Hello Backpack /Other Things I am Eyeing Lately/ Travel News

Yet another post (where I am online window shopping) for bags. Window shopping I say, because I really don’t need or want anything new until I get rid of some of my existing stuff. I am in the midst of a major closet clean-up and selling a lot of my older clothes and accessories.

On a side-note, aren’t you just loving the ability to sell your older stuff online on apps like Quikr, etc? I don’t remember there being any more user-friendly option in India to get rid of apparel in exchange for some cold, hard cash 🙂 . Do you use these apps for selling? I am always pleasantly surprised by how effective they are.

Anyway, while I am selling off stuff on one side, on the other, I am already ogling stuff I’d love to buy.

This time my attention went to backpacks, something I am normally not too fond of. In fact, I don’t have a single backpack in my collection. Probably because of my neck and shoulder issues, but I’ve found backpacks to be so unwieldy and impractical, not to mention a number of them are just eyesores.

But recently, I’ve seen friends and colleagues totally rocking the backpack trend. I’m not talking about those fuddy-duddy Jansport and Kanken backpacks. The backpacks I am eyeing are cool, modern, minimal, and most important (for me) made of leather, or a combination of leather and canvas.

Here are some cool ones I love.

The Clare V Matilde backpack

This bag combines beauty and functionality in one sleek-looking package.

To the casual glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special. But I love the clean lines and the pattern on the bag.

What I love most of all though is that this bag can be used as a backpack, a tote, or a regular shoulder-bag all depending on your preference.

Cool huh!

The Mansur Gavriel backpack

The second backpack I am eyeing is the one below. This came to my attention recently when someone I know on Instagram was photographed with it, and since then I’ve been obsessed with the style, and looking through all the different combinations available (actually not available as everything seems to be sold out 🙁 ).

Finally, I settled on a canvas and leather combo, which I think looks really elegant, and which offers a slightly more informal option than the Clare V one.

What do you think? I love its casual elegance. Not sure how much I could put in there. Although, I am quite ok with not being able to add much to a bag. I really don’t want to be lugging a mountain of stuff on my back. It won’t thank me for it.

The Mansur Gavriel bucket bag

And then while browsing through the site, I came across this beauty.

Not a backpack, true. But the pink color just stopped me in my tracks (yes, I am still obsessed with pink bags).

Just have no words for how pretty this one looks. Wondering if there is a cheaper dupe of this bag, it will go into my wardrobe immediately 🙂 .

Sunglasses

Anyway, apart from bag browsing, I’ve done some serious googling online for sunglasses.

Why sunglasses?

I had got a pair last year from Dubai, which I adore still. Unfortunately I seem to have developed some sort of allergy to it and no pair of sunglasses can look cool with eczema on the bridge of the nose (that no amount of BB cream is able to hide 🙁 ). It’s a shame because I simply love them and wear them in spite of the rash.

K however is exasperated to the core and has charged me to stop wearing sunglasses (impossible!) or buy another pair ASAP (why, that’s a better suggestion, thank you 🙂 ).

Unfortunately sunglasses are not as versatile for me as bags, and I’ve found over the years that I am comfortable pretty much only with the aviator style, and so here are aviator options that I thought were pretty cool.

The SoReals on the left have been all over the internet this year. I think they are beautiful, but I am uncertain about the construction and have an uneasy feeling that I may develop allergies to this one as well.

Maybe the one on the right would be a safer (and more classic) option?

So am I just randomly blathering on about shopping for stuff? And why am I doing so much online googling anyway?

Well, it’s to prepare for our upcoming trip to Singapore!

Hello Singapore

Ha! Did I manage to surprise you? This trip has been in the works for some time, although we were never quite sure of the exact date. We had managed to lock in on some super-cheap tickets sometime in September, however, everything was in a state of chaos earlier this month when the floods hit Chennai.

I forgot everything trip-related in my anxiety over my mom, grandma and bro who were stranded in their house without water, food, or electricity for so many days. I rested easy only when they eventually moved into a hotel and could charge their phones and finally respond to my frantic calls and whatsapp messages.

Our passports were also stuck in the Chennai floods. We had sent them on to the Chennai embassy to get our visas, and for almost two weeks, there was no trace of them. We eventually got our passports only on Saturday, thus turning a well-planned trip into a last-minute scramble.

Anyway Singapore is supposed to shopping mecca, and I am looking forward to some Christmas shopping and tons of other fun activities that we have lined up to do with family (one of them involving pandas). I am betting we will blow Piglet’s mind.

Anyway, that’s it for now. Sorry for the all over the place post. It’s all a little hectic so I am just info-dumping everything in one long post.

Happy holidays! What are your vacation plans? Christmas at home with the family, or a holiday outside? Have you been to Singapore? Any recommendations?