Wow...it's been over a year?!?!

I must be the laziest blogger on the planet! I can't believe it's been over a year since my last post! It's been a crazy busy year for me and my family. We've had the 2010 Winter Olympic games in our fair city, then we moved into our brand new home! We've been busy with adapting in our new place, as well as the commute to school and work. We're working on fine tuning our day to day lives now...it's been a learning curve. Then we had our big family vacation in Los Angeles and our Mexican Riviera Cruise.

My collection has changed drastically this past year, with tons of comings and goings of different bags. The Gucci Pelham has now gone to a new home, as well as several Balenciagas and Rebecca Minkoff bags. I will have to do a quick critique of those that left, as well as the ones that have joined my collection.

Among those that have joined are a couple of coveted Chanels, a couple of LVs, including a Holy Grail LV of mine, a personalized, custom made Gucci, a Balenciaga and a Rebecca Minkoff.

I hope to get to each and every one over the holidays and into the New Year.

Here is my collection as of September 2010, but it's changed quite a bit since then...

A Gucci Classic: Pelham Medium Shoulder Bag

The Gucci Pelham Medium Shoulder bag with Beige/Ebony GG Fabric and Dark Brown leather trim is part of Gucci's Classic handbags line. With it's beautifully braided double handles, light gold hardware (horsebits and studs) and lovely classic shape, the Pelham is a gorgeous bag that goes with pretty much any outfit, whether dressed up or dressed down.

Measuring at 19.3"L X 5.1"W X 11"H, this bag is good, large size for all your essentials. It has a tab snap closure on the interior, and when unbuckled, opens the mouth of the bag wide so that it is more like a tote. It has a large zippered pocket in the interior and bottom feet. This gorgeous bag comes in black GG fabric with black leather trim, beige GG fabric with white leather trim, as well as in a selection of colours in smooth leather and Guccissima leather. It comes in three different sizes, this one being the medium sized one, a smaller version and a larger, luggage sized one. This medium sized shoulder bag retails on the Gucci website for $1595USD, while in Canada, it retails at the Gucci Store for $1865CAD.

In 2007 and 2008, this was my Gucci Holy Grail. I had wanted this bag so bad...it was about $1570CAD back then and I couldn't bring myself to spend over $1K for a bag. The Gucci Abbey Shoulder bag is a similar styled bag - albeit, not has large, not as glamorous and certainly not as expensive at $840CAD!

The Gucci Abbey Shoulder bag in Beige/Ebony GG Fabric and dark brown leather trim was to be my first Gucci bag. After purchasing it in the Fall of 2007, though, and carrying it for a few months, I still lusted after the Pelham. I still couldn't bring myself to spend $1570 + taxes, so I searched eBay looking for one. I actually ended up purchasing one off eBay around Christmas time, but then took it to Holt Renfrew to get it authenticated and it was fake. I sent it back to the seller and they refunded me promptly. After that, I combed the internet to find a way to authenticate the ones I might be interested in on eBay...and stumbled across The Purse Forum. And needless to say my life has never been the same. lol

I did end up purchasing a brand new Gucci Pelham from an eBay seller and fellow tPF member, Purse-N-Boots, and had the Pelham authenticated on tPF. It cost me $1300USD, but our Canadian dollar was at par with the US dollar at the time, and the seller didn't charge me any shipping fees. I was so happy to finally have my Pelham, my Holy Grail of all Guccis!

The craftsmanship on this bag is truly exquisite and it is probably one of the roomiest bags I own! And for those who are worried about getting a fabric bag because it may not keep well, no worries here! The GG fabric is so easy to clean! I once got a little bit of colour transfer from my dark clothing onto a small patch of the bag. I dabbed a small amount of Coach Fabric Cleaner on the spot with a soft cloth and it came right out! And because Gucci GG fabric is pre-treated with water-repellant, it's a great bag for rainy weather!

All around, it's the perfect Gucci to add to any collection and will remain timeless and elegant year after year.

The Understated Elegance of Foley + Corinna

Shout out to my little brother, who turns 31 today! Happy Birthday, Bro! And of course, a big Happy Birthday shout out to my favourite man, Wentworth Miller, who turns 37 today!

Whew! What a hot day it was today in Vancouver! DH, the kids and I grabbed a few Japa Dogs and went down to the George Wainborn Park in Yaletown to eat them in the sun, while watching a couple of city park rangers give tickets to all the dog owners who didn't have licenses or leashes on their dogs! It was beautiful...then we went to the little playground there and worked off those Japa Dogs by chasing the kids around! God, I'm so pale, I must have been shimmering in the sunlight...wait a minute...I'm not a vampire. Hmmm...moving on...

In March 2009 I was on a search for the perfect white Spring/Summer handbag. I wanted something white or off-white or cream and something in patent leather because white leather on it's own is impossible to keep clean when you have two young children. I really wanted another Balenciaga, but alas, they don't make Day bags in patent. The Gucci Hysteria bag, which is just gorgeous in white patent, was way out of my price range at over $2K!! The only other bag I could think of that I really liked and was within my price range of around $200 -$300CAD was the Marc by Marc Jacobs Posh Super K Turnlock in white patent.

Gucci Hysteria & Marc By Marc Jacobs Posh Super K Turnlock

So went in search for the MJ Super K on eBay. I had once owned the Chocolate brown version of this bag, but sold it because the design didn't fit my needs at the time, but am now kicking myself for selling it! Will go into a more detailed description/critique on this bag later on. Anyways, I did manage to find a couple on eBay, but was out bid on them because I wasn't willing to go more than $200USD...Ha! Probably a good thing...

I started doing searches on eBay for white patent leather bags, rather than searching for specific labels and stumbled across this beauty:

Foley + Corinna Mid City Tote in Cream Crackle

I had seen this bag at Holt Renfrew before and admired it's beauty. My sister had also expressed an interest in this bag, but in black leather. I didn't like it as much in leather, but in patent, I thought it looked stunning! This bag retails at Holts for $595CAD, and $444USD on most online sites. I ended up paying $229USD, shipping included...and let me tell you, I am so glad I didn't go further and bid higher on the MJ Super K! I LOVE this Mid City Tote! I love the fact that the double handles have a drop that is long enough that I can carry it on my shoulder, and I love that I can fold it down and use the shoulder strap as well. The best feature though, is that fact that it has large zippered pockets front and back, and two zippered pockets inside on opposite walls as well! It measures at 16"H x 15"W, which makes it very roomy! It's very light weight and the patent leather makes it virtually worry free! It's the perfect go-to bag for Spring/Summer!

When I posted this bag to my showcase the The Purse Forum I was so surprised that a lot of purse lovers weren't familiar with the house of Foley + Corinna! I've seen a few Foley + Corinna bags on some of the showcases of other tPFers, but for the most part, this is a fairly understated label. I find the elegance and simplicity of the design of the Mid City Tote refreshing and definitely practical for a working mother of two!

The Rebecca Minkoff Phenomenon

Ever since I joined the Purse Forum and was introduced to the handbags of the young American designer, Rebecca Minkoff, I wondered what all the fuss was about. I'd never heard of the RM brand before tPF, but saw that many of my fellow handbag enthusiasts were collecting RM bags in their collection showcases. I guess it was around the time that I was falling in love with Balenciagas that I noticed the RM phenomenon. Much like the Balenciaga label, the RM brand doesn't boast a large selection of styles like those of Gucci or Louis Vuitton. In fact, RM only has less than ten different styles of bags with varying sizes or degrees of studdedness. The draw here is the array of colours and the different types of skins Rebecca Minkoff uses in her designs.

Since Rebecca Minkoff has yet to make a full scale debut in Canada, her bags are largely unrecognized here. Holt Renfrew doesn't sell them, and the Rebecca Minkoff website only lists two stores in East Canada who sell RMs (in Toronto and Quebec). Recenly, a friend of mine told me that she had seen some RM patent cosmetic cases in a boutique in downtown Vancouver called Blubird at Alberni Street & Burrard Street. I paid the boutique a visit and was pleasantly surprised to find that they carried the newest RM Supernova Stud Nikki and Supernova Stud Devote!

I was more than thrilled as the RM Nikki is the bag that I had been admiring on tPF for the last few months now...and hoping to have a better look at before deciding if I really wanted one. I'd read on tPF that the RM leather is "very smooshy", "chewy", "buttery soft", "thick". Trying on the Stud Nikki in black leather with gold tone studs, I would have to agree with every adjective used on tPF...hands down! I loved the size of the Nikki as well. It measures at 19" x 4" x 15" with a 9" drop at the handle. There are three multi-function, open pockets on one wall and a large zippered pocket on the opposite wall. The open pockets are trimmed with the same leather as the exterior...a nice touch. The Stud Nikki is lined with the blue and white striped lining. I have seen on tPF that many RM bags have the coveted black and white floral lining, but I have yet to see that in person. I found the Stud Nikki to be a little heavy, but the bag is studded, and the hardware is not the RM signature hardware, but the original hardware with the large lobster clips on either side of the bag. Gorgeous, gorgeous bag! I fell completely in love with it...until I took a peek at the price tag! Now the Supernova Stud Nikki retails in the USA for $650USD. Blubird's price tag for it read $847CAD!!! Ouch! I looked hopefull at DH, who'd gone to see the bag with me. And at the look he gave me after he took a look at the price tag...I put Nikki back on the shelf.

I didn't give up though...I went back to see the bag several times and resolved that the Supernova Stud Nikki, or just a Nikki, for that matter, would be my next designer bag conquest.

So as I had mentioned in a previous post, I did find a brand new, never used dark brown Nikki on eBay that was being sold by a fellow tPFer. That transaction went smoothly and Nikki arrived to me the day before yesterday.

She came, brand new, still with tags at $407USD shipped, which came to $490CAD with the exchange. I was charged another $60CAD in duties at the post office. The dark brown lambskin is thick, chewy, very smooshy and soft as butter! The colour is rich and the leather smells just amazing! My new Nikki is quite a bit lighter than the Supernova Stud Nikki, but shares the same interior features. The leather, however, is even softer and smooshier on the dark brown than on the black Stud Nikki. According to my fellow "Minkettes" (an endearing term used by the designer for all her followers), the kind of leather used to make an RM bag depends on the colour of the bag. I'm assuming this is because certain skins take better to certain coloured dyes?

Because of the size of the Nikki, things in your bag may tend to get a little lost, but I have one of those Purseket-like purse organizers that my friend MJ once made for me, so I don't have that problem. I highly recommend a Purseket purse organizer though...you can find them on eBay. However, because the Nikki has so many pockets, I have a pocket each for my iPhone, keys and work ID, as well as the zippered pocket to put cosmetics and such in. So really, an organizer isn't even needed for the Nikki. And I love that my Nikki has the signature RM hardware rather than just the original lobster clip!

Now I've also been warned by my fellow "Minkettes" that once you buy one RM bag, you'll want more and more. Well, I know what other RM styles there are and I'm not particularly interested in any of the others. Some of the either styles just suit me, I feel. The Nikki suits my lifestyle and my personality, but I'm not about to run out and buy a few more Nikkis in different colours. I've never been one to buy the same bag, but just in a different colour, fabric or skin. But apparently, as with Balenciaga, having several Nikkis is all the rage!

Anyway, I am just thrilled with my dark brown RM Nikki bag! Folks, I now know what the fuss is all about over Rebecca Minkoff! Now all I need to get is the official "Minkette" bag charm to add to my Nikki - and I'm officially a "Minkette"!