BAG REVIEW: Tod’s Spring- Summer 2010

I became a fan of Tod’s bags not too long ago (Tod’s shoes though, I’ve always been a fan :D) . My magenta Tod’s pashmy bag has been schlepped til kingdom come, and the exterior of the bag still looks great  and shows no sign of wear and tear. The most overused part of the bag would have to be the side pocket, where all my phones, car keys, change and parking ticket go. It got to the point of me  accidentally ripping a part of the lining off because of serious overuse  hahaha*I need to get it fixed because my things already go all the way inside the bag– and I’m talking “inside” inside :D* Overall, the bag is still fantastic, as it is just the most functional bag I own. I am not letting this baby go. Not anytime soon. A big plus is also the color 🙂 It’s sooo me!!! 🙂

Yesterday was the press launch of Tod’s Spring/ Summer collection. Naturally, this *literally* poor baghag trooped over to check out the goods. I was supposed to just stay for 10 minutes, to take photos of the bags, take a look at the shoes, but again I ended up chatting with the wonderful and gracious hosts from SSI (Malu, Nina, Monica), PR princess GinggayDM, as well as BusinessWorld’s JohannaP, and Preview Magazine’s PaulineS and IshaA *Great issue with Jinkee Pacquiao on the cover, by the way!*

Blah blah blah blah blah… Gawd, I am just wayyyyy too chatty!  *Zips mouth* So let me stop right here with the chit chat and get right on it.  Bag hags, here’s the good stuff 😉

The Pashmy satchel in light gray.

It’s made of cotton, but it’s actually treated for the fabric to be waterproof! This is very high on my “Must- Have” list for the wandering nomad/ frequent traveler 🙂 Those exterior pockets are going to be your best friend (as my Tod’s pashmy pockets became mine haha). I love this bag because of its casual feel. And this bag is waterproof? That’s an even bigger bonus! Tod’s has stuck to its Pashmy bag equation and the style has served the company well. The Pashmy continues to draw in bag lovers who are on the lookout for pretty utilitarian bags. This will be priced above Php 61K+/- .

 

This large python bag in chalk- white (from the “shade” family of Tod’s) is serious arm luxury.

I have always believed that white bags belong to the rich tai tais *hehehe ok, it’s a stereotype, but I’m about to tell you why*– white is an extremely difficult color to maintain when it comes to bags. Wearing all white on its own is difficult (especially for me because I’m a dirt magnet hahaha… sauces, grease… you get the picture :D). So only those who don’t have a lot of errands to do or activities which might require them to roll up their sleeves and “get down and dirty” (ok that’s figuratively ok? hahaha) can maintain the pristine condition of a white bag.  Hence only a tai- tai can carry it hahahaha.  My friends who have white bags can maintain the beauty and cleanliness of theirs and they *deny* being tai-tais (I still think they are hahahahaha pfffft) But joking aside,  this bag does not look hard to maintain at all because it’s not exactly pure white. Plus, it’s got scales so it doesn’t show “dirt” as much as a smooth leather white bag does. So this gorgeous white python bag is really a “get”. Priced at around Php 150K +/- *wolfwhistle*, this is definitely a bag that spells “Wealth” invisibly 😀 I seriously love this bag. It has that “real luxury is not about spelling the brand name out in bold letters on the bag” look 🙂

Oh and it comes in a smaller size too, in blue.

And there’s also a leather version of this bag, as seen on one of my favorite models, Girlie Benitez

(look behind her– top shelf has these mini G- bag satchels– for women with “Mini Me’s” 🙂

The Leather G-bag gets reinterpreted again. This time in a beautiful Spring Lilac color.

 

I quite like this bag. It resembles (in a much, much finer way of course) the gardener’s bag which I do like (hehehe especially in a pink color like the Bond garden tool bag below *which costs US$22+ hehehe*).

(photo from amazon.com)

I am taking a serious liking to that G- bag above also because it’s in lilac and has that nice piping contrast. I love lilac (as I love all shades of pink-purple!). The G- bag is going to be priced around Php 81K+/-.

I don’t like this bag, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find it ugly at all.  It  just reminds me of those old champagne bucket bags. Plus I’m just not really a big fan of drawstring bags– at least not in this style. My colleagues though, seemed to prefer this one over the lilac one 🙂

It would’ve been even more perfect if the leather is more scratch- resistant. As it is, most D- bags have very smooth leather and unfortunately, this particular type of leather used is prone to scratches if you have long fingernails (so cut them short if you want this bag :D). But seriously, I would still recommend getting this bag because of the color. If it were in a different color, I wouldn’t have even taken a second look at it, but since it’s blue, it stole my already weak bag heart!

And then there were the shoes. I am actually thinking of getting this pair of sneakers when Tod’s has them in stock in-store.

I like it! This is perfect for my weekend mall jaunts and activities with the DKs. To those who don’t yet know, Tod’s is actually best known for their shoes (especially the Gommino loafers which are suuuuper comfortable). *Hmph* These sneakers will be mine soon *wicked laugh hehehe*  😉

Who remembers Sperry Top Siders?

 

(photo grab from Sperrytopsider.com)

They’re so 80s and so Regatta- chic, and well, they’re baaaaack! This is Tod’s interpretation of the classic boat shoes

I still own a similar pair of shoes by Lambertson Truex (hehehehe vintaaaage! Do any of you still remember that brand? I wonder how it is… hmmm I’ll do some sleuthing) but I like the kookiness of these Tod’s pairs. I’d pick the red over the all navy, just because 🙂

Tod’s boutiques are located at Greenbelt 4 (Ayala Center, Makati) and Rustan’s Tower (Shangrila Plaza Mall). Go see these bags and shoes up close and personal at the Tod’s boutique nearest you soon, and tell me, which style/s would you pick for yourself?  🙂