Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Handbag News from Malaysia

The handbag, once used to carry precious items, has taken on a life of its own on the trend-setting arms of models, actresses and the well-heeled. It’s so in demand that collectors place themselves on mailing lists to be informed of the latest collections... and women are willing to queue outside the store just to get their hands on the latest.

Louis Vuitton, of course, has graced the It-bag category countless times on the covers of glossy magazines.

While It bags are seasonal, their bags have graduated to become classics. And whether you are 16 or 60, Louis Vuitton still figures in a woman’s heart.

For Hareena D. Tekwani, romantic moments in her life are punctuated by designer handbags. Her first — a Christian Dior — was presented to her by her mother when Hareena turned 16.

A Gucci became her next coveted bag, a gift from her first boyfriend when she was 17, which she lovingly toted for this interview.

Her third will forever be etched in her memory. She had mentioned to that same boyfriend that she would like a Louis Vuitton.

“I’ve never had an LV,” she had told him, a classic line that kick-started something akin to a mini revolution in her look book.

On the way home from a business trip, he popped into an LV boutique at London’s Heathrow airport and asked for the “latest”. That was for her 19th birthday. It was a slim black Epi leather pouch with a wrist strap.

The fourth, fifth and sixth bags came in a flurry. Hareena’s sweetheart had proposed.

During their honeymoon in Paris, the eager new husband snapped up three bags, two belts and a tie from LV. It was inevitable as their hotel was directly opposite the flagship Louis Vuitton store!

The three were the Suhali, the Monogram Multicolore and the Damier canvas document bag. The Suhali is a beautifully crafted sturdy shoulder bag in goatskin bordered with rivets and brass studs. This, she said, is reserved for weddings and formal events.

The Monogram Multicolore is her clubbing bag owing to its spirited burst of colour while the Damier Canvas document bag is reserved for work.

As part of her daughter’s dowry, Hareena’s mother bought her the Speedy in denim.

Next on Hareena’s list is the Suhali L-Epanoui in white, a longer version of the black one she owns. That, however, will have to wait until next year.

With more and more designer boutiques calling KL home — the latest being Lanvin, the next Pucci and Yves Saint Laurent — it’s easy to forget that the shopping scene circa 1985 was shockingly... local.

Then, Ampang Park, Pertama Complex, Asia Jaya and Jaya Supermarket reigned supreme with small single proprietor-type businesses.

The only designer boutiques to be found in the entire country were located within a single corridor on the ground floor of the KL Hilton.

Starting her career as a public relations executive with the hotel in 1985, Rosemarie Wee recalled her frequent visits to the LV boutique.

“It was very small then, say, about the size of my office,” she said, gesturing around the room, which was about the size of half a badminton court.

“There was one lady sitting at the desk in the centre of the shop, surrounded by shelves of bags.

“Those days, there was no KLCC, Lot 10 or Starhill. The Hilton shopping arcade was the place to go. Versace, was there, so were Chopard and Nina Ricci,” recalled Rosemarie, who is now area director of communications for Shangri-La.

With a keen eye for all things beautiful, it was not long before she set her sights on her first purchase at the store — a Keepall travel luggage. “It was very stylish then,” she said.

Her taste is now for “louder” bags, like the gold lame Fendi Spy Bag sitting proudly behind her in her office, and LV’s new line of leopard-print bags for its Autumn/Winter ’06 collection has not escaped her notice.

Such is her passion that she “went round half the world”, taking in the United Kingdom, United States, Hong Kong and Paris before finding a pair of LV tortoiseshell wedges with velvet trim.

These days, she makes her annual pilgrimage to Italy to get her “fix”. She is, of course, on the LV mailing list and catches up on the latest in fashion by scouring the 30 magazines she subscribes to every month!

Meanwhile, Erica Tham’s love affair with Louis Vuitton began even before she knew what the hype was all about.

When her friend lost her purse one day, the then 13-year-old Erica had no clue why the friend was so upset. It was just a purse, after all.

“It was just brown, you know, the old auntie kind,” she said. “It wasn’t Little Twin Stars!” she said, referring to the then It brand from Japan for any girl in the mid 1980s.

She was amazed to find out how much an LV wallet cost. Growing up, she became better acquainted with the label.

Erica finally got hold of her first LV with her first paycheck in 1992. It was the drawstring Epi Leather which she had a cousin buy from Paris. It cost half her salary.

Now co-owner of florist One Red Lily, she has been busy with the wedding season but keeps abreast of the latest bags over mahjong sessions, scanning magazines and poring over catalogues from various labels.

“After all these years, I still get excited about what the new fashion season will bring,” she said.

The monogram wallet she bought during her honeymoon 11 years ago is still in mint condition although she has lost two canary yellow Epi leather purses to pickpockets.

After the first one was stolen, she rushed out to buy a replacement only to have that nipped too. She is currently on the waiting list for a Birkin by Hermes.

Does the bag craze extend to shoes? “No-lah. I can’t bear to walk in such expensive shoes only to get them dirty!”

The man in her life knows only too well his wife’s passion for bags. One Mother’s Day, her husband surprised her with the boxy Damier canvas document bag! Lucky woman.

Source: www.nst.com.my

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