Big, colorful costume jewellery is in. But I’m forever on the hunt for good quality, pretty silver jewellery. I prefer pretty things that last. Besides, I can’t wear costume earrings. My ears get irritated and hurt by them. The trouble is that most 925 silver jewellery available in the market look rather boring. That’s why, as soon as I found the kind of silver jewellery that caught my eye in Europe, I bought plenty. Actually, more than plenty.

Pure silver can’t be used in jewellery making because it is too malleable and can be damaged easily. 925 silver jewellery is a standard type of silver jewellery made by craftsman. The beauty of 925 silver jewellery increases with age since the appearance takes on a soft sheen as time goes.  It is easy to prevent tarnishing of the silver jewellery as it only involves putting them in lemon solution or lime juice to make them shine again.

Intricate details of a turquoise gemstone silver bracelet.

silver jewelleryAccording to research, silver jewellery is attractive and healthy to wear because silver is needed in our bodies to keep balance of body elements. It also helps in keeping the blood vessels elastic, formation of bone, skin formation and repair. It is believed that when one wears silver jewellery, it stimulates the flow of energy. 925 silver jewellery can help us to avoid lethargic tendencies and make a person feel stronger and concentrate on thoughts. What I like about silver jewllery is that it is suitable for both fair skinned and dark skinned people, which make them elegant present for people we care about.

When it comes to fashion and jewels, blue is definitely the color of in season. Regardless, I fell in love with this turquoise silver bracelet immediately. It’s got faceted gemstones on the surface that sparkle in light. Greens and purples are also on trend. And of course those bold, chunky silver bracelets, pendents with unique patterned purple and green stones came back to Australia with me too. The thing I love shopping overseas — variety. My ears will be thanking me, there are so many different kinds of new silver earring for them. I particularly like the large rose silver earrings in silver and rose tones. They are big in size but not weighting a tone to become a burden after a few hours wearing them.

Oh, THAT chunky cut out silver cuff bracelet. Can’t wait to wear it in Summer.

Silver Jewellery

Noticing that nowadays maxi dresses form a big part of my summer wardrobe, I came up with more than 5 reasons to wear maxi dresses in Summer. I take this reasoning process as some sort of brain exercise. “5 Reasons to wear maxi dresses”? J saw the title and rolled his eyes then continued to finish his nectarine nonchalantly.

Alright… you might find it is a silly thing to do but here it goes, my top 5 reasons to wear maxi dresses in summer:

  • Easy to Wear:

A maxi dress is a one piece long dress, designed to reach floor length. I mentioned before that one of my favorite things is wearing a dress. Being one piece, there’s relatively little effort to mix and match your outfit. Dresses are indeed, a huge time saver.

  • Fashionable:

Don’t think wearing mini skirt is being sexy by default. Wearing the wrong type of mini skirt can be sometimes punishing. On the other hand, the free flowing form of a long dress makes your maxi look effortlessly sexy. There are many variations of maxi dresses and skirts for you to choose from and it’s really easy to style a maxi dress. You can wear it loosely with flats for the chic casual look or dress up in a Maxi dresses accessorized with belt and glamorous heels. The choice is endless.

  • Comfortable:

The free flowing style of a maxi dress is designed to be comfortable. Who said we have to sacrifice comfort for style? Choose a super comfortable maxi dress to wear at home instead of pajamas on your day off. That way you don’t have to change clothes if you have a surprise visitor or it just happens that you have to go out in a hurry.

  • Suitable for many body types:

Almost everyone woman can make a fashion statement with maxi dresses regardless height and body shape. All you need to do is to try a few maxi dresses and find the ones that suit you.

  • Conceal flaws:

I have to admit, without permission, my waistline is enlarging gradually in recent years. A naturally flowing maxi dress is the best cover up! Of course not everyone wearing a maxi dress is trying to hide something. But if you want to hide any unflattering lower body part in a maxi dress, you can!

Find some photos of me wearing 5 of my maxi dresses from different flash cards. — Got to organize all the photos one day!

 

Sydney (1 of 1)
Paris ND

germany (1 of 1)

Beijing (1 of 1)

5 reasons to wear maxi dresses

Tired of professional suits, fitted dresses, or skinny jeans?

Have a maxi day.

And chill.

Newly wed Jessica Biel Timberlake was spotted carrying a Fendi Baguette bag recently, together with her big rock and beaming smile.

fendi baguette (1 of 2)

(photos from the Internet)

A legend in Italian fashion since 1925, the Fendi logo is a symbol of quality and status know worldwide. The Fendi sisters work closely with designer Karl Lagerfeld. It was Silvia Venturini Fendi who designed the famous Fendi Baguette Bag in 1997.

fendi baguette (2 of 2)

(photos from the Internet)

Sarah Jessica Parker has spoken about her love for Fendi’s Iconic Baguette Bag, one of her Sex and The City Character Carrie Brashaw’s most famous accessories, in a book called Fendi Baguette.

“Having the Fendi Baguette was a very big deal, and the gate way to everything else”, Parker writes. “ It really opened the floodgates and influenced the storyline ~ especially Carrie’s habit of spending more money on fashion than her home. The Fendi Baguette Bag became a staple of Carrie’s wardrobe and character… I recently archived both (my original) Baguettes to keep them in pristine condition. Now that I have two daughters, they can each have one.”

Yes Fendi Baguette bags are expensive. But in reality, you don’t have be like Carrie, spending a fortune on a designer bag. You can still look after your home and look fabulous. Get a like new or gently used authentic Fendi Baguette Bag at a fraction of its original cost, providing you know how to spot the real deal.

How To Spot An Authentic Fendi Baguette Bag

Check the following before you make your purchase:

Fendi Hardware:

Fendi bags are accented with high quality hardware. Feel the weight, especially the Front bucket with the huge FF logo. It’s definitely not the flimsy type.

Fendi Logo:

  • A Fendi Baguette bag has Fendi logo engraving on every part of its hardware.
  • On the reverse side of the front FF logo buckle.
  • On the side buckets that attach the shoulder strap to the bag.
  • Fendi logo plate inside the bag.
  • The inside wall pocket has FF logo zipper pull.

Serial Number:

The original Fendi bag comes with a serial number. You can find Fendi Serial numbers either in the side lining of the inner pocket or on a leather strip between the seams inside the bag.

Hologram sticker:

Since around 2004, Fendi introduced hologram sticker on their bags for authenticity purpose. Fendi bags produced prior to that don’t have hologram. Real hologram stickers are of high quality and they don’t fall off. Fake bags have fake hologram stickers on them but they tend to fall off easily. They also have different color refection and feel to them that can be spotted by a pair of trained eyes.

Wear it strap on or strap off?

Your choice:).

fendi baguette bag

(photos from the Internet)

 

Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM Bag

Expensive Gift Or a Super Fake? Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM Bag.

We received a lot of emails/phone calls everyday from people wanting to sell us something; website design, advertising space, SEO service, bags, web hosting, cups, doormats, you name it. We also receive genuine inquires for consignment private sales, which we welcome. However, recently we received a very interesting package. It contained a brand new, never used, Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM Bag its owner offered for sale to us. At a rather high price I might add.

Normally private collectors would send us photos to get a quote before sending the bags over. This bag arrived without any photos sent prior. When the parcel was opened, we saw a gorgeous looking bag. Its leather still pale-new, untarnished. For a used bag this would always be a bad sign. LV leather only looks that pale not for long before it turns into a darker patina. But this is a brand new bag, so its all good. It was so new, in fact, it even had plastic wrapping around the handles.

Hm… plastic wrappers around the handles?   Curiouser and curiouser …



fake damier azure stresa gm bag recieved Bag received

The thing is, new bags from Louis Vuitton stores don’t come wrapped in plastic. It just looks tacky and cheap, and LV is all about style. Well, at least, we’ve never seen such plastic wrappers from any of the Louis Vuitton stores we’ve been to; in Australia, Europe, America or Japan. The owner said that the bag came from an LV store in Macau, and since none of us have purchased from that store before, we examined the bags thoroughly to verify its authenticity.

The bag looked very much like a real Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM bag. Normally 99% of fakes can be spotted with just a glance, but this one was a real challenge. It has the right color of stitching, shape, measurements, right number of wall pockets positioned in the right spots of a Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM bag. The date code is VI2150 meaning: made in 25th week of 2010. The copy of the receipt was dated on December 20th 2010 so it’s all making sense on paper.

It’s quite amazing how sophisticated some counterfeiters have become. We actually had fun spotting the minute differences between the real LV and this bag. We compared it to  a large number of real Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM bags we’ve seen and we want to share the details with you.



Louis Vuitton factories are very consistent with the font, stitching, logo, wording, heat stamps etc on their products of the same model, produced in the similar period of time, which helps a great deal in the authentication process.

  • Wrong date code font: real LV Stresa bags’ date code font is slim and long as shown in the blow photos:
real Louis Vuitton damier azur stresa gm bag (4 of 4)

Real Date Code font is slim and long

This bag’s date code doesn’t possess the correct font. The numbers and letters in the date code are too round compared to real ones and the last 2 numbers “5” and “0” are slightly out of alignment. See the wrong date code font of the bag received in below photo:

Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM Bag Fake: Font is rounder, number 0 looks shorter then the rest

  • Wrong heat stamp: real LV Strasa bags’ heat stamps are pressed lightly on the leather. Letter strokes are thin.
Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM Bag

Real LV streasa bag heat stamps: light and thin

This bag’s heat stamp is deeply pressed into the leather. Letter strokes are much thicker than the ones on original bags.

Fake: heap stamp pressed deeply into the leather.

Fake: heap stamp pressed deeply into the leather.

  • Counterfeit zipper pull. Real Louis Vuitton Stresa logo pulls have the Louis Vuitton logo nicely engraved on the brass, using a special font with a well-rounded “O”.
Real LV zipper pull: Logos are engraved lightly on the brass with rounder logo font

Real LV zipper pull: Logos are engraved lightly on the brass with rounder logo font

Letters on the zipper pull of the bag received are smaller and in wrong font.

Fake: Louis Vuitton logo

Fake: Louis Vuitton logo

  • The bag has incorrect number of stitches on the side leather tab with brass rivet. Louis Vuitton always have the same number of stitches on the bags of the same model, manufactured in the same period of time. Real Louis Vuitton Stresa GM bags have 9 even stitches on each side of the brass rivet on the side leather tab.
Louis Vuitton damier Azur Stresa GM bag

Real LV Stresa GM bag leather tab has 9 stitches

The bag received has only 8 stitches on the each side of the brass rivet, which appear uneven as shown below:

Fake: leather tab has 8 uneven stitches

Fake: leather tab has 8 uneven stitches

Sadly there are so many “close to real” fakes out there. We don’t accept any item that we can’t guarantee its authenticity.  So we had to bring the bad news to the sender that the gift they bought is actually a fake. A very smart fake but nevertheless, not the real deal. In the mean time, watch out buyers. If you see a similar Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Stresa GM bag for sale somewhere, stay away. It might be this bag’s sister from Macau.

More blog posts on Designer Handbag Guide.



It is hard to pick which one is my favorite messenger bag, but the Louis Vuitton Hudson GM bag with adjustable long shoulder strap has proven to be superbly handy for travel and shopping hands free.

Louis Vuitton Hudson GM Paris

Walking along Champs Elysees, Paris

Louis Vuitton Hudson GM bag first caught my eyes simply because, it is a good-looking bag! This modern city bag offers loads of classic appeal, reminds me of Louis Vuitton Manhattan bags but smaller and less heavy. There were GM and PM models, short and long shoulder straps to choose from and I picked GM size with adjustable long shoulder strap. This GM size measures W31 x H24 x D10 cm, not that big.

I took it traveling with me for its style, size and functionality. The Louis Vuitton Hudson GM bag can be easily dressed up and down. You can wear it with dresses or jeans for dressy or casual wear. Rest assured in any cases, it’d look the part. I have smaller sized messenger bags but this time I chose my Louis Vuitton Hudson GM bag because it is not super big that can become heavy and it is big enough to hold a lot, including a tablet/ipad. I love it the most for its functionality – it has so many pockets! There are 2 front exterior pockets with golden brass press lock closure where I normally put hotel room swipe card and some change coins for convenience in one and a compact mirror, lip gloss and hair bands in another. There’s one larger zippered pocket on the front where I would keep our passports and travel tickets and documents handy.  The spacious interior is big enough to hold a large long wallet, a tablet/ipad, maps and travel books. There are 2 open wall pockets inside to keep loose items organised, one is perfect for larger mobile phones we have nowadays. Louis Vuitton Hudson GM bag with adjustable long shoulder strap is indeed a better choice. Wear it cross body, you don’t have to hold it or adjust its position on your shoulder all the time.

OK, here’s one thing I need to mention. The push locks of the front pockets make that “cling, cling” noise when you walk. It did annoy me a little bit from time to time. But hey, I’m sure it also prevented me from being pick-pocketed at busy tourist spots.

Just a few other photos where my Louis Vuitton Hudson GM bag made appearances.

Louis Vuitton Hudson GM Bag

Louvre, Paris

The Great Wall, China

The Great Wall, China

 

 

Can’t call myself a  huge Chanel fan but I don’t mind the idea of dressing up with a Chanel half moon WOC chain bag. What do you do if a handbag is too big and a wallet is too small for your special occasion? Choose a Chanel WOC (wallet on a chain):).

Basically, it’s a clutch bag with a long shoulder chain, built-in card slots, bill, and zippered coin compartments.  There are many different styles of Chanel WOC and they come in different colors and sizes. They are made of different materials.

Classic Quilted: The most commonly known rectangular shape with diamond-quilted pattern available in both caviar and lambskin leather.Chanel WOC classic quilted

Timeless Envelope: Pebbled caviar leather with large embossed CC logo, not quilted.

chanel woc timeless cc

Camellia: Lambskin with embossed camellia flora pattern.

Lipstick: Patent leather with large multicolored CC logo.

Brilliant: Classic diamond quilted leather with crystalized CC logo.

Chanel woc brilliant

Half Moon: Pebbled caviar leather, half-moon shape with large embossed CC logo.

chanel woc half moon

Boy: Classic boy shape, quilted front flap with a CC metal nameplate on it.

chanel woc boy

 

Sevruga: Micro pebbled matte leather, not quilted.

 

Different materials of Chanel WOC:

  • Lambskin:  a very delicate, smooth leather that could be scratched and scuffed very easily.
  • Patent leather: a shiny, plastic looking leather.
  • Caviar leather: pebbled,  the most durable leather compared to other Chanel leather lines.
  • Cevruga leather: micro pebbled matte leather. The least expensive Chanel WOC (still costs more than $1.000).

 

Why I like the Half Moon the most out of the all the different types of Chanel WOC.

chanel woc half moon

  • It’s chic, feminine shape. Personally, I don’t want another square -ish, quilted Chanel bag. Call that “timeless” or ” classic”, to me, this modern, unique looking Half moon WOC bag is like a breath of fresh air.
  • It’s made of caviar leather. The Half Moon is more susceptible to wear and tear. Unless we have millions to inherent, we want the bag costs us thousands of dollars to last a little longer. Do you agree?
  • The Half Moon is the roomiest among the Chanel WOC bags. It has the greatest length compared to other Chanel WOC. Due to the pleated design, it has more room to give.

I was totally unsure if I should put this into my blog. But since there isn’t a lot information on the Chanel website, I’ve decided not to let my research go to waste:).

 

Extremely impressed with the picturesque historical towns, superbly clean streets and endless shoe shops in Germany, we even managed to get a speeding fine in a country that normally doesn’t have speed limits. Our Journey in Germany started from Cologne. If you only intend to stay in Cologne for 2-3 days, here are a few things you could try.

Cologne, view from Hilton

Cologne Dom

We were lucky to have an awesome view of the Cologne Dom tower from our hotel room in Hilton. Cologne Dom is a splendid Roman cathedral and heart of the metropolis on the Rhine. And yes, it only took 600 something years to complete.  On the second day in Cologne, I got to see the impressive panorama from the cathedral tower across the city and Rhine on the top of Cologne Dom though in order to do that we had to climb 533 narrow, winding steps first.  Honestly at one stage I felt the climbing was never going to end and it was becoming increasingly hot battling with traffic (lots of people going up and down) on the narrow stair case inside an old cathedral. But the view from the top was rewarding. On the way to the viewing platform, we walked pass the St Peters bell, the largest freely swinging church bell in the world weighting 24,000 kg. I’m still wondering how could this bell swing being so huge and heavy?

Cologne

This is the view from the top:cologne

Kolsch and Roast Pork Knuckle

In the heart of Cologne city, just a few steps from the cathedral is the old town where you can always find authentic German food and enjoy the famous local beer in Cologne, Kolsch. Kolsh is a beautifully refreshing warm- weather beer normally served in skinny glasses. Its pleasantly fruity and slightly bitter taste goes perfectly well with roast port knuckle, one of my favorite Germany/ East European dishes. You know, the roast port knuckle with golden brown crispy, crackly skin attached and fell-off-the -bone tender meat. Finding nicely cooked pork knuckle however is a bit of a hit and miss. We finally found it at Peters Brauhaus in the old town. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures, couldn’t wait to start eating and drinking.

Pretzels and Berliners

They are on the list  because they are huge. And everywhere. And surrounded by massive bees.

Shopping

Cologne is one of the most popular cities for shopping. We were told that there are people who make special trips to Cologne just to stroll and shop on the most popular shopping streets Schidergasse, Hohe Strabe and others. Apparently Schidergasse is the number one shopping street in Europe. Its highlight is the weltstadthaus, which resembles a huge glass whale. Inside the glass whale is a gigantic, multilevel shopping centre with a sea of clothing and shoes.. more clothing and shoes.. You guessed it, more shoes.

Below left, view of the glass whale shopping center from Cathedral Tower.

Whenever you are tired of shopping, stop to have a cup of coffee. Or have a pretzel, they are everywhere.

  • Dresses

    Feel like a woman, wear a dress. – Diane Von Furternberg

Not trying to be a doll or anything, I wear a dress whenever possible. To me, it’s the best lazy/busy girls’ wardrobe solution. It is a dress, one piece, easy to be put on, easy to change into something else. Bring it on summer!

  •  Water

Sometimes what you need is the simplest thing. Once I had seriously dry, cracked lips. After applying lip balm over and over again without seeing any improvement, I reached for a bottle of water. Five minutes later, my lips became soft and moist without any dry issues. It felt like a miracle.

Forget about expensive lip balms, start to take a sip of water regularly.

  • keepall bag with strap (1 of 1) Louis Vuitton Keepall travel bag

Don’t think I’ll get over my travel bug, ever. My first Louis Vuitton bag is a Louis Vuitton monogram Keepall bag. Back then I haven’t discovered Louis Vuitton secondary market, so it cost a small fortune. But it’s proven to be worth every penny. It’s simple, classic and it got to be the toughest bag made on earth!

Why buy lots of cheap bags that fall apart quickly while we can have one which would last for generations & always stay in style.

  • Havaianas thongs

My favorite was a brown pair. It traveled all over the world with me. First time in Chique Terre (pictured), having no idea what to expect, I walked across the 5 towns and climbed all the steep hills in my havaianas thongs and a dress, in one day. It was the most amazing trip, the most stunning view, no sore feet, no damaged shoes.

J took this beautiful picture of Cinque Terre:

Cinque Terre Italy

Sadly, I left the pair on the plane from the US to Canada. Obviously they got the travel bug from me and started to fly solo. I have many pairs of these thongs but always miss the brown pair that could sing: I’ve been everywhere man!… the most.

Always remember to wear good quality, comfortable shoes.

  • Olive oil

Ok, it’s not what you think… I’m not trying to offer any cooking tips here. I’m talking about the best leave in conditioner for dry, uncontrollable hair. Close friends and family know that I have naturally wild, curly hair and always wanted straight hair. I’ve almost tried every treatment/product possible to make it less fluffy. $$$ and many years later, I discovered something that actually works for me … the plain, old pure olive oil!

Today, I still have big hair but I’ve finally learned: Love what we have naturally and make the most of it. And, it is perfectly OK to be a little different.

Trying hard to pose.

Trying hard to pose.

Paris Designer Outlet shopping

Designer outlet shopping Paris experience is quite different from shopping form Italy designer shopping outlets. High end designer shopping outlets are quite popular in Europe and I have been to a couple of impressive ones in Italy. Recently, I checked out the luxury designer shopping outlet around Paris area, just 30 minutes away from the center of pairs. La Vallee Village is only 5 minutes train ride from Disney Europe outside Paris.
How to get to designer outlet La Valle Village:

Designer outlet shopping paris

La Vallee Village August 2012

If you have some spare time  in Pairs apart from engaging the usual sight seeing activities, designer outlet shopping is fun and worthwhile. There’s a shopping express shuttle bus service departing from Place des Pyramides near the Louvre Museum twice a day but we went by public transport,  just in case we wanted to leave early or stay longer. Public transport is very convenient in Paris so it wasn’t a hassle at all to get there by suburban train RER. If you want to travel by RER, remember it is from any central PER A station to Val d’Europe station, the second last stop (the last one is Disneyland Paris). On Sundays, there’s free return shuttle bus service every 15 minutes from the RER station to La Vallee Village. Do worry if there’s no shuttle bus to take you there directly. It is only about 10 minutes stroll from the PER station any way. Once you walk out the RER Station, you’ll see the Val D’Europe shopping mall. Walk through the huge shopping mall, you’ll arrive at La Vallee Village – your Paris designer outlet shopping destination.

The Designer Outlet Shopping Paris Experience:

The Village is pleasantly charming with over 90 outlet boutiques offering reductions on the recommended retail price. Not quite like the Italian designer outlets I’ve visited before offering mainly the very high end designer like Fendi, Prada, Gucci etc, this shopping village has a mixed luxury brands such as Jimmy Choo, Burberry and Tods as well as the mid- range popular brands like Calvin Klein, Guess, Polo Ralph Lauren etc.

Discounts are usually around 30 -60% of the recommended retail price here. The last piece in stock could have a deeper discount. If you are lucky that it happens to be your size, you can save up to 80%. Normally I don’t have such luck picking up bargains as I have a size 8 (Australian Size) frame and size 7 feet. Anything of that size would normally be out of stock from my past designer outlet shopping experience. So my expectation wasn’t high before the Paris designer outlet shopping trip but I did have a list of brands that I wanted to browse in particular:




Jimmy Choo: Handbags and shoes

Salvatore Ferragamo: Comfortable, not so out there yet stylish shoes for daily office wear/functions

Reberto Cavalli: Funky dresses, pants and accessories

Missoni: Zig zaggy patterned sweaters and dresses

Dolce & Gabbana: Loud and colorful outfit and accessories

Versace: Bold patterns and accessories

Burberry: Clothing and handbags

Armani: Jackets and jeans

Michael Kors: Dressing watches

Tod’s: Leather handbags

Nike: Socks and sports shoes

Lacoste: Comfortable and stylish walking shoes

Samsonite: Travel luggage

Valentino: Over sized leather totes

Charming village style:

Paris Designer Outlet shopping

The weather was excellent on the day I was there, making this Paris designer outlet shopping experience extra enjoyable. Offers from the shops didn’t disappoint either. You could get a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for as low as 150 euro, the iconic black patent Jimmy Choo Ramona Bag at an 800 euro discount. You could get a Roberto Cavelli Jacket (equivalent Australian Size 16) at 300 euro, discounted from 2500 euro or 99 euro for a Burberry light jacket for men with a retail price tag of 399 euro. Michael Kors dressing watches were marked as low as 115 – 149 euro.

Winter in Sydney generally doesn’t get really cold; as a result it is extremely hard (for me) to buy good autumn/ winter clothes. My mission for this trip was to buy some high quality, good looking Autumn/Winter clothes at relatively bargain prices.  Long sleeve shirts, dresses, sweaters and jackets would be nice.

Did I buy anything?

Well, there were a lot for sale but it was hard to buy anything at the beginning. There wasn’t anything I fancy in Roberto Cavalli or Missoni. The shoes in Jimmy Choo are mostly not my size, or my size but undesirable color. Samsonite didn’t offer any better deals than normal shops outside the shopping outlet on their luggage. Lacoste didn’t have any walking shoes on display.

Just as I was wondering if I would end up leaving empty handed, Guess store appeared in front of me. The store is big and busy so I went in. There were piles of casual clothing and the discounts were deep. I found a long sleeve shirt with wide collar and fitted waist line for only 9 euro (discounted from 79 euro). Just what I needed and what a bargain!  In Burberry store, I found a Burberry silk, pleated back short jacket for 150 euro, discounted from 550 euro, last one for my size. A Burberry sweater made of silk, cotton and linen for 150 euro, discounted from 750 euro, last one in stock and my size! Of course they went home with me.

It turned out to be a successful trip! I would certainly recommend all my girlfriends to do some Paris designer outlet shopping if they go to Paris. Usually there would be more promotion offers if you go between mid – July to mid – August. If you are planning to go, why not make the most out of your Paris designer outlet shopping trip! The choices are abundant in that area… Val D’Europe shopping mall next door is huge. You can find the usual European chain stores like Zara, H&M, Pull & Bear’s there. If you don’t find anything to buy, Disneyland is just one stop away! :)

louis vuitton paris

If you like timeless style and quality with a touch of luxury, then you have enough reasons to pay a  visit to Louis Vuitton Paris Champs-Élysées.

Standing tall and proud, Louis Vuitton is situated the left hand side of Champs-Élysées towards Arc de Triomphe. Expect a small queue to get in if you visit on a weekend. Summer day time runs long in Paris, the store opens until 8pm while day light is still plentiful. Handbags and wallets are usually 10 – 100 euro cheaper to buy from Louis Vuitton Paris and you can exchange your bags within 30 days in any Louis Vuitton stores in Europe. There’s also a 12% tax refund for overseas shoppers.

I was in Louis Vuitton Pairs Champs-Élysées last week. Sipping champagne while picking out goodies was such a treat; better still, Louis Vuitton organised all my purchases to be delivered to our hotel on the same day so we were able to keep meandering on the streets of dreamy Paris for the rest of the day, baggage free.

louis vuitton paris

Louis Vuitton Paris Champs Elyesse August 2012

Among my new additions, the Louis Vuitton Monogram Empreinte  Secret Long Wallet will be accompanying me the most. Louis Vuitton Monogram Empreinte leather line is pricier than the other monogram canvas lines but it is indeed one of a kind. I particularly like the amazingly rich feel of this supple, grained leather. Louis Vuitton Monogram is embossed on the grained leather, looking just like footprints in sand. The wallet is big with wrap around zippered closure. Inside, there are 10 card slots, 2 long pockets for notes and 1 large zippered coin compartment. With large enough capacity to hold my lip gloss and key, it can also be carried as a small clutch.

I also bought Louis Vuitton Artsy from Damier Azur line. Artsy is a classic, feminine bag with exquisite handcrafted handle and golden charm key rings attached to the bag. There are 6 open wall pockets and one large zippered pocket inside the bag. This IS my type of bag, at least I can pretend to be organised with so many pockets in my bag.

Did I need to buy another Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag? Maybe. Louis Vuitton Neverfull is cute and ever popular. I like its light weight, large capacity and practicality. A little over extremely large bags by now, I got both Artsy and Neverfull in MM size. Could have easily picked up more bags during that one trip to Louis Vuitton Paris Champs-Élysées, but 20kg luggage limit was bothering me. Might go back soon to get another one or two.

Louis Vuitton Paris