My Favorite Mistake, part II (My Next-Favorite Mistake)

Inside the Conciergerie in Paris. Has nothing whatsoever to do with this post, but it's a pretty photo, non?

I have raved here before about the wondrous qualities of the Longchamp Le Pliage bags. The red one I have is my default airline travel carry-on, but for some reason after my flight to London this time I decided I wanted something little bit larger. This decision was arrived at after a long and complicated (and probably faulty) reasoning process the details of which I will spare you, but the time I got to Paris I'd formed a game plan.

The first place I hit (retail-wise) in Paris was Galeries Lafayette, and they have a Longchamp boutique there (Parisian department stores have, along with their regular goods, stores within stores of popular brands), so I did some reconnoitering. There was weekender-sized bag that would have been a good carry-on, but it only seemed to have the short handles. I like a bag that I can sling over my shoulder, especially if I'm going to be toting it through an airport, so I held off and later on slipped into the Longchamp flagship store on the rue Faubourg St. Honoré. Which is actually much more fun even than Galeries Lafayette. On a leisurely 30-minute walk on that street you can find boutiques for just about every label you've ever heard of (John Galliano, Hermes, Longchamp, Brooks Brothers, YSL, Louboutin, Mulberry, Prada, Miu Miu, Lanvin, and a bunch more I can't even remember) as well as a lot you probably haven't. It's a lovely place for window shopping, believe me.

I walked around a bit and fondled (in a wholesome and perfectly acceptable way, I swear!) all the lovely things, and was greeted by the very same SA who sold me my red bag (and then on a later trip, another one -- blue -- that I bought for my mother). I held up the bag I was eyeing and asked (in French, thankyouverymuch, I'm just so proud of myself) if they had that bag with longer handles. She regretfully informed me that they did not and when my face fell, she smiled like the very wise cat who had a canary to share, held up her finger and said, "Un moment," and then produced this wonder:

Yeahh, buddy. That's what I'm talkin' about...

This is the perfect thing to take on an airplane. Why perfect? Because you can put your handbag inside it and still have room for assorted onboard necessities, like a bunch of reading material and a nice wrap to use as a blanket when it gets chilly. Because the shoulder strap actually comes off, and you could tuck it into the bag for stowage. Because Longchamp bags are incredibly sturdy and well-made, and yet they weigh almost nothing themselves. And in the case of this particular marvel, because of this:

Yep. That seam around the middle is actually a zipper, and zzzzzzip! You pop that bad boy open and you get this:

It makes the bag about another six inches or so taller, which translates into goodness knows how much volume (no, I wasn't paying attention in high school) and the bag goes from a wonderful carry-on to the bag you can pack all your stuff into for, say, a three-day weekend of museum-ing and shopping while you visit friends in Dallas. And then when you're done, you fold it up into this:

(Lipstick shown for scale, as they say.)

Uh-huh. You want one now, doncha? And who can blame you -- the thing is genius. You can get one here (it's item #1911 089 in the Le Pliage line). Although I recommend getting one in on the home turf in Paris if you can swing it because A) Longchamp goods are some of the very few things I've yet encountered which are actually cheaper in France than the States and B) you'll be in Paris. Which makes everything better.

Photos: Style Spy

Bags and Baggage

This is my Longchamp Le Pliage bag:


It's a fantastic fold-uppable travel bag made of very sturdy nylon with beautiful leather trim. I've known of the existence of these things for years, but when I went to Paris for the first time I realized they are nearly ubiquitous -- it seemed like every Parisian woman I saw was carrying one. After I bought one, I realized why: they're brilliant. This thing is like the clown car of bags: you cannot believe how much stuff you can get into it. It's genius. It instantly became my carry-on bag for air travel: you can fit all your traveling needs: potions & lotions (in less-than-one-ounce containers, sealed in a ziplock!), your makeup, antihistamines or nausea medicine to knock you out so that you sleep through most of the flight, your iPod, a couple of energy bars & pieces of fruit to offset the nearly-toxic qualities of typical airline food, a neck pillow, a cardigan, some books & (fashion) magazines, a bottle of water (bought AFTER you clear security, thanks very much), and a partridge in a pear tree. It was also great for wandering around Paris itself, happily swallowing the odd perfume purchase and Eiffel Tower-shaped trinket, plus a palmier from Ladurée to take back to the hotel for a late-night nibble. It folds up nice & neat:


and manages to be chic and functional all at once. How many items in the world can you say that about? My red one is the "Sac Large," which measures about 19" x 12", and I have the long handle drop. You can order them online from Longchamp, but even more exciting, you can customize them -- choose the colors of nylon, the hardware, and even have your initials embossed in the leather. Of course, I'm dying for a customized one now...

They sell them at a few different places here in the states, including Nordstrom & Saks. (What I really suggest, though, is going to Paris and buying one there. I've never felt so chic and in-the-know in my entire life as when I strolled down the rue Saint-Honoré with my Longchamp shopping bag in my hand. I stopped and had a glass of wine at a café in the Palais Royal gardens, with my bag cuddled up next to my feet, just to extend the moment. Oooooooh, November can't get here soon enough...)

They have a few on sale on the website right now, in seasonal colors. I can't recommend these strongly enough -- with summer here, everyone needs a good, sturdy, non-Disney-character-embossed totebag for beaches & picnics & vacations, and what with the dollar slowly making its way into the Inner Circles of Economic Hell, they aren't going to get any cheaper any time soon.

Longchamp makes absolutely stunning leather goods. (Check out their website here, although be warned about the slightly annoying music that accompanies.) Their bags are not cheap, but they're not overly trendy, either. They make the sort of beautiful, classic bag you can carry for years and years, not worrying about if it's "last season."


See? That is a bag you could carry absolutely forever. So fab. That being said, here's the little beauty that inspired me to talk about Longchamp in the first place:


This is called the Legende and it was supposedly inspired/co-designed by Kate Moss. Much as I don't usually trust the design instincts of cokeheads, I really, really love this bag. It's a beaut, and evidently it has a bright red lining. (Ms. Moss' contribution. Much easier to find things, like your stash, when the lining of your bag is a bright color.) It's supposed to be available in July, and it looks like it's going to be going for around a cool $1400, so I don't suppose I'll be picking one up, but it did make me go "ooh." For now I'll have to make do with my Pliage (which means "fold" en francais, by the way) and dreams of Paris. They've gotten me this far...

Photos: Style Spy, bagshop.com, Longchamp.com