I find Emily Blunt so pretty and so girly. I picture her as a grown-up and changed (for the better) type of Blair Waldorf. She looks classy and elegant just like her Botkier “Jackie” Hobo which costs about $595. I love that she chose a pewter metallic shade because it can still look classy even if the metallic color is often associated with trendy. If you want to go for a silver metallic bag, I suggest going for a pewter shade (dark, blackish kind of silver) so you won’t look like a walking disco ball. And what’s even better is that her outfits in all three occasions were all neutrals. And notice that she didn’t have much accessories or jewelry. This will tone down the metallic bag. Great styling indeed. I love it!

Shia Labeouf’s girlfriend, Carey Mulligan is so cute. She’s got a preppy, boyish, and relaxed style. And check out that cute and relaxed bag that shows off her personality! It’s a red Burberry leather messenger bag that retails for $595. It’s also available in black and nutmeg color, in case you’re wondering. It’s a great everyday bag for when you have your hands full. It’s a huge messenger bag where you can put notebooks and pens and even magazines while you grab your cup of coffee or tea, as you carry your keys or your baby perhaps – all while being stylish and classic at the same time.

Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire fame, dons a Dolce & Gabbana “Miss Ginn” bag. It sorta looks like a Chloe bag from a far, if you’d ask me. But anyway, this ruffled bag is among the other ruffled bags of D&G for their latest collection. It retails about $1450-$1495.

This is my favorite bag in all the bags featured here. And who owns it? None other than Hilary Duff. She carries an oversized tote from Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci. Ricardo’s version of the classic Givenchy Nightingale satchel. Some day, I plan to get a Givenchy nightingale bag too. But I doubt this limited edition will still be available. What I love about this bag is it’s shape plus this version has a chain detail in its strap. If you want to wear it in your shoulders, you can! And it won’t be uncomfortable because the chain is just a decor on the top of the strap. It sorta reminds me of the new Louis Vuitton Arsty bag’s strap. But Ricardo Tisci was first! Ha! LOL! There’s a smaller version which is the MEDIUM size that will definitely be perfect for me. But the price is a whopping $2,175. The one Hilary Duff is carrying is the large version which retails for $2,375.

Jennifer Garner for me looks like a down-to-earth mom, wife, and lovely actress. She’s got that effortless classy chic aura in her. You can see her wearing just jeans and a shirt but when she dresses up for the Red Carpet such as with her Oscar Dela Renta dresses among others, oh she just looks divine. Below she totes her Cartier Marcello bag that comes in three sizes, costing $1,005 to $1,600. I can’t tell for sure with the photos below but I think she got either the medium or the large Marcello bag and definitely not the smallest. This is a classy bag that is not only perfect for young adults but is also a great bag to give to your Mom… classy and timeless.

Another celebrity who has a relaxed and casual style is Jessica Alba. It shows with the bag of her choosing – an Escada Sport bag which I couldn’t find the price of. Haha. I’ve tried hard. It was from Escada’s Fall/Winter 2009 collection that’s why I could no longer find it. But if any of you readers know the price, let us know.

Jessica Simpson shows off her native roots with this Ralph Lauren Collection Bohemian tote. I say this because this tan color, especially in suede material, feels very American/Country/Western/Cowboy = Texas, her home state. Anyway, this tote comes in a dark chocolate too and retails for $995.

Another Jess’ fave is this very expensive Valentino Sequined Bow hobo. The original leather Valentino 360 bow hobo costs $1,395. The studded version costs $2,695. The sequined tuxedo version (black and white color with floral detail) costs $4,495. So this silver sequined 360 bow hobo would be around the $3000-$4000 range.

Kate Bosworth for me is one of the stylish and trendy young actresses of our time. And of course, she’s among the first ones to carry the Loewe bag. Loewe is a label from Madrid. It is now gaining popularity with Hollywood actresses. Kate carries the “Ame” Purse which is around $1000-$1500 in USD.

Below, Katie Holmes enjoys carrying her Chloe Marci Horseshoe hobo everywhere she goes. This bag retails for $1,465 for the small and $1,595 for the large. I’m not a particular fan but I’m sure some ladies would love to have this tote. I’m not sure but by the looks of the second photo in the middle, her Chloe Marci hobo appears to be a python material. If so, this bag would be around the $3,000 range.

Another Katie Holmes’ fave is this Ralph Lauren Collection London Saddle bag which retails for about $2,300.

Katy Perry shows off her bold style with a gold Chloe Paddington purse. She definitely has a bold personality and bold fashion sense. Thus, this bag definitely suits her because of the GOLD metallic color. However, this Chloe Paddington bag is definitely for everyone. Why? Back in the day when it was first to be released (Spring/Summer ‘05), it was SOLD OUT before it even hit the boutiques. Yup, it has superseded the other IT bags such as Balenciaga’s motorcycle bag, Fendi’s baguette bag, and even Gucci’s Jackie O. bag. Good thing they have been restocked since then.

Kim Kardashian sports another Givenchy oversized tote designed by Ricardo Tisci. This black oversized tote is called the Elschia Billy Sac and retails for $1,975. Kim also uses this as her gym bag as seen in the middle photo.

Nicole Kidman has always been elegant. Her statuette and classic beauty is also duplicated by her lovely Tod’s D-bag. A classic bag from Tod’s, I would love to have one when I’m in my late 30s. It is understated elegance costing $1,345 for the small and $1,445 for the large. Diane Kruger and Gwyneth Paltrow share the love for Tod’s D-bag as well. It actually reminds me of Hermes’ Victoria. Just pure luxury.

Rachel Bilson is one of my fashion icons. She has managed to sport the trendiest and classic outfits while customizing them to fit her body. She’s pretty short and yet she manages to wear trends such as the high-waisted bottoms without looking even shorter. I love all her outfits and definitely all her shoes and bags. I felt sad for her when robbers got into her home last year and took away a ton of designer bags, jewelry, and apparel. She lost SEVERAL CHANEL handbags. Anyway, here she’s carrying a 3.1 Phillip Lim bow top shoulder bag which is sooo cute. The bag costs around $595.

Sarah Jessica Parker seems to be working Carrie Bradshaw in her with this bold choice of a purse. She sports a Diane De Maria “Bonnie” bag in bright hued pink. Shocking color may I add. I would have never thought of getting myself one. But I’m actually impressed that she managed to pull it off even with a cocktail dress. But personally, I wouldn’t go for such a bag. It looks very similar to Louis Vuitton’s smallest speedy, but the price of this bag is $1,500!

Reese Witherspoon is my favorite actress. I think I’ve seen all her movies including those when she was still a little kid. Anyway, she’s seen here sporting Rebecca Minkoff’s “Morning After” clutch. This clutch/bag retails for about $330. I’ve read about this clutch previously but I didn’t pay attention until now. I was searching for the price of this clutch bag and saw this great video review of the bag. All I can say is WOW. It made me want to buy this bag! LOL. But I will have to pass for now. Besides, it’s no longer available in the sites that I trust. If you want to watch the convincing Video Review, you can watch it below.

So below I’m sharing with you some of the latest totes from Marc by Marc Jacobs that are easy on the pockets…

* Miss Marc Mabel Tote *

my favorite – love the shape for Spring/Summer 2010

White cotton base with PVC laminate coating.
Gray/blue Miss Marc print.
Top handles.
21 3/4″H x 11″W x 13″D.
$188

Zippy Nylon Fold-Up Tote

love this too, super cutie

Wear your heart on this playful nylon MARC by Marc Jacobs tote.

Normandy blue/cream floral-print nylon.
Tonal topstitching.
Black hardware.
Top handles.
Magnetic button top.
Black zippered heart pocket.
Hanging logo beads and turnlock charm.
$168

Pretty Tate Tote

Willow rose/multicolor abstract-print nylon.
Goldtone hardware.
Knotted top handles.
Open side pockets.
21″H x 16″W x 5 1/2″D.
$198

Printed Little Tate Tote

Choose cork/brown leopard print or strawberry leopard-print nylon.
Goldtone hardware.
Knotted top handles.
Open side pockets.
Quilted logo detail.
16″H x 13″W x 4 1/2″D.
$168

Miss Marc Shopper

Normandy blue nylon with “Miss Marc” logo.
Goldtone hardware.
Top handles.
Cotton twill lining.
13 1/2″H x 10″W x 5 1/2″D.
$148

So GUYS, if you ever find something here within your budget and you think your lady love will like, then head to Saks or Neimans or Nordstrom now. You can also check it online to surprise her. Hope my Valentines Day Gift Ideas series of posts have been helpful. And of course, I’ll try to post some more. Oh, and I know I have to post gift ideas for men too. LOL!

Anyway, the Tory Burch large sail duffle bags retail for $365 each: available in black, blue, and purple. The Tory Burch small sail totes retail for $235 each: available in purple, orange, and blue. If you ask me, I like the small orange/pink tote and the large duffle bag in red and purple. HAHAHA! I know what you’re saying… “Dream on MFJ!” Okay, was just suggesting… But hey, if you’ve got a sister, cousin, or best friend so dear to you, then this is a great gift to give them… they’ll be using this for the coming spring and summer months for sure!!!

Happy Holidays to ALL!!!

Cute or Not? I think it is satirically funny which means a good thing (for me). This “My Other Bag is Hermes” is from JKC, also known as designer Jessica Kagan Cushman. She has other designs like “I left my Prada bag”, “My Other Bag is Louis Vuitton”, etc. They retail for about $45 to $90, small, medium, large. What do you think? Some say it’s ridiculous but I say it’s a cute travel, shopping, or beach tote. But hey, ladies have different tastes. So let me in on what you have to say about this bag/tote.

Hermes lovin’

…the C and the LV! Haha. Well, I can purchase those next year or probably two or three years from now. They are not top priority especially that they cost four or five times more than the Gucci’s, D&G’s, Fendi’s, and Dior’s among others. As for the Dior – it can wait. There’s plenty out there and I already know where to get one for like $60++!!! So I am not rushing to buy myself a Dior. So why in the world did I purchase Ray-Ban sunglasses, especially now that we are buying a house? Am I crazy? (yes) Am I a shopaholic? (yes)… HAHAHA!

Are you kidding me? Ray-Ban Wayfarers for $69? Do you think I could resist this temptation??? Okay, let me get this straight… In like a thousand times (okay, that’s soooo exaggerated) that I visited all the Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Off Fifth, and Nordstrom Rack stores that I can possibly visit, there were only TWO occasions that I found ONE (and only ONE) Ray-Ban Wayfarers of this kind/style at that price!!! One was back in November 2008 at the Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance Store in Allen Premium Outlets and the other one was today… at Saks Off Fifth Clearance Store in Grapevine Mills Outlet Mall. I remember that day in November 2008… it has haunted me for months! Hahaha…

So obviously, after almost a year of checking back for Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses at those clearance/discount stores, I could not resist when I finally found ONE today. I know I’m cheap. I can buy it for it’s original price… like about $130, give or take. It’s pretty much the price of the sale Gucci’s and Dior’s. But if I can buy something I really like at a discounted price, why wouldn’t I? I made sure to wait. I was patient… and my patience paid off. Yeah, it’s not a good time, but it’s not a really huge purchase. So thankfully, I got the go signal from Hubby. Plus, I won $30 for betting Mayweather would win over Marquez. Hahaha! So that actually helped!

I didn’t really mean for this to happen. Heck I didn’t expect to find one today. I have already accepted that I will be buying it in the future for full price. But I was lucky. I was about to leave the sunglasses section when suddenly, I found it high above the Dior sunglasses, away from the rest of the Ray-Ban’s. In fact, I even had to tip toe hard just to reach it at the top-most row (and I was even wearing heels). Well, that’s what you call destiny. I was actually at Saks Off Fifth for a different thing…

About two months ago, I found a couple of small long handle yellow mustard Long Champ Le Pliage totes… for $64++!!! I know. I was crazy not to get it. At that time, I wanted like a brownish shade but yellow was also one of the colors I’m considering. Of course, I was avoiding bag purchases at that time (well, until now) and so I skipped on the $64 Le Pliage thinking I’ll just catch a sale next time and wait for the brownish/grayish shade. But then I saw Mrs. T of Bag Hag Blog, post their medium hand-held Le Pliage totes – yellow, white, and orange. Oh shoot, the yellow is really nice!!! Then I saw Melissa George (Grey’s Anatomy) carry her yellow Long Champ too. Oh no… it’s a sign… to think that I actually like the small tote more than the medium. I then headed to Long Champ’s website and to my dismay, the yellow ones are gone. Did they continue this color? Was it the reason they were on sale at Saks Off Fifth? Anyone know about this? Argh, I should have gotten the $64 Long Champ at Saks Off Fifth!

I didn’t know the sizes back then and I would always admire those ladies carrying this shoulder Long Champ tote which I thought was the medium. Turns out, it was the small that I actually like. I planned on making it my everyday, any day, go-anywhere, tag-along, use-abuse bag. So the small size was perfect! Fast forward a few weeks… we went to Grapevine Mills again. Oh shoot there are still a few pieces (roughly about 5) left! Okay, should I get it? I thought about it long and hard. I told myself to just go around first while thinking about this purchase. I then found myself at Neiman’s Last Call and found a D&G bling bling sunglasses – for just $60. I knew I can only get one. Well, you know which one I got – the D&G. I’ve chosen the D&G sunglasses over the Long Champ Le Pliage. I did not regret that decision. What I regret is not getting both. Hahaha.

So that is why I was over at Saks today and to my dismay, the small long handle yellow Long Champ Le Pliage totes were gone… Maybe the Eiffel Tower edition is meant for me? Bwahahahaha! Besides, the shopping trip wasn’t bad at all because I finally found my Ray-Ban Wayfarers! And I am happy! I am now gonna keep away from the sunglasses.

I’m also keeping myself away from shoes because… I HAVE A SPONSOR!!! Whoopee! I’ll tell you all about it soon. I’m also keeping away from shopping clothes because thankfully, more and more readers are joining Gilt, Ideeli and other sample sale websites through my  links. So, thanks to you, I have a lot of shopping credits! Thank you to all!!! So what does that leave me with??? BAGS!!! My budget will now be solely for BAGS! I love it! There seems to be a new baby in the near future!!! I wonder when I can get a bag sponsor as well? Hahahaha! Anyway, sorry for the long post… I got a couple more stories but it can wait ’til next time!

Super happy,

UPDATE: Thanks to one of the readers, Adrianna E. Riolo-Mason who left a comment in this post, I was made aware that the Tory Burch Jaden tote featured below is not actually VEGAN but Vachetta Leather. I share the same passion for animal rights. And for all those who have been following my blog, you are aware that I’ve actually been trying hard to be a Vegan myself. I’ve featured a couple of videos showing animal cruelty to convince you readers to make you aware of the cruel things happening to our animals, etc. And so, I just want to emphasize that it was in no intention of mine to mislead anyone about the bag. Sorry about the wrong information. I was actually fooled myself.

If you read the comments below, you will see her comment and my reply. I am thankful for the information she has shared and I know she is just being nice letting us all know about this bag. I just hope that I have not offended anyone (including her) with this post and hope that no one blames me for this wrong information. After all, I just took the information from Neiman’s when it was not yet posted at Tory Burch. And this is a personal blog and I am not even selling the bags here. You can blame me if I was selling the bag but I am no distributor of these bags or any other bag. I was just merely sharing the bags I WANT FOR MYSELF which I found at Neiman Marcus’ website. If you were influenced to buy the bag, it is your responsibility to know more about the item you are buying – that you have to ask whereever you are purchasing it. Of course I love to help you all so I feature bags and other items here from time to time. But I only get the information from the websites as well. You can still go to Neiman’s site and read the description there. It clearly states that it is VEGAN leather. And in fact, it even says in this post below that I was actually leaning towards buying the Tory Burch Jaden tote because I thought it’s VEGAN leather (which now I know isn’t true). But anyway, thanks again to Adrianna for clearing this up.

I’ve also taken a screen shot of the Tory Burch Jaden tote  at Neiman Marcus’ website below:

As I’ve featured previously, the Tory Burch Pre-fall collection has just been launched. Now, it’s time to feature my two favorite bags from the latest collection from Tory Burch. Now these two aren’t included in the lookbook. So I thought I’d share it with you. Let’s start with the bag that appeals to me the most, the Tory Burch Studded Vet Tan Leather satchel. It retails for $595 and it actually reminds me of the Alexander Wang duffle bag…

Here’s the Alexander Wang duffle bag. Okay, it’s not really the same. But when I first saw the Tory Burch, it reminded me of this Alexander Wang bag coz of the shape, the black color, and the studs. I like the leather in this Alexander Wang, but for thousands of dollars??? I’d go with Tory Burch anytime.

Now, this second bag (below) that I like from the latest Tory Burch collection is a very simple yet chic bag. It’s a shopping tote that can be an alternative to the Longchamp nylon totes. Lush Angel and I are fond of Longchamp totes and we were recently discussing the colors and customizing our own totes online. And everytime I see the colors, it’s like I just want to grab all. Hahaha. Last weekend at Saks, I was so tempted to get the white because the other colors I like aren’t available and because it’s so nice! I was just hesitant because an all white bag will surely attract all the dirt!

Now, I’m considering getting this Tory Burch Jaden tote instead! Sure it’s not nylon, but the cotton twill canvas bag comes with VACHETTA VEGAN leather trim. You heard that right, the leather is VEGAN – meaning it’s not really leather but a leather-like material that doesn’t make use of animal products! WEEEEE!!! I love Tory Burch! This Jaden tote comes in black, red, and khaki. Sure it’s pricier at $195 as opposed to the $125 Longchamp totes, but with animal-friendly materials, and the Tory Burch brand, how can I resist? Maybe I’ll just get both? Hahaha. How I wish! :)