mclaurie

Nocinonut, the Arcadia bags look nice (although the website is VERY slow & the music is...monotonous). Can you buy the bags online? Prices? Thanks!

Scarlett

Good mornin Calamari ~~
and Mimi
Are we telling what bags we are carrying now? Depends on the color I feel like these days, Pink Prada if I am feeling especially girly, or a new black bandolier strap bag I got in Montreal for hands free shopping, dogwalking.
Mimi is right, Pup has his own bag for droppings ((&amp)

dellyb

You gave such wonderful resources that I wish I were going to Paris right now!

mclaurie

Scarlett, have you heard about the "tempest" over the Jelly Kelly bag? Steven Stolman was selling them & got sued by Hermes. http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/3983.htm

Scarlett

Thanks mclaurie!!
I want one

mclaurie

Me tooo, but I guess it's too late?

ter2000

Back to Paris - try Sequoia on Rue des Francs Bourgeois in the Marais. It's a great little street for shopping and this is one of my favourite shops. There's also a shop across the way that sells Camper shoes, so between the two, I'm in heaven!! (BHV also stocks their bags - I'm sure the other major department stores do also).

nocinonut

Mclaurie, you used to be able to buy from the catalog on the web site, maybe they are just out on their August vacation.
I emailed them so I could reregister and order on line. I'll let you know when I get a response.

I love to find these "finds" that are not so popular that you see them all over the place, but still have high quality.

jal716

Okay...I have to join the party. I carry a Louis. BUT, I am going to Italy on Sept. 6. Let's get some Italian purse ideas going. I want a new one and don't know about Italian bags. So, girls, get the Italy bag stories going.

P.S. My friend that lives in Rome said to not carry my Louis while on vacation. I am sure everyone agrees with that tip.

Scarlett

Sorry, why would you not be able to carry your LV in Rome? I carry good bags wherever I go, especially cities. Living in a large city myself, I see women carrying all sorts of bags and who knows if they are tourists or natives.
I would look at Gucci and Prada in Italy. also Bottega Venetta (sp?) for that wonderful soft woven leather.

mitchdesj

Handbags in Italy, hard to beat !!

I bought a Nannini handbag in Montreal, and I just checked out the

www.nannini.it

website, they opened a boutique in Florence in May.
I'll be curious to compare prices when I return to Florence.
I know the Longchamp bags in Paris were approx. 30% less than in Montreal.....

laurie_ann

I would go back to the department store Bon Marche and buy another Pourchet (or maybe it is Porchet) handbag. Similar to Coach in style and price at that time (about $180) but it was a great purse with great inside pockets and a kind of latch/clapse that makes it extra safe in the big city (kind of like an "H" shape and you pinch the sides when you want to open the purse). I bought one about six years ago and when I return to Paris again next year I will buy a new one.

Fodorite018

In Italy look for Coccinelle or Mandarina Duck. I bought both a couple years ago and use them every day and still get compliments all the time on them.

Koshka

I religiously carry my Louis Vuitton backpack-style bag, but I've vowed not to carry my valuables in it in Rome because I think it just screams, "PICK THIS POCKETBOOK."

But as to Paris, DH knew I wanted an LV bag for my B-day, but we didn't look rich enough for the LV shop in the 6th, I guess, because we could not get any sales help.

Salespeople in the LV shop on the Champs d'Elysees seemed much more interested in us as potential customers. Of course we weren't in our designer duds in either store, but the reality is we felt much less welcome at the shop at Place Saint-Germain des Prés. YMMV

Natalia

There used to be LV knockoffs in every stall almost in the outdoor markets and from those fellows who set up cardboard stands. Since there are so many fakes out there I wouldn't worry about taking the real thing.

Tulips

Have you heard of Goyard? They are similar to Louis Vuitton, started at about the same time. Handcrafted leather bags and luggage, with a basket-weave design. Very smart, and much more unusual to own than LV. They used to be on the Faubourg St Honore (think they still are), and this was their only shop until recently. They are now starting to branch out. Goyard was the luggage of choice of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Karl Lagerfeld is also a fan.

jal716

Tulips: Thanks. No, I don't know about that bag. I want something new that they don't sale fake in every kiosk. I will look into that bag. That is the kind of thing I interests me. Something less "popular".

Scarlett

Then if you are not looking for "name brands" I would suggest the rue St-Louis-en-Ille, there is a small boutique with lovely bags for very good prices. On your way from Blvd St-Germain to the Luxembourg Gardens, you will pass many boutiques selling wonderful bags, some "names"- some not familiar to Americans.(believe me, I know bags, these are not familiar names)
One of the wonderful aspects of Paris is there is a wonderful small shop, nestled in there between some patisserie or church, you will have
no problem finding them
Happy Shopping~

amcc

okay, how fun, as the only luxury good I've been able to convince my husband I desperately MUST buy in my travels is bags! I fell in love with the Longchamp line last time and bought a suitcase that folds up into a little flat rectangle. It looks like a space age version of an old-fashioned hard side square luggage, but it is so chic and the colors are so eye-catching that I've been asked about it everywhere I've taken it overnight and it is hands-down, my favorite purchase on a trip ever. The prices are about 20-30% than what I've seen here. And, in France, I wouldn't forget Christian Dior. They've got bags from real funky to classic and they aren't seen quite as much as LV.

Scarlett

amcc, I wanted to buy my daughter the Longchamp tote for a present, and once I saw that little folding trick, had to have one for myself. It is the only bag I use now as a carry on when traveling and it still looks brand new.
Mine was about $40 in Paris-they are over $100- in Saks Fifth Ave.