Tuesday, October 28, 2008

To Chef Tonio: Christmas Gift Suggestions for your GF

Longchamp Le Pliage Tote USD 145

Chef Tonio left a comment in one of my earlier posts. He was asking for possible Christmas gift suggestions for his significant other.
Here are his requirements:

a) Bag must be only between 8-10 thousand.
b) GF is not sporty.
c) She likes brands, she doesn't like big bags.
d) Bag must have a touch of simplicity and class.

Thanks for writing in, Chef Tonio! I have to apologize for the slightly delayed response. My injured ankle has severely hampered extended window-shopping expeditions so I've just started going around lately.

Anyway, here are my initial suggestions. I promise to post some more in the coming weeks. So you have plenty of time to come up with your choice that is guaranteed to make you the "star" BF with the best Christmas gift.

1. Longchamp Le Pliage tote



A French woman staple, the Le Pliage tote made the Longchamp brand recognizable worldwide. It's a versatile tote which folds up for hassle-free storage and keeping. Depending on her needs and taste preferences, you can choose from a wide variety of sizes, colors and even handles.

The bag size featured above is about USD118. In the Philippines, Longchamp is available at Rustan's and at the duty free shop at the airport so get a friend or relative to buy it for you there.

2. Fino Leatherware bags

Go local! I have several Fino office bags and travel totes. The leather is very durable. Their new collection now features crocodile-stamped cow leather in bright colors. I think they make a good addition to any working woman's wardrobe. They have a medium-sized doctor's bag for about PhP7,000 or less. The most expensive bag they have is about Php11,000++. Here's a suggestion - why don't you get a small bag with a matching wallet and other accessories. I think it's a cute idea and the entire set will still be within budget.

Fino has stores in Podium, Shangri-la, Rockwell, Trinoma and several other malls. Try to catch them when they go on sale (about 10- 15% off) during the several upcoming mall-wide sales.

3. Coach totes and bags
If you are not queasy about shopping online, there are several Multiply and Ebay sellers that sell Coach bags. Coach is no longer available locally through Rustan's so your best bet is to buy from reliable online sellers. Hongkong is the nearest place with a Coach store. They even have a huge one at Central.
Check out the Coach bags on sale here:
There you go, Chef Tonio! I hope I was able to help even just a little bit. Stay tuned and I will try to feature more bags.
Of course, readers are also welcome to leave your suggestions and comments anytime!

Photos from Longchamp.com

7 comments:

Mrs. G said...

Oooohhh!!! I would love to get a dark brown Le Pliage this Christmas. I repeat, dark brown, medium-sized Le Pliage with long handles.

(Just in case Mr. G visits your blog)

Cheftonio said...

wow! you made a blog post for me??? thanks!!!!

I like the coach bag idea :)

the pliage looks nice too!

I'll ask my friends to leave a comment too for their gift buying problems!

thanks :p

Cheftonio said...

@mrs. g,

you want me to find mr. g for you? :P

Anonymous said...

Baglove...better ask Chef Tonio for a full-course dinner as consulting fee! Tapos siyempre isasama mo ko.Ü

Meron din akong nakitang magandang bag sa Kate Spade just last weekend. Simple lang pero nasa 30T siya. Hanggang tingin lang naman ako kaya idinaan ko na lang sa kain...!

Baglove...yung next blog mo dapat "Where/How to Find the Bag-giving Men".

Cheftonio said...

hey,

check nyo ito mga girls (d ako girl e) hehe

http://goods4less.multiply.com/

yun benta nya, nasa guess stores pa pero sa kanya, on sale na. baka interested kayo :)

Anonymous said...

For affordable bag gift items, please visit welovebags.multiply.com.Ü

Anonymous said...

I like the coach bag, there are more and more
Replica Bag Wholesale on online, I like it to.