I went to see Sex and the City last week (my first time seeing a movie in France), and I walked out feeling almost overdosed on fashion. You like Dior? Laboutin? Vivienne Westwood? Vera Wang? Blahnik? Vuitton? You will not be disappointed, as stunning handbags, dresses and shoes from these designers have prominent roles in this movie. My only complaint is that in some scenes, all the women are dressed alike style-wise (large and bold patterned dresses), even the extras. But that’s a small complaint. Overall I really enjoyed the 2 ½ hour movie as did the other two gals I saw it with and we all felt a bit swept away from reality which is really the point, isn’t it? I’d actually like to see it again just to be able to pay more attention to what everyone is wearing, because most of it was just stunning.

In one scene in the movie, Jennifer Hudson’s character refers to Bag, Borrow or Steal, the company that rents out bags (and other accessories). When I first heard of this company a few years ago, they were apparently still quite young, but I had looked at the website and gotten the impression they were a mature and large company because the site was well-designed and executed. I read a few news articles this week and it turns out the company is actually quite small (or at least they were before this movie came out!). I had looked them up this week because I was curious to know how much they had paid the producers of Sex and the City to do the product placement. Turns out they didn’t pay anything, they just happened to get written into the script. Talk about awesome luck for a company! That’s millions of dollars of advertising for free.

There’s a good article about Bag, Borrow or Steal’s reaction here at The Wall Street Journal.

So I was just cleaning out my work bag, which got me to thinking about all the stuff I carry around everyday, especially when I’m carrying my Longchamp shopper. For some reason it made me wonder what the Queen of England carries in her bag. So I Googled it, and this is a response to that very same question at answers.yahoo.com:

“Her Majesty does use her handbag as a security blanket. She carries it with her throughout the day as she moves from one room of the palace to another. She is rarely photographed without a handbag. All tables and her desk at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences are equipped with special hooks on which the Queen may hang her ubiquitous handbag. Finally, the Queen never uses a shoulder bag or clutch bag as these make shaking hands and accepting flowers awkward.

It’s not only what’s inside the monarch’s bags that is significant, but the bag itself, for she uses it to communicate with her staff in a very subtle manner. Before dining with the Queen, a point is made to inform guests that dinner will end in about five minutes after she places her bag on the table top. On walkabouts, she holds the bag to one side to show she intends to move on, at which point a lady-in-waiting joins the conversation, allowing her to slip away without causing offence. When at a banquet, if the Queen’s bag is placed on the floor, then it’s a sign that she’s not finding the conversation interesting, and wants nothing more than to escape. However, if the royal bag is dangling happily from the crook of her left arm, she is happy and relaxed.

The Queen carries a comb, a handkerchief, a small gold compact, and a tube of lipstick in her handbag. The Queen does carry money on Sundays–a folded note of unknown denomination which she discreetly places in the collection plate. One thing that can always be found in the Queen’s handbags is an S-shaped metal meat hook that she places on the dinner table’s edge to suspend her bag from so that it doesn’t touch the floor.

Also to be found inside is a collection of good luck charms, including miniature dogs, horses, saddles and horsewhips - most of them gifts from her children, reports the Daily Express. Family photos are also present, the most treasured of which is a snap of Prince Andrew, from when he returned from the Falklands in 1982. Other things that the Queen never goes without are her mints, chocolate drops for her beloved corgis and a couple of crosswords, which her servants snip out of the papers for her. Also ever present is the metal make-up case, made by Prince Philip and presented to her as a wedding gift 60 years ago. And if there’s still room in the bag she happens to be carrying, the Queen slips in a camera to take snaps to add to her private…”

I assume the responder was cut off for being a bit on the verbose side, but it was fascinating anyway, no? I doubt Her Majesty carries an actual meat hook around to dangle her bag from the sides of tables, but I think she may carry something like what I have. A friend brought me back a handy little hook from Barcelona; it attaches to tables (mine has a bull on it) so your bag doesn’t get dirty. It stays put with the help of the bag’s own weight. Great gift, for sure.

I can imagine Audrey Hepburn carrying this Balenciaga bag. But at the same time, I can imagine Posh carrying it. The contrast between the white fabric and black trip is so clean and I absolutely love the tiny hardware details on the bottom corners. I’m not a fan of the shoulder strap, but as a handbag, it’s just sweet. Ok, white fabric may not be the most practical for a handbag, but you have to admit it’s just very chic and classic, yet modern with the hardware.
Balenciaga Handbag Medium Fabric White

Practical designer bags are hard to find. Unless you don’t mind looking as though you are still in college. This Metallic Nylon Backpack by Just Cavalli “just” about manages to do it for me. Made of woven nylon with snakeskin- printed leather trim, it has pockets galore (obviously, it is a backpack after all), a snakeskin-printed textile lining, and a magnetic closure at the top.  A snip at $750. A casual floppy nature combined with a healthy dose of trendy metallic style and bling. A great bag for Britney Spears wanna-bees I think.

This Stella McCartney Clutch has been described as “edgy” and “giving a new vibe.”  I am not so sure myself. A tin clutch? See through also by the look of things. I will have to try one and see, but at nearly $900, I may have to wait for the free sample to arrive. My husband has already offered to lend me the old tobacco tin he keeps the spare fuses in.

More photos and detailed descriptions are here at the Stella McCartney website.

How awesome would it be to be able to charge your mobile phone or iPod IN your purse without having to connect it to a plug in the wall? A mechanical engineer in Iowa designed the Power Purse, which is covered in wafer-thin photovoltaic cells- think very thin solar panels. There is a USB charger inside the purse, so you can plug the phone or iPod in when you’re not using it. Because I sometimes take the train and bus to get places, I listen to my iPod quite a lot. It is awful to get on the bus and turn on my iPod and get the message that No Power Remains. It makes me almost sick to think I have to sit for the next hour and a half with no music while the bus lurches up the coast.

I saw a photo of this Power Purse and it actually doesn’t look bad. Other than the crappy plastic handles, it’s not hideous. But, checking the Power Purse website, I don’t see any mention of this product coming to market, so my desire to buy one will just have to remain unfulfilled.

Beach season is in full swing here on the French Riviera and last Sunday was my first real day at the beach. It was nearly a perfect day as the weather forecast called for rain but it ended up not raining, at least where we decided to go to the beach, down St Tropez way. I had to stuff our beach stuff in a lame backpack and it drove home the fact that I’ve been searching for a really great beach bag and have yet to find it. Here are my meager requirements: it must be big enough to hold 2 beach towels, 2 kinds of sunscreen, a litre bottle of water, 2 books, keys, phone, small bag with money and lip balm, and snacks. So we’re talking a pretty substantial bag here. But I can’t seem to find one anywhere. Did I mention it has to not look like ass also? Something quirky and interesting would be good, but it can’t be meshy or open, as I don’t want to be lugging a kilo of sand mixed up in my stuff around with me too. And it must be washable. I just spent a good hour looking online and still haven’t found anything. A lot of beach bags look like pieced together remnants from a quilting store- Laura Ingalls Wilder heaven. Do not want. The search goes on…

Gwyneth Paltrow has been named the new face of Italian luxury goods brand Tod’s in the wake of a short film she made for them which just debuted at Cannes. The ad campaign, shot by Mario Testino in Capri aboard dashing Tod’s CEO Diego Della Valle’s yacht, portrays “the uber luxurious, outdoorsy life of a beautiful Italian aristocrat from the heady days of the jet-set era,” says Vogue UK.

“Italian style is very sexy, very womanly and what I love is that it seems to have so many different inspirations,” Paltrow told the magazine. She replaces Sienna Miller, who starred in Tod’s ads last year. The Cannes short, which was directed by Dennis Hopper, a longtime friend of Della Valle’s, portrayed a day in the life of Gwyneth with her favorite Tod’s bag.

Apart from being a famous Gypsy belly dancer, Mahira is a Polynesian God, signified by the color white. Inspired by the phases of the moon, the Mahira by Louis Vuitton is made from soft cowhide, the interior is covered in microfiber, with pockets for mobile phone and accessories. Estimated price is $ 2,890 U.S. so it may be a while before I add this one to my collection.

As you may know if you’ve read my earlier post about reusable shopping bags, I am currently loving etsy.com. It’s a site that sells homemade stuff and it’s a great place to pick up unique items. And no, I’m not getting paid to say that. Seeing as how THE film festival is going on in Cannes right now, I will be heading over to check out the red carpet next week. So it got me thinking about buying a new clutch to go with a very pale gray/silvery flow-y dress I’ll probably wear. Or I might go with a red dress; depends on my mood. I found this clutch on etsy and I think it’s gorgeous. I love the striking pattern and have never seen anything like it before. I may have to buy it, though it won’t be here in time for my foray to the festival. It will still be nice to have for other nights out. Especially to go with a dress that is in a bold solid color. I think it would look smashing with a coral dress- not that crazy bright coral, but the softer peachy coral. It’s the hardest color to find, and the color that looks best on me. My mom always told me that, even when I was little, and it’s true.