Hello Hello!

…technical glitch, ask no more! Yes true I have an answer (excuse is a really bad word to use).

So yes credit crunch and all has started to hit home and we are all looking for ways to make what we have go a bit further. Whatever your methods one thing goes without saying if you plan well, you don’t waste and if you aren’t wasting you can save. Don’t save too much though because places like Lurve Bags might end up not existing and we might end up with block upon block of Primark, Peacocks, Hypnotic, Asda. What’s wrong with those places you ask well how about jeans with different sized legs, tacky stiching, where do people wear clothes like that to and sweat shop labour. We jest each to their ownJ.

If you are worried about the recession did you know the worst thing you can do is stop spending. Yes really, there is a thing called Paradox of Thrift, my economics is sketchy so the best explanation (can always be topped up by google or wikipedia for the trusting and less cynical) is if everyone saves then less is spent, if less is spent then there is reduced economic growth and this in turn just makes things worse. Yes truly.

So yes without further digression I want to share a money saving tip on smalls coz we all need them and we need them quite regularly. There is nothing as horrible as fainting and being remembered as the lady in holy pants(hahaha panties with holes).  I popped to the high street again, because as much as we lurve internet shops some things need to be done in person eg getting lingerie reason being if you’re buying a new bra(s) you need a fitting first (depending on when your last one was). So there’s me trotting of to Brasavers ( so of course there is no such shop, I’m choosing not to not to endorse here hahaha!) and I didn’t want to spend a fortune.

I bagged 7 pieces for £30 that’s an average of £4.30 per piece and I can wear these in 9 different combinations. You can with better colour combos get more (…I won’t get into permutations and combinations). For illustrations purposes only here goes my suggestion. Just to put things into perspective 9 decent sets from the same shop will cost you at least £270 with a bra costing £25 and knickers £5.

Look out for more great savings on the gorgeous bags! Save up to £30 which you can use to treat yourself to some pretty smalls.

Keep spending,

Dame of Bags!

Hello!

I guess I am not the only one a bit annoyed with the weather (BAA are probably relieved to blame something else). Here we are in the midst of the lure spring campaign and what happens?? I wake up Sunday morning and the ground, roofs, cars etc are covered in snow. I have to give it to the met guys, they got it right…I can’t figure out why they always get the good weather wrong, c’mon guys take out your wind vanes, thermometers, rain gauges and whatever else it is that you might use and tell us when we are actually going to get some sun. We have ladies that have bought gorgeous bags in bright and fun summer colours and are dying to put on decent flirty dresses and sport their bags!! (don’t say I never try for you J )

So coming back to the reason I'm writing this blog. A while ago if you had asked me if there is such a thing as dressing your age I would have said undoubtedly YES, why would the term mutton dressed as lamb have been coined?!

Now I think it depends. A person has to dress according to their shape that I think most people will agree. Now I am not a fan of the icon that has swayed my views but credit and praise where it's due. I am talking about Madonna. This woman is turning 50 but boy does she looks amazing. Life and Photoshop have treated her well; of course a little money always helps. I mean have you ever noticed how ordinary people are never air brushed for the papers case in point Karen Matthews, now she could use the services of an Avon ladyJ. Now Karen is 32 years of age a good 18 years (17 if you are pedantic) younger than Madders but wow what a difference!!

I for one definitely love that Maddona’s at her age can sport some of the outfits she does and still look great. I do question though if any ordinary woman her age can get away with wearing that LOL eg to the chippie, to the supermarket or to the pub hee hee! (let’s face she is a show girl at heart and always will be). I also question whether a woman who is a mother is OK to wear the clothes she does as shown in the pics. Never the less I think she is stylish.

Check her latest pics put let me know if you agree, if you would be OK with your mum at 50 dressing like this, would you dress like this at 50? As for me if I were to wear this well…then I say rock on 50!!!!

Take care,

Dame of Bags

Hello ladies,

Absence makes the heart grow fonder :-) that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...Thank God for the internet. It's really is a refreshing alternative to shopping more so if you're a busy woman.

I haven't been on a proper shopping trip in ages (by proper I mean when you just spend the day on the high street checking out your favourite stores in search of that wow piece that grabs you). I decided to visit the high street to check out the sales which seem to  be in full swing so I could have a browse and see if I could get any therapy.

So I kitted myself in high-waisted wide leg jeans (TREND ALERT), a light knitted top, comfy ballerinas and armed myself with my gorgeous yellow Katherine Shoulder   (yes we do buy our own bags, we don't sell you anything we wouldn't be seen with) which caught the eye of many fashionistas who either paid me compliments or got caught checking the bag out. Yes you gather right based on my attire that I was on a mission.

I didn't really have a list of what I wanted or needed to get I was just bargain hunting for items and prices that make you leave a shop on a real high and glowing. Of course this is a big mistake you need a budget and an idea of what pieces your wardrobe might need.

Shopping without a budget or your current wardrobe in mind only leads to the sort of shops that put a hole in your pocket, leave you feeling guilty about your purchases...no therapy in that!

So to cut a long story short I didn't really enjoy my shop, the colours on offer were quite dull and garish and a lot of shops had buyer errors on sale (ie the sort of clothes that land you on worst dressed list), sales assistant were rude and unhelpful not to mention the crowds. One shop notorious for this had a 30 people plus queue and about 3/4 cashiers (same story in the men's section), talk about wasting people's time. Their fitting rooms queues equally long and very dusty. Now if you are after 1 piece what are the chances you will hang about to endure this?? Sound familiar??

Well online is a different ball game although it is not without its disadvantages.

The team came up with a list why online shopping is better than high street shopping:

No long queues

No dirty and smelly fitting rooms

No rude sales assistants

Better and quicker price comparisons

You can shop and eat at the same time (I know...how great is that!)

Your feet don't ache from walking

You have more time to mull over your purchase

I really could go on and on but I won't you get the picture...now that is retail therapy for me. So next time I will opt for an online bargain hunt and get more time to relax with friends and family. What do you think? We value your feedback let us know how you found your shopping experience on Lurve Bags.

Take out those note pads and laptops and enjoy some retail therapy online.

Take care,

Dame of Bags!

We lurve shopping online

Hello Again,

I'm sure I am not the only one dying to do a bit of wardrobe spring clean, but the weather seems to have different ideas. So while we wait for the sun to grace us with a little bit of warmth and light we can all inject a little colour into our wardrobes using accessories, it's guaranteed to perk us up, make us stand out and hopefully lure Spring :-) .

Our tips this week: trade your wooly scarf for a brightly coloured cotton mix one, stack some bangles in lovely colours and experiment don't always go for safe matchy matchy combos. Wear brightly coloured shoes they will definitely make a statement. Ditch dull and spread some colour... Oh and how can an outfit ever be complete without one of our gorgeous bags??? We recommend the green Laurent, Mini Acapulco in Orange/Purple, Suzzana in yellow...ALL VERY DAZZLING STATEMENTS!

 Join the campaign and send us pics we would love to see your luring spring look.

I have noticed a few of us ladies love the black trousers, I'm guessing coz we heard somewhere that it is versatille and goes with everything...MYTH! So I dispell this myth all a black pair of trousers does is make you blend in with the wall paper, furniture you name it. Try buying trousers in different colours eg charcoal grey, light grey, brown, beige these are equally versatille but less obvious.

You just have to take a look at Rihanna pictured at Paris Fashion week, surrounded by versatille black : ) She proves you can never wear too much colour by teaming 4 very bold colours together (red shoes, the blue coat peeking in the corner, yellow bag and purple all in one). I wonder which highstreet chain will dare recreate the look. If they have and you spot it email us please, we'd love to rate the copy! Have more fun with colours and challenge yourself to dress differently, you might lurve it.

As always the stylist is at hand to point you in the right direction so don't hesitate to email stylist@lurvebags.co.uk

Bye for now,

Dame of Bags

Fellow Baggers (I will endeavour to come up with a different name for each post ),

I tried hard to post this week's blog entry on time but failed so I explain why...

I'd like this blog to be as visual as possible because from a young age I have never been one to read books that didn't have colourful pictures (in fact  I loathed it) and so I carry from that period the belief that pictures say a thousand words and are far more exciting than Arial 12pt etc.

The other thing (gathered or not) I am not really a writer, hence the earlier appeals (which are still on going) to get our readers to blog for us periodically and so pictures keep the blog entries short and sweet.

But most importantly I have despite several hours of trawling the net failed to secure the images of items that would have been used(in the right format) in plan A and plan B blog which were centred around the fantastic Orange Globetrotter Centenary Case  and Stella McCartney's collection for Adidas (choice items).

So I am left with two very unappealing solutions:

1. To wait around until the images become more readily available on the net by which time this might be stale news (actually will be) thereby branding us the TK Maxx equivalent in fashion blogging (still I believe old news is new news if you hadn't heard it before).

2. To sever a copy of the magazine I saw the pictures (sever because the magazine is supposed to be a collectors edition ie 30 years from now I wouldn't want to open a magazine with just indentations and text hee hee!)

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR THE RESULT!

Ok so I leave you with my money saving shopping tip (credit crunch business and all that for all that fear or all slightly interested).

BUY MULTIFUNCTIONAL PIECES !

If you haven't read anything else read what follows.

The grey piece is a versatille dress that you can:

• Wear to work (with a colarless jacket if need be) tucked in and teamed with high waisted wide leg trousers these two items are so bang on trend with romance (frills and sheer fabrics) and 70's tipped as key trends for this summer (lose the belt on the dress).
• During the day teamed with tights (not just any tights, calf length and decent quality so you don't cheapen the dress). Only cinch you waist in if your midriff permits or else tie losely.
• At night for going out worn with metalic shoes, bang on trend again this season, lose the belt and replace perhaps with a fitting thin metallic belt or even better if your shape allows it without a belt.

Create an individual look and introduce colour using your favourite accessories, nothing around the neck as the frills make a bold enough statement on their own. Frills are ultra feminine and elegant and anything that celebrates femininity and elegance is timeless so you need not worry about this piece being shoved at the back of your wardrobe. 

So by wearing the same dress/top for work, play and party you save yourself buying a work top, a day top and a dressy top/dress.

No we are not suggesting you wear this on Friday morning to work then go for work drinks after that turn into a night painting the night red and emerge on the highstreet Saturday mid-day still wearing the same top...now that ladies is nasty perish the thought with haste.

...(after thought) although if you did decide to do the nasty we have the perfect bag for the job... The Mabel tote (in stock) is roomy and stylish enough to to redeem your dignity and style.

Til the next blog entry,

Dame of Bags

This is the new home of gorgeous things!

Hello Lurve Baggers (readers is so cliche),

It seems to be taking us a bit longer to update the blog (understatement of the year), but it feels a bit bit like talking to yourself (so please do leave comments when you visit the site just so we know there is life out there...SMILEY).

I received my long awaited Elle Magazine subcription issue for April despite getting the gift 2-3 months ago, I have got to say it was well worth the wait though.

I have a strange way of reading magazines (does anyone else do this?), I tend to read my magazines 4 times (weirdo..I know):

- first time round I just browse and look at the pictures from the front to back pages

-second time I read the text associated with the gorgeous products and read a few choice features

-third time round after reading all the interesting stuff I make an attempt to read the not so interesting articles just to get my quids worth and not feel like I've wasted money by reading less than a third of the magazine

-fourth read is about really familiarising myself with the issue's content (otherwise known as gawping at the favourites when I'm whiling up time again oohing and arghing with girlfriends)

So yes enough of that, picking up the April Elle issue on first perusal of the supplement I was exteremely pleased to be gawping at none other than  the 'Ri2K Jayanti Large Grab in Cobalt'...tipped as a top summer bright.

So Elle fashionistas have publicly declared our buying taste stylish and spot on trend ...that was our take on it hahaha! So you can shop with confidence knowing we wouldn't sell you any arm candy we wouldn't be caught holding.

So check out the Look Book for ideas on how to dress up with this fab bag and ladies keep your purses ready. We officially open the shop March 15th with fantastic welcoming discounts so when you see something you lurve, bag it or you might regret contemplating.

AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT, bag it while you can is the best advice we can give you(beauty of online shopping you can avoid daggers when you bag the last most wanted item).

For those that have missed this on the handbag preview page  (impossible as it is)...below is a pic of the Jayanti Grab.

Stay stylish,

Dame of Bags

xxx

Hello Lurve ladies,

I had this debate on big bags etc with a close friend bag lurver the other day  about how one season they are in, next season they are out, as with so many other things out there.

So I am taking the time to feature one great find worth buying as well as spread the word about the purpose of a good and loyal bag.

Our take on this is you need to invest is a big bag, it will always be in.

It comes very handy for those spontaneous trips to the high street when you need to hide that uneccessary purchase.

You can carry your make up bag with all your essential, allowing you to freshen up anytime (after all you never know who you might bump into).

On a planned shopping trip you can bring your ballerinas and step out of your unmerciful heels or even bring a pair of shoes to try on outfits with.

The list is endless when it comes to what a girl needs a big bag for.

Our versatille pick is the Uma Tote. Perfect for work in black patent if white is too much for you.

For the glamourous ladies the white below is ready to ship and is screaming stylish...stylish...stylish (Prepare to be envied).

What are you waiting for!

Love to be envied,

Dame of Bags

Baggers are choosers!

Hi All,

Welcome to our first blog. The idea of this blog is to keep whatever we write short, sweet, fun   and informative (I know you are very busy people   after all you have to spend some time working for the money to fund your Lurve Bags gorgeous things list as well as go out to show your gorgeous things purchases).

So, we will write about anything ,everything and nothing in   particular   from fashion trends, rants, politics, music etc (you get the idea our blog isn't themed...even though we lurve our bags we know no-one wants to talk bags all the time- be glad we're not at all one dimensional).

Having said that it would be fantastic to have feature bloggers. Why?? just because we lurve to hear what you are getting up to, what you think and also because we are genuinely nice people (oh yes nice people still exist despite what they tell you) :-). This is also a fantastic opportunity for people that lurve blogging and have always wanted a blog but do not have the time to mantain a  blog full time (after all a person has to manage their time so they have time to ooh and aah at their Lurve Bags purchases).

Keep watching this space for developments and your chance to submit a blog entry.

Take care,

Lurve Bags Team

xxx