Hello lovelies,

Today’s post entitled “Splurge or Steal: Studded Totes” is now live on Tongue In Chic!

—–

Post originally published on Tongue in Chic, 5 June 2012

I’ve had a love affair with studs for a long time now, way before it even became a trend. And now that it’s “in vogue”, you can imagine how excited I am to share my finds with you! Don’t worry though, my picks are nothing remotely close to anything that gives off the Rocker Chick vibe, because that really isn’t my kind of thing anyway, so here we go!

The Steal I’ve picked out for May comes from Zara. Called the “shopper with tacks”, what’s great about this bag is its versatility because you can use it in two very different ways. You can either tote it around in your arm or on the shoulder (as shown), or simply fold over the top to use it cross-body style. And if you’re thinking that it’s going to look awkward with the handles pointing downwards after you’ve folded it down, rest assured, it won’t! Once folded over, the studded handles look more like a design, making the overall look a little less blah. If red isn’t your colour, it’s also available in cream and black. But let me tell you, that even for a non-red fan like myself, I actually prefer it in this scarlet hue because somehow it just works better compared to the other colours which can be a little too common. Priced at RM 559, not all the Zara boutiques carry this style locally so my advice is to get it from Zara’s Malaysian online boutique.

And now, the Splurge: the Valentino Rockstud. The Rockstud is actually an entire range of studded bags by Valentino. I’ve selected this particular tote because it’s the most practical, and would suit (almost) everyone’s needs. For the working girl, not only is it an edgy and yet feminine bag for the office, but its broad base also makes the bag roomy enough to chuck your documents in or even a laptop for work meetings. If you’re the jet-setting fashionista who’s always on the go, its size makes it travel-friendly – you can certainly fit in a day’s (or two’s!) worth of outfits so it becomes both your handbag and hand-carry luggage on the plane. I’m totally gaga for Valentino’s entire Rockstud range, which are priced at RM6000+ onwards. They call it Rockstud, I call it RockSTAR! 😉

Which is your pick, the Splurge or Steal?

+++

Image courtesy of Valentino and Zara