For the Love of Bags

I had a reader leave a comment in a previous post about carrying a bag with confidence without having it being mistaken for a fake. I must say I fully agree with her thoughts on carrying any bag with confidence; which has crystalised in my thoughts today.

The key to pulling off any outfit or bag or look is self-confidence. If you think you look good, everyone else would think so too! Its like The Secret or the Law of Attraction - good feelings attract good feelings.

It isn’t only about carrying a branded bag. I’ve noticed that most people who carry the real thing tend to have that confidence anyway, no matter how the bag looks. They are confident that no one can call their bluff because its the real deal.

Its also about the confidence to carry a certain style and design of a bag. You might like a certain style or design that no one else likes. I’ve seen many bags I don’t like either, since its all to do with personal preference. However, I’ve seen the same or similar bags on some people and instantly, it looks good on them because they project an image of being comfortable with what they are carrying. (Photo courtesy of swanky)

However, I know of people who carry knock-offs of popular branded bags with just as much confidence as they carry the real thing. With all that confidence oozing out of them, you’d be hard pressed to call their bluff anyway. Sometimes, it isn’t even possible to tell a knock off or a fake from the real deal.

Taking LV as an example (since its at the centre of such controversy here ) I’ve since discovered that LV can customise your bag for you, if you want a specific design in a particular material which they don’t carry in their regular line. So, its not necessary that a bag design that you see on someone’s arm is a fake if it isn’t in the regular catalog. And if that person is carrying it with the confidence that it is the real deal, you wouldn’t dare call it out for being a fake anyway (even if it is).

In a discussion about bags once, I was told by someone that some local celebrities or high society don’t even carry real branded bags, because of the prohibitive costs in keeping up with the new designs that come out every season. So, (I was told) they carry (high quality) fakes. If true, I think its shocking. But you see, most of the high society ladies carry their bags with such aplomp and confidence, you couldn’t even tell that it isn’t real!

So, the reader has a good tip for all bag lovers. Carry your bags with confidence that you look good carrying it and everyone will believe you!

This is a picture of a brand new Louis Vuitton bag courtesy of Eluxury. It is a Monogram Canvas Lockit. Observe that the leather trim is a very light beige shade that is a creamy white.

I can vouch for this colour on the leather straps because my new Speedy 25 started out that way. The thing about this leather is that it is meant to age with time. As it is exposed to the sun and to the oils on your hands and skin it will slowly turn a honey brown, getting darker and darker over time. I love the way the monogram looks with the dark honey brown straps.

I did not like the light leather when I first got the bag, so before I started using it, I would leave it out in the sun to encourage it to age faster. Having light leather trim makes the bag look fake because there are so many fake Louis Vuitton bags out there and you will notice that most fakes have this light trim that never age.

So, one of the true tests of whether the Louis Vuitton bag is real or fake is to check the leather trim. A new Louis Vuitton bag will never have honey brown straps.

Anyway, I was quite surprised when I was told recently about someone (Edit: For avoidance of doubt, it is a mutual friend of mine LC in Canada) who had inherited a Louis Vuitton Petit Bucket bag and she felt that the leather trim was “old and dark. So, she took it to the LV store and had the leather changed to the new pale trim because “I like the light leather trim”. This cost over RM2000. You could get a new LV bag (almost) with RM2000!!

I wonder if she realises that the leather will darken again as she uses the bag. Will she spend another RM2000 in a couple of years to change the straps to “look new” again? Doesn’t she realise that an LV bag with leather that never ages screams “FAKE”!!!

p/s I wasn’t even aware that LV would do this for you so that goes to show you that you learn something new everyday!

I previously wrote that I’d finally managed to see the Coach Madeline bag in person. I was very excited then because I thought I liked the shape of it. I’ve since tried it on a few more times at the Coach store, and I’m afraid I’ve decided that I don’t quite like the Madeline Tote after all.

My reasons for disliking the Madeline are:-

• The leather version is stiff. I know its meant to be stiff so it holds its shape. However, I have experience with stiff leather bags and it is prone to creasing if you aren’t careful.
• The bag doesn’t rest properly against the body. For some reason, it sticks out quite stiffly when I carry it on my shoulder. It doesn’t feel very comfortable when I’m carrying it either (and that’s without stuffing it full of my rubbish!)
• The scarf. I know its the design but no, its just not for me.
• Its too similar to the Hamptons tote. Hanging a scarf from the bag doesn’t make it a new design.
• It feels too big on my frame. I’m 5′3″ and its just a little bit too big so it makes me look a little overwhelmed. This is accentuated by the fact that its a stiff design not a slouchy one.

So yes, I raved about it 2 months ago and I’m glad I waited to see if I really wanted it. It turns out, I don’t! Hurrah!