Tag: bags

2018 thoughts on bags

Updated: Bao Bao Issey Miyake added

Every year I intend to write ‘year in review’ posts. Somehow time escapes me, so let’s see if this works this year. I plan to write on different topics. First up: bags.

I go through periods of times of buying no bags and then bam! I get a few. I bought a few recently, mostly black bags.

($$$$ to $)

  • The spendiest purchases were driven by Hedi’s takeover of Céline. I couldn’t get myself to Europe soon enough, so I managed with duty free shops in Seoul. Prices are comfortably below US prices and the # of stores are somewhat plentiful. I went to 4 duty free boutiques – 3 in Seoul and 1 in the Incheon airport! For the most part, what I purchased is what I have wanted to purchase for years but the opportunity and urgency never arose. I have no regrets with my purchases, although I have yet to use all of them. I have invested in Samorga inserts for most of them.

I am hesitant to buy Céline secondhand online. It’s hard to assess the structure of a non-super structured bag on the internet. Or for example, the Trio was quietly redesigned in recent years where the straps that connect to the purse were reinforced. This isn’t apparent in most online listings. I wouldn’t want to buy an older Trio. I haven’t sold any of my Célines, but the resale of some of them look roughly the same as duty free. It’s a no lose situation, in my opinion. Some of the classic Phoebe Philo designs are still around but now don the new Celine logo (no accent over the é) and new colors.

Image: Celine

  • (Updated: Can’t believe I forgot to include Bao Bao!) My friend Pam got me into Bao Bao Issey Miyake bags. At some point, they were super hard to buy in Asia. Almost everyone and their mom has one, it seems. They are popular with the older crowd. The brand is Japanese, but I found these bags much better stocked in the US and sometimes on sale/discount! I have four of the totes in different sizes (Prism or Lucent) and got the last one when I was in Tokyo. I highly recommend these for its lightweight, low maintenance, easy to pack (flattens), and uncommon style (at least outside of Asia). I think I’m done for now!

Prism Tote in a Japan-exclusive color

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review / want les essentiels mini ohare leather tote



Want Les Essentiels has been tempting me for a long time with their leather products. I picked up the Mini O’Hare mini leather tote in black. It comes in various colors and the black was certainly the hardest to find on sale.

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to shop / {purse diaries} lotuff small leather tote with strap in natural

I’ve always admired Lotuff bags from afar. They are made in USA, kind of pricey, on the boutique circuit, and hard to find on sale. Eventually the right sale came along in the form of a retirement sale. I got this Lotuff small leather tote with strap in a natural color. I also ordered the small leather tote without strap in chestnut brown. That was returned — the chestnut brown shade wasn’t caramel/rich enough for me. And please note that all sales are not final, which was a driving factor in placing an order sight unseen.

The leather quality is amazing — I find that leather smell to be intoxicating. The 14″ x 10.5″ x 5″ size is big enough to hold a good deal of belongings but small enough not to overwhelm. I was having it sit on the sidelines until I figured out how to treat it, but the more I read about pebbled leather, the more I’m convinced it doesn’t need much babying. The corners are a bit soft, so I am thinking of getting a purse shaper/insert/organizer to hold them up. I love the look of the small tote (without straps) and do wish the strap could be removed. The weight of the bag is not lightweight, but it’s not bad.

to shop / {purse diaries} apc greenwich bag review & comparison with half moon

Part I: A.P.C. Half Moon (Demi Lune) Bag Review
Part II: A.P.C. Greenwich Bag Review and Comparison with Half Moon

Note: these are not all mine!

The half moon doesn’t look that big, but when you lay out the measurements or compare it with other bags, it’s quite large. I recently checked out the Greenwich. The Greenwich is a classic turnlock crossbody bag that comes in Brick red or Navy blue (almost black) in a calf leather with a glazed finish. It’s pricier than the half moon.
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to shop / {purse diaries} apc half moon bag review

 Stockists last updated on July 7, 2017

Part I: A.P.C. Half Moon (Demi Lune) Bag Review
Part II: A.P.C. Greenwich Bag Review and Comparison with Half Moon

The half moon is A.P.C.’s signature style and returns every season in different colors and leathers. Both of mine are in embossed/textured saffiano leather — I like longevity. The caramel brown one was from late 2014 and the bordeaux wine red one was from early 2016. In 2020, I picked up two grained styles but have yet to use them.
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to travel & shop / portland anthropologie and future glory rockwell bags review

This post is a review of the Anthropologie store in Portland, Oregon and a few Future Glory Rockwell styles that I found there.

I visited Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago for vacation (after visiting numerous times for work). Portland is known for great food and the day trip radius has wine country and scenic views. It just happened that there are two stores that I really wanted to check out. This new Anthropologie store was one of them.

This store reopened in March 2016 as the first of their supersized destination stores. The Newport Beach store has since opened, King of Prussia, Palo Alto, and Walnut Creek are on schedule for later this year. These new stores are great news if you want to check out their home goods (which is so much harder to shop for online and at Anthropologie’s price points). This store is over 25,000 square feet and has two floors. The first floor has most of the ‘showrooms’, design center, beauty area, and sale sections (at least when I visited during the tag sale). The second floor has the fitting rooms, shoe/accessories area, lingerie, activewear, more clothes, more furniture, and a small sale section. The shoe/accessories area has a dedicated salesperson similar to department stores and inventory is kept in the back.

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to shop / cuyana oversized bucket in saffiano

The minimalist Cuyana has a new oversized bucket bag. It’s very well priced, made in Italy, and in a durable saffiano leather. It comes in black, red, and clay. It’s a great option for someone who wants a shorter strap vs the crossbody bucket bag. No monogramming for this style.

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to shop / {purse diaries} clare vivier petit simple tote review

The new Clare V petit simple tote in perforated leather is trim, structured, and chic. (And it’s included in the Shopbop site-wide up to 25% off promotion.)


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to shop / apc half moon bag & jcrew wool pinstripe topcoat review

Two items I’ve successfully acquired at end of season sales:

  • J.Crew wool pinstripe topcoat (regular/petite) – Not the warmest of wool coats, the quality on this menswear-inspired topcoat is impeccable. It is dark navy with chalky pinstripes. I can’t wait to wear it for less cold days. It’s on final sale + 40% off. Sizes pop up almost every morning. It took me a while to find my size and I’d say it is true to size.
  • A.P.C. half moon bag in natural beige textured leather – I blogged about this back in October. I’ve been looking for a non-black crossbody bag and found this at Steven Alan with a sale on sale and free shipping. I bought it sight unseen like most of my purchases and have no regrets. Despite its compact profile, it can hold a good amount of items – 2 slim wallets, Mophie charger, compact, and more. The leather has a embossed texture (like saffiano), so it’s much more durable than the typical calf leather. I dropped it in the parking lot once and there were no marks. The caramel hue is rich. The color (natural beige) was a seasonal color.