Mulberry Ted from nowhere

Once in a while, something from the past suddenly pops into the present. Not something sinister, but it is something welcome.

It is a Mulberry Ted Messenger Bag!

Back in what may be around 2010 when Mon and I were browsing in a record store in Greenbelt 3 (I think it was in the now defunct Music One Record Store), I’ve seen a guy with the coolest leather messenger bag with a triple postman’s lock.

Triple postman’s lock

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(End of my) Bottega Veneta Era

And just like that (I felt like I had to start with these because of HBO’s season 2 of And Just Like That…), I officially ended my Bottega Era.

As soon as we decided that we’ll be going to Europe this year, I already began planning what bags to bring to the trip. I knew I’d go for those that are as discreet as possible, knowing how rife of pickpockets most areas in Rome and Paris (our major destinations) are.

I did not want to attract much attention, although I have not been using any bags with identifiable logos for quite some time. And so, I had Bottega Veneta in mind.

Inside the Colosseum with a bunch of Bottega Veneta goodies - Men with Bottega Veneta

Inside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Yes, I carried two bags because I was extra. LOL

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Craving for Chinese Food

 

One great thing about Mon and I’s work set-up is that we are sometimes able to go anywhere on a whim. We had been chatting lately in passing that perhaps, we could drop by Ongpin and just have lunch. And today, we did.

With the rising oil prices, we had been trying to cut back on taking Grab. I think it is one of those conscious choice we had to make that even if we can afford it, it does not mean we had to do it.

We took a jeepney and then the LRT going to Manila.

Old Manila has always fascinated me. If the weather permits or if we have time, we usually just scoot around Manila especially towards dusk. There’s really something that’s very charming about this cityscape in the evening.

With full knowledge that we have a very problematic past as a country, I am still always in awe of Old Manila’s architecture and the what ifs if we were able to maintain its grandeur.

And I also always imagine the stories that these structures could tell. Only if the Intramuros walls could talk!

Hello Ongpin!

Hello Ongpin!

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And just like that… Bryologue turns 10 today!

An homage to the first ever post, still with the Mulberry Wexford messenger bag

Yes, this page is now 10 years old. I can’t believe it is a decade already. It seems only yesterday I was figuring out how to set-up WordPress.org and posted my first ever post here on June 1, 2012. Surprisingly, my Tumblr is still alive and turned 12 last April.

I can’t stress enough that, in the midst of the ever shortening lifespan of people, I still manage to maintain these pages. And to commemorate this day, I decided to recreate the first ever photo posted:

An interesting thing about the first photo:

  • the Marc Jacobs coin purse was, of course, already lost August of 2012;
  • the LV wallet already gave up on me (stashed somewhere);
  • the iPod Classic’s battery gave up on me (stashed somewhere);
  • the Blackberry’s battery gave up on me (stashed somewhere);
  • the camera is no longer working (that photo was taken with that same camera);
  • the Kindle got smashed on our last day on the field in Mindanao last 2013; and
  • the Dior pouch, Mulberry agenda, and, surprisingly, that small atomizer bottle are still alive.

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Hey, Walter!

Since finishing my final school requirement, I finally have the time to start cleaning out my bags. One night, of course, won’t be enough. While we were watching a movie on Netflix, I was busy cleaning the leather bags with some leather cleaner spray.

I am not sure when (i.e. what date) I would finish, but I had to start somewhere, right?

Cleaning day! Mulberry Piccadilly, Bayswater and Small Bayswater

Cleaning day! The ‘Bayswater’ family: Piccadilly, Bayswater and Small Bayswater

On the other hand, from time to time, I stumble upon a nice bag for sale.

I have not been buying bags since the start of the pandemic because not only of adulthood (I had to renovate a house for months!), but also I have nowhere else to go. I even switch things up a bit just to go to the grocery so as to air some of my bags out.

But this showed up. And of course, I had to get it:

In all its glory- Mulberry Walter

In all its glory: Mulberry Walter

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Oh Courier, Au Courier!

I think I reached this point where I no longer care if people may think that I’m bordering on frivolous having to love bags. Back in June 2017,did mention how being unapologetic about what I love and what I care about should not be anybody’s business. Come to think of it, this affinity for bags made quarantine surprisingly bearable.

I guess some people are really bored? On the other hand, I love that I have this certain double life going on: part humanitarian, and part fashion “writer”. Who knew?

It’s either I’m ‘big’ or the Courier still looked small lol And yeah, alcohol and mask up because COVID-19 is real!

Anyway, I had been eyeing one bag for years: a Balenciaga Courier. But I had to wait it out for years because I knew one that will not break the bank will eventually come along. And come along it did.

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Hello there, Piccadilly!

It’s Sunday and we had to visit my family where we had to be picked up in Cubao after a 30-minute scooter ride from Makati. We used to get “lost” navigating the streets of Metro Manila, but within those times we had to use our e-scooter from from work to Makati, or home in Marikina to Makati post the November 2020 disaster, we fairly know the streets we have to traverse to get from point A to B.

I usually use a nondescript/non-logo bag for these “long distance” rides, but I haven’t used this Mulberry Trout since I learned how to move around the city in our scooter. And speaking of Mulberry, I never got the chance to put here these big-ass Mulberry bags.

 

Going around with our electric scooter

In June 20, 2016, I wrote about how I have long since wanted a Mulberry Piccadilly, which I had originally expressed in a  Tumblr post from May 2012. But it has been actually since 2018 when I got my first Piccadilly! I also bought this from a trusted eBay seller here in Manila, from whom I previously got a Balenciaga Men’s Day. I even brought this Piccadilly to Taiwan in 2018.

On the other hand, I got the black Piccadilly from another local seller in 2019, where I had to haggle hard in person just to get it. Despite this, I could say that Mulberry has fallen off the fashion radar, and it has not been that noisy in the last few years since Emma Hill left in 2013.

A pair of Mulberry Piccadilly bags

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Tangerine Dream

I’m already halfway the semestral break and enlistment is due to start soon. With a little trick with our pocket Wi-Fi, I have been watching a lot of videos from YouTube.

I enjoyed Graveraven’s channel on YouTube a lot. It has a series of fashion documentaries by Loïc Prigent, and I started off with Donatella Versace. I adore her candor and warmth towards her staff, especially her fondness and longing to her brother Gianni. Sure, her physical appearance was nowhere near the late 90s, but she is commanding and humorous at the same time.

The last documentary I’ve watched is Alexander Wang’s. With his relatively younger label and no fuss approach to his personal style. Come to think of it, it might be something I’d like to adopt in real life.

As days pass by, I find myself picking just a plain black or dark blue shirt. I’m also beginning to wear black pants that I ignored for months. But expect me to jazz it up with a bag, of course. I came to the conclusion that I should start being unapologetic about myself, unlike what I mentioned before.

Rise above the mess - Alexander Wang Diego Bucket Bag Tangerine Pebbled Leather

Rise above the mess

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Clean, condition, touch-up: bag-cleaning day

As today is a holiday (i.e. the 119th Independence Day), I took the whole day to sort my things and clean my bags. I had already run out of leather-cleaning stuff, and I’ve been wanting to drop by SM Megamall to buy some.

It was a quick and breezy ride going there, as there was no traffic. As expected, there were a lot of people inside the mall, though.

Getting the good stuff

I went straight downstairs to the Lower Ground area, where this leather-care Mecca is found. I have been hoping to go there again, but could not find the time as SM Megamall was out of the way.

After careful consideration of what I needed (not to mention foresight of not being able to go back again for months), I was able to buy a couple of products to help me on the day’s agenda.

A shelf of leather care products

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Crushed patent leather love

Sometimes, I cannot believe my luck when it comes to bags. It was so random to chance upon something as cool as this. I just hope that I get to be as lucky with other endeavors that I have. ^_^

I remember seeing this crushed patent leather tote at the Purse Forum years ago. At first, I thought it looked glittery. However, it was just the effect of, well, crushed patent.

Fast forward to last weekend, this beauty landed on my lap (or shoulders to be more correct):

Details of the Yves Saint Laurent Odeon Crushed Patent Bag YSL

Details of the suede and patent leather

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