Fad*ish- fashion and design

If you know me, you know I am far from having locks that are gold -- they are not even pewter or brass -- yet I found myself just as betwixt and bewildered as the young lass, who snuck into the bear's home in search of comfort, only to be met with choices of three. My ‘bear’s house’ was Jamin Puech, and though there wasn’t any porridge, chairs or beds to choose from, there were a multitude of bags -- overly stylish, gaudy to the point of brilliant, absolutely fabulous bags. Overloaded to the point of confusion, the shopaholic in me wanted to buy them all, but then rational reason, and consciousness of my credit limit kicked in. Channeling the rational reasoning of my best friend, known for her innate ability to pick one multipurpose bag, most of the time grey, that goes with everything, I sifted through their fall 2009 collection.

Beading, leather and wood accents -- oh my -- I ran my fingers over the ‘Wilda’ hand bag. Medium in size, eclectic in taste, this bag had the capacity to hold all of my necessities, while being one hell of an accessory. Just as I convinced myself that I needed it, I thought about my best friend. Other than the fact that the bag was not her taste, it also wasn’t as versatile as I needed it to be. I knew my friend would have scolded me for my poor buying decision, and with that I scurried off to the next bag.

The second bag that caught my eye was ‘Brooke’. Not to be confused with ‘broke’, because one could not be economical and purchase this bag. It was the epitome of chic, with clean, yet soft cowhide lines. This bag was versatile enough to calm the most conservative of people, yet stylish enough to raise an eyebrow. It was about to buy it and build a shrine in its honor, when my friend’s discerning voice once again worked its way into my thoughts. She would say that this bag wouldn’t hold all my stuff, and that I need something with pockets. In my euphoria, I had forgot all about pockets, and the need to hold more than a wallet, lip gloss and cell phone. I needed more than this bag could offer. Maybe another time, I thought to myself as I put the bag down.

I was about to give up hope, when the holy grails of bags shone like a beckon of blessed light up high, on its aloof perch. There it was flawless, sleek and fabulous, with enough style to make a metrosexual blush, and enough pockets to hold all of my stuff. It was the perfect combination of function and form, and would be make the ideal everyday bag. My inner best friend was silenced, confirming the perfection of my selection -- and its name was ‘Blade’.

*ms.b

Additional info:

Walda bag: € 595.00

Brooke Bag: € 435.00

Blade bag: € 595.00

Visit Jamin Puech website for store locations and online purchases.

Labels: Style

I was shopping at Karen Millen in NYC’s Soho, squeezing myself into their slender fit tweed dress from their preview to fall collection, and I couldn't manage to get the zipper up. The invisible zipper was located at the back of the dress, and the sales woman must have heard me muttering obscenities, because she immediate came to my rescue. Once I was zipped in, and after the usual flattery about how the dress was made for me, I asked her how does a single girl manage to zip herself, when the zipper is located in the back. She replie, “well, it is a great way to pick up men.” A great way to make a love connection? I guess coming out of your apartment undone, and strolling up to the nearest piece of eye candy to get zipped up, sure beats any pick-up line I can think of.

Really, in this day and age, why are zippers in the back anyway? It was manageable when well-to-do women had servants to strap ‘em in, but now, when we have matured past Scarlett O’hara, with the burning bra’s to prove it -- how are back zipped dresses practical? From a design’s standpoint, zippers can give you a seamless and flawless front, I get that. And honestly, a cocktail dress looses its punch when there is a gaudy zipper riding the front of it. Even the most inflexible of women can manage a zipper when arrives mid-back, but when it zips up to the neck ones is going to have to pay for contortionist training– and honestly, who has the extra cash for useless skills in the recession?

I ended up not buying a single dress because those that appealed to me were for daytime, and I couldn’t imagine struggling with a zipper before (or after) my morning coffee. It was a shame too, because the dresses from Karen Millen’s collection were absolute heaven, and they fit like a glove. Maybe as spicy autumn draws near my heart will grow warm at the idea of tangling with difficult tweed, but for now, in this unseasonable cool summer, I will keep my heart and my zippers to myself. Check out the new looks at www.karenmillen.com.

*ms.b

Labels: Style