Saturday 13 April 2013

My First Hermès Birkin and Kelly

I have always secretly wanted a Birkin and/or a Kelly from Hermès but was never gutsy enough to walk into an Hermès boutique and ask for one despite me being a very good customer of theirs. There was something about receiving the first Birkin or Kelly as a special gift from someone that I could not get over - and I am still waiting for that special one. A very nice salesperson I know in a particular store had always said to me if I want one I can just walk in and ask him but I never did. It wasn't until recently when one of my friends asked me whether I could get her a bright coloured Birkin or Kelly the fire of my love for Hermès was relit. 

So there I was in the store (knowing they had a delivery the previous day and the salesperson I was speaking to had put one on hold for me) shopping for a Birkin! In front of me was this lovely 30cm Birkin in Argyle colour Veau Tadelakt leather! All I felt was a rush of blood towards my head and all I could think of was I WANT IT. Walking it home was like parading the streets of London feeling like I was the luckiest girl in the world at that moment. Shame my friend didn't like it as it is not a bright colour - I am still considering whether to keep it or sell it.





What I found really special about this particular Birkin is the hardware on the bag. The salesperson told me that he had never seen a buckle like this as this could be a new style the workshop had produced. It is called guilloche and from my limited ability of Google research I have only found another one of the same hardware on a Kelly in the same colour leather! This is another reason I am thinking of keeping this Birkin.



The colour of this bag is so versatile I personally don't think you can go wrong wearing anything with it and it is the kind of colour you would wear no matter what your age is. To stress again, I am completely in love with it!

Talking about being in love with it, I would call my next Kelly a beautiful encounter and am in complete awe of its essence. So there I was with a friend catching the early shopping hours in a particular department store the day after I bought the Birkin. Casually strolling towards Hermès and what 'hurt' my eyes was a woman looking at this lovely 50cm Kelly luggage bag. She was considering buying it so we walked over with a slight hope of her not buying it. My eyes were locked onto the bag like a tiger locking onto its target. And like any women shopping for the same thing, the tension of wanting it grows when someone wants the same thing in your hands. She begged and begged her boyfriend (who was standing there with disbelief)  to buy her this Kelly but he was firm and kept saying no. I thought to myself the moment they walked away, this is my lucky day! I had no second thoughts as soon as I got my hands on this gigantic Kelly and said to the salesperson, 'I will get it' with the firmest voice you could hear from me. So it was bought and brought home and I could not wait to try it on!!!





This Kelly is in a lovely colour called Rose Jaipur, the exact colour I would associate with the 'Pink City' - Jaipur in India. I don't usually do pink but this shade of pink has won me over completely. You may say, what an impractical size but for me - a person who travels a lot this is a more than perfect bag for me!





On a last note to my amazing two days' encounter with these two sensational bags, I do realise that I am in a very lucky position to be able to walk into Hermès boutiques and purchase these bags and I have a feeling my hunt for Birkins and Kellies is not going to stop here... I do hope that I can share with you my future experiences with these bags.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

In the Mood for... London Fashion Week

It was London Fashion Week from 15th to 19th February and everyone was in the mood for a fashionable few days so here are my looks for these few days.

This first look (excuse the mess of my flat) includes one of my favourite recent purchases - a bomber jacket from the new cult French brand Wanda Nylon; they call themselves 'the only fashion brand dedicated to rain protection and water'. This is the coolest brand I've discovered so far this year and I'm loving every piece of their design from both their SS13 Cyclone collection and Pre-fall13 Typhoon collection. I strongly recommend investing in their pieces! Their designs concentrates on redefining the classic trench coats and biker jackets, etc. and turning them into something both futuristic and practical. The even better fact is the materials they use are 90% recycled! 


The second look is what I would call my shopping-ready relaxed weekend style. Love throwing on a cool jumper, slinging a lady-like bag and rolling up the jeans to make everything look so laidback. I have to brag about this Kenzo tiger jumper because I was so lucky to get one from Harvey Nichols last weekend, purely because someone on the wait list didn't want hers anymore and they had one left! This Kenzo 'tiger fever' REALLY does exist! The flats I am wearing in this photo are from the Charlotte Olympia Spring13 collection. These Capri Kitty flats are incredibly comfortable, there is no break-in time for them at all! 



The last look (not the least!) which I very much enjoyed putting it together is highlighted by another one of my great 2013 investments - a Delvaux neon yellow Brilliant bag. I have been eyeing for a Delvaux Brilliant since the first time I saw them nicely laid out in Dover Street Market (DSM) almost three years ago, but I was never really keen on the classic colours of black and dark red. This all changed when I saw a dozen of them in different sizes in either neon pink or neon yellow in DSM again in the beginning of this year. I fell helplessly in love with them for the playful colour on this classic bag. Delvaux, is a brand with history longer than Hermès. It was founded in 1829 by Charles Delvaux in Brussels and is the oldest fine leather luxury goods brand in the world. All of their products are handmade in their workshops located either in Belgium or France. 

Personally I like designers less known but still have impeccable quality of craftsmenship - Delvaux is a perfect example.


 
I had lots of fun putting some outfits together during LFW, I wasn't lucky enough to see the shows but hey, there was no harm getting myself into the LFW spirits is there?

Wearing:
(First look)
Wanda Nylon Anorak camille green dichroic foil
Mother Denim the looker low waist jeans
Converse classic white canvas flats

(Second look)
Kenzo tiger knitted top
Mother Denim the looker low waist jeans
Charlotte Olympia Capri Kitty flats
Céline classic box bag in python
Hermès bracelet

(Third look)
Stella McCartney coat
Erdem silk shirt
Erdem trousers
Converse classic white canvas flats
Delvaux neon yellow Brilliant MM bag  

Saturday 26 January 2013

Hello again!

So I have been chaotically busy lately and have had no time to post anything so here's a refreshment post.

I'm still exploring various looks and still have no clue what kind of look I'm going for, but one thing I know - I'll never stick with one look because it just is so much fun dressing up!

These two looks were taken during my trip back to China this Christmas.

The first look is one of those looks I always like and keep going back to, I love the idea of wearing a dress under a nice coat. It is very wearable look to go for, and if your legs can survive the near freezing temperature then go for it!
 The second look has to be one of my favourite looks of all time! I love this tucking-your-jumper-into-high-waisted-trousers 60's look and it makes me feel very confident! The Céline bag and the Louboutin flats are brilliant in matching any outfit and are two of my greatest investments of 2012!

Wearing:
(First look) 
House of Holland sunglasses
Stella McCartney coat
Alexander McQueen dress 
Olympia Le Tan clutch 
Christian Louboutin Fifi pumps 

(Second look)
Louis Vuitton silk scarf
Ralph Lauren cashmere cable knit jumper
Erdem trousers
Céline classic box bag
Christian Louboutin flats
Hermès bracelet