These days, I’m overwhelmed by the abundance of bag choices out there.
What about you? Do you know which is the best and right bag for you?
Every woman’s handbag reflects her tastes (style, beauty and maybe even partner?) as well as personality.
But! Buying the right bag can often be quite a headache.
These designer purses cost an arm and a leg so besides producing that stylish image, the ideal handbag also has to be functional for frequent use since it is wallet wrecking to buy different bags to go with different outfits.
To help you with your investment bag purchases, I will be posting a series of bag reviews in Honeyz. In the posts, I will scrutinize bags and their functionalities and provide tips on designer purse care to help you choose from the various styles of luxury bags.
These days we have a plethora of bag choices to satisfy our rapacious shopping appetites. Here’s the justification in picture.
I walked into Resorts World™ Sentosa’s (RWS) shopping arcade last weekend and this was what I saw.
Maybe ‘abundance’ from the introductory statement is too mild a term.
With this, it makes sense to start a series of bag reviews.
Furthermore, you can also learn how to differentiate between the knock off and the real stuff through the images provided in the reviews. 😀
Back to RWS…
As usual, this brand never fails to consume all my attention.
In my opinion, Chanel handbags are timeless and less trite than bags of many other brands. It exudes elegance and brings the right amount of taste and class to any outfit. Hence, Chanel has always been my numero uno choice for an investment bag.
Incidentally, many Honeyz readers have emailed and requested for a review of the Chanel Mademoiselle Bowling Bag that I carry in some of my fashion shoots.
Therefore, I decided to review the bowling bag in this first Honeyz Bag Review post! 😀
Last fall, I was browsing through the tantalizing bags on Chanel’s website and I drooled over Mademoiselle Bowling bag the second I saw it. (Or it could be Blake Lively’s alluring golden locks that struck my fancy.)
Anyway, I immediately fell in love with its perky design and I thought it showed off a certain edge and character compared to the classics without losing the brand’s ethos.
So with no further ado, I bought the bag.
Tada!
I got myself the black Caviar bag with silver hardware in size bowling.
If you’re wondering how big size bowling is compared to the rest, you might be interested to know that the bag comes in four sizes -mini bowling, small bowling, bowling and large bowling.
Here is a picture of the bags with their respective sizes tagged for comparison.
The prices vary from bag to bag depending on the material – so far the following options are available to Chanel bag fans (Iguana, Matte Alligator, Galuchat, Jersey, Perforated Patent Calfskin, aged Calfskin, Satin, Patent Calfskin) and the sizes are as follow: Mini Bowling 5.5″ x 9.3″ x 4.1″, Small Bowling 6.3″ x 11.8″ x 4.3″, Bowling 6.9 x 14 x 6, Large Bowling 10.2″ x 14.2″ x 6.3″, Maxi Bowling 11″ x 18.1″ x 9.1″. All of the bags feature brand’s famous chain and double CC pendant.
Material
I chose the black caviar leather due to practical reasons – no color transfer problems, easy-to-clean and scratch resistant properties.
Caviar leather is textured with small pebbles and is highly durable.
Just thought you might be interested…
I heard that Caviar leather is actually made of stingray skin and not calf skin.
However, many purse forums had clarified that Caviar leather is embossed calf skin in Chanel terminology. Well, I’ll leave it to you to judge.
Design
If you’re wondering how long the bag strap will look on your frame, here are some photos for you to gauge. I stand at 161cm and this is the length when the strap is fully drawn.
Not too bad for my height I guess. Any taller and the bag may drop at the waist which will make the entire ensemble look awkward.
My friend JW stands at 153cm and this is where the bag strap stops on her frame when she holds it the same way.
And this is how it looks like when she wears it short.
Warning: The sound of the chains being pulled might be sightly annoying for some.
Not surprisingly, the material and craftsmanship is top-notch which I believe is made to last for a lifetime.
Here’s an image of the bag’s interior:
The bag is divided into 3 compartments. It also has an additional pocket at the side as shown below.
The storage space did not excite me as much. This is what it can contain – A coin pouch, tissue pouch, card holder, phone, shades pouch and some basic make up tools (foundation case, lip gloss and blusher) in the middle zip compartment.
The bag also bulges slightly and takes on a weird shape when I try to stuff an extra packet of tissue into it.
Since it is not roomy at all, I’ll usually use it on the weekends when I don’t dump a thousand ‘necessities’ into my bag.
There’s no zip or magnetic closure for this bag. The straps close the bag when drawn.
Conclusion
Despite its pathetic storage space and lack of proper closure, I would still say it is one hell of a bag – decadent with an element of fun. I wear it short for a more casual look and long to add an elegant vibe to both my work and weekend wardrobe.
4 Honeyz crowns.
Last but not least!
You have worked hard to acquire your luxury bags so I’m pretty sure you want to treat them right and well so that they will last you for years to come. So consider these tips if you want to maintain the quality of your designer bags.
Use a dust bag to protect your baby from being scuffed. If you have misplaced your dust bags like I did, natural fibre soft pillow slips are good substitutes.
When you’re at the office, check desk or filing cabinet for sharp edges for splinters that could scratch and put puncture holes in your bag. Keep a dust bag in office to cover your bag if that’s possible.
Avoid handling the designer bag after applying beauty products, face foundations or hand creams.
If the weather is really bad and raining consider using a less special handbag. Rain and water are bad for your bag. There are many good water repellent and leather cleaning products out there on the market these days. It is always preferable to wipe off a wet leather handbag immediately. But if that is not possible for some reason, allow a wet or damp leather handbag to dry naturally in ambient room air temperatures, away from any heat sources
Don’t use your bag as a rest to place paper and write notes. Pointed pens can leave impression tool marks through paper rested on firm leathers.
If your bag has a chain handle, store the chain inside the bag to avoid scratching the outside leather when the bag is resting.
Avoid taking your special bag to the supermarket! Trolleys can scratch your bag and mark it permanently, as can spillages from foodstuffs such as yoghurts, cream, dips, squashy fruit, milk and even leaking cleaning products.
For long term storage, undo strap buckles so that impressions are not created. Then if you wish to wear the strap across the body messenger style and need maximum strap length or need to shorten it to wear underarm style at a later date, this unbuckling of the straps before storage will stop areas becoming impressed and unattractive.
If you are concerned with the bag holding it’s shape, loosely stuffing it with tissues will help. Be careful not to over-stuff it though as doing so may cause it to stretch.
Use a Purse Hanger. Purse hangers are all the rage these days ladies! It keeps your handbag off the dirty floor and can be used almost anywhere that there is a firm ledge to hold your purse. This includes: restaurant tables, desks, dressers, the neighborhood bar, nightstands, shelves, and more. Floors and bathroom stalls are terrible for your bag and a breeding ground for bacteria.
Never ever use household cleaners or chemicals to clean your handbag! Only use cleaners designed for leather materials. Purchase a high quality leather cleaner and follow the directions exactly.
Clean the inside of your purse. If your purse has a satin lining, a damp sponge and mild soap will work well. Be careful with the pens and pencils. Your cell phone can very easily transfer dirt to the interior of your bag, along with makeup that is not closed properly. Don’t just toss the makeup into the bottom of your purse. Get a small plastic soft-sided case to hold those essentials instead.
Source: www.fashion-era.com
One again, thank you for reading. 🙂
More yummilicious posts on fashion and travel coming your way so watch out for them!
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Your road to a sparkling lifestyle begins here.
Your friend, Juliana
Disclaimer: Honeyz bag reviews are NOT advertorial posts for the bags or brands. I praise or inveigh against bags to aid you in your purchase decisions. I also scrutinize them for your authentication purposes. Endorsements are non-existent unless stated otherwise.