A satchel is just a satchel, right?

June 18, 2014, 1:10 am

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Right now I don’t use a satchel. I carried one for school for 12 years and then for about four or five years I used one as a handbag. I find them rather stiff, unaccommodating and heavy. But I think they are beautiful and they are definitely hardy and hardwearing. A classic which can be used for business and pleasure. They are also unisex and suit all ages. And all in all, considering the craftsmanship required to make one and the tough leather needed, very reasonably priced.

Here is the last one I owned (now sold) – handmade for me at a country fair. I sat and chatted to the man who made it, while he sewed every stitch by hand. His poor fingers!

And here is me using it so you can get an idea of size and colour. This one was a little too small for A4, which made it a bit awkward for me as I then needed a second bag to carry all my papers, making my burden even heavier.

So this is probably what you think of when you think of satchels, right?

Well, think again! Here is a selection from The Cambridge Satchel Company, The Leather Satchel Company, and Zatchels

And as if that is not enough, look how customizable they are!

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Second look at the Michael Kors Shopper Tote

June 18, 2014, 11:15 am

≫ Next: Why is forbidden love so wonderful? On the horns of a dilemma

≪ Previous: A satchel is just a satchel, right?

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I posted photos of the outside of this shopper tote yesterday. Today I thought I would feature more detailed photographs of the inside. This is an extremely well planned bag.

There are:

• padded centre zip compartment for laptop or iPad
• slightly padded slip pocket on side of computer compartment which would hold a Filofax, notebook or iPad
• 3 pockets on both front and back ‘walls’
• key strap

 

Why is forbidden love so wonderful? On the horns of a dilemma

June 18, 2014, 11:33 am

≫ Next: What’s in my bag today

≪ Previous: Second look at the Michael Kors Shopper Tote

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I have always loved the Modalu Pippa handbag. I love handbags with pockets on the sides and a zippered central compartment, as is evidenced by my Chloe Elvire and Francesco Biasia Barbera bags. I love heavy duty metal zippers as well.

Chloe Elvire

Francesco Biasia Barbera

The Pippa is very similar but doesn’t look so bulky and is much lighter. I have loved it for ages but have never bought one due to the very low wages paid to the workers who make these bags. They are not made in sweatshops or by child labour, but the workers who made them are paid £1 per day – and they could make perhaps three per day. I cannot accept such high prices for an item where the labour is paid so little.

Anyway, last Friday the NK sale started in Stockholm and they had quite a few large Pippas on 40% discount. I posted about them on Facebook and two people asked me to buy bags for them. I usually don’t mind but I have been having some problems lately with people wanting me to buy things immediately and then wait for payment so I was a bit reluctant. Particularly as NK does not accept returns on sale items. So I said no.

I went back to check whether they were there and they were all gone except two – a Shark with gold hardware and a Mink with silver hardware. I had a look and they were so beautiful. Contacted the person who wanted the Shark and asked if she still wanted it. She said yes. So I got it.

Brought it home and had a good look. The fantastic leather. The gorgeous gold hardware – including heavy duty gold metal zippers. The lightness and neatness of it all. The spacious interior which took A4 with no problem. The fact that it matched my favorite boots and bracelet at the moment.

Having a great time looking at this beauty. Very guilty about wanting it so badly. And about to say goodbye to it tomorrow!

What’s in my bag today

June 25, 2014, 10:26 am

≫ Next: What’s in my bag today: Brown Furla Tote

≪ Previous: Why is forbidden love so wonderful? On the horns of a dilemma

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This is a different kind of ‘What’s in my bag’ as I am showing the main things while they are in my bag. This is my Pierre Balmain tote from TKMaxx.

Visible are

• my cheese bagel and green apple for lunch
• my ochre Malden iPad cover with my Seven Seas notebook in it
• my purple Gillio Mia Cara as planner and wallet for my first job (have a couple of similar photos here so you can see the beautiful grain on the purple Mia Cara from slightly different angles)
• orange Manufactus dust bag holding a Montblanc planner which I sold today
• clear plastic folder with papers for today
• Hobonichi in leather cover

 

 

What’s in my bag today: Brown Furla Tote

June 26, 2014, 5:29 am

≫ Next: The difference between a Luella Giselle and a Mulberry Luella Giselle

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My carry today is slightly different from what I usually carry. Now that it is summer here in Sweden, the nature of my work has changed from 7 or so meetings every day and rushing from place to place to working on two big projects and being able to stay in the same place.

This is my brown Furla tote – the leather has to be seen to be believed. It is so soft and pebbly. The bag is also nice to carry as the handles are soft and don’t dig into your shoulder. Plus they are the perfect length.

• iPhone 5S
• iPad
• Vasuma Sunglasses
• Vasuma Glasses
• Tissue Holder
• Ramos pen holder
• Waterman Carene pencil (black and gold) and ballpoint pen (silver and gold)
• Skull mirror
• Stimorol gum
• 2 sets of keys
• Parliament ID card
• Fulton Mini Umbrella
• Harrods Union Jack makeup bag
• Wine zipped Holborn in personal size
• Hobonichi planner with Robin’s Egg Blue Cover
• Seven Seas notebook with Gfeller Skirting Leather cover
• Book – The Past is Myself by Christabel Bielenberg
• Not shown: scarf, iPhone headphones, Elle magazine

The difference between a Luella Giselle and a Mulberry Luella Giselle

June 26, 2014, 9:03 am

≫ Next: My Second Mulberry Roxanne in Oak Darwin

≪ Previous: What’s in my bag today: Brown Furla Tote

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Black Luella Giselle and Tan Mulberry Luella Giselle

I received an email from someone today asking me the difference between a Luella Giselle handbag and a Mulberry Luella Giselle (also called a Mulberry Giselle by Luella). On eBay some sellers do not know the difference and others want to attract more buyers by using a ‘Mulberry’ tag in their auction.

Luella Bartley was a designer but did not have money to make the bags herself. So she approached Stuart Vevers of Mulberry and they designed the Mulberry Luella. This bag became a huge hit when Giselle Bündchen walked for Mulberry in 2001 carrying it. It was then renamed the Giselle.

Mulberry at that point was a well-established brand but seen as rather staid and fusty. Their scotchgrain leather wore like a dream but you were more likely to see someone in Wellies (before they became trendy), a headscarf and Barbour carrying a Mulberry than a celebrity. This was before the Bayswater and before the Roxanne, so the Giselle, looking like a Hermés Birkin in bondage, shook off all the dust and reinvigorated the brand.

At this point, Luella had enough money to start her own brand and began making her own version of the Luella. She could not make exactly the same bag but they were close enough to cause confusion.

The Mulberry one is made of harness leather and cannot easily be carried over the shoulder. It is not lined. There are no logos on the studs and there is a leather heart tag on the zip. The hearts hanging on the straps have reverse-embossed Mulberry trees on them.

The Luella came in many colours and sizes, was lined and had heart studs with ‘Luella’ embossed on them. The hearts hanging on the straps had ‘Luella’ embossed on them. There were different kinds of leathers and strap lengths.

Black Luella Giselle and Tan Mulberry Luella Giselle

Black Luella Giselle and Tan Mulberry Luella Giselle

Black Luella Giselle and Tan Mulberry Luella Giselle

Black Luella Giselle and Tan Mulberry Luella Giselle

Black Luella Giselle and Tan Mulberry Luella Giselle

So if you see one on eBay and it is being sold as a Mulberry:

1. Check the leather (the Mulberry one is smooth)
2. Check the studs (the Mulberry ones have no logo and are round. The Luella ones are heart-shaped and have ‘Luella’ embossed on them)
3. Check the hearts (the Mulberry ones have reverse embossed trees on them, the Luella ones have ‘Luella’ on one of the tags)
4. Check the lining (the Mulberry is not lined, the Luella is)
5. Check the inside pocket (the Mulberry looks like the one pictured above, with a leather heart zipper pull and gold ‘Luella made by Mulberry’. Luella has a silver heart shaped plaque with ‘Luella’ on it)

My Second Mulberry Roxanne in Oak Darwin

June 29, 2014, 1:56 am

≫ Next: Mulberry Roxannes a multiplying

≪ Previous: The difference between a Luella Giselle and a Mulberry Luella Giselle

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I have a Mulberry Oak Roxanne in Darwin leather (above) and it is one of my favorite bags of all time. I used it constantly for an entire year, which is a record. For that entire year I did not buy a single handbag. I love this bag more than I can say. Mulberry Oak Darwin ages beautifully – it just gets better the more you use it and the older it gets. For me the best days of Mulberry were the days of the Darwin Delights, as I call them.

The problem now is that these gorgeous bags are becoming harder and harder to find in good condition. When you do find good ones, the prices are often more than they cost new. I have been wondering for a while what to do if anything happened to my Roxanne. I actually got my Roxanne because I was attacked and robbed and my previous Mulberry handbag was stolen. That style Mulberry was not made any longer so I could not replace it. The insurance company gave me a Roxanne instead.

So when this baby came up for sale in Sweden I had to pounce. It comes from the wonderful Emi (who took these pictures) and should be here tomorrow. More pics to follow when it arrives!

Mulberry Roxannes a multiplying

July 1, 2014, 8:42 am

≫ Next: The Chesterfield Brand Black Backpack – CF580115

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Here are the Roxanne’s – two in Darwin and one in NVTL. I really love this model. It has been my absolute favorite since I saw a really battered one opposite me on the tube one day. Previously I had considered this model too much like things that were sold at village fêtes.

My Darwin one (the shinier darker one) is 10 years old and is the same Darwin as the Romilly. You can see the difference in the patina and the tone of the leather. The Darwin was made from 2005 to 2006/7. In 2007 NVTL was introduced.

I wanted to thank Emi so much for this NVTL Roxanne. I was so afraid that I would never ever be able to replace mine but now I have another one! I am so keen to see how it ages and how the patina develops!

With Mulberry leather you can see the beautiful patina that develops with regular use. I have never moisturized any of my Darwin bags and they look all the better for it, I think.

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The Chesterfield Brand Black Backpack – CF580115

July 3, 2014, 7:02 am

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When most people hear the word ‘Chesterfield’, they think of one of these

Well, Chesterfield brand also makes bags out of the same gorgeous leather as their sofas.

I have a rather well-worn Chesterfield backpack in this model

My one is a black one. It is extremely well designed. Smallish in size (about one third bigger than A5) and has super zip pockets and flaps all over. Wonderful for use when traveling as it fits all you need but is not big.

What’s in my bag today

July 11, 2014, 5:27 am

≫ Next: Mulberry Oak Darwin Phoebe

≪ Previous: The Chesterfield Brand Black Backpack – CF580115

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You can see that things are winding down for the summer and I don’t have much to carry. It has also been really hot (over 30°C) for about a week now so I don’t like anything heavy or hot against my body when I walk.

This is my Mulberry Phoebe in Oak Darwin. Much smaller than most of my bags but fits just what I need and is not heavy.

• Pens
• Mirror
• Keys
• Tissues
• Makeup bag
• Umbrella
• ID card for work
• gum
• glasses
• sunglasses

Not pictured

• iPhone 5S
• Matthew Williamson Butterfly Pocket Binder

 

Mulberry Oak Darwin Phoebe

July 11, 2014, 5:32 am

≫ Next: As promised, a post about Vanilla Paris in London

≪ Previous: What’s in my bag today

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Another one off my wish-list, thanks to Margaret S who spotted this beauty on eBay. It is a very hard to find Oak Darwin Phoebe. I love this style and this era of Mulberry. The only one left on my wish list now is an Oak Darwin Annie!

As promised, a post about Vanilla Paris in London

July 30, 2014, 10:53 am

≫ Next: Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin

≪ Previous: Mulberry Oak Darwin Phoebe

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I have posted many times about Vanilla Paris, on The King’s Road in London. It is a shop tucked away in an unassuming mall but it is an explosion of colour and at one time about ten years ago it was featured in just about every fashion magazine going.

I love going in there just looking. The owners don’t mind how long you take, and making a decision can be agonizing. You usually get a substantial discount if you buy more than one and they also do mail-order and have a webshop.

My previous blog articles about Vanilla Paris are here and Vanilla Paris has a website here.

Now, for photographs. I bought another Vanilla Paris bag, which I shall review separately. It is a gorgeous soft pink and a style I have not bought from Vanilla before. There are so many bags in this shop that I could not take photos of all of them but Alex has promised to send me some to add to the article.

This is Alex, the owner of Vanilla Paris. He has been in this business since 1989. That is the large red croc I almost bought. On the wall behind him are the magazines in which his bags have been featured. Actually on the plane back to Sweden I read an article where one of their bags was featured. It was a red one and may have been the same model as in this photo.

Almost bought the turquoise croc as it was their last. Look also at the blue ostrich…and that bright pink.

I have a purple ostrich in the large size which is about 18 months old now and was contemplating the blue ostrich but went in a totally different direction.

I have an orange and a purple ostrich as well as a very old (about 11 years old now I think) white bag on which Alex kindly lengthened the straps and exchanged the silver hardware for gold which they no longer do due to their high turnover.

Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin

July 31, 2014, 8:20 am

≫ Next: Fjällräven Kånken backpacks for sale in Selfridges, London

≪ Previous: As promised, a post about Vanilla Paris in London

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I have been selling off a large part of my handbag collection and am keeping just my rarest and most favorite ones. Mainly because of space considerations but also to free up funds for models I really want – like this one! It is a Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin. Annies are very hard to find in Oak in good condition and this went for sale just up the road from me. I made an offer quite a lot less than they wanted and I won it. Yay! The last one on my list.

Mulberry Darwin leather has long been discontinued – I have no idea why as it was the best leather they ever did in my opinion. And it is now becoming harder and harder to find in good condition. I usually only like the Oak (though the Chocolate can be gorgeous and I do have a soft spot for Ginger) and have a Bayswater, a Roxanne, a Romilly and a Phoebe in Oak Darwin (not to mention a makeup bag and a wallet…). So this one is the last one I had on my wish list.

All photos in this article come from the auction and belong to the seller.

Fjällräven Kånken backpacks for sale in Selfridges, London

August 1, 2014, 1:36 am

≫ Next: Pink Vanilla Paris Bag

≪ Previous: Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin

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I was so tickled to see whole walls of Fjällräven Kånkens for sale in Selfridges in London. You see them all over in Sweden – on everyone from tiny kiddies to pensioners and trendsetters and hikers in between.

I am not a backpack person and even I have one. They are light, durable, washable, fold up small and are extremely well designed. They are not expensive and look better the more battered they are I always travel with one. See my previous article here – it has lovely photographs of the different users.

Pink Vanilla Paris Bag

August 3, 2014, 8:06 am

≫ Next: Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin

≪ Previous: Fjällräven Kånken backpacks for sale in Selfridges, London

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This one just jumped out at me immediately. They did not have a larger one in this colour and it was the only one they had. So I got it and it is lovely! Not too big, gorgeously soft and fits A4! It is from Vanilla Paris in King’s Road in London but they send worldwide via their webshop 

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Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin

August 7, 2014, 10:57 am

≫ Next: A Filofax and Chloé day

≪ Previous: Pink Vanilla Paris Bag

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This was the last item on my Mulberry wish-list. I am so delighted. My wish list was:

1. Roxanne
2. Jacquetta
3. Romilly
4. Bayswater
5. Phoebe
6. Annie

I only really like Mulberry bags from that era.

Anyway this bag I was so lucky to get because Ena contacted me while I was in London with no internet access so I was sure it would be sold when I got back. And the bag was actually just down the road from me.

Anyway I got back, looked, and there it was! So I made an offer and the next day it was in my sweaty little mitts! Thank you Lena!

 

 

A Filofax and Chloé day

August 10, 2014, 11:08 am

≫ Next: What’s in my bag today?

≪ Previous: Mulberry Annie in Oak Darwin

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Hair still damp but at least it was cool! Campomaggi cuff, Fossil watch, Superdry t-shirt, Evisu Jeans, Vasuma glasses, elephant  Chloé Elvire bag and in the dust bag on the other side, black Chloé Elvire. Red Gillio pen, black Kensington Filofax

Today I was meeting someone who was interested in buying my black Chloe Elvire bag. I got there early so went to the charity shop where I found, for the first time, a couple of organizers. There were 2 Duffy ones and one personal Filofax domino in red.

I also found a black leather purse/makeup bag/pencil box in the style I have been looking for for years for £1. Delighted!

I then went down to the café where I sat and made some notes for the coming week. It is going to be a hectic one both professionally and privately so I needed to have it all down on paper as I am very forgetful when I am juggling lots of things at once.

I have three Chloe Elvire bags – a brown, a black and an elephant. My favorite is the brown, closely followed by the elephant and then the black. The buyer wanted the black one but I took the elephant one as well (used it as my bag for the day) just in case she would prefer that one. It is the most stunning colour and leather. The black is as well but the elephant is an unusual colour.

I was not sure how I would recognize the buyer but I looked up and knew it was her instantly. Beautiful, super-stylish and carrying the most wonderful green Chloé Edith. I think it was a meeting of minds and we nattered away over coffee about handbags. A-S decided to take the elephant instead of the black – I think it was love at first sight.

I am so glad she was happy with it. I always try to sell my bags to the buyer in person so that they can look and feel and get to know them. I never want anyone to feel disappointed when they buy something from me, or feel that I have not described it correctly.

And I am so glad it will be well loved in its new home. Sounds silly I know but there you have it. Thanks A-S it was lovely to meet you!

Charity store find – I have been looking for one of these for absolute ages!

2 zips – so delighted!

What’s in my bag today?

August 12, 2014, 6:49 am

≫ Next: A Day in the life of my Michael Kors Jet Set Laptop Tote

≪ Previous: A Filofax and Chloé day

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• Oak Darwin Annie
• Fulton mini umbrella
• Mirror with little skulls around it
• iPod earphones (why oh why do they always end up in knots like that – in seconds!)
• keys with bug and bat charms
• mushroom keyring with ladybug key
• Seven Seas Writer notebook
• iPhone 5S with 3D cat cover
• black Kensington Filofax
• Tissue holder
• Ramos leather pen holder
• Vasuma glasses in case
• Stimorol gum
• Harrods makeup case
• Sunglases I got free in Cosmo magazine

A Day in the life of my Michael Kors Jet Set Laptop Tote

August 13, 2014, 10:09 am

≫ Next: Mulberry Leopard Pencil Case

≪ Previous: What’s in my bag today?

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This is a bag that has proved its work over and over again. It has everything that makes a good work bag.

This is not the Michael Kors tote that is just one central space. This has a central padded laptop pocket with a padded iPad pocket on the outside thereof. The colour is Fuchsia.

• it is light
• it is easy to carry
• easy to find things quickly
• internal pockets for telephone, iPad, laptop and Kindle
• keyholder
• two compartments
• nice straps
• nice colour
• durable leather

At home on the bed ready to go. Holding laptop, files, Gillio Medium Gold Mia Cara

Very plain and classic in a nice jazzy colour

On the bus on the way to my first meeting

After that stopped for lunch and Wifi at this little coffee shop in the middle of the busiest part of town. It is squirreled away so no one knows it is there and I have it to myself 99.9% of the time. It has free Wifi so I sit and eat my lunch and have a coffee while I work

Nice squishy sofa

At the office

It has its own chair

In car on way to last meeting.

Writing this blog article

Mulberry Leopard Pencil Case

August 15, 2014, 5:33 am

≫ Next: Mulberry Leopard Print Pencil Case with Padlock Sharpener

≪ Previous: A Day in the life of my Michael Kors Jet Set Laptop Tote

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Just bought this from our Mulberry Handbags and Accessories Group. Isn’t it gorgeous? There is a pencil sharpener in the padlock! I have been looking for a nice pencil case for ages and just haven’t found one I like. This one went up for sale, it was instant love and four minutes after it was put up for sale it was mine!