Saturday, April 30, 2016

Review : Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette Accessoires in Monogram

First of all, here's a little disclaimer before we start this post:
This blog is meant for my personal use, to keep a diary of my belongings and purchases, and also to chronicle my journey in collecting these designer goods (because I can only buy them one by one due to limited budget). So if this is not your cup of tea then don't read it. On the contrary, if you love these kind of things then feel free to read along as I record the journey of my collecting story.

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So after developing a hunger for designer goods I started to browse and read a lot about designer bags and accessories, determining which ones are worth it and which ones are not. Then I started to accumulate a wish list of dream designer bags that I would love to purchase in the future. And on those list are a couple of Louis Vuitton items :)

I know to some people LVs are considered a snob thing, but to bag lovers like moi it would be a dream bag instead. The craftsmanship of their bags and the high quality materials as well as delicate precision in the making of each item are what makes them so prestigious. In this case I can only speak for myself, that I didn't buy it because I want to be considered rich or because I want to parade it in front of people. I bought it because I admire their quality and I enjoyed using it because of the great quality. It also helps a little with my self esteem ;)

So anyway, back to my wish. My ultimate dream bag from LV would be the Neverful tote bag in MM size. But it costs a lot (at least here in my country it is more expensive because of the currency) so back then I never thought of purchasing it due to our limited budget. But I really wanted an LV. So what's a girl to do? She chose a (much) smaller item instead with lower price range (:p).

My choice went to the LV Mini Pochette Accessoires in monogram !

 
 

It was during my last year's birthday when I purchased my very first LV item. Well actually it was my husband who bought it for me because it was his birthday gift to me :)

So this was my 2015 birthday gift. He gave me permission to buy my very first LV as a birthday gift after I proposed to him with the Mini Pochette pictures and price range. He finally said okay because it was still around our budget (although we still have to pay it via credit card instalments ;p), but whatever makes me happy, he said.

So after the kind offer from my husband I started to browse for the cheapest price I could find. LV store never had a sale (Never!), but their price are different in various countries due to currencies and taxes, so I hunt for places in which I could get them cheaper because obviously buying them in official LV counter in my country is very expensive due to the price difference.

So I learned that the cheapest price to buy an LV bag is from their stores in Europe. Then I found a personal shopping service run by an airplane crew where I found a stewardess that would go on Europe flight trip and was willing to go to the LV store in Europe to buy the bag for me. I was so happy and I remember I almost couldn't wait for 2 weeks until she came back from her flight trip and send me my very first LV. That experience makes me feel all giddy inside ;)

So finally I received my very first LV item ! She sent me the complete set, including the boxes and original receipt. It almost feel like I'm purchasing it myself from the store. It was dreamy and I was so happy and I kept smelling the leather of the pochette because it smells so nice :)


For you who came here to find a review of this item, this Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette Accessoires  is actually a small pouch which you can use to store all your little things. I even use it as my phone pouch (I have an iPhone 6 and it fits inside it snugly). Please bear in mind that it would only fit an iPhone 6 with thin case or no case at all. It won't fit an iPhone 6 with thick case.

Overall, This Mini Pochette is small but it's not too small. It's bigger than a coin pouch or a key-holder pouch, but it's smaller than a regular clutch. It is made of coated canvas and cow hide leather trimmings.

I do sometimes wore it as a mini clutch especially for parties when I only bring cash, lipstick, and tissues, but I mostly use it as a pouch inside my bag to store my phone or makeup.

This mini pochette is made of high quality canvas in a monogram print with gold chain, and a little vachetta leather tab on one end. The chain is removable and can be moved into different positions, making it wearable as a pouch, a wristlet, or a mini purse.

I chose the monogram print because it's a small item so the monogram would be subtle enough. For bigger LV items I tend to opt for non-monogram print such as the Damier Ebene (or Damier Azur).



FYI, there are two kinds of pochette in LV : 

 - the LV Pochette 
- and the LV Mini Pochette 

 So you have to know the difference in size. What I have here is the Mini Pochette and it is smaller than the regular LV Pochette. 

Also, there are two versions of the regular LV Pochettes : the older version and the newer Pochette NM (new model). They have a slight difference in size and the new model has longer strap compared to the older model (both have leather strap).

Mine is the Mini Pochette and it has a chain strap instead of leather strap like the regular pochette. The chain in this mini pochette can be removed and re-attached to the other end to make it a wristlet. You can also remove the chain and re-attached it to the inner D-ring on an LV bag such as the LV Neverfull tote bag. 


 I really really love this mini pochette because despite the small size I actually use it almost everyday. I put it inside my bigger bags to store my iPhone or as a purse for my money/cards, and I also use it as a mini clutch for parties and date with my husbands or for short errands to the stores downstairs. 

Overall, I think it's a very useful pouch and for those of you who are looking to buy something from LV for the first time and wanted to start small, I really recommend you get this mini pochette. It is less pricey compared to the regular pochette and it has gold chains which makes it look more glamorous compared to the regular pochette (in my opinion). I really think it's worth it to buy this as your first LV item :)


 
Wearing LV Mini Pochette as a clutch, with my GAP corduroy dress and Fossil watch.

 
Wearing the mini pochette with my Coach scarf, a raglan-sleeves top from Hush Puppies, H&M jeans, Michael Kors iPhone case and Guess bracelet (please excuse the dirty elevator mirror).

Styling a wedding party look with my Stella McCartney Dress, LV Mini Pochette, and some accessories.
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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Accessories : Vintage Scarves

Lately I'm really into collecting designer scarves. Mostly vintage of course.

Actually, I have always loved collecting scarves. I have many scarves piling up on one corner of my wardrobe room, mostly unbranded with a couple of high-street brands. But despite the many scarves I have I actually almost never wear them. It seems that I only love collecting them but never wore them. Living in the tropics means I rarely wear scarves, because we actually don't get winter here. So I only wore scarves when I'm on vacation or when it gets really cold outside during rainy season.

With my intention to improve my wardrobe I decided to sort out some of my belongings including the pile of scarves. Well actually I haven't had the time to finish sorting the pile yet (because it's a big pile!) but I already started to reduce the amount by giving out some of them to my family. I also started to add some vintage designer scarves into the mix because I love hunting and finding vintage scarves!

I basically love the many colors and patterns of scarves, and I love how vintage designer scarves seems to have a story of their own. They are also the most affordable designer items to collect (although they are harder to get), so the thrill of finding them makes me happy (is that weird?).

It all started when I accidentally found a consignment store that sell Hermes twilly and scarves. They come complete with their orange boxes but the price was too expensive for me. I couldn't spare that much money for a piece of cloth (but maybe later I would! Because I still wish for an Hermes scarf) - but maybe not in the near future. 

However, that experience made me realize that there's another thing I wanted to collect, which is : Scarves !

So I've been looking for designer scarves from then on (mostly vintage because it's cheaper then buying new ;p), and then one day I discovered a private seller that was selling her preloved Coach scarf. I thought the price was okay, it was about $30 while the retail price for Coach silk scarf is above $100, so I purchased it right away before someone else snagged it. It's a vintage Coach logo scarf in khaki brown and green. I couldn't get the series name of this style because it's vintage, but I do love the look of it. It's my first ever designer scarf! And hopefully the start of many 😜.



It's a thin rectangular scarf and it's made of 100% (raw) silk. It's actually almost see-through and it's lightweight, more suitable for fall or even summer. It's prone to snagging though because I accidentally pulled a thread when I tried it on (whoopsie!). But I still love it and I'm still trying to figure out how to use it and mix it with my style.

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Next, I found a thrift store that specializes in vintage scarves, handkerchiefs, and knick-knacks.
I regularly checked that store because they don't always have designer scarves in stock, so I have to browse and dig their collection every time I visit because most of them are just regular scarves. Sometimes when they do have designer scarves I couldn't find any style that I like so I skipped it and rather wait for a scarf that I really like.

From that store I've found a beautiful Lauren by Ralph Lauren floral scarf in the most prettiest color palette, very suitable for summer / spring colors ! It also happen to match the color of my Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac ! I scooped it right away when I saw it because I really like the colors of the florals. It was offered at $15 while the retail price is around $60-$70 for Lauren by Ralph Lauren silk scarf. So it was a steal!

Then as an introductory bonus the owner of the store also kindly gave me another floral scarf! The free scarf I received was a Laura Ashley floral Scarf in muted color. It was also very beautiful and although it already shows wear and tear but hey, it's a free scarf :D

Top : Laura Ashley 
Bottom : Lauren by Ralph Lauren

 Lauren by Ralph Lauren Scarf with Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac in Purple
My last recent purchase from that store were these two vintage small scarves / 'kerchief below. I purchased these just recently. The store owner categorized them as "handkerchiefs" because apparently they are too small to even be considered as scarves, but I personally thought these were too big for handkerchiefs - so I'd say this is a very small scarf instead ;) Or maybe a 'neckerchief' ? Or a twilly ?

I originally wanted to buy the Moschino Cheap & Chic "Olive" scarf that I saw at the store, but upon close inspection and some contemplation later I decided that I don't really like the design and I was also looking for a square scarf instead of another skinny rectangular scarf. So I cancelled buying the Moschino scarf and decided to browse the store one more time. I dig the store's scarves collection until the very bottom and found these two neckerchiefs that were still in mint condition :


First is a Fendi neckerchief with an animal-print luggage design, and secondly a beautiful Celine with European royal/military paraphernalia theme. 

I originally bought these two handkerchiefs to accessorize my bag. They are too short to wear around the neck unless I wore it "stewardess style" a.k.a tied really close at the neck. Are they actually twillies? I don't know I'm not sure, but I thought I'll be using these as accessory for my bags instead.

The Fendi neckerchief/twilly has a really nice design and I thought the colors would suit my brown bags such as my MK JetSet Tote bag and my vintage Fendi Zucca handbag (and my LV Neverfull Damier Ebene bag - Recent purchase!!).

Fendi luggage scarf :

Worn with my new baby, Sir Louis :


While the Celine neckerchief/twilly is just so pretty and beautiful by itself. I really love this kind of "royalty/military" print, and I think I might just use this as a normal handkerchief instead -> You know...when I have the flu or when I need to wipe something off my table when I go out in the crowd I would just take this out from my bag instead of tissue, how classy right? Lol.

But It's surely more pretty than tissue 😉 Or maybe I would wear this one around my neck in stewardess style neckerchief :)

UPDATE : I found out that this mini Celine scarf also looks good when tied around my Longchamp Le Pliage bag as accessory :)

Celine scarf :

Aren't they beautiful?
I love vintage scarves so much ...

The retail price for these neckerchief is around $100-$150 each but I got it for $5 each! Talk about 90% discount, right?! I'm so happy I could dance!


While at the store I also saw a paisley-patterned scarf from Etro in a pale yellow / muted green color, but I didn't buy it because I was hesitant (because it's more expensive and I was already at my budget limit of that month). So maybe next time I'd buy that Etro scarf because I believe Etro is a good Italian brand with excellent quality.

I can't wait to see what my next vintage scarf purchase would be (;p).
Right now I'm on shopping ban because I just purchased my dream bag which is the LV Neverfull MM tote bag in damier ebene (another story for another post)!! 
So I think there wouldn't be another designer purchase in the mean time...

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Sunday, March 27, 2016

New-In (Clothes) : Morgan de Toi Cardigan

We went to the mall to meet with our family last weekend and we were the first to arrived, so we went ahead and look around the mall while waiting for our family to arrive. The first thing I saw when we entered the mall was this one store that offer designer brand sale up to 80% !

It's one of those pop-up store and they were offering huge discounts on brands such as Bebe, Ted Baker, Morgan de Toi, Ipanema, etc. Of course I went inside right away, who would turn a chance of getting designer goods for 80% off ? 😝.

There were many dresses and pants/jeans from those brands that were on offer inside the store, but I wasn't interested because I don't really wear much dresses these days except for maxi dresses. And I also have adequate pants in my wardrobe so I didn't think that I needed anymore pants, so I didn't browse the pants racks. I do however found one rack near the back that were filled with blouses and sweaters (although there were not many options on that rack either). But I found a really nice cardigan with a Chanel-esque style !

Chanel signature style is one of my favorite looks ! I love Chanel fashion especially their classic signature blazer/cardigan with that rows of buttons and pocket lines. And this Morgan De Toi cardigan has that style ! On the tag it's called the Noir/Rose Bubble (Bicolor Cardigan). And it's a very pretty cardigan with a combination of pink over black color with an elegant rows of black-gold buttons.


I guess I was lucky or it was meant to be, because there was only one cardigan in my size left !. I usually go for the smallest size in designer clothing and there was one Xtra Small (XS) size on the rack. When I tried it on, the "XS" size is still a tad bit loose on me but the bodice fits nicely. I was hesitant at first but seeing that it was discounted almost 50% off ( => from $60 to $32 ! ) I couldn't passed it up.

The material is a thick knitted viscose/wool. It feels luxurious and looks very classy. It also has diamond stitching pattern that makes it more elegant looking. I love it so much. The pink accent against the black cardigan and gold-accented buttons makes it even more special. AND it has working pockets too ! I'm glad I got the last one in my size, and I can't wait to style it :)

At the same rack I also saw a very nice pastel blue cashmere sweater with a really nice v-neck and zipper details on the shoulder. The zipper can be opened up to showcase a pretty lace details underneath. I think it's a very lovely detail on a very delicate robin's egg blue cashmere sweater. I was thinking of also getting it but hubby noticed there's a loose thread near the center front that can lead to more snagging. I was kinda sad to see that because I do love it so much and was gonna take it to the cashier along with the cardigan.


On another rack I found a really nice Bebe lazy pants made from silk which looks and feels awesome to the touch. But I was hesitating because the bottom of the pants were gathered, like a jogger pants. And I found that jogger pants style does not suit my short legs, so I had to put it back to the rack. 

When I already paid for my cardigan and went out the store I also saw on the window display the Ted Baker pleated maxi dress that I once coveted for many months ! But it was too late, because I was already out the store and my family already arrived so I didn't have time to go back into the store to look for the maxi dress. Well, maybe next time ...

 Meanwhile, here's how I styled the cardigan :

Morgan de Toi Cardigan with H&M jeans, 
Tory Burch Flat shoes, and LV neverful tote bag accessorized with
 Laduree Macaron keychain.
Anyway, this cardigan is only my second Morgan de Toi fashion item that I had in my wardrobe.

The first one is a nice black dress I found from thrifting many years ago. It's one of my best thrifted item, and one of my luckiest thrifting day too. I remember that day I went thrifting and found a black little dress from Morgan de Toi and a vintage circa 1960-70s Christian Dior button-up dress in navy/white. I also found some really nice vintage dresses in mint condition that day. (oh how I missed thrifting).

I actually don't wear the Morgan de Toi black dress very much because I only wear it to special occasions and parties. It's actually just a simple dress but it has a nice drape-y neckline and a cute little slit at the side of the dress. It's made of crepe and falls really nice on the bodice. It's been one of my best evening dress so far. I last worn it on my brother's engagement day, with some silver adornments to accessorize myself for the special day.

Here's another time when I wore the black Morgan De Toi dress to a wedding party, pairing it with my vintage Fendi shoulder bag :



Hopefully I can go thrifting again because there's not much places here to go thrifting. But I missed browsing and digging around the thrift store to try to find some nice items. Finding designer items on thrift store here is considered very very lucky, because we don't have fabulous thrift store here like the Buffalo Exchange in USA (or even GoodWill!). But hey, as long as you're lucky and determined to dig that treasure at the thrift store, you'd soon find some gems ;)

 At least, that's what I believe anyway...
I'll see you on my next Shopping Diary post ... !


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Saturday, March 19, 2016

New-In (Clothes) : Calvin Klein Clothing

At around the same time when I realize that designer bags have excellent quality and worth their price I was also starting to collect designer fashion items. I realized that luxury fashion items although more expensive compared to the high street brands but their quality were also much better. Then I slowly started to improve my wardrobe. I started buying good quality high-street brands clothing and a couple of luxury brands if my budget allowed. I slowly improved my wardrobe that was once filled with department store brands and a handful of cute-but-cheap clothing. In short, I just want to upgrade the overall quality of my wardrobe. My goal is to have a well-curated wardrobe with nice quality items (that can lasts for years) and less junk.

So with that reason in mind I started hunting for discounted designer clothing. Of course my budget wouldn't allow a full retail price for designer wardrobe so I always try to find some discounted or bargained items. I would scoured these discounted designer items from various sources. I would purchase them as long as they are less than retail price ;p

And that's exactly what happened with this haul.
Several days ago we went out to upgrade my husband's phone because he desperately needs a fresh one after using his old phone for years. We were having a post-holiday shopping mood that day so we decided to shop around a little bit. We accidentally found out that there was a factory outlet near the place where we went to upgrade husband's phone, so we went there afterwards. Husband bought a new t-shirt from TopMan and a new belt from Oakley, while I saw this blue jumper with loose cowl-neck from Calvin Klein. 

This turquoise blue sweater/jumper really stood out for me from the rack. There are many features of this jumper that I like very much. It was only available in a size Medium though (my actual size is Small or Xtra-Small because I'm very petite), but because I like it so much I got emotional and purchased it anyway although I know it is a little bit big on me 😅.

It's from the Calvin Klein Performance line which is their line for active-wear clothing. Well I personally thought this does not look like an activewear clothing at all. I think this jumper looks chic with it's open wide cowl-neck at the front, it's loose wavy shape, and other unique features.

It is made of thick sweater-like material so it's quite warm for the colder weather. It also has a "quick-dry" feature (maybe because it's from their activewear line). What I love about this jumper is how the wide neck gives a dimensional look to the overall outfit.

However, my most favorite feature of this jumper is obviously the thumb hole !
I always wanted one of these since college! One day at the dorm I saw my friend wearing a sweater with a thumb hole in each arms and I thought that's a cool feature to have in a sweater, and I have been wanting one of those ever since. So now I'm so happy to finally own a thumb hole jumper in my wardrobe, hahaha, it's so silly, I know .. 😝
{the thumb hole!}  
{worn with turquoise tanktop}

As you can see on the photo above, the cowl-neck opening is very wide so I need to always wear an inner top with this jumper. I also bought a random brand tanktop in similar color to go with this jumper. Luckily the turquoise blue tanktop I bought matches the jumper perfectly.


Notes for Petites:
I think Calvin Klein clothing size runs big. So instead of my regular size I should opt for one size smaller instead. You see, I bought a Calvin Klein blouse before and it was slightly big on me too, but I decided to purchase it anyway because it looks so elegant and different from what I had in my wardrobe.

When I saw this blouse I thought I could wear it to a semi-formal event but I haven't worn it yet so far - because I haven't had a semi-formal event to attend to. So it still hangs nicely on the rack in my wardrobe room. It's a beautiful salmon pink blouse with a subdued white crocodile-esque pattern. It's made of cotton-silk material and it has elegant design with a nice little buttoned opening at the top. If I was still working at my 9 to 5 office I'd definitely wear this beautiful blouse for work.

As I mentioned above, I think Calvin Klein sizing runs a little upsize. This blouse is also slightly big for my true size so the length of the arms are a bit too long for me. So I don't think I can wear this blouse in long-sleeve style, I probably would always have to wear it with it's sleeves rolled up.
Nonetheless, I'm still patiently waiting for the moment that I can wear this salmon blouse!


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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Accessories : Marc By Marc Jacobs "Workwear" Computer & Ipad Case

 

One of my fave department store is Galeries Lafayette because they have some of my favorite brands there (which most of them are on my forever wish list ;p), and most importantly because they always have Sales going on especially on Marc Jacobs and Longchamp counters. 

One of the huge discount I had at Galeries Lafayette was on the Marc Jacobs counter around 3 years ago. I found some items from the Marc by Marc Jacobs (MBMJ) range that were slashed for 50% Off - so obviously I must take some benefit from the sale because it's not so often that MJ having a 50% sale here.

So I bought myself a MBMJ "Pretty Nylon" Computer Case in Knockout Pink, and a blue MBMJ "Pretty Nylon" Ipad Case in Bauhaus Blue - both are from the Workwear collection :


Perfect for my 13" laptop


Perfect for bringing around my ipad 


I always prefer the bigger size / reguler ipad than the ipad mini because I'm more of a visual person so I love bigger screen which I can enjoy bigger pictures from. Hence the bigger ipad case from MbMJ. I really love the blue color and picked it up right away.

I also love the pink color of the computer case so I also snagged it up. Both of these were 50% off so I actually had a pretty good deal back then. If I'm not mistaken I only got them both for a total of $50 😀


I still use both of 'em until now but I don't really use the computer case that often because I don't really bring my laptop anywhere anymore. I mostly use my laptop at home nowadays so I don't really use the computer case that much. But I still love it and would use it if I need to lug around my macbook outside because it's the only computer case I have ;)

I love the design of MBMJ Workwear collection. It's modern yet a bit sporty and casual, perfect for the milennial generation, Lol. After 3 years they still look new and they don't show any tear or scratch whatsoever. The colors are still as vibrant as when they are still new. The inside of the cases are made of really soft fluffy fabric so it won't scratch your gadget. They're also slightly padded and made of very good thick material with a gorgeous MBMJ logo at the front.


Here they are on action :



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