CartArchive for January, 2008
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
For Rent – Designer Handbags
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard me right, designer handbags for rent. You can rent your designer handbags now like you rent your blockbuster movies on a Friday night. Say what?! I kid you not. This is a fairly new concept, yet it does exist out in the market. It’s a fairly small market at the moment, but there are expectations that this concept will grow and expand. As of right now only about a hand full of companies can be found online that provide this service, if that. So, should we all rent our designer handbags now?
The answer to that question all depends, but how does all this renting business stuff work with designer handbags? Well, first off you find the site that you want to rent from. Maybe you pick them because of their selection, or prices, or by sheer Google and click. Once you decided on the site that you want to rent from you need to become a member, just like in a club. You have to be a member in order to rent. Depending on how much you want to pay for membership gauges the types of designer bags that are available for you to rent. A basic membership level is about $19.99 a month on average.
Now you’re a member, what happens now? You browse and look around, find the bag you like, and you place a request for it by putting it in your shopping bag. Just like shopping online. If they have in you see it in the mail a couple of days later. There are no time limits and some sites like you rent up to two or three handbags at a time. There are also other options for things like in case you fall in love with the bag you’ve rented and just can’t part with it or you accidently spilled something on your Juicy Couture. If you want to keep the bag you have fallen in love with you just let the rental company know and they’ll give you a quote on it based on age, condition, and popularity of the bag. If there’s damage, you can send it back to the rental company and they’ll give you a cleaning quote for the bag. Simple huh?
So after all that has been said and done, should you now go out and rent that designer bag that you’ve always wanted to have instead of buying? Well if you’re the type that loves expensive bags, but uses it for a short while then dumps it at the back of your closet and it never sees the light of day again, then you probably want to rent your designer bags. Renting is also good if you have a lot of fancy evening occasions and you only night the bag for the night. If however, you’re a collector or have attachments like me to handbags, then this is probably not the route for you. If you don’t change handbags that often, then rental may not be as cost effective. It all depends on you.
Some sites to check out if you’re interested in renting designer handbags are bagborroworsteal.com and desginerhandbags4rent.com.
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Why Would Designer Handbag Companies Use Vinyl?
Let me first start off by educating our viewers about designer handbags. Today’s lesson is going to be about handbag materials. Handbag materials range from fabrics, canvas, leathers, animal skins, natural fibers, vinyl, etc. The two most popular types of material used in today’s handbag industry are the monogrammed canvas (also known as vinyl or PVC) and calf skin leathers.
“Did you say vinyl, Jen?”
And my response is: “Yes I did say vinyl.”
I think this is an important topic to discuss; therefore, I’m going to dig a little bit deeper into the topic of vinyl bodied handbags.
First off, I just want to make this crucial point clear to our readers. The famous monogrammed Louis Vuitton, Rioni, and Dooney & Bourke handbags mostly consist of a canvas (vinyl) body. Many people think that their monogrammed handbag is leather. Why wouldn’t it be leather? I paid over a thousand dollars for the handbag itself and another two hundred for the shoulder strap. It is a very common misconception that monogrammed handbags consist entirely of leather. It’s a definite shock to many when they find out that their handbags are not leather. Their reactions are similar to watching “Magic Secrets Truly Revealed” on TV for the first time, but instead it’s “Handbag Secrets Truly Revealed.” Well don’t go throwing away your handbag now. The good news is that most of these handbags consist of leather trim and handles. So, your handbag is not completely made of vinyl. Moving on, now that our viewers know the painful truth, it’s time for me to explain why these designer handbag companies choose to use canvas instead of leather.
There are several reasons why many designer handbag companies use canvas bodies. Companies like Louis Vuitton have been in the handbag industry for over a hundred years, thus their experience and expertise led them to cultivate the use of vinyl into their handbags. The primary reason why vinyl was chosen instead of leather equates to the durability of its composition. Durability is a very important aspect for any handbag company’s reputation. Who wants a handbag that will break apart after only a few uses? Secondly, vinyl is capable of being practically stain repellant and water resistant. This is very practical and useful characteristic of vinyl because unexpected accidents are likely to occur during the lifetime of the handbag? The third reason is that vinyl has the ability to retain its shape quite efficiently. Leather handbags tend to sag and droop while vinyl handbags continue to stand nicely in all different types of cute shapes. And last but not least, the most important reason is that monogram prints can only be used on vinyl. So, if you stubbornly insist in only purchasing leather handbags from now on, you can say goodbye to all those beautiful flowers, cherries, blossoms, and logos. Leather is too soft and weak to hold and maintain any type of print. It has been done before; but within only a week’s time, the print wore off and resulted in an ugly faded handbag. And incase you guys were curious; Louis Vuitton gets their leathers and canvas from Paris, Rioni gets their canvas and leathers from Italy, and Dooney and Bourke gets their canvas and leathers from the US.
Well, that about sums up the vinyl versus leather controversy. I hope this post was educational for you viewers out there. Until next time; thank you for your support!
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
A Keychain that makes life easier?
For most people keychains are plain metal rings which you pry open and slide keys in. There is nothing wrong with this, but personally I believe there is always room for luxury, especially since you deserve it.
Rioni has a keychain wallet that organizes your keys with individual rings and folds neatly into a small wallet. Rioni’s keychain wallet also has a coin pocket in the back which is very useful when you are parked at metered parking spot. I can even begin to tell you how many times I went to grab some coffee and it took longer than expected. But conveniently I just take out some coins from my keychain to feed the meter. Small things like this may seem very simple but in the end it just makes life easier.
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Wristlet Over a Big Bag Any Day
Now and days big bags are what we see on the fashion runway, on models, and what women are carrying on an everyday basis. But what about the wristlet? Many might overlook them thinking they’re tiny, but I think they’re a great way to go, maybe even better than the latest big bag trends.
Wristlets are convenient, compact, fast and very travel friendly, not to mention making its mark in fashion. Many wristlets have a strap that can be adjusted so that it can be looped to one side or looped to both to act like a normal mini handbag. Some are very simple, having one compartment, while others act more like organizers, with credit card holders, cell phone holder pouch, and side zipper pockets. Some wristlets even come with a keyring on so that you can easily attach your keys to it. Wristlets can be used for special occasions like a night of dancing of out on the town, or slightly larger wristlets that can be for everyday use. It allows you to carry the necessities that you need, without adding strain to you back and the accumulation of unnecessary items.
One of my favorites for wristlets in general for variety in size are the ones made by Coach. They also have a variety of styles as well. One of my favorites for everyday wristlets is the Wristlet Clutch made by RIONI. It comes in Aristo Brown, Aristo Black, and Signatuare Brown. It retails between $78-84.
Let me know of any great wristlet finds!
Monday, January 21st, 2008
Why Women Are So Concerned with Beauty
Today, I feel like going a little bit off tangent by introducing a new topic—beauty. It all began when I was walking down the street of Santa Monica Blvd one afternoon. I couldn’t help but notice something particularly odd. All the young ladies were fully accessorized. What I mean by “accessorized” is that these girls had their hair done, makeup done, wore matching shoes and clothes, and of course, most importantly, carried their designer handbags. I then decided to count how many of the girls I passed looked unappealing (the opposite of accessorized). To no great surprise, about 80% of the girls were fully accessorized. However, at the same time I also noticed that only about 25% of the men were presentable. “Why was this?” Well, I did some research and found out why this was so.
It is a natural evolutionary trait for women to care about their beauty and appearance. Women naturally make themselves beautiful to attract their future bringer of offspring. But, we already know that Jen; stop jabbering about things we already know! Okay, my point is that women go to great extents to prove this simple and obvious fact. Women are patient creatures. We girls do not make the first move when it comes to relationships. We will wait as long as it may take for the man to make the first move. Am I right, ladies? In order to prepare for this long and torturous diligent journey, we need to make ourselves look beautiful so we can stand out and perhaps catch a man’s attention. For example, since I know that most men don’t find short hair attractive, I continue to keep my hair the way it is—long past my shoulders. This is what we girls have to deal with in order to win over men. What a nuisance, why don’t we just stay single? Well, evolution is a big contributor to ensure that this idea of isolation does not come into play. In order for the human race to survive, we humans need to continue to reproduce. So in conclusion, men are essential, but only for the act of mating. 
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Handbags for a Good Cause
Everyday we buy and consume, so why not do so for a good cause? We’re going to buy that handbag or shoe, or drink anyway, why not buy it and have part of it go to a foundation? I am a favorite of fashion for a cause, it just makes you feel even better about buying something for yourself. There are lots and lots of different causes and foundations out there, all you have to do is find the one that you feel passionate about supporting.
Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast Cancer Awareness is one of my favorites. I tend to buy things I don’t necessarily need just because I think it’s a great cause. Many large handbags companies support this foundation by making bags especially to allow you to show support, while others simply donate portions of the proceeds. A great example is Coach. Coach makes key chains and accessories for you handbag especially for the Breast Cancer Awareness cause. In addition, Saks Fifth Avenue has a specific collection called the Breast Cancer Awareness Handbag Collection that donates 20% of the total retail price to the foundation. On ebags.com, there are pages and pages full of trendy bags in the Pick Pink selection and 10% of the proceeds are donated.
AIDS Research
Aids awareness is also another cause that is causing movie stars a like to integrate fashion and charity. One of the biggest events is 7th on Sale sponsored by EBay. Here hundreds of designers and celebrities donate handbags and other fashion accessories that have been on the red carpet to be auctioned off. All of the earnings from the biddings are donated to Benefit Aids and fight against this global threat. More information on 7th on Sale can be found at www.7thonsale.ebay.com. There are also many other vendors, designers, and celebrities that are doing that and Thinking Red.
Lupus Research Institute
People like Mary Norton, a designer and friend of Sharon Stone is helping out the Lupus Research Institute. Mary Norton herself has fought lupus, and Sharon Stone has offered her Moo Roo minaudiere crystal clutch that she used on the red carpet premiere of Catwoman up for auction. All proceeds will go to Lupus Research. The Moo Roo crystal Clutch retails for $1100.
Fendi and American Forests
Fendi is doing its part for the environment. Just recently during the holiday season Fendi introduced their limited edition woven tote available at Barney’s. A portion of the proceeds made from this bag will go to the Sustainable Harvest International.
These are only some of the many causes that you can help with your everyday fashion purchases. You can look up the cause that is right for you from Parkinson’s to Alzheimer, to Leukemia. I know I’m on my way to buy a new bag to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness, how about you?
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
Why is my designer handbags so heavy?
Have you ever wondered why your Louis Vuitton handbag was so heavy? Are you a victim of backward rationalizing—thinking that it must be because I put too much things inside my bag or perhaps you may be in denial that your handbag is a little bit on the heavy side. Well, in this post I want to teach you about designer handbags and the parts that contribute to its heftiness.
One sturdy participator for handbag weight is its hardware. By just looking at the hardware, you can already judge the quality of a handbag. Designer handbag companies take into consideration the weight of their handbags, so they are very selective when it comes to choosing the metal hardware for their handbags. However, many times they need to make sacrifices by incorporating heavier metals because it may properly suit the contours of the bag. There are several reasons why these metals can start to weigh down your handbag. Handbag hardware is anodized for longevity purposes. Cheaper hardware is painted and is likely chip or tarnish over a short period of time. Metals are one contributor, but we must not forget the primary contributor to the beefiness.
The canvas on designer handbags plays a significant role in handbag weight. Designer handbag companies such as: Louis Vuitton, Dooney & Bourke, and Rioni all use this heavy canvas material. The pros for using canvas are its durability and aesthetics; the tradeoffs being the weight issue and the fact that it isn’t composed of leather. Well girls, pain is beauty and we are just going to have to deal with these facts.
So, in the future there is no need to be in denial or wonder why your handbag continues to gives you aches and pain. You now know the truth concerning the contributors that weigh down those beautiful irresistible handbags.
Thursday, January 10th, 2008
What’s in my Bag?
A few of you have asked me what I carry in my bag. I thought that this was a rather odd question, but I had some time sitting around waiting at the DMV today. So here it goes: My cell phone, my wallet, my cell phone charger, my iPod, some cosmetics, a hairbrush, feminine hygiene products, keys, sunglasses, a travel pack of Kleenex, a few packs of moist towelets, chewing gum, body spray, and lotion. There was also some junk that I have removed from my bag after I went through my bag, thanks readers! Remove: A few paper clips, old receipts, ticket stubs, a sugar packet, a key from my last apartment, a couple of business cards, an expired band aid, some restaurant mints, expired Albertson’s coupons, and a coffee stirrer.
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
Ladies Beware of Big Handbags!
I’m sure you’ve heard that the thing for this season, and for a while now have been heavy bags, but could these fashionable bags be causing some of our health problems and we don’t even know it until it’s too late? Well, the American Chiropractic Association says yes. We worry about what compliments our outfit so much more than about if this outfit is healthy for our everyday well being.
One of the main reasons big bags tends to cause health problems is because larger bags tend to allow women the luxury of overstuffing. They figure they can carry everything, even the not so important items, so why not. The why not is because, it’ll cause more pain that you should need or have to suffer though and won’t be good for you in the long run.
Lower back problems are caused by leaning with the bag. You might be doing this and not even know it. You lean because one side of your body is slightly heavier than the other and at the end of the day your back is hurting and you don’t know why. You might think, “oh, well the leaning and the pain is not enough to be noticed on a everyday basis.” Well, after a while, adding to the everyday stress of your body in addition to the strain that is already being caused will make it travel up to your neck, Since you’re busy, you don’t realize that the muscles and nerves are now affected until your hand spasms and you have trouble writing. This is because nerves from the lower neck supply the shoulder all the way down to the hand.
What Can We Do?
Well, first off keep this simple rule in mind, never carry a bag that weights more than 10% of your body weight. Once you hit the 10% back problems are a guarantee and will restrain your everyday movement. You should stick to well below 10% of your body weight.
Next, select a purse with a wide adjustable strap. The best would be if the strap is long enough so that you can place it over your head to be used like a messenger bag. This will help the weight of the bag to be evenly distributed across preventing leaning.
Another tip is when carrying a heavy bag periodically switch sides to that each side gets a break from carrying the heavy load.
This next tip I highly recommend: LADIES TAKE TIME TO EMPTY UNECESSARY ITEMS FROM YOUR BAG. We all know we have little things that have been in there for gosh knows how long, take them out! Even the little items add up in weight!
Finally the American Chiropractic Association recommends to “Place all necessary items- such as wallets and cellular phones- in the front pockets of the bag. Stretching around to reach for your wallet can result in a pulled neck or back. If you are driving or sitting for long period of time, remove your wallet or card holder from the back of your pants.”
You can find more information on Fashion and Health Problems at the American Chiropractic Association at this link: http://www.amerchiro.org/content_css.cfm?CID=73.
So ladies, do a favor for your back…it’ll love you for it!
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Top 10 things we girls carry in our handbags
What goodies are inside our handbags…
10. PEPPER SPRAY – Back off or I will spray you! In the twenty first century, how often does one hear a lady say this line? Well on TV very often, but in reality very infrequently. Why is this? This is because we girls are smart cookies, for when we travel to places that we feel are unsafe, we carry a man with us instead. So I guess, you can say that the use of a man has replaced the use of pepper spray. Quite ironic, but it’s valid.
9. HAIR BRUSH – A hair brush is usually added to our handbag when we go on trips. It is not too practical to carry a hair brush (large and bulky) for everyday usage. But don’t get me wrong, many ladies will still carry hair brushes regardless of the space it consumes in their handbag.
8. AGENDA – Nowadays this accessory is not a common necessity in our handbags; the reason being is that it’s too bulky and technology has allowed us ladies to store our life’s planner into either a pocket computer or cell phone. Hence, agendas are not ranked highly on the list of things carried inside our handbags.
7. PHOTOS – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was not just a title of a Chinese film. The title of the movie actually had a deep connotation behind it. When a tiger is crouching behind a bush, it is as still as a stone. However, when a tiger’s prey is present, the tiger will now leap with massive force to pounce on its prey. This analogy can be linked to a photo we have hidden deep in our handbag. How so? Well, inside our purse a picture of our family is inanimate; but when we pull out the photo, it unleashes lively emotions of love, happiness, and assurance.
6. MINTS & PILLS – Nobody likes a person with bad breath. So, whether we use mints for ourselves or in an elevator offer it to a gentleman with terrible breath, this is a definite keeper in our handbag. The mints category include: gum, candy, mint strips, and other type of mints. Besides mints, there are also other goodies we ingest to make us become brighter individuals.
Pop them in your mouth and say goodbye to all your worries. What are we talking about here? We are talking about pills! Some common pills carried in our handbags are aspirin, vitamins, birth control pills, and or other types of prescription medication.
5. KEYS & TAMPONS – Both keys and tampons tied for the 5th position. Not only is a set of keys essential for filling the contents of a handbag, keys are like a gateway to our adventures and at the end of the day to the portal of our safe haven–home. Attached to our key ring is usually something that jingles or something we feel that is simply adorable. Keys are essential, but at times tampons are also essential.
I know at times it can be quite an embarrassment when one of these suckers (tampons) fall out of your handbag, but I guess it’s better off being safe than sorry. Some ladies may not need to use them, but if you are still having periods, your best bet is to carry at least one tampon in your handbag.
4. COSMETICS – Hopefully this does not take up the majority of our handbags, but we all agree that cosmetics are a must have in every purse! Usually we ladies carry something we can smack on our lips such as Chap Stick or lipstick. If that doesn’t quite get the job done, we’d probably include a compact. Other goodies such as mascara, eye liner, and so on are also possible candidates for our handbag contents.
3. CELL PHONE – Technology is a key factor for survival in our society. This is why we see that practically every lady carries a cell phone. Whether we simply throw our cell phone into our bag or put it neatly into our leather cell phone pouch that we bought for $5 at a local mall stand, a cell phone is essential for life and for complimenting our handbag.
2. SALES RECEIPTS – Most of us ladies occasionally throw sales receipts for something we recently purchased into our bags. Don’t believe me? Well, do you recall your last stop to the gas station, grocery store, coffee shop, favorite fast food joint, or shopping mall? Where did you place that receipt? Ah, I told you so.
1. WALLET - A wallet is the key ingredient for filling our handbag to its maximum capacity. Many of us girls have our wallets full to the point that usually the button flap closure for the wallet has now become an unusable option. This is why some of us like to separate our cards and cash. For example, credit cards in one wallet and a simple coin purse for our cash and ID.
This concludes my top 10 things we girls carry in our handbags. Did I miss anything? Post a comment and let me know. Thank you.
