My metallic phase

I've never been fond of silver or gold bags as I find them too outrageous--until I met the Stella bag by Esprit. It is made of gunmetal black polyurethane, which gives it a bit of shimmer and silvery sheen.

From the collection, I was smitten by the Shoulder Bag which had the long strap I need so I can sling it across my body while holding my baby. Unfortunately, this style is not available Down Under, and the European Esprit shops that carry it online does not ship worldwide. And so I had to choose between the Hobo style (see picture) and the Handbag.

The handbag I like because of the way the zipper opens wide so I can see everything, and the shape is longish and slouchy which makes it less structured than the other handbags. The Hobo, on the other hand, is a lot more practical as it sits comfortably on my shoulder and it's practically weightless. The downside is that, as with all other hobos, all of your things settle down at the bottom, and you need to dig when you search for those keys or that much needed nappy rash ointment.

Am currently still in this phase as I am happily carrying the Hobo bag, and I have an older daughter who is willing to fish out the stuff I need from Stella. I pine though for the long-strapped one as, after all, it's my first metal-love-bag.


mustAveabag

Post your bags!

And so I said to Maria, we must take photos of our bags, both past and present, so we can keep track of what we have. This way, we can document our bag "growing-up" phase.

So I will start with me: currently, I am in the Esprit and Old Navy stage. I like their canvas bags, mixed with polyurethane or fake leather, because it's lightweight and easy to handle and maintain. More importantly, it does not burn a big hole in my wallet. If you are as bag-crazy as we are, you need to watch your pennies and pesos, too. Besides, after having Baby No. 2, I just can't stand the smell of leather anymore.

My red Esprit Mali has all the rivets, buckles and rings I need in a bag. It is tastefully done in bronze, which compliments the deep red of its fake leather material. My only problem is that the single strap cannot be adjusted, and it's not short enough to sit comfortably on my shoulder and be kept under the arm, or long enough to wear it as a sling or cross-body. This bag tends to slip off my shoulders, especially when I am carrying other stuff in my hands.

But it is still beautiful and I will keep it with me till Bub is old enough to walk by herself.

mustAveabag

Happiness is …

Dipping into the wish jar of Keri Smith.

Self-described as “author, illustrator, guerilla artist,” Keri keeps a very popular blog.

Best of all, many of The Wish Jar’s posts on “explorations of the familiar” are on bags.

Although our husbands and mother are constantly worried about our (mis)placed priorities for bags (as well as the sad state of our outer- and underwear), reading Keri reaffirmed what mustAveabag and I recite as our mantra: Bag a happiness when you can!

Maria

Sleeping in white

Last night, I realized that when a bag is something I really like, I sleep with it.

After creating this blog the whole afternoon and evening, I crawled into bed (while watching my older son Carlos work on the blog on travel and flying he also made on the same day).

Two days ago, I bought a satchel in off-white. I hesitated a lot before buying it because my sister mustAveabag is coming home in January and bringing some more for our bag-and-wallet stash in Cebu.

But I still had an unused amount in a gift certificate for the Metro Gaisano chain, good for BagHunts that are easy on the eye, hand and pocket.

So while getting my silver wristwatch checked and running, I dawdled around the Ayala branch and then at Colon.

Ayala mall draws many shoppers, which probably explains why most of their good buys are quickly snapped. I saw a nut-colored Secosana shoulder bag, 50-percent off, but big bags are generally workbags.

I wanted this time a bag I could hug, not just hold the stuff I need to make a living.

As BagFortune would have it, at the Colon branch, there was one off-white bag that the saleslady still found in its plastic wrap. That it was also in the BagBargain bin was the second lucky coincidence.

It took me more than half an hour to make up my mind, but I think I never really intended to go without Off-Whitey. The bag is soft, its material resembling grained, butter-soft leather. It has two zipped compartments, lined in cream nylon. There are pockets galore. It can fit a pocketbook. It has two silver discs that give the bag’s front a goggle-eyed, owlish look (I love google because it helps me keep in touch with mustAveabag and my BagRoaming).

And it fit nicely with the remaining amount of my gift certificate at 50-percent off (P449.50). I even was able to get a small coin purse with an old-fashioned twist lock at P109, still in off-white.

I realized Off-whitey and I were meant to be when I ended up in SM City, an hour later. The rack there also had a soft blue version, nice but off-white really does it more for me. The test: I slept with it last night, and it pillowed my dreams!

Maria

Site for BagAbonds

My sister mustAveabag introduced me to thebagblog.com in November 2006. I’ve been bagged since then.

So I still feel dislocated that the funny, smart, down-to-earth bagaholic curating the blog has not posted anything new since Oct. 29, 2006.

Ever faithful, I use thebagblog though as a platform to take off to my favorite bag fantasies.

One site I discovered today is shop.nordstrom.com.

The Internet is full of portals that can make any BagNut’s day (and night!). But the site of this American retailing giant has many features that make BagBrowsing nearly as pleasurable as Bagging it.

Perhaps the only fatal flaw is that the items are priced ($50-more than $500) way beyond the reach of my soft, pebbled-leather effegi coin purse (only P299 at SM City Cebu).

Still, one can dream on at nordstrom:

The site has a wide range of bag shapes and materials, specially my favorites: leathers, small bags and natural fabrics.

Tip: Choose to have 99 bags shown per viewing, instead of only 21. Because of the large, clear photos, it takes some time to load each page.

Its interactive features make my BaggedHeart beat faster. You can choose up to three angles of any bag.

My favorite angle is the one showing the bag’s insides. I drooled all the more over The Sak Modern Classics Knit Hobo because it had an image of “the daisy-patterned lining.”

Of course, viewing online is never the same as doing hand-to-hand combat with the object of desire.

But the team that designed this site knows their BagNuts very well. Who else obsesses over just every feature of a bag, including how it closes (zip or magnet?) or how pockets are arranged (zipped or open? wide enough for the mobile?).

I also liked this detail I’ve yet to see in any other site, including Coach’s. Nordstrom describes a bag’s fit. The Sak carryall was just as neat in profile as its looks: “Small: Holds at least a cell phone, small wallet and lipstick”

Also unique and great is the handbag size guide. I learned new words to chart my desire: strap drop (distance from the middle of the strap to the opening of the bag), total strap length (from end to end of strap), fit tips (armpit-snuggling or hip-brushing?).

Best of all, you can subscribe to receive alerts and updates. Desire’s pampered in this site.

Maria