It's in the bag...

I have seen quite a few posts now where people share the contents of their handbag, like this one here or this one here.  I am eternally fascinated by the minutae of other people's lives and so find them hugely interesting.  It is the same as peeking through windows before curtains are drawn.  Anyway, I don't pretend that my handbag offers anything that would qualify as interesting, but here is what I tote around on a daily basis:

My handbag of choice is my battered Mulberry Roxanne.  I've had this bag for about 6 years now and I still absolutely love it.  So in no particular order:

• Oyster card in a pink leather case from Oliver Bonas
• Leather note book for my eternal list making
• Smythson diary, I have talked about my love for this diary here
• Studded purse, also talked about here
• An empty ring box
• My staff pass
• Nail file
• Wet wipes - I am obsessive about having clean hands!
• My iPhone
• A fold up hairbrush
• No less than 7 lip balms of varying makes, but including my utter saviour Eight Hour Cream
• A lovely enamel mirror that my sister gave me
• Pen
• Small tube of handcream
• A collection of hairbands
• Stick of 4Head, headache balm

I'd love to see what everyone else carries around with them so if you fancy joining in then post your link or list in the comments section, or email me.

Les vacances...part quatre

Now, we all know that I love a handbag so I was delighted to finally visit a shop that I have heard a lot about. Laffargue is more than a leather shop in St Jean de Luz, it is the leather shop.  It is where anyone who's anyone buys their handbag!

The shop has had pride of place on Rue Gambetta for over 100 years after Joseph Daniel Laffague, the son of a saddler and saddler himself, decided that he wanted to incorporate the studded designs he used to decorate his work onto lady's handbags, belts and purses.  The same methods are still used with each item being hand studded.

I already own one of their purses, a gift from a friend, and I wanted to add to the collection with one of their small handbags.  Unfortunately the price tags were a little too much for this month to cope with so I resisted. Imagine my utter joy then when I found a vintage Laffargue in a local brocante.  It is a beautiful cherry red, gorgeous shiny leather and the perfect size.  And what's more it was less than half the price of the new ones! Fate I say.

Item of lust...

I dream of owning a Chanel handbag.  When I say dream I don't know if that quite does my want justice.  I lust after a 2.55, I fantasise about the outfits I would accessorise with a 2.55, I stalk them on eBay and hope that one day there will be one in my price range.

It has to be Chanel, it has to be navy blue.  And then I think my handbag collection would be complete.