Vintage Love: Gucci Top Handle Bag

I think it was in the early to mid-nineties when my mom clipped a Gucci ad of a top handle bag and showed it to me. It was very lovely -- from the rich and warm caramel brown tone of the leather to the impeccable craftsmanship. It was also very, very, very, and if I might add, VERY EXPENSIVE. How she wanted to buy it for me, or at the very least, I get to buy it for myself. But much as I love bags, when you spend so much time thinking long and hard when considering buying, say, an Esprit bag, Gucci bags, or any other luxurious bags, are definitely out of the question. 

So years passed. I kept that clipping in my stash. For years.

Then we moved here in Dumaguete in 2011. One day, I took one last look at the old Gucci ad and threw it away, along with my other clippings and stuff.

Then November 2011 came. I visited a popular flea market here, Aly Mae. And there, among other bags, standing out from the rest, is the Gucci bag I coveted. Complete with the shoulder strap and the hangtag, but in black. The lining was sticky because of the paint, but nothing I can't repair. When I asked the tindera for the price, I thought she'd quote something close to a thousand, and I was prepared to get it, if only for my mom to know that I, we, finally have the bag, but she gave it for LESS THAN 100 PESOS! I very nearly fainted. I paid immediately, lest the tindera changes her mind. 

See? Dreams DO come true.

Friday Favorite Five: Luxe Girly Girl Edition

Yay! Finally, another Friday Favorite Five! I was supposed to publish this weeks back, but we were on our way to Cebu and I didn't have time to finish the post. For three obvious reasons (mahalia, mahalia, mahalia), these stuff are just dreams. But a girl can dream, right?!

1. Mansur Gavriel Rosa bucket bag. With their perennial unavailability, these totes and bucket  bags from designers Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel just seem more desirable. Remember when we all fell in line to buy Krispy Kremes? Ganun. Or perhaps more aptly, THE Hermès Birkin list. From what I gathered, you have to preorder and reserve the bag to get one. With the bag's simplicity and craftsmanship, any flaws can immediately seen, and that is where the bag wins -- its perfection in its simplicity. Another bonus point for not having any logos, just a simple inscription in gold, "Mansur Gavriel." [Tumatanda na yata talaga ako. I used to be so crazy sa logos.] Other designs have contrast lining, and the one in black with red shiny lining looks positively sexy and dangerous. The reservation list is the least of my worries though, as I would have to ask TheHusband to sell his right kidney in order to get this. Babe, pwede namang mabuhay kahit isang kidney lang...

2. Lenox dining set. I saw this in Rustan's Facebook page and swooned. The colors and design are sedate yet so visually catchy at the same time. And oh-so-feminine. I was supposed to check out the price, but as TheHusband remarked, "if you have to ask, you can't afford it." How true.

3. Reese Witherspoon's vintage Christian Dior gown. This was once worn by a princess, and the shop owner was at first hesitant to sell the dress to Kumareng Reese. He/she shouldn't have hesitated, for Reese did the gown justice and indeed looked princess-y. The gown appears to be made of tulle with strips of silk embroidered with golden thread and then beaded. I'm dreaming of making a similar one for Sharkteeth. For her 18th birthday perhaps? Or Sweet Sixteen? 

 

4. Guerlain's Météorites Voyage Exceptional Pressed Powder. With my [hopeless] obsession with clear and luminous skin, I'm almost always willing to try anything, and I do mean anything (will blog about this this soon, sa Istoryang Sinauna series) just to have that perfect complexion. Kasi naman, nung magsabog ang Diyos ng kinis ng skin, nagtatago ako sa kweba. According to Guerlain's website, "A blend of matte and pearly shades, an ingenious mixture of six correcting or light-enhancing colours to deliver the purest radiance to all complexions: pink to refresh the complexion, green to diminish redness, white for a brighter complexion, mauve to catch the light, gold and pearl to add a perfect touch of radiance to the face…The complexion appears even, radiant and luminous with a soft, light and matte finish." While their blurb might sound like a load of BS, I couldn't help but agree. I have the Météorite balls type, and it did make my skin look better. Not flawless, mind, but so many times better. And that's good enough for me.

5. Louis Vuitton Gloria loafers. These loafers are made from monogram-embossed leather with leather trim, knotted leather lace, bow with golden aglet, and rubber nub soles. I would have preferred pink patent Lomboks, but I don't think they still produce Lomboks. Mangangarap na rin lang, yung may shade of possibility na, right?!

Note: In my bid to post regularly, I'm going, or at least try, to post every Friday five of my favorite things. They might be current or past possessions, though others might not be necessarily mine -- could be a wish for my fairy godmother (where are you, by the way?), could be something I saw and found interesting, but it will always be driven by beauty and functionality, hopefully both, but that's a tall order.

Vintage Love: Canonet G-III QL17

From Wikipedia: "The Canonet G-III QL17 is a coupled-rangefinder, leaf-shuttered, fixed-focal-length 35 mm camera first manufactured by Canon in 1972. It features fully shutter-priority automatic exposure and fully manual shooting modes.  The Canonet G-III is the third generation of Canonet, following the original Canonet and the New Canonet. The G-III features a 40 mm f/1.7 with six elements in four groups. The integrated lightmeter provides shutter priority and manual modes. The sensor is located on the forward part of the lens, which allows use of filters without manual compensation of exposure. The Canonet can use standard flashes, or the Canonlite D which was custom-designed for the Canonet."

TL;DR :) You'd be better off with this review, which described it as a "poor man's Leica." "Give Canon some well-deserved credit for producing such a nicely executed and finished camera for those poor, unfortunate slobs who just didn’t have the cash for your Leica, the impoverished dears...." (Do read the entire thing. It's a good piece.) 

                                                                               ♥♥♥
 
Got this from a flea market for PHP50 (~USD1.15). Seriously.

It's working fine, except for the light seal, which has already deteriorated (I will just DIY this, crossing my fingers), and the exposure meter, which is powered by a PX625 mercury battery, which is now discontinued. My fingers are itching to remove the grain-like black leatherette and replace it with pink leather, but it seems like a travesty.