peace, dove, and rock and roll

one of the best things about tiffany & co is their ability to churn out modern, cute, and chic jewelry items on a consistent basis to keep you coming back for more. if you like to lurk on their online website, their jewelry tab has a sub tab labeled "new jewelry" and there's always new designs released or updated versions of the old ones. more times than not, their items are pretty dang cute and if you have no will power like, um...me, then you probably find yourself collecting a few more blue boxes then you'd like to admit. i blame them for knowing how to grab a girl by her balls....

after picking up my love bracelet, we went to tiffany to look for wedding bands and what do i see there...the paloma picasso rose gold dove on a rose gold chain! whether or not i was under the rose gold spell of my love bracelet or just giddy from being in a big girl's candy shop....it did not take me long to decide to make my vegas gift to myself a duo :)

one of the things tiffany does best is to create very fine, delicate necklaces for their pendants. this rose gold dove looks like it's taking flight off my neck and is the cutest thing ever.

whoo hoo done! shopping ban for the next year :( i promise?

work bag for the work horse

for someone who spends so much money and time gawking at handbags, you would THINK i carry a rockin' HOT one to work...but alas, i don't. i carry a very modest, broken in black lesportsac nylon bag. i know...whut?! not only is it nylon and bleh looking, it's also ripping at the seams. shame on me, i KNOW! and i call myself bagnatic.....poser!

but you see, i can look rather homeless when i go to work; t-shirt, baggy jeans, flip flops during the summer if i can get away with it. my chanels and bottega would never do and honestly, i would have happily toted this broken in bag for another few hundred years to honor my homeless look, IF the ripped seam didn't cause my cell phone to fall out! for a few days, my phone was zappy and i was so MAD! ahhh! that's when the thought of replacing my pathetic lesportsac took root.

so flash forward a few months later and a few days of NO INTERNET and i was ripe, RIPE i tell yah to do some shopping damage since i was so bored out of my mind. so a harmless stroll through the mall led me to nordstrom which lead me to the handbag section and what do i see? the marc by marc jacobs dr. q hillier hobo in black!

PERFECT!

it is made of nice black pebbled leather which makes it durable and luscious (oh how i love leather bags!). the black color makes it less scratch prone and is big enough to house all my neccessities. the short handle and a detachable leather strap also allows me to tote it four different ways which i liked. not to mention it looks pretty cute and will be the perfect bag for me as i go straight to happy hour after a hard day's work.

messenger style with the bag towards my rump.

to the side using the long strap.

right up against my armpit when i carry it with the short handle.

and lastly on the crook of my arm (no modeling pic for that one). methinks it's the perfect purse to use when i carry it to work. i was about to go nutty and pick a colorful one, but i reminded myself that this is suppose to be a basic black bag for work so i reined my drag queen proclivities back in and settled for the black one. i just hope marc fits in my desk drawer when i get there. regardless, i am happy with my replacement. the nylon one will be kept around for hiking purposes. woot!

a latch key kid

many years ago when i was studying abroad in hong kong, i picked up a very fine, thin gold necklace with a gold heart pendant. i wore it that way for many years until i acquired a tiny gold key to go with it. people always asked me if it was symbolic for "a key to my heart," but naw, it's just two dainty pieces that looked cute together. but every since that first tiny key, i was hooked! i wanted to be a latch key kid!

when i saw that tiffany & co came out with a key collection, i really wanted to get one, but as you know, i was sidetracked and bought my tiffany diamond pendant instead. excercising self control only went as far a few months because when i went to vegas not too long ago, i KNEW i had to pay tiffany a visit, and i did.

i went in knowing that i wanted a gold key on a simple gold chain, but was COMPELETELY smitten by the super cute oval link chain! i bought a 30" chain because i liked the idea of wearing it long like this (a modified mr. t look):

and wearing it layered and short like this:

in my head, it seemed like a "deal" cuz it's a 2 in 1 look. anyways, i really love the necklace and am happy to add it to my growing jewelry family. it's so fun to be a girl!

meet cocoa

thanks to my main squeeze, i can now add this beautiful metallic brown reissue to my bagwhore collection! it is a MOST GORGEOUS shimmery brown color with a beautiful ruthium chain. i've actually eyed this baby for a while now but could not bring myself to get it after owning a house and a dog while going back to school. let's just say that my frivolous spending has taken a step back with a really big reality check. besides, i've bought so many bags already for just two arms so goes my reasoning......but then steps in main squeeze and i get this beautiful chanel for my bday! yay! i've already named her cocoa :) i love you cocoa...i mean i love you main squeeze!

cocoa can be dressed up or down and adds that extra beat or two to my heart when i tote it. i am not a fashionista by any means, but i sure love my bags and all baglike things (somewhere, i guess my girl genes went kooky). anways, the metallic shimmer is somewhat muted but the brown is truly gorgeous!

a friend of mine once told me all my chanels look the same...i guess they sortta do with the same quilting and structure. but like a mommy of multiples, they all look different to me and i love them all individually. besides, i think this style of chanel drives me the most batty...the other styles do not grab my heart or my wallet quite as strongly as the classic flaps and reissues do.

welcome cocoa! ow!

reunited and it feels so good

back in august 2008, i was in las vegas to attend a friend's bachelorette party. during down time, i would go shopping (it is imprinted in my genes girls and i won't deny it). a harmless stroll through fashion show mall lead me to neiman marcus which lead me to their small chanel store which lead me to another unneccessary chanel crush. what a vicious cycle this is!

oh my god, what do i see?! good gawd it's a navy blue lambskin wallet on a chain! soft, supple leather, glossy sheen, thin leather woven chain that reminds me of a pretty necklace. the best part is being able to wear it messenger style, but ultimately you can use it as a cluch or a shoulder bag as well. in that moment, i felt i NEEDED it, that life would be incomplete without it. crazy devil at work that's what this is.

but i resisted.

it was around the same time that i closed escrow on my house and needed to take care of some bills. so keeping in theme with my good girl with good credit image, i bid adieu to this lovely woc even though i got the s.a's number and even told him to put it on hold for me JUST IN CASE. ah, the games i play on myself. ultimately i left las vegas without this pretty little chanel.

fast forward two months later and i find myself at saks in beverly hills. another harmless walk over to neimans led me to the chanel counter which lead me to the same woc!! woot? is this like fate or something? is it?! i demand an answer! i saw it's twin sitting in the display case begging for me to tote it. once toted, it was clearly over. my sa had a brand new one in stock and i purchased it during their gift card promotions and took my new baby chanel home. i think the lesson here is to stop taking those harmless walks!

the chanel woc is small and is meant to replace your wallet because there's card slots as well as an inner compartment for loose change. it can fit a thin cell phone and a thin camera but that's about it. it's not a super practical bag, but most chanels aren't super practical anyways. come on now! why are you paying so much for a bag right....*bagnatic thinks about it*....it was lovely and i wanted to own it and now i do. i've used it several times now and it's a great little purse. ahhh, i love me some chanel!

my shoalin monk pose as i try to steady the camera and give you my modeling shot. ow!

finally!! the weaving is mine!

i think i've drooled about bottega veneta bags for quite a while now. since december 2007 to be exact. there's something seriously delicious when you touch one. so soft and buttery....and the weaving is simply divine. after visiting bottega veneta boutiques off and on for the past year and/or catching myself molesting the bags as i generally find myself doing when i come across one, i took the plunge and veered off the chanel-only-path and bought myself a bottega veneta ferro sloane! the color is a dark shimmering grey and the leather is absolutely delicious. the weaving allows for a variation of shimmering tones and visual texture so "grey" is not simply "grey." there is a darkness and lightness to it depending on the weaving and the way light hits it. it even has a suede interior!! holy shit! with time, the bag will slouch a bit to form to my body. i'm expecting quite an excellent hobo look. ahhh, it is a GORGEOUS bag indeed. i definitely see another bottega bag in my future....far future since i'm clearly smitten by this leather. the ferro sloane is 100% well made, scrumptious, and dearly loved as much as my chanels (oh gawd i sound like a freak).

the sloane has been put to use numerous times now. i think it would be a shame not to. it's been in hibernation due to the rain, but the gorgeous grey will be ready to use once the weather warms up a bit. i loves it a lot!

obligatory ass shot.

woot woot!

tee hee. today is my berfday! i really want to see a bagnatic entry with a july 27 stamp on it. if you are use to my dorkiness, then this quirk may come as no suprise to you.

my berfday festivities started on friday with great friends and good eats at "the park" (i yelped it in case your stomach is curious). i thought it was a pretty scrump-de-li-lumptious meal and happily knew that this meal signified a fat ass weekend for moi. what a great way to start it up! holla! and a fat ass weekend it has become!

yesterday, saturday, was just as fantastic. a few friends took me to crustaceans because i rave about the garlic noodles all the time so they delivered me right to their koi doors. yummy! they are my social activist friends from way back. seriously, back in the days, i used to march in rallies, participate in protests, helped with some community organizing, etc... can you hear me scream this?

"hey, hey, ho, ho (insert cause) has got to go"

or

"the people, united, will never be defeated!"

well ask me next time. i can demonstrate :) picture me squatting with a bunch of ucla folks at bunche hall during the affirmative action protests or marching in downtown during all those immigration props. i did a bunch of activist stuff before i settled down and became a cranky teacher with a penchant for chanel that you now know. oh those were the days!

anyways, i carried golden deliciousness to dinner (my chanel metallic gold reissue) since i wanted to max her out. throughout dinner, i must admit that i tried to hide her a bit or i would put my hand over the tiny chanel inscription on the clasp. i felt a bit embarrassed to carry her amongst my activist friends...i can't explain it other than the fact that i had a very different persona back then and if they ever found out about my fondness for chanel, i would NEVER hear the end of it. they truly would not understand my newfound materialism and although my politics remains the same, the chanel twist would have knocked their social justice socks off. hence, no one from that particular circle of friends knows about bagnatic. shhhhh..... ;)

she is purty even though i wore her uneasily that night. here's another outfit combo. i wore this to crustaceans and golden deliciousness works just as well. she is much more versatile than i thought!

my office is still messy. i protest cleaning...come on, join my protest!

tonight will be dinner and i will FINALLY get to see the musical "wicked." i am so excited!!! it has been a wonderful birthday indeed. i am blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people and so many pretty little things.

and it shines...twice

i went to wedding number 2 yesterday and was able to debut my golden deliciousness, the chanel gold metallic reissue. whoo hoo! twice i might add in the day. once for the church ceremony and then for the reception..whoo hoo, whoo hoo!

this is my outfit when i went to the church ceremony. i don't think it's hard to pair golden deliciousness up with an outfit as long as the outfit isn't too busy looking. i think this bag looks best against a solid colored background....or as solid as you can make it. the dress i'm wearing has tiny white polka dots (and yes, i love polka dots too. thanks for wondering). i think it looks great! :) *crickets*

here's a few things i noticed about the bag. it's "soft" in the sense that it lacks the stiff structure of a caviar bag and of course with this size, it holds a lot less. i had to squeeze a ton of stuff in and the bag "gave in" a little but still maintained it's shape. definitely can't carry as much as jumbolicious. it's also a head turner. whoo hoo! i saw you checking out my bag lady! kidding!

at the reception, i saw two other chanel sisters. both were older ladies (mid 40's and 50?). one carried a white gst with gold hardware and another rocked a small vintage lambskin flap. seriously, i thought this shallow thought: it is nice to be able to enjoy some nice things at this young age. ow! i continue to stick by my philosophy that some things in life, you shouldn't wait till later to enjoy. do it now! hahahaha....

please excuse the mess in the back. this is my "office" and i barely go in there except to take modeling pics. :) note to self: suck in stomache for future modeling debuts.