3 scoops of icecream.

Geisha-san

Consumerist at heart

For those who haven’t realised, just tuned in, or have been following me for a while and figured this out, I seem to always have an annual birthday present for myself. Did I ever write why? I don’t ever think so.

As I already made my major purchase this year (next major one I will need to wait until Christmas to justify) this year’s birthday present was broken up into several parts. Instead of having one item I opted to go for smaller items because I find joy in quantity over quality sometimes 😉 I could have afforded something simple but more expensive if it weren’t for that damned water tank. That literally wiped out my cash on hand, so I’ve been going povo for the past week. I’m currently low on funds because I’m now being paid monthly, not weekly. This is something I am not used to, and it is just new to me. I hate to sound like this, but I can’t wait until I get paid (actually everyone looks forward to it). It just feels like without my pay, I can’t do anything.

Anyway, digressions aside, the theme for this year was simply ticking things off the wishlist.

For these images I have tried a different photographic setup rather than taking photos on the floor. I’m not sure if you will enjoy it more this way, but I had fun testing out my options. My new photographic setup consists of a portable tent and a softbox for speedlite.

New Era baseball cap by Kenzo. I hardly buy new season items, but I’ve always wanted a cap for those random moments when you just need one. It’s a bit too big, but I figured with the available sizes, a size or two smaller doesn’t make much difference. Either way, still comfortable.

One of the first things on my list was a pair of Chanel ear studs. I know, I know, I said that I wasn’t going to buy any more, but they are pretty and shiny things are always desirable. Hopefully these won’t have any problems. Like last time, I went for a classic style rather than a seasonal one. I had always originally wanted a pair of Chanel logo studs with crystals in them, but never really got around to finding anything similar. Like what I have previously written, there have been instances where I have heard from others about the crystals falling out and stuff. I hope that these won’t, so fingers crossed! I look after my jewellery so it shouldn’t be the case. If something happens, then there’s something terribly wrong with the quality of Chanel’s fashion jewellery.

I went to the Chanel boutique on a Sunday afternoon and I must say they were so busy. Busy serving heaps of people just enquiring about stuff, but nobody really buying much. The prices lately have gone up, and I think their prices are pretty ridiculous. Even my earrings were more than what I had expected. There were a pair of pretty simple studs with the chain pattern on the logo (so no crystals = less chance of any problems), but they were more expensive than the pair that I ended up buying. I don’t get their pricing sometimes. I don’t get how I have friends who tell me they buy these bargain Chanel earrings. WHERE? HOW? I never encounter anything like that.

After waiting an infinity and a half I finally managed to get served and it took me probably less than 5 minutes to buy. Disappointed because they didn’t ask for my details (which are in the computer) to put on the receipt. They also changed their packaging, and the box is not as sturdy as before, although the interior seems fancier. Overall, I hate shopping at Chanel. 1/3 times I only got really good customer service, the other two times at the same boutique is just utter crap. You wait so long, for nothing. Everything’s expensive, but only worth it because of the brand. I don’t even know why I am complaining, but it just doesn’t go down well.

I finally bought the necklace that I had originally wanted mentioned in this post here. I was pleased to see that the colours on the pendant aren’t as strong or crazy as I imagined it to be, but the only problem I have is the length of the chain. Because it’s a bit short, it makes the orb sit funny so you keep seeing the bottom of the orb rather than the top.

This was a bit random – it wasn’t really for my birthday, but it was perfect timing (ish). I had wanted the Alexander McQueen scarf because it’s just such a classic. The colour I wanted it in was either a beige, soft pink, purple or the black and gold (which I convinced my ex-colleague to purchase because I sincerely thought it was such a killer classic combo), but never really saw the need for it. I have a few scarves, and Sydney isn’t really that cold to the point that you need several to go around (even though I do have several to go around). I try my best to buy accessories that look different and are different colours and sizes (I do that for my bags as well… only I stick with similar colours) so I can mix and match depending on my needs.

Anyway, each time I saw the scarf I kept telling myself that I didn’t need it. I watched it drop from $400 to $300 and now to $240 or so. I don’t understand why it drops in price like that, given it is such a classic, but the final straw was that I could purchase it for a price I thought was super good and would never ever encounter such a price ever again. It’s a bit like buying shares at the critical moment – so I just went for it.

Post-birthday celebrations

I’m thankful because at work they surprised me with a cake. They didn’t have to, since I have only been there for… not long, but they did. Thank you! And this time it’s a bit different, tiramisu!

Self photo for May

These are getting lazier and lazier, but it must be because I am getting uglier and uglier.

Yes, I recycled the cake decoration, because I can’t resist studs! (Interpret that however you like)

Overall, nothing too special for May. Look forward to my next scheduled post. I will be changing my scheduled posts to go live every Friday, so if that suits you, tune in on Fridays. Until next blog!

urbeats by Dr. Dre Earphones

Sorry for those who tuned in on the 23rd May and didn’t receive any new posts… because I marked it as the 23rd on my calendar, but I scheduled it for the 25th! Well, manual is the way to go here. Depending on how you want to look at it, this post is either one day late or one day early. Sorry!

Let’s start the post.

I previously used a pair of earphones that I got and they worked pretty well for about 1.5 years or so until they went whack on me. By whack, I mean that even the slightest movement would make the music stop playing (inside wiring issues??), weird voice control would be triggered, and the controls stopped working (couldn’t start/stop/pause/skip). Basically, they were driving me insane because I couldn’t even enjoy my music in peace!

Because I had a pretty good experience with beats solo HD headphones by Dr. Dre, I figured I’d run with something that I was familiar with and somewhat trusted. I know some people don’t like too much bass, but I’m a bass kind of person.

At first I was a bit hesitant as these retail for $149.95AUD, and I’ve had bad past experiences with earphones losing their cool after a year or so. Let’s hope this is not the case.

There are quite a few colours to choose from and I purchased from the Apple store. They only had the basic colours in stock (white, red, black, grey) and I chose to go with the grey/ silver pair. They seemed to be the last ones they had, but I’m not complaining because I think the other three were not so nice. I mean, I do have the white headphones, but I’m not fussed about matching it up, and I don’t want a bright red cable all the time.

These images were taken when I unwrapped these earphones for the first time, so everything is new to me as it is to you.

As usual, the box is solid and the packaging is well thought-out. I have a suspicion that most of the money you pay goes into the packaging and advertising Nothing new, but I guess you can’t help it if that is the case.

Although not pictured, the earphones have a little ring that you can push up and down so you can control how far apart the earphones are/ lock the cables right under the chin.

These are the earphones in their default state. At first I thought that I could live with the ear buds, but then I decided that they weren’t the right size and were a bit on the large side so I decided to swap them for something else.

This part is under where the earphones sit. There is a little tab that you pull and lift up. As you can see, there are 2 different pouches available.

The pouch on the bottom can be used to store your earphones on the go and contains a clip inside, if you need to clip your cable onto your shirt or whatever.

The top pouch contains 3 other types of ear buds you can exchange the default ones with. If you consider the default ones to be medium sized, there’s a small, large and what I call “weird”. I tried to use the smallest size but they were a bit on the small side… air was coming in from the sides so I got a lot of noise and my music sounded like it was being played in an empty hall. In the end I settled for the “weird” ones because surprisingly, they were the best fit. I could have stayed with the medium but on the long term it would have been annoying since they would slowly pop out over time.
Another thing to note is that the rubber used for these ear buds aren’t very soft or smooth – in fact, I don’t think it’s very good quality in the respect that they would not be all that comfortable. They’re okay, but not as good as the crappy ones I was using before (!!).

The cable is kind of strange as well. It’s different to any other cable I’ve seen and the best way to describe it is flat spaghetti. Still, feels somewhat comfortable but I think it will probably break and crack easily since it’s thin. I already have a crack and I didn’t inflict that – it was from the packaging when I opened the box. I’m not sure if I should go back and exchange them since it looks like a manufacturing fault, but I can’t really be bothered at this stage.

There is a crapload of advertising. One sticker, a catalogue, a warranty thing and a user manual. I can’t imagine where I could possibly use the sticker.

See that crack on the cable?! Well to be accurate it’s not really a crack, more like a super deep dent. It seems to appear more than once, so I guess that’s a design issue with a flat spaghetti pasta cable or whatever you want to call it. I haven’t even started using it and it seems like it just imploded on itself or something. AND THOSE WEIRD FLIMSY EAR BUDS.

Who knows, by the time I publish this post I would be using these and not caring about the crack because I’m not the type to exchange things.

For the record though, the controls work great – start/pause/stop, volume up and down. Skipping is slightly difficult, but bearable. The sound is also good and there are no issues there. Probably the worst thing about these is that flat cable (though it does take up less volume), and how it likes to collect dust (same material as the ear buds). Otherwise, these are pretty lightweight and come in a seemingly luxurious box.

These are probably the cheapest earphones by Dr. Dre – there are the tours ($200) and others. I really wanted the collaboration with Alexander Wang, but as you can probably guess, we never have anything good here in Australia, and when we do, it’s gone in a flash. These shall suffice.

Now I don’t have stupid earphones going whack on me!

Next post will be on 28th May.

Chanel Grand Shopping Tote (Small)

Long overdue post. Never really posted much apart from the box on Instagram, and well, not much to say. I’m not sure if I regret buying this because it was the spur of the moment thing – I actually don’t like the bag that much, but because it sort of suits my style and I just wanted it, I bought it. Well, so much for deep contemplation – I did think about it, but trying it on is a different matter and I possibly forced myself into buying. Well, doesn’t matter, at the end of the day this is just something I had to tick off the list so I did that and that’s all.

My one and only major purchase in 2013 was the Chanel Grand Shopping Tote (now CGST) in black caviar and silver tone hardware.

It’s my first time buying a Chanel bag so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’m not really crazy about the brand because it’s really just only their designs that intrigue me. Otherwise if I look at value, design and workmanship, I have other brands that I probably prefer.

With sky rocketing prices and waiting forever to have a sales assistant serve you, I think it’s ridiculous how strong the demand is for Chanel. But pretty things, we all want them.

As you can see there is an authenticity card, receipt, care instructions and box with ribbon. I’m not really keen on the box because it’s kind of thin and flimsy. It’s definitely not what I’d expect after spending so much money. In fact, this is the most expensive bag I have to date.

I didn’t think of buying the CGST until I had an ex-colleague wear one (she had the large, black with gold hardware). She bought hers in France and apparently it was so well priced that I couldn’t believe it and had to get one myself. Unfortunately for me, I got it when they just had an increase in their prices, but since I was able to get it tax-free, I went for it anyway.

The original CGST size I was considering was the large, which is actually cheaper than the small. When I tried it on however, it looked oversized on me, and I didn’t like how long/ wide/ horizontal it was. The only other small difference between the small and the large was that the large has a sewn compartment for your phone – but there was no point in having one as the bag has no top closure and I could only imagine people slipping in their hands and helping themselves to whatever was inside. With the small however, I felt that it was a better size and easier to control. Despite that, I still think this bag is too big, but in a good way. It can fit so much stuff! On the other hand, if you wear this bag to a formal dinner, I think it will look really stupid.

This creased dust bag just BARELY fits the CGST, which I think is pretty stingy, as is the box. I don’t know what material this dust bag is made of and I don’t really care for it, but it’s just as bad and on par with Chloé‘s dust bags which feel like a rag. It’s just a thin piece of material with no double lining or different type of finish on the inside. Even DKNY’s dust bags feel thicker/ more gentle than this. I kept my CGST around in my closet on a shelf without its dust bag for about 8 months, but now that I’m ready to file it away back into the box, I’m using the dust bag again. Otherwise, I really cannot be bothered with it.

I didn’t like the black caviar leather several years back because I thought it looked really scary to me, but I grew to like it. It’s kind of hard wearing (at least compared to lambskin pfft) and it does soften over time. You shouldn’t squash the CGST too much or you will get ugly creases throughout, which is what I’ve seen on some people who have worn theirs for a period of time. I think the beauty of the bag itself is its squareness.

The handles look comfortable but they are only comfortable say, on your lower arm worn as a short handle handbag (which is how I’ve tended to wear it). When I wear the handles on my shoulder, they always always slip off and it drives me crazy. Despite this, I bet these handles are more comfortable than just a chain.

The back flap is good for storing the odd card or packet of tissues, and it’s strangely lined in leather.

The handles seem securely attached and the silver hardware is stamped with all necessary stampings.

The CGST is also available with gold hardware. I opted for silver however because I didn’t want to look like I owned a gold mine or something.

There are 2 large compartments inside, which is good for putting things like your sunglasses, umbrella, makeup case or a spare jacket. There is one large compartment attached on the back of the front of the bag (far top) which can be used again for cards, or your phone. There are 2 zipped compartments, one down the centre and another attached on the other side of the back of the back (far bottom). Generally I suggest zipping your wallet in the centre and keeping your phone in the zipped compartment at the back of the bag.

The attention to detail isn’t bad and the zippers are pretty smooth. Probably the worst zipper I’ve experienced to date is by Fendi, which reminds me, I need to oil it again some time soon.

There is a serial number which matches the one on the card on a leather patch somewhere at the bottom of the bag. Note that this will fade over time due to wear and tear – more so on wallets. I suggest that if you buy a Chanel bag, find where this serial patch is and try not to put stuff near it or scratch it up unless you are not planning to sell it. This part will most definitely peel and I think it’s pretty badly done. It would have been a better idea to emboss the number somewhere on a patch of leather or on a metal plaque instead of some plastic.

The bag is (I think) lined in black satin.

Probably my favourite thing about this bag (which I didn’t know about until I was using the bag for about a week) is that there is a long leather string with a parrot clasp on the end which can be used to hook up your keys or something valuable like a luggage key, wallet or phone case. I find this very useful as I don’t need to fish around in my bag to find my keys (as the bag is pretty big) and I will never drop my keys as it’s attached to my bag!

The CGST has actually been a good bag to go out casually with. It will also be great as a work bag if that’s what floats your boat. There are things that can be improved, say, there could be some metal bits on the bottom of the bag perhaps to stop the bottom of the bag from being scratched. As for the weight it’s not terribly heavy despite so much metal, and it’s actually quite practical and I think, well priced. If I had to go buy it now definitely NO. I’m sure the price has increased and I don’t even want to know about it. I’m glad I got this one over and done with, one is enough!

The CGST is also available in a range of different colours, being nude/ tan and red from memory. I’m sure there are other colours but you will just need to check whatever stock they have on hand.

In April 2013, this bag retailed at $3,360 AUD, while the large retailed at $3,200. No discounts are ever available as the Grand Shopping Tote is part of their Classic collection, so try to get it tax free or in a country that sells it cheaper. In May 2014, this bag retailed at $3,800 AUD. Please do not leave comments or email me asking what the current price is, contact your local Chanel boutique for up to date pricing.

Yves Saint Laurent Belle Du Jour Large Black Patent Clutch

This is going to be a short and sweet review. There’s not much to talk about it because it’s more like an envelope than anything else.

On a scale of 0 to 10 on wearability I rate this a -5 because I have worn/ used this clutch a grand total of zero times since purchasing this clutch in 2011. Yes, 2011. I couldn’t believe it until I dug out the papers (as you can see above) so I am very surprised. In terms of actual wearability, you can wear it every day. Go out, wear it. Go to dinner, wear it. It’s such a classic you could probably wear it with pyjamas late at night at your local supermarket. I just need to actually use it.

Anyway, I’m going to refer to this clutch as the YSL anyway. I know they’re Saint Laurent Paris SLP whatever, but when I bought this clutch it was still YSL. I can’t remember what the name of this clutch was, because the tag that came included said it was a Sac du jour, but I remember it being the Belle du jour. When I search both people seem to use them interchangeably? I’m going with my initial instinct.

Satin monogram dustbag. As you can see, it is creased. Not surprised. There is another dustbag inside that is white and is like a microfiber or something. All YSL’s dustbags are like that.

The patent leather is pretty nicely textured. I like the fact that it’s pebbled rather than smooth. The photo is pretty bad but the stitching is actually black. It’s a black on black which is really easy to go with anything.

This clutch is in the large size which will be able to fit your wallet, phone, keys and a few extra things. The clutch is available also in a smaller size.

There is one large open compartment (hence this is why I said this is more like an envelope) with the patent leather on the underside of the flap. The inside of the clutch itself is lined in black satin, with Yves Saint Laurent printed in gold on a smaller inner compartment where the card is.

There is a magnetic snap button closure. I can’t help but wonder if it would be better with two snap buttons like the Va Va Voom, because with just the one, your flap may not sit parallel as it may pivot (if that makes sense).

For those who are interested in the clutch, it is still available for purchase despite the change in label name. It should retail a little over $1000AUD now (that’s like more than double what I paid originally!) and is available in several variations, such as a metal logo on the front and in calf skin.

And that’s it. Nothing else to say. Now it’s time to actually use it!

Other matters about me lately…

This week was hectic, busy and absolutely draining. I was really stressed out today over a matter (I get to somehow dodge the bombshell tomorrow, but not for long) and got an instant migraine. Well, it’s not actually a migraine since I don’t know if it is one as it hasn’t lasted for all that long, but I mean, for at least 2 hours is pretty nasty. Anyway, I thought that work was a battlezone as I constantly kept getting bruises (I should just do a post on this alone, I have so many photos of my bruises collected from just the past 6 months it’s so ridic), but now it’s slightly worse because I think everyone (with the exception of like 3 people) needs to lose like 10kg each because we can’t afford to be fat. I used to call my workplace an obstacle course, but now it’s like the Amazonian jungle. You touch something by accident, you freaking die. It’s like the liquid lava game you play jumping from your sofa to sofa. That’s how narrow it is. Well. Whatever. That’s all.

Tomorrow I finally get my day off and I’m looking forward to getting my long awaited haircut which got delayed by Valentines bookings, and then a fully booked out Friday last week. How insane is it that my hairdresser is booked out until 6:30pm?! They close at 9pm, but that’s just crazy. Doesn’t he need to go to the toilet and pee? When does he even get a lunch break? Why am I even asking these questions? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO NEED HAIRCUTS? I DO NOT GET IT.

On a completely random matter at work someone mentioned the “would you prefer a woman top half with mermaid/ fish bottom or fish top half with woman bottom half body” question. While everyone else was trying to choose, I somehow questioned how mermaids could actually exist. I mean, considering that fish are cold blooded creatures and humans are warm blooded/ mammals, how does that even work? … Never thought of it that way? Now you have. Mindblown. At least the others at work were, they never thought of it from that perspective. Damn rationality.

Anyway, all stress aside I’m just going to enjoy life as it is right now. I’m currently watching KBS’s The Human Condition on their kbsworld Youtube account and their words of wisdom are really inspiring. You just need to feel grateful for what you have each day and look on the brighter side of things. I try to think like that, but after a period of time when you know you’re constantly being lied to or being jipped you just want to rage quit and flip the tables. But for now, I am grateful for what I have and I will try to enjoy each day rather than anticipate it to be crap.

Reviews to come. I don’t have anything interesting other than reviews, but if time permits and if I get the right opportunity, I hopefully can start taking more photos and add more material to this blog fashion-wise or lifestyle-wise rather than just static and boring reviews. After all, there’s only so much I can review; I don’t have much to actually talk about.

Have a great TGIF tomorrow and a good weekend!

UPDATE: I’ve used it! Grand total of one time (congratulations). I could fit a small wallet, bus tickets, phone… a tin of mints and that was it. I didn’t have space for keys! I guess I will need to rethink how to use the clutch if I can’t fit my keys in But anyway, it’s quite a comfortable size and not difficult or awkward to hold. It’s sometimes a bit hard to close it though (you have to get the magnetic snap button parts to match up), but otherwise it’s a great bag to take with you when you are visiting a salon for your haircut, or a place where you do not want to leave your handbag unattended.

V is for Valentino Va Va Voom

Just a week ago I posted up my updated wishlist. I had my feels all over the place because I didn’t really know if I really needed the bag and would be afraid it would be one of those regret purchases, but I don’t think I have made the wrong decision. When I tried it on I thought to myself that I really do prefer this bag over the Chanel classic flap that everyone is wearing. If only I had more money I would collect all the different colours this comes in, because it’s a really wearable piece and its simplicity completely won me over.

It was a Friday night after a super long day at work. Yes, Valentines Day. We had a monster day (pretty much didn’t sit the whole day) and walked up to David Jones (which was like a 15 minute walk, so so far on weakened legs). At first I didn’t have plans to buy the bag, we just went straight to Clarisonic (which I will review shortly) and had a browse around. Then about 40 minutes later my colleagues were like “let’s have you try on the Va Va Voom, just try it and see”. Then it was like “since you’re here, you might as well”. And yes, I give in pretty easily when it comes to situations like this, and just thought, “okay yeah, why not”.

Probably the first thing to note is that this bag does not come with a box. It has been ages since buying a bag that doesn’t come in a box, but because this is small it doesn’t really matter that much. The thing to note though is how you store this bag. I pretty much had the sales assistant take out every single bag they had in stock so I could choose which one I wanted as the bag is a rather delicate calf skin. At times like this, I suddenly remember why I like older skins because they tend to be thicker and more resistant to scratches. A lot of the scratches or mini dents are mainly because they didn’t store the bags so well (eg. placing one bag on top of another one with the studs in contact with another bag’s leather), but a few marks were just natural due to the nature of the leather.

The texture of the bag feels pretty nice, but I will need to be a bit careful with it as I have a feeling it will be fairly scratch prone.

The sales assistant who served me was very patient was really nice as I was super annoying and wouldn’t accept the one they had in the drawer (not the display cabinet, but storage) and went down to the basement to get me two more to choose from. I give her props because she must have had a pretty long day at work.

At the moment I am storing my bag as it is below, with the chain tucked inside to prevent the chain denting or scratching the bag. What happens inside or on the edge of the bag doesn’t matter, but the front and back does. At least I think so, anyway.

The Va Va Voom (now referred to as VVV) has a handle grip as a design element and a practical handle if you decide to go ahead with it as a clutch. For some, you can also slip your hand in when you are wearing your VVV as a side bag, you can still slip your hand in to embellish your hand if you don’t have any rings on. I think it’s a very comfortable grip and it is not only aesthetically pleasant, it is ergonomically well done. I’m a real sucker for things that are at 90 degree angles, a strange liking I developed from studying at university.

The VVV has two large compartments and one small compartment (where the card is inserted) for smaller items. There is also a red Valentino label on that small compartment and the interior is lined in black twill.

The chain is removable by matching the two openings together and then pulling them apart. It took me a few minutes to realise it, but these ends of the chains only go in or out one particular direction when removing or attaching the chain to the bag, so it’s fairly secure.I love how everything is kept simple and the density of the chain strap is just right so it isn’t boring and doesn’t look like the chain from any other designer.

There is a stamp on the pale gold hardware that the chain hangs from, which is subtle and not in your face. After I took this photo I promptly restuck on my blue plastic which originally came with the bag as I’m not ready to peel my stickers just yet lol.

The VVV also comes with a small envelope with some care instructions/ product description (we all know that this is pretty useless and doesn’t really say anything new and is generally applied to every single bag) and I also had the tag included. For those who have just landed on my page and don’t know where I’m from, the price is in Australian Dollars.

There are 2 magnetic snap buttons to close the VVV and it is very secure once you hear the snap. Even without snapping, the magnet is strong enough to keep the flap closed.

My favourite part about the bag is that I can choose to wear my chain strap as a single or a double strap to adjust the length. I know a lot of bags these days do it, but this is a first for me. The closest I have is a Karl Lagerfeld which has an adjustable strap that utilises the same strap adjustment system as the Boy Chanel, but this makes things convenient.

I don’t have to feel guilty for spending that much on a Chanel Classic Flap (now a whopping $5500 ish) and I don’t need to feel burdened wearing the VVV because it’s a great bag that can be formal or casual depending on how you wear it.

I think I made a good decision, lol. Now I have a bunch of other bags left to buy OTL

During the next few months I will be taking photos of my bags in my small collection and will be doing short reviews as such. I think next on my list will be the Yves Saint Laurent Monogram Patent Large Clutch which I have not used once since purchasing it. Review might even come out tomorrow – who knows?? But anyway, I have a few posts lined up because I have the photos edited and ready to go. I just need text 😉

Hope everyone has had a good weekend so far (although I’m writing this at like 10am on a Saturday morning LOL). I’ve had a really hectic and emotional week as you can probably discover on my Twitter, but everything seems better now because I’m in my final stages of my current workplace and I’m planning to leave. Finally. I found that after handing in my resignation I felt a huge burden lifted from my shoulders, but it’s not yet official as nothing yet has been confirmed and I’ve been told to give it some thought. Well, I will take my time.

See you all, probably really soon – bye!