Oh yes, you read that right! This is another Balenciaga revelation. This is actually a long overdue post. Suuuper long overdue!!! Remember my post early this year about Balenciaga going on sale at Beyond the Rack (see this link)? I was able to purchase an item at that sale. I was one of the lucky Beyond the Rack members who was able to get in the site immediately. I even saw most of the bags not yet sold at the time I purchased my item. If I only knew some of my friends wanted to buy Balenciaga bags, I should have just kept on adding stuff in my cart for them. For those who aren’t aware, the moment sample sale websites put up a sale on really lush-cious brands, items do not even last for a minute! In just seconds, most items (if not all), are already on hold or sold! Yes, that fast!!! Anyway, I won’t keep you guys any longer. Here it is…

Presenting, my new black Balenciaga Giant Money in gold hardware…

I was really planning to get a red one to match my Giant City in Pomegranate, but I ended up buying a safe color to easily match it with whatever bag I use. I chose the gold hardware (same as my bag) since I just love how the color of the leather stands out with gold hardware compared to the silver hardware. I find it more classy too, don’t you think?

I have been searching for a nice long wallet for the longest time, until I was able trim down my choices to two- Chanel or Balenciaga. Well, I’m so in love with Kelly, Dogon and Bearn wallets of Hermes but heck, with that kind of price tag?!?! No way! I’d rather get a bag. LOL! Maybe, if I have completed all my must-have bags, I can move on to wallets. Hehe! Anyway, I ended up getting a Balenciaga since, as I said earlier, it was put on sale at Beyond the Rack. It was a sign!!! LOL! Balenciaga Giant Money is currently priced at $555. I got mine for $429, but paid a little less since I used up some of my shopping credits at Beyond the Rack (thanks to you, my readers)! See, it really pays to be a member in this kind of sites! You get a chance to purchase designer labels on sale, plus earn shopping credits once your referrals purchase their first item. If you wanna snag various designer items on sale, you can be a member by using my invites. Just click on the logos Gilt Groupe, Hautelook and Beyond the Rack located at my right sidebar (just below Catch a Sale!) and sign up. These sample sale websites feature different brands everyday, meaning different sale items every single day! Hehe! Anyway, sorry I digress. I just wanna share how I was able to snag my new Balenciaga Giant Money at a lower price. Here are more pictures and details of the wallet.

Balenciaga Giant Money is a long wallet (7.5″ x 3.9″ x 0.8″) made of soft vintage crafted lambskin with flap top, front zip pocket and snap closure. I love everything in it. I love the style. It’s so Balenciaga- the leather and the gold metal hardware. It’s also very spacious. It has an interior gusseted compartment with two bill pockets and four credit card slots on each side, plus one zip coin pocket.

When it arrived months ago, I had second thoughts of using it though. I thought of selling it ‘coz I suddenly realized I should have just bought a gadget or just added money to get a bag. Well, I hid it for months (which explains the super late post) thinking I could forget about it. Apparently, NAH! I can’t! I just can’t let go of my new darling…

Since I have big floral prints on my skirt, I decided to pair it with my ever reliable plain white tank top. Of course, so as not to look too plain, I’ve got to use accessories. More photos below…

I changed to flats when I went shopping… LOL! Oh, I still had my BB in this picture. Damn, I miss it! Waaah!

Then back to my booties for dinner…

decided to use my Balenciaga Giant City in Pomegranate to be matchy-matchy with my red florals and red necklace…

On Lush Angel: random white tank top; Bangkok floral skirt; Bangkok shooties; Bangkok black sandals; Philip Stein watch; necklace from mom; H&M bangles; Pomegranate Balenciaga Giant City in gold hardware; Philippe Charriol earrings; Gucci sunglasses

If you’ve been reading my blog, I never fail to mention how much I love boyfriend tops. For me, it is a versatile clothing that you can wear anytime of the day. Whether I’m running errands, attending a children’s birthday party, shopping, or just watching a movie, I love wearing boyfiend tops. I wear it as a dress or as a top, which I usually partner with shorts or jeans. I consider boyfriend tops as one of my most relaxed outfits. It’s like an effortless way to look glam and sexy at the same time. Anyway, I guess the pictures below can say how much I love them. Hehehe!

For the first two pictures, I wore my boyfriend top as a dress and just loosely fastened a think black belt around my waist to give my body a little bit shape.

On Lush Angel: boyfriend top from one of the Rockwell Urban Bazaars last December 2009; belt and white headband from Landmark; Bvlgari earrings; necklace from my mom; knot bracelet from Girl Shoppe; Formula 1 Tag Heuer watch; Balenciaga Giant City in gold hardware; black braided sandals from Bangkok

For the next two pictures, I used the same accessories except for the belt. I also used my boyfriend top as a normal longsleeves top, which I partnered with my white fringed shorts.

On Lush Angel: same as the above; white fringed shorts from Marshalls; black braided belt (which my sister had since I was in grade school… I guess it’s Giordano! LOL!)

In the photo below, I just changed my belt to something more nautical. It is actually dark blue with gold buckle. It was given to me by my aunt. She used to wear this when she was still single so it is definitely something vintage! See, it pays to keep old stuff or ransack your mom’s/ aunt’s closets. Remember, trends just keep on coming back! You just have to update it so you won’t look like too much blast from the past.

Summer should be over now here in Manila, but damn it is still hot!!! I just couldn’t take it! Well, summer has just started in the other parts of the world so this outfit might work to you guys as well.

I actually purchased this top about a year ago from our own label, KAT. And if you’re wondering how sure I am that I had this for a year already, well I remember very well that it was in July 2009 when we last released our collection. Whew! I know, it has been a while already, but we will be having a new one in a month or two so watch out for that!

Anyway, after a year, I would say this blouse is still one of my favorites in my closet. I find it so versatile. With its fit, length, color and quality, I’ve managed to wear this white long sleeve top a couple of times- in different looks, in different occasions. I partnered it with jeans, tights, slacks… with long and short necklaces… with and without belt… sandals with and without heels… in the mall, in the office, and even in the beach as a cover-up! And now, I decided to wear it as a dress. Well, of course I had to wear shorts underneath this white sheer polo! Hehehe! I’m conservative!

Hmmm… It could have been nicer if I wore a belt, but I couldn’t. I tried to but my top becomes shorter (or looks shorter) when I wrap a belt around my waist so I just opted not to. I just had to accessorize in order to make this outfit work. I used my patterned scarf as a hairband, then wore my cuff boot sandals, and finished it off with some accessories.

On Lush Angel: white button-up blouse from KAT; scarf (worn as hairband) from KAT; cuff boot sandals from a bazaar; Balenciaga Giant City in gold hardware; Philippe Charriol earrings; necklace from my mom; H&M bangles; Philip Stein watch

To my fellow bag hags, yes… you read that right! Balenciaga will be on sale later, 11:00 am EST, at Beyond the Rack! I wonder what bags will be on sale… Will there be a Motorcycle City or a Giant City? How about Giant Money? Hmmmm… Will there be a red Giant Money to match my Pomegranate Giant City? Waaaah! Can’t wait! Sale will be up to 40% off so make sure to be in front of your computers by 10:30 am EST! I swear stocks run out soooo fast. We can’t let this pass! Bwahahaha!

If you’re not a member of Beyond the Rack yet, sign up now HERE. Save up to 70% off on authentic designer brands such as Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Versace, and now B-A-L-E-N-C-I-A-G-A!

First of all, I have to apologize to those who have waited this long to see my new baby. I was (and still am… and forever will be) busy at work. Hehehe! I didn’t have the luxury of time to take pictures of the bag and to do a post at once. In fact, I just had the time to create this post as I am on my way to Scotland. Hehehe!

Also, I wanted to make sure to take picture of her with her “house”… You know, her box, dust bag, paper bag. Hehehe! If you read my post last friday, I mentioned that I just got Brit’s (and now I’m naming her… Crazy!!!) box. Imagine, how can I forget to ask for her box?! I was surely that excited when I left the boutique! Well, I completely forgot that I’m in Europe and boxes have to be requested. They usually just put their bags in dust bags and throw away the boxes after the delivery. Same case with my experience at Louis Vuitton in Austria, where the box wasn’t given to me until I asked for it. I even had to call Balenciaga boutique last Friday to make sure they reserve a box for me once their delivery arrived. Hehehe!

Okay, enough of the talkies. I don’t wanna keep you guys hangin’ anymore. Here’s my new baby from London- Balenciaga Giant City in Pomegranate. I got her at the Balenciaga boutique in Mount Street, the one and only Balenciaga boutique here in London. She is priced at GBP 1,065.

* Color of the bag may look different in person or in other monitors. I tried to view these pictures using my office laptop and geeesh, she looks horrible! She looks so dark and sooo dull! She looks just perfect though when I tried to view her in my MacBook. Argh! Monitors are just so complicated to understand! Hehehe!

Weee! Gorgeous isn’t?! For such a long time, I originally wanted the Charcoal Gray with gold hardware but when I saw it in the boutique, I was a bit disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it is gorgeous. There is just no “umph” to it! Hehehe! You get what I mean??? When I see a lady carrying it, I will appreciate it but I won’t give a second look to it. It’s not something worth having a stiff neck. LOL! But when I saw this Giant City Gold Hardware in Pomegranate, I knew this baby has the “umph” that I’ve been looking for! She has every right to be given a second, third, fourth look or even a stare! She has every right to give bag hags a stiff neck! LOL! I find her that gorgeous! Her shade of red is not the screaming or bloody red. Pomegranate is a bit darker, which just oozes with elegance and which goes perfectly with the gold hardware. Now, tell me I’m lying! Hahaha! Such a proud mom I know! I just love her without a doubt!

So is my new baby a Balenciaga Stardust??? Hmmmm…. Check it out below…

Na-ah! Hehehe! I’m just posting here my opinion or feedback on Balenciaga Stardust. So why didn’t I end up with Stardust?

I was very disappointed when I learned that this model is an online exclusive limited edition, which is specifically indicated in their website. I wanted it badly, but since this would be my first Balenciaga bag if ever, I wanted to be sure that I get the right one. I wanna see it in person. I wanna touch it. I wanna carry it. I wanna make sure that she really is for me. Hehehe! Days have passed and the picture of Stardust just can’t get out of my mind! Hahaha! Crazy I know!!! This pushed me to call several Balenciaga shops here in London to inquire about Stardust. The good news- Balenciaga Stardust is not actually an online exclusive! They have it in stores!!! In fact, they even have it in bronze and black!  The thing is- just like any other Balenciaga bags, they run out very fast! At the time I called, the one and only Balenciaga boutique in Mount Street, London only had the Bronze Stardust. I wasn’t interested in bronze as I have several brown bags already. As for the other Balenciaga stores, they are either out of stock or they have the black in silver hardware. Stardust just looks perfect in gold hardware online, which is why I was hoping to see the black Stardust in gold hardware!!! Argh… You can probably imagine how I was feeling at that time! It seems like having a Balenciaga is not my destiny…

Anyway, last Saturday, when I decided to walk all the way to Mount Street from Selfridges at Oxford (since Selfridges didn’t have Stardust nor any of the colors I like!), I wasn’t really hoping to see the black Stardust in gold hardware anymore. When I got inside, my eyes grew big when I saw it on display!!! Oh my! Just imagine my face when I saw it! I was really surprised and I think the SA even noticed it. She just told me that it just arrived! Oh dear, could this be a sign?!

The moment I laid my hands on it, my smile slowly diminished… Why?! Well, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. Sure, it is nice. Or let me say, it looks so damn perfect! My problem? The leather! It’s just so smooth. When I touched the leather, I knew then that this bag would be a high maintenance bag. And if you’ve been reading my blog, high maintenance bag is just a no-no for me! I just can’t! Being such an OC, I seriously can’t live with even very small scratches. And being clumsy at times, Stardust is surely not for me. Really sad, but a fact that I should accept. Hehehe! How I wish it is like any other Balenciaga leather- the vintage/ cracked leather look. If it was, geesh… consider it sold! LOL! Well, of course, for those who love the smooth lambskin leather, then this should be a dream come true. Hehehe! The thing is- I’m not so sure how Stardust would look as it ages. I’m afraid the shinning shimmering thingy in it would not last forever. When I tried running down my fingers through the leather, I felt some roughness because of the shining stuff that were added to it. Think of it like glitters. Though it is definitely not glitters, it would seem that the leather was painted with some glitters because of the little roughness that can be felt. This made me realize that this bag is not for keeps after all.

Well, I’m not that disappointed when I left the boutique. Obviously, since I already announced to the world in this post that I went home with my brit baby! Hahaha! So hold on to my next posts to come as I unveil my new Balenciaga bag.

Hmmm… Looks like I’m not gonna be dreaming tonight as I have someone beside me… LOL!

Curious who this Brit is? Well, here she is…

And since I’m extremely tired already, this is the only photo I can share right now. Sorry ’bout that, but please bare with me. Imagine shopping from 11 am to 8 pm without eating lunch… Yes, we were that enthusiastic to shop and it was around 6 pm when we realized we were not able to eat! 9 hours of shopping yet we were just able to walk about one third of Oxford Street. We just wanted to go inside every shop we passed by. As a result, going home was like a burden to us as we need to carry all these…

Some of those bags even have more plastic bags inside them. Geeesh! With the number of people walking and shopping along Oxford, it would seem like everyone are on panic buying. Everyone seemed to be in a rush- getting stuff here and there, paying them, then rushing again to the next store! In effect, we were like in panic mode too. LOL! And since we were not able to see all the shops along Oxford, we shall be back later! Hahaha! OR maybe I can go to Harrods too in Knightsbridge… Oh no!!! That’s bad… Will my new baby meet her sister right away?!?! No! No! No! I should stay away from temptation first. LOL! We’ll just see what happens…

As of now, I’m sorry that I have to leave you hanging until I unveil the newest addition to my diverse family. Hehehe! I’m sure my American, Austrian, Chinese and Filipino babies can’t wait to meet a Brit. LOL!

One down and one more to go… Hehehe! Hmmm… Will it be later??? I hope not!

This is a news alert!!! :-)

I received a message yesterday from Balenciaga here in Manila and their autumn/ winter 2009 collection has arrived! I’m sure the bag addicts are glad to here this news. So to my fellow baghags here in Manila, get a glance of Balenciaga’s autumn/ winter 2009 collection at unit 1-0548 Ground Floor of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati. For those planning to buy, you better rush now as their stocks run out easily!

ZOMG! Is this a sign? Is this a sign? I’ve been thinking about this for more than a week now. I’m torn on what to get in London. I’m leaving this Friday already and I’m still confused! When I received the text message from Balenciaga, I was surprised because I don’t remember them updating me of their new collection. Hmmm… Should I take this as a sign??? But what about my dream Chanel GST??? Argh! Can I just get both?! I’m totally confused! I’m even thinking of getting a Prada! What the…!!!!