A Girl, A Bag, And The Circus

Living in Eastwood has its perks, and some of them are being able to go on aimless walks, window-shopping, and sitting on park benches whilst NOT smoking but still being decidedly emo. (Yes, I miss smoking with all the passion of the seven seas.)

As Christmas is bazaar season, a small but interesting bunch of shops have put up stalls in CityWalk and I've taken great pleasure in browsing their wares. I've walked past one stall in particular three times in the past week, and I've always, always looked at the same thing. A soft, faux leather portfolio with a lovely circus print covering its gorgeous exterior. It was love at first sight, let me tell you, and the only thing that stopped me from buying it is that: 1) I don't need a portfolio, and 2) It was P3,700. A pretty hefty price tag for a bazaar, I know, but the brandless bag had captivated my heart.

The owner of the stall, a lovely woman named Jeri, furnished her shoppe from purchases from all over the world, and the bag I was eying had actually come from Korea (oh, the irony). Still, as much as I loved the portfolio, I couldn't justify the cost because I just didn't have a use for it. Had it been a purse, I'd have reconsidered, but I kept going back knowing that I wouldn't be buying it. Window shopping at its worst.

Peanut Butter and Jeri's stall.

The third time I went back, I noticed that there was a white variant that was much smaller than the folio. It was an overlarge purse size, but when I picked it up I realized it weighed a ton. It was also P3,500. :( Despondent, I looked around the stall and my eyes came to rest on, believe it or not, a chain bag version of the exact leather folio I'd been ogling! This had a bunch of trimmings and amazing detail, and I realized on the spot that I HAD to have it. The price was P2,580-- more than I'd normally pay for a bag, but given its unique design, I was willing to shell out. I asked Jeri for the last price, prepared to cough up but hoping to haggle a bit, when she told me that it was actually reserved. Well. No wonder it was put away in the corner. :(

Apparently, someone had come the night before and begged her to reserve it for him until 8:00 pm that day. It was already 7:15 pm, and she said that she'd give it to me if he ended up not showing up. He didn't leave a downpayment or anything, just really begged her to keep it (he wanted it as a gift for his wife), and she was nice enough to hold it.

Of course, it didn't seem that way to me because I really, really wanted that bag. Still, I manned up and walked around a bit, trying to kill some time. It was maybe quarter to 8 when I went back and asked if I could get the bag already since it looked like the guy was going to be a no show, but Jeri stalwartly wanted to wait until 8:05. I tried desperately not to roll my eyes, but obediently waited by her store for the next twenty minutes.

Predictable, the guy was a no show. (I don't know who this bogus jerk is, but I swear to god, I will kick his ass for making me waste 45 minutes for no reason). Jeri was nice enough to give me Php180 off for being so game about waiting, and finally, finally, the bag was MINE.

Mine, at last.

You know that feeling you get when you beat someone at a bidding war on Ebay? Well this was a hundred times better than that feeling. I've been wanting a Sonovi bag for over a year but have been too cheap to shell out for it, and now I have something even better and at a fraction of the price! (Sonovi's known for whimsical prints on gorgeous leather bags; I was drooling over the displays when I was in Seoul earlier this year).

I've never really cared about brands so I don't care if this is a Sonovi knock-off or what, but all I know is that I've got a gorgeous chain bag with a fricking circus on it. I''m having a really tough December so this may seem like a really dumb thing to be so happy about, but I have to say that this bag is pretty much my dream bag come to life. Happy, happiness. :D

For interested readers, Jeri also has a multiply store over at http://peanutbutterandjeri.multiply.com/. She sells clothes, shoes, and bags from all over the world, so I do recommend giving it a look. :)

Stay beautiful, ladies~!