Yesterday Selfridges were nice enough to give BagServant a tour through their handbag section in their store on Oxford Street. We learnt so much about the designer brands and got a really hands on experience with the bags in their new collection. So much so that we wanted to share it with our lovely readers.
Yves Saint Laurent
YSL Chyc Large tote £1,395 – Our first stop was Yves Saint Lauren and their tote bag, a simple and practical bag with buckets of space and a very attractive Y clasp to fasten the bag. We discussed the name change of Yves Saint Laurent. We learnt that the “Y” is one of the reasons why the bag is in demand. Changing the name but keeping the YSL logo? Bit confusing. We were also told of a little trend, or rather a trend that is dying out, which is the demise of the cross body bag. Women seem to be buying more clutches or totes as a practical choice rather than something with a long strap. Big Bag Lovers listen now. Ladies apparently tend to go more for a middle sized bag rather than the large option. We wonder if Big Bag Lovers are really happy with this new trend? I have to admit that the middle sized bag looked better and it can be taken from the day to the evening, especially when you are on the way to your client dinner.
YSL Belle de Jour patent clutch £495 – This clutch is the crowning jewel of Selfridges’ YSL collection. Their absolute sell out colour is this baby blue clutch, which sold out in a very short amount of time. This clutch is far bigger than it looks on their website and can fit a fair amount more than the average bag this size. The Bag Heaven clutch for Big Bag Lovers going out in the evening. This clutch comes in other colours. Personally, I think there are other colours which I would pick as the first choice. I do admit that this colour was amazing!
YSL Muse bowling bag £1,350 – This bowling shape bag is another practical piece by YSL and has revealed another interesting trend at Selfridges. As mentioned above, apparantly, women are buying more medium size bags than large ones. Does this mean that people are carrying less with them and downsizing their essentials? We were also told that YSL is profiting because women are more interested in investment bags than impulse buys. Women are spending more wisely and spending more time thinking than buying. The status comes from a lovely bag and shoes, however, we think that women should stick to the impulse buying. Why to stick to one bag when there are so many lovely bags.
Michael Kors
Michael Kors Hamilton Woven Large Tote £390 – This bag is a lot like the one we reviewed a few weeks ago except for the woven design. Michael Kors Hamilton Tote bag also comes in other type of leather. When you decide to buy this bag make sure that you pick the one which suits to your style and preferences. One of is in fact a type of leather which is used by Prada to make their bags (very popular), so it’s incredibly easy to care for. All you need is wet wipes to rub off any marks with ease. Although, after seeing this particular collection, we became uncertain about the thinking behind the padlock design as it doesn’t offer much function other than to look interesting. I think we can forgive to Michael Kors on this one. The padlock has a very nice design which adds the nice stylish cool look to the bag.
Tory Burch
Tory Burch Kipp Hobo Bag £425 – This mustard coloured bag was much more of a bright yellow than the online picture but was still a gorgeous bag nevertheless. We were told this bag could fit a laptop, but only if you put it in the other way round, and it would loose its shape if you did. So it might not be the best bag for the office, but it could be a fantastic bag to have for casual outfits or to take with you while traveling to keep your essentials with a suitcase. This bag also comes in other colours (red and black). Those who like to follow the new mini & maxi handbag trend you can also buy Tory Burch Kipp flap across-body bag (again this bag comes in different colours).
Tory Burch Kipp flap across-body bag £325 – We tried out the red version of this bag and it was very comfortable as a shoulder bag. It has the same design as the Stella McCartney foldable tote bags with the pocket on the end of the flap. If you like nice soft (calf leather), you may pick this one against Stella McCartney. Personally, I have not been sure about Tory Burch before. Having touched, felt and smelt his bags, I am a big fan now.
Thank you to the Selfridges team, espeically Beth, Sanjee and Michelle but also other staff who were very helpuful. We love online shopping but sometimes it is important to touch, smell and feel the bags to get the real feel of them and pick your new favourite bag. After visits like this ( a window shopping only for us this time), you may change your mind which brand is your favourite or you add a new bag to your wish list!
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