Being very much a bag maniac, I’m actually really backwards in my blogging about bags. While I love to hunt for bags, I find that my criteria for a perfect bag has reached impossible levels due to my stringent rules. Must be structured, no rusty hardware, interesting lock, big enough to put daily wares, cannot give way easily even if a large stone is put in it…
Most of this translate to quality issues, so I’m a big believer in the fact that you have to pay to get a good bag, at least in Singapore. However everywhere you turn on the streets, “good bags” means monogrammed Vuittons and Guccis which may spell your status but may not necessarily be the most fashionable accessory you have.
I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for street style pictures with people who can manage to rock monogrammed or “common” bags, so to speak, but these are very hard to come by. Why will the most fashionable people carry monogrammed bags to walk around when they can be effortlessly cool in nameless, brandless and timeless accessories and clothing?
However, the delight that is Yvan has found three which gets the full stamp of approval from me:
Take the Longchamp nylon bag. First seen locally on the arms of ladies who need not work, this bag actually makes for a great marketing or grocery shopping bag. Its waterproof, not too expensive (selling at between SGD100-200 here), foldable into a card size pouch when you don’t need it, and comes in a crazy variety of imaginable colors to match your every outfit.
This girl creates an amazing look with her outfit. Accents of red popping out of light khaki colored pants with a grey blazer, her beige Longchamp seems an unlikely carrier of choice but so chic. I’m so used to seeing the bag hang off the arms of Singaporean girls clad in spaghetti tops, Birkies and denim minis that I am quite thrown off by this outfit in the beginning.
Next, the Goyard Shopper. I’ve been staring at this bag in all the different colors available – red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, the list goes on… except I cannot understand the allure of the bag at all. Sure a part of me wants to give it the Gollum treatment for being so luxuriously expensive, I bet it’ll feel super good hanging off your arm, but unless I get someone explain the logic of why this bag is so expensive, I doubt I will ever develop true love for it.
This man actually pairs it very well with a sharp look. Love the same colored suit + tie combi, and he manages to inject a bit of casual with the pastel scarf and hat. Topped off with such sharpness, the Goyard shopper manages to be toned down instead of screaming out from a mismatched outfit.
And lastly, what a superstar! I’ve hardly seen the LV bag look cooler in an outfit than this picture, it was what sparked off the idea of this post too. Managing to look absolutely effortless, the outfit screams of comfort and a kickass attitude. Paired up with a scruffy Louis Vuitton, he sort of gives the “I’m carrying a Vuitton but really I can just throw it on the floor and sit on it” vibe, which frankly will make any LV fan faint. I know of people who give their Speedy a loving rub each time of use, and keep them pristine clean in their dustbags when idle…. so this picture makes me want to put on my heels and stomp on my Vuittons a bit to make them look used.
(All pictures from Face Hunter)
Stephie the Bag Hag
12 Comments
April 10, 2008 at 11:40 pm
you know what, i think Singaporeans generally used a branded bag, monogrammed bag, or pseudo branded bag as another excuse to dress sloppily. sad! ): they’re abusing the beauty of the bags! anyway. i love the first look with the longchamp, yea it really breaks the monotony of how people here carry it
April 11, 2008 at 12:49 am
Hi!
.
Hmm I think you’re consciously looking for a structured bag, but subconsciously you want a bag with softer structure? : ) All the bags in the photos don’t seem very structured (I associate “structured” with harder, stiffer bags that retains their shape no matter whether the rock is placed in the bag
I like the longchamp bag the best, very versatile.
Thanks for the pics.
April 11, 2008 at 6:37 am
my mum used to own a similar LV bag in the last picture…………hehe it was fake
April 11, 2008 at 9:11 am
redheels – You’re right, actually – I find myself in need of a bigger bag (to put laptops in) which I’ve been looking out for… but none of them really suits what I have in mind. So yes bigger, softer is what I will be shopping for…
April 11, 2008 at 11:00 am
hey ms. bag hag! that last photo is so subtly well done, it didn’t even register on my “style-o-meter” when i saw it on facehunter! good catch. i love how you describe wanting a roughed up, worn in LV… now that’s what i call TRUE luxury!
April 11, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Hello dreamecho! (: I find it very difficult to spot the classic bags because it seems everyone has a few in their closets so the supercool will go more or less anti-brands and opt for unique finds or something that is less accessible…
however I am of the opinion that the super stylish will always be able to wear the bag as opposed to the bag screaming out of their outfits, as the photos above show.
and also hello wottoncool: I think you’ve the same view as me about the bag screaming out of the outfit. which shouldn’t be the case at all…
April 11, 2008 at 4:55 pm
im loving all your posts, girls, and the way you both write! keep them coming!
April 12, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Like Dreamecho, I didn’t even realise that was a Louis Vuitton in the last pic! The attitude wottoncool described is quite prevalent in India too- I’ve seen literally loads of people who think a branded bag=style, and it just comes off so….tacky. But giving the bag a bit of abuse sounds like a good idea- not only does it look less polished (and less annoyingly like the bags of those ladies who lunch), I might (if I could afford them!) actually think it’s vaguely therapeutic..
June 6, 2008 at 12:37 pm
[...] other obvious thread of my Inspiration folder is outfits paired with monogrammed bags, and Style Bytes outfits. I know, we’ve all read about it, everyone wants to move on. But [...]
June 18, 2008 at 10:26 pm
i have a longchamp and i am in love with it
its greattt! if you are looking to spread your bag horizons and maybe stray away from the top brands check out shopgoldyn.com they have the absolute best bags that will probably fit all of your criteria!
August 6, 2008 at 10:31 pm
[...] may remember my previous post on branded bags and how great they can look, which I enjoyed writing about, so let’s have a [...]
February 3, 2009 at 3:54 pm
[...] you are of the same opinion, I suggest you head to the following posts here and here, which I have attempted to address the issue with pictorial [...]