Marc Jacobs Vibe

My Marc Jacobs hot pink 'Stella'

As you saw, my previous posts were all about my Louis Vuitton bags. I guess I had a bit of an addiction for a minute. Whitin a short period of time I collected around 15 LV bags and I loved them all. But the longer I owned them, the more I noticed I wasn't using them. Whenever it was raining (vachetta!) I left my LV's at home and used my good old beat up leather bags. So recently I decided to get rid of most of my LV's and start a new collection of bags that I can always use. I got the medium Dior Gaucho (LOVE it!), a Marc Jacobs Stella, a Marc Jacobs Multi-Pocket, a Marc by Marc Jacobs Totally Turnlock Teri, and some other bags.

       Right now I'm using my Marc Jacobs Stella. I got it on eBay for a good deal and I'm super happy with it. The leather is really soft (and sturdy!) and everything just screams quality. It has a lot of pockets, some equipped with super heavy clasps. The inside is made of a soft fabric and there's one zip compartment. This bag is really big and holds everything you need it to hold.

   I just started using it so I'll let you know how quickly the bag will age. Right now this bag is around 8 years old but it still looks as good as new. Overall I think this bag is a keeper, it's just really well made. I think I'll enjoy it a lot.

Pro:
+ Beautiful leather
+ Lots of pockets
+ Great hardware

Con
- Maybe it's a bit too big for me
- I personally prefer one top handle instead of two..

Review on the Louis Vuitton Bucket GM

After getting the Petit Bucket, I became really enthusiastic about the bucket shape so I figured it might be a good idea to get the Bucket GM as well. It's much bigger than the petit bucket, plus it has some extra pieces of vachetta that I like. I was really looking forward to wearing the bag, until I received it.


Borrowed from the world wide web

Relining a Louis Vuitton Petit Bucket Myself

I recently bought a Petit Bucket and I love it. I think it is the cutest little bag ever. The size is pretty similar to a speedy 25, but because of the large opening it is a bit less secure. To keep myself from being robbed, I attach my mini pochette (with my wallet inside) to the d-ring. The security issue is my only issue with the bag, right now. At first, as with most of the vintage Petit Buckets, mine came with a nasty sticky and peeling lining. I've asked how much it would cost to get it fixed by LV and the SA told me it would be aroung €125 (or about 170 dollars). Since I got a good deal on the bag, I didn't want to spend that money on it right away because I first wanted to test if I like wearing the bag.
      So in order to prevent myself from spending more money on the bag, I figured I would first reline it myself. I had already tried to clean the bag with nailpolish remover (which was a bad idea because it made the lining come off). I didn't want to try the talcum powder solution because I wouldn't want my stuff to be covered in talcum powder residue. So a new lining it was. I bought myself some cloth at a local store and went ahead with it. You can see the results here:

Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoires Vernis Amarante reveal

Anybody who's reading my blog may think that I'm spending money like crazy these days, but honestly, it isn't that bad. I recently sold several LV bags to save some money for a new one. Even though I like buying pre-lover items, I do feel that a new bag is more 'my' bag than a bag that has been used for sveral decades by someone else.

The wonderful Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoire

 

My pre-loved pochette from 2001

I think the pochette accessoires is the best piece to start a Louis Vuitton 'collection'. And even if you already have other bags, I think this thing is an amazing addition. You can use it as a make-up bag, a clutch, a cross-body or as an extra pocket inside your bag.

My Louis Vuitton Saumur 30 (aka Saumur MM) review

It actually was an accident. I was a bit bored and started bidding on eBay, not expecting to win. But then, I did. And my 'price' was the Saumur 30. I always liked the design so I was excited to own one. And if I wouldn't have been excited, I was my own fault for bidding on it.
But anyway, it arrived and the condition of the bag wasn't the best. The leather is dark, has stains and is cracked here and there. But overall, it wasn't horrible and I could still use it. I was a bit p*ssed when I saw some tiny cracks in the canvas, which meant that I would never be able to get the vachetta renewed at Louis Vuitton. The design however did surprise me in a good way. You can wear this bag crossbody, or fold the strap in such a way that it turns into a shoulder bag.

Classic T-shirt T by Alexander Wang update

So, I think it has been over three years now that I own my classic T. At first, I was disappointed by the quality of the shirt. In the very beginning I was babying the shirt like crazy. I washed it by hand in cold water, and handled it very gently. But it would still loose its shape! After a year I stopped wearing it because it just looked like a rag (to me). I also started trowing it in the washer with all my other stuff and for some reason, the condition hasn't changed over the last two years. I now wear it when I'm inside the house or as my summer PJ's but I guess I could still wear it to casual occasions. So it started out pretty bad at first, but overall I'm pretty satisfied with the quality.

How to get the old vintage smell out of your bags

Use steam! I found out that it is the best way to get the annoying smell out of your stuff. I've tried baking soda, febreze, airing it out but nothing really helped. Suddenly I came up with the idea to use my little steamer. I bought it a year ago when I started buying second hand furniture. I wanted to be sure when I bought a chair, even if it looked clean, had nothing nasty hidden in the fabric. I've been using the steamer ever since for cleaning older stuff or delicate fabrics and I can tell you it's worth the money.

So what did I do with my bags?

Starting my (small) Louis Vuitton Collection

My little collection; mini pochette, pochette accessoires, Deauville, Saumur 30, Saumur 35, Sologne and a bandeau.

When I was about seventeen, I saw a woman on the street wearing a beautiful bag with a (to me) really appealing logo print. I didn't know what brand it was, only that I wanted one too. I coudln't find these bags anywhere in the stores so after a while, me and a friend chased down a woman who was wearing one. I asked here where what bag it was and where she'd bought it and she told me she got it abroad and that it was a Louis Vuittton. Finally I knew! I typed the name into Google and found several hits of celebrities wearing these bags and I also immediately saw that I couldn't afford one of my own.

My Louis Vuitton Sologne Review

This is my beauty

A little while ago, I was paying a visit to the Louis Vuitton website to see if there were any bags I was interested in. And as it turned out, I started having a thing for the Sologne. i really like the proportions of the bag and how classic it looks. To me, this is just one of those bags you can wear to (almost) any occassion and looks great at any age. Apparently however, I am the only one who likes this bag because I couldn't find a single review on the thing. So to fill up this gaping hole on the internet, I decided to write one myself. Just a couple days after finding my new desired LV on the website, I spotted on on eBay at a good price. Fortunately, I won the auction and I now am the proud owner of a vintage Louis Vuitton Sologne. The only downfall on this bag was the missing shoulderstrap, but luckly my mom had a leather strap that matched pretty well. And now, after a visit to the local shoe repair guy, I can wear my bag. The dimensions of the bag are x x and it comes with a longer shoulderstrap to wear it crossbody or as a classic shoulderbag.