Miu Miu Matalasse Malva Handbag

I went into Selfridges for a cup of tea but there was a long queue at the cafe.

So I stopped by Miu Miu on my way out and fell in love with this bag. The leather is gorgeous and the Matalasse quilting stands out from the other bags. Malva is a well pigmented raspberry pink colour. It smells luscious!!!

Although it's a small shoulder bag, it holds alot for it's size. I managed to fit my purse, lipgloss, eyedrops, iPhone, earphones, hand cream and cardigan.

I convinced myself to get it for two reasons:

1) "Value" for money: The small Mulberry Alexa was £545, which holds just as much. This bag is £295.

2) I carry alot so I'm going to distribute the weight over a tote bag and this bag. I'm sick of getting my hair snagged under a heavy handbag strap.

It's my only luxury buy of the year, I've decided. I only went into Selfridges for a cup of tea!

Anthropologie Sleeping On Snow Cardigan Jacket

I nearly missed this cardigan as I walked out of the charity shop. It was haplessly lying in the window and one could have mistaken it for a throw rug.

It was raining so I waited undercover from the rain before a dash across the road. After a last minute glance, I realised it was'nt rug but an intriguing woolly cardigan!

So I returned inside for closer inspection. It's cropped, asymmetric and had a lot going on. Chunky wooden buttons, vintage tapestry patterns and rib knit finishings. Should I be repelled instead of fascinated?

It felt comfy and if I did'nt look like an old couch, it was casual chic. And since the gloominess of winter was approaching, I needed this cardigan jacket.

£9 was a good deal for an Anthropologie item so I threw caution to the autumn wind and bought it. I may eat my words later but bring on winter!

In the above gratuitous poser shot, I look like my sister who introduced me to Anthropologie. She loves this brand but she would think I'm wearing remnants of an old couch here. Too retro for her, but I love it!

As you can see, I'm still clutching onto the vintage leather bag bought from a few weeks ago. (And the LV Neverfull bought a few weeks before is gathering dust.)

Peekaboo Vintage Quilted Chain Handbag

Lovingly worn, patinaed and slouchy-the holy grail of a vintage leather bag. Caramelized tan so lusciously thick. Quilted and embellished with tiny studs. This bag is like poetry.

I almost fainted when I found it but the price tag said £65. It's most I've spent on a vintage bag. (The equivalent of 10 op shop bags!)

This bag was rebranded by Peekaboo Vintage, available at Topshop Oxford Circus. It had a minor repair in the lining but that's the only fault. Tried to find any excuse not to buy it but to no avail. The bag is vintage so I'd never see the same anywhere else.

So seriously now, no more window shopping because it will only lead to trouble!

A Surprise From Jocasi London

Remember when I bought a Jocasi cross-body bag for £5? A rivet on top of the buckle fell off and my attempts to fix it resulted in all of the top rivets removed. I thought I could buy replacements rivets but could not find them anywhere.

Finally I emailed Jocasi and they asked me to sent the bag to them for repair. The bag was gone for months. I had even forgotten about it because I was buying other bags from the op shop.

It finally came back with an apology for the time it took to fix (due to an office relocation) and they included a magenta leather purse as a gift.

I was stoked as I needed a proper purse. How lovely of Jocasi!

Jocasi Handbag & Good News

Hello everyone! I'm pleased to report that I finally GOT A JOB in London!!!

*happy dances*

So today is my last day of unemployment and believe it or not, I did'nt sleep in. I surfed the net and had breakfast early. I ordered three bottles of American Apparel nail polish, (thanks to raves from You Got Nail) and a jersey dress. This brand is overpriced in the UK but I thought, "Screw it-I have a job now!"

I went for a walk to one of my favorite charity shops. It's the British Heart Foundation and I have a good strike rate there. The quality of the stock is well selected, the shop is clean and in order. They even play nice music and offer exchanges for anything you buy. And look what I picked up!

I remember when I first saw Jocasi bags in Selfridges. I was drawn to their colourful worn-in leather but thank goodness I did'nt buy at the time. Their stuff is nice but rather exxy for bags made in Indonesia.

So here is my Jocasi bag which only cost £5. I've always wanted a soft leather cross body bag. It's big enough to fit the essentials, including a little umbrella. The brass hardware is excessively chunky but I think it makes a statement, don't you?

Vintage Leather Handbag and How To Clean Leather Gloves

I never realised how great op shopping is in London until now. This week I found two amazing finds when I least expected it.

The black lambskin gloves were £3. I love the perforated design (OK, not warm but atleast breathable) and the gold clasps at the cuffs. When I asked the shop assistant how they should be cleaned, she suggested saddle soap. Sounded like too much trouble for cheap gloves but I bought them since they fit perfectly and I'll never find another pair like them again.

Now before everyone reels back in horror at the thought of wearing used gloves, I thoroughly washed them first. This was my no frills method:

1) Fill sink with warm water and add anti-bacterial hand wash to make it sudsy.

2) Immerse the gloves and repeatedly squeeze them to get the water to flush through. Don't scrub. Turn them inside out and do the same. Turn them back the right way out.

3) Rinse under cold water and squeeze out the excess water.

4) Dry by laying flat over a heater. Lay them on a towel if your heater is really hot. It should take an hour or two to dry, depending on the thickness of the leather.

5) When fully dry, moisturise with leather conditioner. I did'nt have any so I wore the gloves and massaged in sorbelene cream (non-perfumed basic moisturiser). A few coats will soften the leather and make it supple.

I don't recommend this technique with all leather gloves (especially if they are expensive, lined or not black) but since these were cheap, there no harm in doing it this way.

The gloves are now perfect and so unbelievably soft. I hope they last forever!

The second thing I purchased was this vintage leather handbag. The bow is cute and the detachable long narrow strap can be worn over the body.

The colour is truly eye-catching. I don't see it produced anywhere nowadays. It's difficult to capture it on camera because sometimes it looks antique fuschia and other times red violet. The best way I can describe it is that it's the colour of blueberry juice.

Oddily under halogen lights, the handbag looks deep magenta.

The bag was in new condition and a steal for £3! I love it so much, I carry it everywhere. The bag will become slouchier over time too. It's like a welcome gift from London. Heh heh!

How To Get Rid Of The Smell Of Vintage

Remember this Faigen clutch from this post? I did'nt realise until it reeked up my clothes, how musty it was. It was gross and the smell sticks to anything it touches!

Wanted to throw it out but tried an experiment first.

With anything vintage, if it's washable (or disposable!), try washing it in hot water. Chances are the smell is caused by mildew. If the item is not washable, try sunning or airing out the item. You could use baking soda to absorb the smells or as the last resort, Fabreeze.

I washed the clutch in hot soapy water but noticed the smell was still there. So I soaked it in a white vinegar and hot water solution for an hour to kill any mildew spores. I rinsed with cold water and propped it up in a sunny spot. The residual vinegar smell disappears once it was dry.

And the result? The smell is gone! Hooray!

Tokidoki Pegaso Bag and Charms

The unicorn print is colourful and super kawaii! My favorite unicorn is the one taking a drink in the reflective puddle.

I lost one of the charms, a pink Caio Caio. To give Adios a companion, I removed a charm from another keyring and replaced it with the free Tokidoki cactus pup I received from Japan LA.

A close up of the two new friends. How cute are they?

"Le Sportsac"?

Remember this toiletry case which I bought for 50c?

I randomly found this picture of a Le Sportsac knockoff.

They must have come from the same factory in China!

Op Shop Haul

HALF PRICE SALE AT ST VINNIES!

All priced in AUD. Starting from the top, left to right:

Wicked Sista Aqua Toiletry Bag - Brand new with tag. I need a bathroom bag for an upcoming trip to Melbourne. The best feature is the detachable clear zip bag inside which you can carry in handbags. $1

Vintage Grey Leather Handbag - Retro design with adjustable strap so you can wear it long or short. Oddly has Russian words in gold print inside. I wonder who the original owner was? $2.50

Plaid Scarf - Classic print and super soft. $1

Striped Boatneck Top - I said no to this last week but at half price, I NEED it! $2

Satin Animal Print Cosmetic Case - Brand new with tag and the print is so damn cute. Could not resist for only 50c!

Rebecca Davies Designer Top - Desperately needing more warm clothes for work. This top is embellished with pretty lace and satin roses. $3.50

Awesome haul for $10.50!

Vintage Handbags

I was delighted to discover that St Vinnies has opened in Auburn. They had a 30% opening sale and there was ALOT of stuff in their inventory.

The above is a soft patent navy Faigen clutch ($2 AUD). I've been watching a lot of Sex And The City lately and Carrie's vintage handbags inspired me to buy this.

I recently saw the new Miu Miu stamped leather bag and remembered how practical long narrow strap purses are to wear. Isn't this cute?

Below is a another recent vintage bag purchase ($2.50 AUD). Not as satisying as the Miu Miu but it serves the current tartan trend and the strap does not annoyingly fall off my shoulder.

Italian White Leather Peeptoe Slingbacks & MAC Satin Cosmetics Clutch

Picked up these two beauties from the local op shop today.

These Louboutin-esque stilettos are in excellent condition and I wished so badly that I could fit into them. They are summery and look gorgeous with a dress. Too selfish to pass them by so now that I've taken some shoe porn, I'll list them on Ebay. Any size 8.5ers out there? Come and get 'em.

At first I thought this was a very chic pleated satin clutch but inside was a MAC cosmetics label. Guessing it was a gift with purchase and you can keep your make up brushes in there? It doesn't fit all of my brushes anyway so I'm going to use it as a evening clutch.