Ok, it's obvious to me that the "Zlena's No Bag Buying 2009" campaign has long flopped so I'm just not going to try to pretend I have things under control. As the countdown to the great Paris-UK escapade nears, I have been going stark raving mad trying to figure out a workable budget that will leave me not too deeply in debt.
I have an aversion towards swiping credit cards in foreign countries so as unwise as it is to be travelling with a lot of cash, that's what I'm doing. Not too much since I don't want to end up in tears if I get mugged or something. A lil bit over 600 pounds and 600 euros each.
Right now, I'm facing a shopping dilemma. A major fashion conundrum. I am torn between handbags. Between LV, Anya, Mulberry, Dior and Burberry, I have managed to spot bags that I just must have! I can't go bag crazy too much since I still haven't completely used the Coach's I got in the States. So at first I planned conservatively. I'd thought I'd just get myself the LV epi leather Speedy 30 in noir and be done with it. A classic piece in leather for around about 650-ish euros. But even as I made my decision, I was hesitant. Looking at the pictures, the epi leather speedy looks like it's meant for women of a more mature age. I don't want to drop that much cash on a bag that won't make me look age-appropriate. Nor will I drop that much money on a non-leather piece. So I revised my thought, I'll go and have a look at the real thing in stores and if I feel like it's something I want to invest in, then, AND ONLY THEN, will I spend on it. I mean, Paris can be where LV is Target-like cheap compared to the rest of the world but it's still a lot of money. If it's not meant to be, I'll just get a scarf.
I've also been googling Bicester Village and been trawling other people's blogs for their experiences. All I can say is that if I get the opportunity to snag a GBP40 Burberry leather wallet, I'll sure as hell get it. I know the product turnover in outlet villages such as these are high and am not too hopeful that'll I'll be able to get my hands on this lovely, generously sized Burberry black leather hobo I saw on thebaglady.tv which would be absolutely great for everyday use. It was at the Bicester Burberry store in June going for GBP199.99. Yup, that's right, less than GBP200 for a good-sized leather handbag from Burberry. Bananas!
Then there's also the Mulberry store. Now I'm not going to make a collection of Bayswaters' because I would like some diversity in my designer handbag collection so I'm looking at some other pieces from Mulberry. I have my eye on the crossbody small Antony bag. It would be great for casual outings when you don't need to be lugging around a lot of things and even more suitable for travelling. It would be a superb replacement for my now dead-as-a-doornail convertible Esprit bag that well died an ugly peeling death after 4 years of service. I can't seem to get a price estimation on the Antony at the outlet store but if the Bayswater prices are anything to go by (spmething around the region of GBP275), I'm hoping it's either between GBP100 to GBP150. If it's less than that, I dieeee! The retail price of the Antony on Bluefly.com is USD350.
I'm also looking at Anya Hindmarch. I doubt the mirrored Cooper (which I adored on Angelina Jolie) will be in stores but I would love to own the mirrored clutch. I have been lusting over it for quite some time and if there was an Anya piece I would love to own, it'll be this one. I mean, I do have the Anya Hindmarch For Target bag but that's not really boutique is it? Don't get me wrong, I still love the fab collaborations with the retail giants but if I were to get the opportunity to own the boutique products for a considerably marked down price, you can bet that I'll bite.
And last but not least, Dior. Ah, Dior. I saw that they have the Saddle bags in Bicester. Unfortunately, the girl at thebaglady.tv didn't put the price up for it but she did say that although heavily discounted, it was still waaay over her budget. I guess a Dior handbag is completely out for me but I think I could just have a teensy look at a purse.
These are just the stores where I've seen the actual products they carry. There's also a Gucci store in Bicester and I haven't even made an effort to track down any fab Gucci finds. I'm thinking if I don't buy the LV, I can actually get the black hobo Burberry, the crossbody Antony and a lil something something from Anya. On top of that, I want to own something from Agent Provocateur and La Perla so really, I can see that the cash flow from my lilac Coach purse into the hands of some cashier girl/boy is going to be fluid. There's most likely a loan or five involved as well ;P
I have an aversion towards swiping credit cards in foreign countries so as unwise as it is to be travelling with a lot of cash, that's what I'm doing. Not too much since I don't want to end up in tears if I get mugged or something. A lil bit over 600 pounds and 600 euros each.
Right now, I'm facing a shopping dilemma. A major fashion conundrum. I am torn between handbags. Between LV, Anya, Mulberry, Dior and Burberry, I have managed to spot bags that I just must have! I can't go bag crazy too much since I still haven't completely used the Coach's I got in the States. So at first I planned conservatively. I'd thought I'd just get myself the LV epi leather Speedy 30 in noir and be done with it. A classic piece in leather for around about 650-ish euros. But even as I made my decision, I was hesitant. Looking at the pictures, the epi leather speedy looks like it's meant for women of a more mature age. I don't want to drop that much cash on a bag that won't make me look age-appropriate. Nor will I drop that much money on a non-leather piece. So I revised my thought, I'll go and have a look at the real thing in stores and if I feel like it's something I want to invest in, then, AND ONLY THEN, will I spend on it. I mean, Paris can be where LV is Target-like cheap compared to the rest of the world but it's still a lot of money. If it's not meant to be, I'll just get a scarf.
I've also been googling Bicester Village and been trawling other people's blogs for their experiences. All I can say is that if I get the opportunity to snag a GBP40 Burberry leather wallet, I'll sure as hell get it. I know the product turnover in outlet villages such as these are high and am not too hopeful that'll I'll be able to get my hands on this lovely, generously sized Burberry black leather hobo I saw on thebaglady.tv which would be absolutely great for everyday use. It was at the Bicester Burberry store in June going for GBP199.99. Yup, that's right, less than GBP200 for a good-sized leather handbag from Burberry. Bananas!
Then there's also the Mulberry store. Now I'm not going to make a collection of Bayswaters' because I would like some diversity in my designer handbag collection so I'm looking at some other pieces from Mulberry. I have my eye on the crossbody small Antony bag. It would be great for casual outings when you don't need to be lugging around a lot of things and even more suitable for travelling. It would be a superb replacement for my now dead-as-a-doornail convertible Esprit bag that well died an ugly peeling death after 4 years of service. I can't seem to get a price estimation on the Antony at the outlet store but if the Bayswater prices are anything to go by (spmething around the region of GBP275), I'm hoping it's either between GBP100 to GBP150. If it's less than that, I dieeee! The retail price of the Antony on Bluefly.com is USD350.
I'm also looking at Anya Hindmarch. I doubt the mirrored Cooper (which I adored on Angelina Jolie) will be in stores but I would love to own the mirrored clutch. I have been lusting over it for quite some time and if there was an Anya piece I would love to own, it'll be this one. I mean, I do have the Anya Hindmarch For Target bag but that's not really boutique is it? Don't get me wrong, I still love the fab collaborations with the retail giants but if I were to get the opportunity to own the boutique products for a considerably marked down price, you can bet that I'll bite.
And last but not least, Dior. Ah, Dior. I saw that they have the Saddle bags in Bicester. Unfortunately, the girl at thebaglady.tv didn't put the price up for it but she did say that although heavily discounted, it was still waaay over her budget. I guess a Dior handbag is completely out for me but I think I could just have a teensy look at a purse.
These are just the stores where I've seen the actual products they carry. There's also a Gucci store in Bicester and I haven't even made an effort to track down any fab Gucci finds. I'm thinking if I don't buy the LV, I can actually get the black hobo Burberry, the crossbody Antony and a lil something something from Anya. On top of that, I want to own something from Agent Provocateur and La Perla so really, I can see that the cash flow from my lilac Coach purse into the hands of some cashier girl/boy is going to be fluid. There's most likely a loan or five involved as well ;P
