Many years ago, when I purchased my first ever luxury product, I remember always doubting myself on whether I had made the right decision. Over the years, as my collection slowly grows, I have been asked loads of questions about my bags, how I chose them, and even helped friends with their purchases. I don't know everything, but I'll share my personal experience with you guys, along with some tips & hope it will be of use.


Let's start with the Céline, the first one I ever purchased. This bag is called the Céline phantom; a very popular bag. Although it is very popular, it comes in many colours & many materials, so I find this bag pretty unique for each person. 

The design has been similar over the years, with a few tweaks along the way. It has a handle, normally not large enough to wear as a shoulder bag, but large enough to be comfortable to carry everywhere. It has the same interface; sometimes the Céline is embossed into the material (like mine), and sometimes it's written in gold or silver. I will talk about the gold and silver embossing when talking about my Céline clutch in another blog post. Some also come with a plaited zip thing (like mine) and some are slightly simpler. 

This bag comes in a variety of different materials; mine is Calfskin, which is a leather that is quite soft, easily scratched but very durable. Something I've learnt; do not buy a calfskin bag if it upsets you when it becomes slightly scratched. When I first purchased this, I was so upset with the first scratch, it's inevitably going to happen. I found with this particular bag, as long as the mark/scratch isn't too deep, the leather comes back up, meaning the scratch disappears (but there's still obviously signs of wear). I'm not sure if this happens on all the phantom bags, but along with the colour of mine being quite a nude/beige, this tends to happen. Other materials that these bags come in are felt, canvas, pony hair, suede, python & more. They also come in a range of colours, and designs; there's even stripy ones. I opted for a nude/beige.. just because I liked it. It was called 'earth' when I purchased it, I hadn't seen it for a few years in stores, but have recently noticed this colour has become quite popular again. 

One thing I used to research before purchasing this bag, was the difference between the Céline phantom bag, and the luggage tote. The main difference is, the phantom does not have a zip.
I've noticed that this is a huge decider for girls, and rightly so, not having a zip on a bag can be pretty annoying. Personally, I preferred the interface of the phantom. Owning the bag for a long time, the lack of zip doesn't bother me, as the way you carry the bag, means the bag is quite close to you.. there's no way anyone is getting into my bag without me knowing. The luggage tote comes in a variety of sizes, while I believe the phantom comes in one size only. The luggage tote sizes vary from a nano size (which is SO cute) and goes up to quite a large size. It also has this 'tricolour' range, which is pretty appealing, but also quite daring. I've not seen the phantom in this style. The luggage also comes in a variety of different materials. 

Overall I think the phantom is a great bag. Due to the large range it comes in, you can pick one according to your personality & it can still be a pretty unique bag. I've had mine for 3+ years now, and I'm still using it quite a lot. It's a great everyday bag. 

Tips:
- Don't buy online! There are SO many fakes out there, why risk it? Unless it's an authorised seller or from a site you trust, it's not worth it. It's also always fun to go into stores and try them before you buy.. especially if you're new to this. 
- Don't spend money you don't have. Never spend your money on one luxury product and then not be able to afford lunch the next day.. that's not cool. Budgeting and restricting yourself is the way you'll be able to afford nicer things in the future.
- Buy what you like, not what everyone else likes! So many people question my choice of style, but when they realise it makes me, me.. they understand. There's no point buying the most 'on trend' thing, especially if it won't fit into your day to day life, and doesn't suit your needs. 

I hope this helps! I was going to write about all my bags in this post but I realised, I have way too much to talk about. Look out for my Chanel bag, my clutches & my burberry bag post to continue this 'starting a designer bag' series. 

Bye :) 

16 November 2016

Starting a Designer Bag Collection: Part 1




Hi! A vast amount of you have messaged to ask where this suit is from. I would like to start off by apologising! I'm sorry :( :(

I bought this suit over a year ago from a website called Iman Boutique. It comes with a net skirt that I didn't wear on this day and a dupatta. I recently contacted Iman Boutique to ask if this was still available to order for you guys, however unfortunately it's last season. BUT I advise you to check them out! They are great. You can choose between semi stitched & stitched in their suits, and they're always on trend and have great outfits.

I couldn't bear individually telling you guys this isn't available anymore, so thought I'd write it in a post.. but check them out!

Bye loves.

P.S. Happy November.



1 November 2016

Asian Outfit.. (I'm sorry)

Mehshake's Instagram

© mehshake.. Design by Fearne.