It Took 498 Posts But Balenciaga Is Finally Back On The Map!

My very first entry for this blog was about the Balenciaga Weekender. You all know the story...girls sees bag online, girl falls in love with bag, girl uses lunch hour to go purchase bag, girl tries on bag and realizes she actually isn't all that crazy about the bag, girl goes back to work disappointed. Ever since trying on my first Balenciaga in 2007, I've stayed away. Although I've always liked Bbags on other girls, time and time again, I find that I just dont LOVE Bbags when I try them on for myself. A few weeks ago, I was taking a quick inventory of my closet and the idea of looking into Balenciaga and Prada popped into my head. I started doing some research; Prada sorta dropped off the map cus I realized there really was anything out there that I wanted but Balenciaga lingered on. I began the daunting task of trying to figure out the different styles and colors and sizes online. Slowly but surely, I began to become more versed in Balenciaga-speak and felt comfortable enough to take the plunge. I stopped by Balenciaga when I went to pick up my Maxi and tried on a few styles. The style I ended up picking was definitely not what I had expected to buy...it wasn't even on my list of styles to look out for. In any case, presenting my first Balenciaga:



09 F/W Pourpre Twiggy with classic hardware. Its the perfect size, casual but not boring, and the color is great. For the longest time, I only liked Bbags with the giant hardware. I didn't care so much for the classic style (small hardware with tassels) but at some point, it just grew on me. I went in knowing that I wanted something casual, something in the classic style, something not too large, and something in a eye-catching color. I thought I would be getting the First but that little guy is just too small. I then went for the City but for some reason, hated the way it looked on me. Just when I was about to admit defeat, I tried on the Twiggy and knew that I had F I N A L L Y found the Bal style for me.

Since purchasing my Twiggy, I have spent every waking minute doing more research online. I bow down to the Balenciaga lovers. This sh*t gets complicated. Since colors are in for one season and one season only, it gets VERY technical. I'm too much of a newbie to worry about colors...right now, I just want to make sure I get the styles down. I've narrowed my faves to 1. Twiggy 2. Day 3. Step 4. Brief 5. Purse 6. Part-time and I'm willing to give the City another go (I'm also not 100% clear on the what the difference is between the City and the Part-Time...). Sadly the Step, Brief, and Purse are all discontinued but I'm discovering that half the fun of buying Balenciaga is treasure hunting for styles and colors from previous years. I'm a bit scared to go back to previous seasons for color research - God forbid I fall in love with a color thats no longer available! I think for now, I'll just patiently wait for new colors - good for my bank account, good for my peace of mind. Seeing that I have yet to wear my Twiggy out, I can't say I'm a complete Bal addict but lets just say I foresee myself collecting colors, lots and lots of colors...

While researching, I saw a lot of talk online about lazy Bbags, squishy Bbags, chewy Bbags, and smooshy Bbags. I had no idea what the deal was but I guess its all about the leather. I'm still not 100% clear on squishy, chewy, and smooshy but lazy is just slouchy. I guess some girls really like their Bbags to sorta flop over it self. Here is my Twiggy being a little lazy:



In conclusion, if you are looking into buying a Bal bag, here are some pointers from a newbie:

1. Know the styles. There are many and they tend to all look the same upon first inspection. Its helpful to see modeling pics or you can just walk in and start trying them all on. I was lucky and had the sweetest SA helping me out...I had a million questions and she answered them all. When I went to go pick up my Twiggy, she was impressed at how much homework I had done but I still had a hundred more questions to ask her :P

2. Know which colors you like. Make sure you know the season and year.

3. Classic vs Giant hardware.

4. Pull out the CC and skip happily home with your new purse!


PS: All you Bbag addicts, please realize this is my first attempt at trying to speak and understand Balenciaga...feel free to correct me if you see any errors or would like to clarify anything :)