Presenting one of my Hong Kong babies… Hehehe! Longchamp Le Pliage medium tote bag in Army Green or Sage. 🙂 Pardon the pictures as it looks kinda brownish here but it really is dark green. Hehehe 🙂

longchamp le pliage  longchamp le pliage long handle 

longchamp le pliage toteI know this is nothing biggie at all. It’s not as expensive as Chanel or Louis Vuitton, but I just find the need to own one. Yup, let me repeat that… NEED! 🙂 Well, for some this ain’t justifiable, but for bag hags like moi, probably most would agree that a shopping tote is indeed a NEED. Hehehe! And in times of recession, I’m going for the cheap ones. Okay, I might just get violent reactions with what I said. I meant, “cheap” compared to Chanel, Gucci, and the likes. Hehehe! 🙂

My ultimate reason for buying this is my need for a tote for traveling. A tote that’s low maintenance, wherein there’s no need for me to care about tossing it around or getting it dirty. I always spend a lot of time staring in front of my bag cabinets thinking of the perfect purse to bring whenever I’m bound to travel. Leather bags are a no-no for me. For one, it’s heavy. Hello?! We walk more than 8 hours a day during tours. My arms couldn’t last carrying heavy leather bags. Another, if it’s not heavy, I don’t wanna carry around a bag which I have to check once in awhile for scratches, or which I have to be too mindful where I should place it. Well for those who do not know, I’m exaggeratedly O.C. when it comes to my bags. I consider this small collection of mine as my investments, which is why I take good care of them. This is why whenever I travel, I end up carrying a bag that is made of light material. I also prefer body bags or messenger bags. In fact, in tours, I find it a must. Your moolah is in your bag so you have to place it in front of you all the time. Snatchers are always around. You’ll never know. Plus, I find body bags hassle free. I don’t have to carry anything while walking.

Now, this may lead to a question as to why I chose a Longchamp Le Pliage Tote Bag where in fact, it’s not a messenger bag? Well, my need for a light weight bag answers it. Plus, the space that I need in a bag when traveling can’t belongchamp le pliage bag found in a body bag. Yes, some messenger bags got space but I’m not a fan of those big body bags.  I feel like I’m going to school. Simply not my type. The great thing with my new Longchamp Le Pliage is it’s long handle! Thankfully they came out with a long handle so I could just easily put my Le Pliage on my shoulders when I’m in a rush, which usually happens during tours. Because of its long handle, I don’t think I would still look for a messenger bag. Yay! 🙂

Now, let’s get to the damage it caused me. I got the medium Le Pliage for HKD 1,050 (approximately Php 6,300). Not bad at all for a “carry-all” bag. In fact, some of the bags in the Longchamp boutiques in Hong Kong are currently on sale. Some of the medium Le Pliage with long handle are selling for only HKD 850!  The bad news- the classic colors, like mine, are still sold at HKD 1,050. The only colors that are on sale are the following: Peony, White, Mediterranean and Mandarin. Though I’m loving the Peony, White and Mandarin, I decided to settle to just one and save my moolah for other shopping totes on my bag list. Hehehe! 🙂

By the way, for tourists who are thinking of buying a Longchamp bag, the prices in Hong Kong Duty Free and in their boutiques at Sogo or around Hong Kong are actually the same. Initially, I thought that the Longchamp bags in Hong Kong Duty Free are cheaper that’s why I wanted to get my baby at the airport. Thankfully I had an urge to buy it at Sogo since most of the classic colors in long handle were wiped out when I checked at the airport! So as a tip, if you like a style or color in one of the Longchamp boutiques you would be visiting, go buy it as their prices are standard. 🙂