Sunday, August 30, 2015

Mummy me-time: my bag and shoe addiction.

Before I became a Mum, and way before I even became my husband's girlfriend (last time, we call em Steady, LOLS), I had a hobby of buying designer goods like bags, small leather goods, and sometimes random pieces of clothing like scarves and such.

During those days, I'm not sure if you are familiar with Jean Paul Gaultier (aka JPG, the designer, not a photo file extension!), Chantal Thomass, and Sonia Rykiel. Are these people still alive??!
Remember the signature V logo (Valentino) wallet??
And Ferragamo head bands/ hair clips... Roflsssss

Oh how Valentino and Ferragamo have evolved over the decades.

Liking higher end fashion was something I would say I was born with.
Why do I say that?
My parents are normal folk who don't buy designer goods as they wont understand why theres a need to spend thousands of dollars on something which can be bought at 1/10 of the price at Metro, so there's no way I would have inherited anything LV or Chanel from them.
My younger brothers also do not fancy designer brands. Guys being guys, as long as it looks good and is priced good, they will buy.
So other than "being born with it" like an unexplained congenital disease, I don't know  how else to describe my incessant want for high end goods.


I started out with high street brands like JPG, Chantal Thomass during my sec school days, and moved on to brands like Balenciaga and LV when I got older and more spending power.
Then I moved on to even higher end brands like Chanel and subsequently (unfortunately or not :P), Hermes.

From my years of buying and selling bags and accessories, I've come to the realization that Hermes holds her value the most, for the longest period of time.
I've bought and sold several H bags along the way, and they almost always manage to break even my cost or sometimes even make a small profit.
 
 
Allow me to share some pieces from my humble collection.
 
Clean white sheets and orange boxes make my day.
My first Birkin - a gold 30cm with PHW.


I got her for my birthday last year and my heart skips a beat when I look at her pictures now.
I've since sold her because I'm finding the gold difficult to match most of my outfits and I prefer colours, but the special feeling of buying your first B lingers :)
 

Hermes scarf with a pack of knotting cards which the SA threw in for me. Sometimes it is not available so I am stoked!
 
Hermes 90x90cm scarf worn as a halter at W resort during our staycation last year.
 


Lindy 34 in Rouge Garrance with my Clover charm.

Outfit of the day throwback:
Grey top with red macaw details.
Levis jeans
Ferragamo peeptoes
Hermes Lindy in Rouge Garrance.

Outfit of the day:
Leopard hearts top from random shop
Mango MNG chilli red cigarette pants
Charlotte Olympia kitty flats with red trimmings and glasses.
Hermes Evelyne GM in Etoupe

What I wore one day:
Cheong Moschino Barbie tee from Carousell
Hermes Garden Party in white
Hermes Oran slippers in white.


All white-and-pink err day.
 

Shoes of the day:
Valentino yellow rockstuds paired with my yellow blouse and culottes which I got from a boutique at United Square level 1.
Went there for kiddy stuff but ended up buying clothes for myself too.


Soufre Toolbox 26


Hubby calls my TB the Ugly Duckling bag especially when paired with my yellow Valentino rockstuds.. But don't care :P

I really like how lightweight Swift leather is, and it holds a ton without weighing down on your shoulder. The amazon strap length is just nice, not like the Lindy 34 strap is slightly too long.
Initially, I didn't really like the toolbox. Hubby said it looks funny and I think it looks like MacDonald's Happy Meal box, but after I got it, I start loving it more and more for its practicality.

One fine day, while browsing my favourite www.deluxemall.com, the stars aligned and I found my perfect little pink bag.
My Miss Yellow ugly duckling with little Miss Tosca Birkin 30.

Hermes picotin 18 (smallest) with horseshoe charm.

Purchases from H boutique in Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, when the AUD fell to an all-time low against SGD. It was my lucky day!
 
Tips for buying Hermes in Singapore:
- You're better off buying from reputable resellers like Luxlexicon, Ciaciasg.hermes and Jael99 on Instagram, than trying to play the quota game of buying small goods at the boutiques and being put on an infinite wait list.
 
 
- (cont'd from point above...) Unless of course, you really like the small accessories like CDCs, charms and clic clacs and don't mind buying them from the boutique to build up your profile.
Sometimes, CDCs and Rodeos are much cheaper in boutiques than from resellers who mark up the price to sky high amount.
When I was in Brisbane, I saw they had some lizard KDTs and Kelly dogs available which would be much cheaper after 10% tax rebate + low AUD exchange rate than if you were to buy from resellers here.
It's really a matter of being at the right place at the right time!
 
 
- Once, I walked into a boutique asking for Lindy in size 30 (as I already have one in 34). The SA told me no shipment lately so I ended up buying other stuff. Before she was about to wrap them up, she said "Oh, maybe I have something in the back room which may interest you" and popped out a Lindy 30 in Feu.
This is how H boutiques work. The quota game suck, but you still go back wanting for more >_<
 
 
- Join www.purseforum.com and read up on the Hermes authentication threads to learn how to tell the authentic engraving and blind stamps from the fake.
 
 
- Some resellers mark up like crazy, so always do your homework on www.deluxemall.com and Carousell to know the different prices charged by different sellers.
 
 
- Don't go in debt buying these stuff. Remember, you can never out-chase fashion!
Spend within your means after you have sorted out the big ticket things already: your own home, children's education monies, and invariable expenses that you cannot escape from every month like eg. maid salary, enrichment classes, tuition, bills etc.
It's also important to set aside some savings for variable expenses like spoilt electronics, car servicing and repair, holidays.
 
 
- Lastly, these bags are only material.
I can't say the same for your children, but I do know mine will lean on my bags, step on my footwear (my first and ever pair of Chanel Aloha slippers had the petals fall off due to said children stepping on them when they learn to walk), and they aren't the most careful beings in the universe.
But it's Ok for me because I'm not one who will over-pamper my stuff like bringing a bag cover or bag hanger when going out for meals / gatherings etc.
 
 
 
If you have any expert advise on shopping which I have missed out/ don't know, please kindly email me or leave a feedback :)
Ok la, that's all before I log off and go for dinner with my family.
 
I still have photos from our Tokyo and Gold Coast trip I haven't uploaded, not to mention blogging about Ashton turning THREE. I am soooooo backlogged.
 
 
Disclaimer: this post is meant to be part of the Fashion/ Beauty posts run by Singapore Mom Bloggers (SMB) community which I belong to, and is in no way meant to represent any brand or company. All photos belong to me and objects featured in photos belong to my personal collection and are not for resale. Usage of my photos without permission is not allowed.