Stylish with Substance

Thank you for our first Carnivale here at Pursed Lips. I think we got through it okay!

The entries were fabulous, but how could they not be? On to it!

• GeekiGirl at I want, I got: couldn't decide between two favorites of mine also for only one to choose. Don't we all understand? The Spy just screams luxe and it and uniqueness, but it's also copied so much. I'd go with the Paddington, if given free, for that lizard one you eyed is thousands more expensive!

  And Geeki answered the second question, too! She went superdiva, as would I. You'll have to click to see all the bags!

  Geeki, I have one more bit of advice for your shopping. "I even have to wonder, if I had $2500 to spend would I go with a handbag or a really hot computer or laptop. I think the gear wins. Yes, I am a nerd." Go with the bags! You know you'll eventually get the laptop or computer you want, as everyone agrees those are practical and necessary, but I'm sure you're far less likely to splurge on these bags. Once in a lifetime! ;-)



• Maria Palma at The Runway Scoop chose the Hermes Birkin, the perfect choice for only one big name, classic bag. Oh, and she also wants the Fendi B, which she sneaks in. Diva! (Check out her entry for a rare Internet photo of an authentic Birkin.)


• I participated over at Designer-Ella.com with a list and an array of eye candy bags! Well, that's all there is to say; you've got to see!


• Mallory Road answered on this blog and chose one dream bag by one fave designer (good restraint girl): the Hudson bag by Marc Jacobs.
  
• The Style Graduate kept her choices professionally cool and kept her wits calm while choosing. Thanks for participating! I suggest those "investments" with the leftover $7,000 be investment bags! There were great suggestions on this blog, like the Spy and Paddington. ;-) Or just forget all that Coach, and go all out IT and get an Hermes discounted. Your style is very classic, so there's no better choice for the ultimate bag!

  (And hey, she gets her mom a bag similar to my new Coach baby [yes, I have brown and will get black, but I do like Signature!]! Yes, that's right I sink that money into Coach for real. :-P)
  

We had many different styles and extremes on the shopaholism scale. Thank you all!

And if there's some miracle that brings even more late entries, I will not forget you, they will be posted.

I enjoyed the Emmy's very much this year because TV is all I care about in Entertainment. All the while, my only place is to talk about the Fashion, and I do have one passion of the night ...

Eva Longoria's short frock was retro and feminine, yet with a modern, sexy neckline that still suited the rest of the dress. The bottom of the skirt really stole the show while Eva was in the light; below the knee yet with a bubble-like flow that this picture could not capture.

All of it worked: the hair was perfect; although I don't fall all over the shoe choice.

Miss Longoria, I love you. Who cares if you weren't nominated? You honoured us with your beauty.

I posted my question at Pursed Lips (our bag blog) today for the blog's turn to host la Carnivale!

Basically, pick out what one or few 'IT' Bags you would love to own. There are rules and more options, so read the entry at Pursed Lips and learn how to participate.

Note, this is not being hosted at this blog you are on now, only at Pursed Lips. Do not send entries to Kiss Me, Stace. :-)

We are hosting the Carnivale of Couture this week! I dreamed up such the perfect question a few weeks ago! It's a two-parter, this or that (or both) answer.

1. If you were to only have the allowance for one Big Name designer IT Bag, what would it be? (This is a dream to many with the allowance for none!)


2. If you were given $10,000 (ooookayyyyyy, $20,000 if you're a superdiva) to buy only 'IT' Big Name designer bags, which dream ones would you buy (or just one perhaps)? (You can save some of the cash left over for something else not to be mentioned.) Yes, please do try to keep track of general prices, and authentic and real-life eBay prices count if you would opt for auctions (although if you can't tell authentic, skip the lower-priced ones, natch!).

(By the way, pictures would help us purse desirers!)

Please reply on your blog or in the comments, and the entries will go up here on Monday. Since I'm posting this a little on the late side (due to personal issues which are resolved, knock on wood), there may be a late-call finale day! If you know you will be late, comment a little RSVP.

To submit your published entry, just leave a comment here with your permalink URL in the field. (Our spam protection on this blog is practically manual, so I moderate all new commenters and your comments definitely won't get eaten.)

I think that's it! Have fun with this dream shopping spree, and I hope you don't stress if you can't afford this. My intentions are to give moments of joy!

A side blog news note, I took personal days / family vacations the last two weeks (while still doing my best under my circumstances with personal problems to work on the Carnivale), and now I just want to note that I hope the new scheduled entry days (see a few weeks ago) will be coming back starting next week! I will definitely see you on Monday with the grandest IT Bag Festival (nay, Carnivale, yet!

(Photo credit: Fairfax Digital / Hermes)

The very digital and stylish Natalie Zee from Coquette is hosting la Carnivale this week. She asks the great question,

As we look ahead to Fall season next month, what is one item of clothing you will miss in your Summer wardrobe and what is one item you are coveting for Fall?

Read more and participate!

This year holds the 5th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks (in one month, actually). Not only is it a dangerous time anyway, but it's been made clear that plans were made to strike around this time. Are there more plans waiting?

Now the thing is, Fashion Week Spring 2007 in New York City is September 8th through 15th.

Is New York safe for the designers, models, editors and even now ... bloggers(!)?

Are you worried? As a blogger, if you were invited, would you go to New York Fashion Week in the Fall, especially on a big anniversary of September 11th?

Before I actually go into any designers or styles or photos of fakes again, I thought it was quite necessary to go over the basics of what you need for every bag when bidding on eBay.

Use this as a check list, don't bid until every aspect is satisfactory. (Do you have any requirements to add?)

This is long, so click for full...

1. Research the designer, the classics, and what's always the same and what's not. Research the exact bag style you want. They say you can get 'It' on eBay, so you may want to pick the exact style, size, material and color you want ... and wait. Be prepared to wait no matter what. It's also a good idea to give in a little for a similar style.


2. First when you click on an auction, check the seller's feedback. But don't bother clicking on the # score (just yet), go to ToolHaus.org and put the seller's name in the first form field. This will easily display all negative feedbacks, but also neutrals and "mutually removed" feedbacks (often buyers want to remove their own negative given in retaliation). But this won't show any issues given in positives. Read as much of the feedback on that # score feedback page back on eBay as you can stand, when you feel satisfied this is a good seller, read some more until you're tired.


3. Make sure the person states authenticity guaranteed, or some form of that statement. If the seller does not, perhaps he or she believes or isn't aware that this should be there, so e-mail!


4. The listing must have a lot of great pictures, or freely offer you more detailed pictures through e-mail.


5. When asking questions, make sure you only do business with polite and forthcoming sellers! No matter what.


6. Back to the pictures, you need pictures of all the correct tags, dust bag, interior authenticity plaques and tags, interior pockets (sometimes the fakes have extra or different pockets), exterior signs of authenticity, such as engravings and tags, et cetera. But you must research what these should look like for your designer and bag. Sometimes these pictures are unclear, because it is very hard to take some of these photos. Ask if the seller can try to take clearer ones, but nicely. Fuzzy photos of details are understandable, in this case, you can give a slight pass while you look at the full picture.


7. There must be pictures of the front, back, both sides separately, bottom, and like I said, interior. Don't accept only pictures at an angle, ask for more.


8. Check the listing text. Look for complete descriptions, including size, pockets, colors, style description and/or number, etc. Make sure things go along with the photos, and if they don't, ask what's correct.


9. Make sure, very sure, the listing says you are looking at the photos of the exact bag you are receiving, not just style, but exact item to be shipped to you. Don't accept a bag completely packaged and not inspected. If the seller doesn't state this, ask, often it's true but isn't mentioned. If the bag the listing shows has visible flaws, this should be the same bag you receive, but if it isn't stated, ask.


10. Never trust for a second a stock photo being the only photo, or the only photo of the front. Don't trust professional photos, these may be taken from web stores selling counterfeits. (Personally, I hate photos with white backgrounds. I like to see real life photos, this is just eBay!)
    
11. Used bags can be a little better trusted. Watch for photos of flaws. Be prepared to pay more or just as much for a flawed used bag, because this might say more about authenticity, unfortunately.


12. Price: don't go by lower prices, especially at Buy It Now. Pay attention to start bids, even if they're higher at the moment, and sometimes a reserve can be a good thing, unfortunately.


13. Look at all of the seller's current auctions and don't forget to check completed listings. If there are many of the same bag, especially a more expensive bag, be wary. If there are a lot of very expensive bags, be wary. Stay away if the seller uses the same images for all of the same style. If a completed listing has the same photo, but didn't sell (the price should be red, I think), then the same pictures are fine. If one bag did sell a while ago and your listing has the same photos, the bag could have been returned, but don't put too much trust into that. If it was returned, it might have been because it's fake. Check other auctions, if the same bag is used for any other multiples, forget that seller.


14. Look for a good return policy. 24 hour notice? Not good enough in terms of authenticity. Don't be fooled into thinking you can get a letter from a boutique stating counterfeit status, most shops won't do this.


15. Always pay through PayPal and with a credit card. Both of these give you extra protection to get your money back. Never pay with PayPal funds, check or checking card. Never pay with anything other than PayPal. Always purchase insurance for the full amount.
    
16. Don't buy from overseas in case you need to send it back and would have to pay nonrefundable shipping. Never buy bags from Asia, the faking capitol of the world.


17. Vintage bags can be fake and are sold. Research these just as much. This can be tough, but there are authentic bags. And there are great deals. Plus there are timeless styles that will fit into your current wardrobe!


18. Before you move on after research into bidding, also do your research on how to get a refund on a fake. If the process seems too much, maybe you shouldn't shop eBay. Sorry.


19. Now, once you get your bag, inspect it. Bring it to a boutique. If you don't live near a boutique, you might want to order a bag for inspection or comparison, which can then be returned. Once again compare the bags. Feel the leather. Smell the leather! Trust your gut instinct. We have a 6th sense. A $1,000 bag should give an aura of expense, quality, and luxury. If the bag seems authentic and well-made, but one thing bothers you, go to a message board.


20. Finally, outside sources: eBay Guides, eBay's Fashion Accessories Message Board, and eBay Groups.

I had been awaiting the announcement from Manolo, I even failed to post other things while waiting because this post is most important! While Manolo vacations this summer, through August, I am organizing the Carnivale of Couture with help from The Bargain Queen and Ask Mom (a ShoeBlogs commenter).

The next Carnivale of Couture topic will be on <3 Life, <3 Style at Butterfly-Black.blogspot.com! Her topic is up and it is

Have you ever worn or not worn a certain something that was probably not the smartest thing to do but you did it anyway because of the sake of fashion? Or being horribly embarrassed? You did something fashion-associated that probably wasn't practical and was punished in some way [suffering consequences by be it Mother Nature, or something or someone else]. Tell me your story!

Visit <3 Life <3 Style to participate and read more.

It's a great topic! And if you need a little extra time (past this Sunday), she will extend a deadline for the latecomers. Check the host's blog for updates on that. The entries are scheduled to be compiled each Monday, but this first week has been tough, so we give allowances. It's all understandable, right?

Here is the schedule through the next few weeks! Check these blogs, or here, for the topic during the week before the due date!

due by Aug 21 - coquette.blogs.com
due by Aug 28 - pursedlips.net
due by Sep 04 - therunwayscoop.com
due by Sep 11 - bagsnob.com
due by Sep 18 - omiru.com

(The entries are usually posted on Monday mornings, as I have observed, so yours should be e-mailed in by the Sunday night before that date.)

Yes, it's great news: I have booked midway through September! But if you want to host after these lovely blogs, I can add you. Contact me (at designerella at kissmestace dot com) as long as it's before Manolo is back in September. (Make sure to include the word Carnivale in your e-mail and it won't be missed!)

And if you are wondering how it works, or have doubts about hosting, visit The Bargain Queen's tutorial on hosting!

I will be sending out an e-mail to the old list, frequent participators, and newly inclusion-requested ASAP. If you want to be on the new update list for la Carnivale, comment here (best way to ensure I see every one and quickly).

I think that's it for now! Keep checking here as the headquarters, currently, for Carnivale topics and updates!

Big thanks to The Bargain Queen and Ask Mom, who are both doing so much!

AOL likes to rotate this ad for their shopping pages.

Why?!! Oh why??! Why do they endorse bright, shiny red rain clogs?!

And oh my gosh! This person has tight yellow rain slicker pants tucked into them?!

Most people, go with red flats. For the divas, go with red pumps. If red truly is your color (not everyone!) get a faaaaaaaab dress!

And for the rain, or ever, never clogs.

For a fraction of the cost of a Hermes, this Buti Large Embossed Calf Leather Flap Handbag is still luxurious. Selling at all-Italian luxury Forzieri.com, this handbag is made of fine, handmade calf leather with a suede lining and four metal feet. It has all the luxurious details of a quality inspiration; true lock and key and flap opening around its short handles! If you want a shoulder strap, this bag comes with an extra. You can even have your choice out of five fun or practical colors.

At 14" x 11" x 7", are you ready for the price? $654. There are smaller and different leather choices, too.