For today, let’s just say I’ve already been twice, in as many days, to the Hermès boutique where I actually saw with my own two eyes the mythical black Kelly bag and lizard Birkin bag, both front and center on full display but not for sale. Most likely already on reserve for lucky clients. The sales associate encouraged me to come back daily, as he says most locals do, and try my luck since there’s no telling what could arrive the next day. But that lovely box Kelly (in my favorite 32cm size) was definitely not available to come home with me. Sigh.

So while all roads lead to Hermès for me on my travels, the H gods are still toying with me. Looks like you, dear readers, and I have to settle for stories about the city instead of a bag for now. See you in the next entry…or should I say a few doors down at another old haunt of mine :

These shrimps were sooo succulent, subtly grilled and flavored with a lime dressing:

And the first time I learned that cabillaud means cod in French (cabillaud à la basque with chives)…

Not my first time with tuna tartare, but this Thai flavoring was quite delicious…

But working from a suitcase and laptop comes a lot of stress, so surely yours truly has to indulge in a bit of on-the-road retail therapy, non?

Yes, last Friday afternoon I did pop into the shops on a day the US dollar actually had a pulse and got some pressies at Louis Vuitton. Managed to escape Hermès without succumbing to a stunning sterling silver Collier de Chien bracelet (though I had a dream about it on Saturday!) and even walked out of Chanel empty-handed. See what stress has done to my shopping brain! But let’s see what I scored as gifts…

Love this Origami wallet:

But did you see the French comic books in the above picture? My Belgian host mom always finds them for me for my collection. As much as I love fashion, books are really the way to my heart. Diamonds and gems, too, but I digress…BTW, have you seen The Avengers? I managed to see it here a week before it was released in the US, and I have to say, in my next life I’m coming back as a superhero. Mask and all!

I’ve been in Europe for over a week now, lugging my herbal tea pouches (to be taken 3x a day along with the 12 herbal horse pills) from place to place:

Knock on wood, but so far I’ve not been harassed by customs for these funky smelling teas, which still taste like muddy water after the fifteenth day, and I am finally seeing an end to the month-long treatment tunnel. I’d like to think it’s more than a placebo effect because my allergies are under control since taking them, even without the aid of any prescription meds or nosesprays. Perhaps my herbalist “shaman” is right–he’s fixing the symptoms of allergies by curing the basis of my lifelong problem with sinuses. Time will tell and I don’t want to raise my hopes up too high, but I can’t tell you how nice it is to be able to breathe normally and have unpuffy eyes. I’d never complain about having any condition, but it’s just so great to not have it. All the little things others get to take for granted suddenly feel like a new lease on life to me.

And even on a very warm free day out and about in blooming Antwerp for the May Day festivities, I only sneezed a few times instead of the catastrophic experiences last year in Paris and London at exactly the same time. Anyway, it was great to join the masses in the Springtime instead of hiding indoors like a vampire from pollens…

especially on a trip consisting mainly of airports, work, and random sightings of Chanel boutiques…

But you know how it goes, work pays for the Chanel addiction habit . Let’s see what goodies I’ll find when I have some time to hit the shops here.

ODJ: May Day. Theory brown linen sundress, Gucci shellprint cardigan, Mossimo espadrilles, anthracite Balenciaga Day bag.

Anyway, Club President Lil A started the three-day annual meeting with a breakfast pow wow. The dress code was casual PJs and the guest speaker was Mr. T. We’re still comparing notes on his speech–terribly hard to focus on content when the speaker is so cute:

Then the conference really kicked into gear with topics like “culture through exercise” (her management style is clearly leading by example)…

“dressing for success” (so you see the mini 2.55 flap is perfect whether you are 3 or 5 ft tall)…

“saving the world economy, one ice cream cone at a time,”

and “balancing family with work” (note my bag and shoes on Madame President)…

All very relevant topics in these challenging times for a modern woman. Our marathon meeting ended with a fabulous party overrun by toddlers dressed up as princesses and dragon slayers. Here’s Lil A with her BFF, Lil R (my mom made Lil A’s dress!):

Lil A got tons of pressies and sweets today, but I think her best present of all is having two very loving if sleep-deprived parents:

I was lucky enough to get Mr. T to pose with me in his black tie (What? Don’t you show up in a tux for these shindigs? What are you, a Barbarian?) before he passed out. His gift to the world? Lookin’ handsome, of course!

So I know the title of today’s entry is the ODJ, so here we go…

ODJ: 4/18 Club Third Annual Meeting. Kors black top, some random $15 (no joke) black cropped jeans, JP Tods flat slingbacks, Chanel 2.55 mini dark silver flap. Lil A is in a smocked sundress and DVF for GapKids espadrilles.

After the party we all headed back upstairs and I got ready for my Trans-Atlantic flight. This final pic of Lil A basically sums up my life on the road, consisting of a stuffed suitcase and one tiny handheld gadget…

Wonder what we’re doing for the fourth annual meeting!

Birthdays make great excuses to pig out, and this year was no exception.

I had some rather fabulous hand-made shrimp raviolis, but let’s face it, today’s short entry is really all about featuring Mini Leo at dinner…

]]> http://www.larkieatlarge.com/2012/04/dinner-with-lil-leo/feed 0 http://www.larkieatlarge.com/2012/04/a-leo-for-an-aries http://www.larkieatlarge.com/2012/04/a-leo-for-an-aries#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:50:53 +0000 larkie http://www.larkieatlarge.com/?p=10969

So it’s another year for the 4/18 Club but I’m not reporting about our annual meeting till later this week when I see Lil A for her third (where has the time gone!) birthday. Instead, today is all about a Leo for an Aries–a very special “Leo” bag that I received on Monday as an early birthday pressie. It was in the works for months because it’s not easy to find this limited edition purse from so many seasons ago, and in pristine unused condition at that!

You’ve already read here about my love affair with the larger sized Leo flaps which I’ve featured over and over…

But my collection was not complete till I found the mini Leo:

I know what you’re asking next…just how mini is this new leo? Here it is next to the 2.55 in the mini (224) size:

So yes, this Aries is all set with her Leos.

Then yesterday I went to see an acupuncturist. She even offered to take a picture of the needles on my leg in case I wanted to Facebook it. No, not Facebook, I muttered, but maybe for my blog …

I lost count of the number of needles along my body and metal stickers inside my right ear. But as I was laying there listening to her stories of the injuries she has cured, I was thinking I could be a fool for letting a stranger poke me with sharp objects. I hadn’t done any research on acupuncture, just desperate enough to get my arm and shoulder back in shape before the trip. Then my mind drifted off to other things, like how much I’m supposed to tip this person, what terms I wanted to negotiate with a client on Monday, which pairs of shoes I should pack for the trip…you get the picture. Would acupuncture work on attention deficit symptoms? Then all of a sudden, she snapped me back to where we were and asked me to wave my arm around. The pain was gone. I repeat. The pain was gone.

Call me a skeptic, cynic, atheist, Chanelaholic, any of those things. But I’m going back to see her this week for another session.

So that’s a long segue into today’s ODJ, but the story I wanted to relay was that I need to stop carrying big bags. The medium sized flap you see in today’s look should be as big as I can go and still save my shoulder, acupuncture or no acupuncture.

ODJ 250: Diane von Furstenberg wool jersey dress, Gucci heels, Chanel “Malaysian Special” flap, and South Seas pearls. I’m thinking the shoes don’t really vibe with the bag, which I think maybe should be funkier than a Chanel bag, but these shoes are so comfy I stuck with them for the event. And I wanted to use the bag for the event, so those are the breaks.

PS: love the slit pockets at the waist on this dress…

]]> http://www.larkieatlarge.com/2012/04/odj-250/feed 7 http://www.larkieatlarge.com/2012/04/chanel-2-55-flap http://www.larkieatlarge.com/2012/04/chanel-2-55-flap#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:54:38 +0000 larkie http://www.larkieatlarge.com/?p=10950

It’s no secret to you dear readers that one of my all time favorite handbag styles is the Chanel 2.55 flap. I adore it in all sizes and finishes…

Is it about the secret compartments and hiding places…

or the engraved link chains…

or delicious quilted leather choices that draw me in, year after year?

Probably all of the above. I like the fact that it can transition from day to night, work to play.

But my number one reason for collecting this bag is that it’s always going to look both classic and modern, even 30 years from now. Looks like I’m in it for the long haul…even while patiently waiting to go orange .

Sometimes a bag can be so special people literally run into you just to get a closer look. The dark silver “lucky charms” flap of mine from many seasons ago is a case in point. It’s a very precious bag to me and I baby it more than usual, but once in a while I like to take it out into the daylight and enjoy it. The fun part is seeing other people enjoying it–I get stopped every few minutes by women and men alike who want to get a closer look, and invariably they’ll ask me if I get stopped all the time by strangers like themselves! The not so fun part is having a very taken fan walk right smack into me today because she was so busy looking at it that she didn’t see the person carrying the bag. Helloooo, I’m right here .

But that’s ok, I recovered, and trust me, this special bag still has the same effect on me all these years later. I’d probably run into a wall, too, if I saw it being toted around by someone else. Well, no, I’d just stalk her stealthily and admire the bag well outside of her personal space. I’m a huge fan of handbags, not only those in my closet but also those worn by others. I love seeing them on other people, to see how someone else would edit the same bag that I might have or covet. It’s great inspiration.

For now, let’s get to the ODJ that accompanied my bag.

ODJ 249: Chanel 10P fantasy tweed jacket (check out the killer leather trimmed pearl buttons!), 11P sweater, 11C camellia flat slingbacks, and dark silver 2.55 flap. 7 for All Mankind slim jeans.

So when you are out shopping for a certain accessory, such as shoes or a bag, don’t you have a few scenarios in mind already? Like a particular outfit or clothing item you are trying to build on? That’s usually the case for me these days. Gone are the impulsive buys just because something is gorgeous. My bulging closet can’t support that bad habit anymore. Instead, I’m trying to get only quality pieces that I think will go the distance in terms of versatility for many (real) occasions instead of some fantasy-scape inside my head. But the problem is remembering colors. I have a fairly vivid memory on the tone and details of fashion items, but I often wonder how our brain processes colors and textures. Maybe that’s why we have a million different ways to describe something like the color brown.

Case in point is this pair of YSL shoes I recently got to match my Chanel gator classic flap. The color code on my bag is brown, as is for the shoes. But as you can see, this brown could be brick, desert clay, or russet. Just depends on how you interpret the color you see on your computer screen based on your own memories. Anyway, when I was at the store, I thought the shoes might be pretty similar in color to my bag. Then when I got home and put the shoes next to the purse…well, it’s not exactly color blindness because it’s close, but probably no cigars. Maybe half a cigar?

But I think they’ll do. Because the crazy truth is that I’m actually buying the shoes for a dress I’m dying to get. Let’s just hope when the dress does finally materialize, it will actually match the shoes. And the bag. But going back to my earlier comment about being a more practical shopper, at least these shoes will go with a lot of other things in my closet. And next time, I’ll skip the whole matching from memory business and just rely on pics on my phone!