luxury personified. celine handbags 2010

Just when I thought I'd narrowed my faves down to four (haha! choices!! choices!!) simple, albeit rather pretty and very capable-looking totes — the Fendi Peekaboo, Lanvin Toucouleur, Balenciaga Papier and the Hermès Cabag GM totes — the Céline S/S totes slipped back into my consciousness. When I first came across a matte black piece in early January, I didn't want to touch it. I'd already failed the first rule of avoiding temptation; thou shall not let thine eyes linger. Touching would simply be giving in, especially since it was still early in the year and I was relatively solvent; whether or not I should have afforded myself such a luxury would have been completely irrelevant.

My little brother's tugging prevailed over the sales lady's polite enquiries. She was even handing me the bag, but I gave it a final caress and said, "No, thank you. Maybe next time." At least I didn't parade the length of the handbag floor and have the poor Brits thinking me crazy.

Forget the fashion aesthetics and all that — it's similar to the other totes for which I've fallen dangerously, and costs even more than any of them *whomp* — what I love about Celine is that one ever hears much about it. That simple. Now this may not be a good thing for newly appointed creative director, Phoebe Philo, to hear, but it's a style popper for me, and exudes a quiet luxury that I find more appealing. Seriously, who wants to carry the same bag as everyone and their wet-faced dogs?! Available at Barneys And Bergdorfs (NY). It's more readily available in London (and even more so to the French, I imagine), but still...

Oh, and aren't these bags just the image of I've-got-my-sh*t-together?!! One on my arm and I'd look oh so with it.

I've put in these belts because I can't help it. I'm not saying go out and buy triple-digit-priced skinny belts (no offense Cece!); but I'm thinking how pretty a number of such belts  — different colors, widths, and textures — would look worn together, in a careless but very much put-together criss-crossed manner. 

Kiss.