Wednesday 26 March 2008

The Material Boy #49




Balenciaga B Boston Bag

Here is one 'cute' grained leather boston bag from Balenciaga. Maybe 'cute' is not a right term to describe this very sporty looking bag. I described it as 'cute' because the size is pretty 'petite' for a boston bag. I would have expect the bag to be larger as men with small bags looked weird, especially a boston type bag.

However, I love the vintage inspired design with the stripe detailing. A 'B' insignia is also stamped on the corner of the bag. Made of soft calf skin, with a concealed ID tag slot, it should be suffice for carrying a pair of gym shoes and attire. Would make a handy day to day bag.

Club 21 men stocks the bag now in black while www.diabro.net has the bag in Navy (US $1452.63). It is lovely but too small for a guy my height. Lastly, I also feel the beige version is the better looking colour.

Retail price: SGD $1999. Where to buy: Club 21 Mens at Four Seasons Hotel

15 comments:

whats-he-wearing.com said...

you check diabro everyday too hehe

i'm not too excited by balenciaga s/s08. i really like a/w 07 and went crazy buying quite a few items (2 coats, 2 shirts, 3 sweaters from that collection alone). you seen a/w 08 pics yet? been searching high and low for it.

i read an article in gqstyle, they interviewed ghesquiere on balenciaga menswear and he mentioned that for a/w 08 there will be some bell shaped coats etc to mirror the women's collections. dying to see pics!

at least they are not doing a miumiu on us!

i am still in lust with the ysl besace and balenciaga courier. i am undecided. i await summer sales!

i was in paris in jan during the winter sales. they had the large bag from a/w 07 (cherry tomato red from men's collection pics) in military green, and reduced to 500eurs but i walked away from it because i already had 2 luggage tote bags. i am still kicking myself for it :x

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

I am just the opposite of you:-) I love the spring summer collection for balenciaga menswear. You probably can tell cos I blog so much about it. especially those elusive open toe boots. Having said that, I have only got a belt, 2 pairs of the 'balloon' short pants. Fall winter 2007 for balenciaga produces some nice winter coats. I was so tempted to buy one...but in the end, gave up the thought as here in singapore...we dun need winter coats. That is why for fall winter season, I usually end up with a lot of bags. I got 3 fall winter bags from paris last year, a jil sander metallic bag was a huge regret. will post pics soon.

you should have gotten the large bag! I know which one you are talking about. it's with distressed leather and they carried thru the other style to their cruise collection, using suede instead.

I have been searching high and low for fall winter 2009 balenciaga menswear pics. but to no avail. Sounds interesting from what you described.

as for choices between YSL besace and balenciaga courier...for me YSL..that will be a timeless classic. Somehow...it will be, I feel. so many celebs are rocking that bag.

Diabro is a good site to find some nice items:-) they carry many brands. USed to buy from them for dolce gabbana jeans that were not available in singapore.

Have a great day! thanks for msg!

Kevin

whats-he-wearing.com said...

i'm actually from singapore but i work in london. i am afraid of venturing into club21 because it is so quiet and exclusive! whereas in london selfridges where they sell balenciaga we can walk in there anytime because there are crowds around (think taka perhaps)

the bag i saw in paris wasn't distressed leather but green tweed. it was lovely and i really miss it :x

besace is a bit small and i've only seen females carrying it. only see the one pic of a guy carrying it.

sites i know that sells balenciaga online are browns, matchesfashion.com and bluefly.com. i remember seeing the gladiator sandals on there a while ago but its gone now. luisaviaroma did it last season but stopped now.

happy shopping :)

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

Oh you did see the balenciaga open toe boots online? Awww...I missed it! would have bought it!

thanks for the websites! At least next time I know where to look.:-)

Oh, you are singaporean...cool. do you come back to Singapore often? Club 21 is quiet, yeah..but the staff there are pretty okay. so not to worry. just feel free to browse. It's a shop anyway...so they should welcome people in the shop no matter if they purchase or not.

Selfridges is a great place to shop in london. I did visit the store when I was in london last aug.lucky you!

did you see the balenciaga boots still available in Selfridges?

If yes, can get a fren to get it for me. can you let me know?

Yes, besace is smaller...but I just feel it is so chic:-) hehe..but you must find the bag most suitable for you.

name's Kevin. what's yours?

keep in touch. maybe next time when you are back to singapore...can meet for coffee:-)

Anonymous said...

Overall a rather nice and sturdy bag. But it reminds me of a bally bag with the side zipper at a bias and the stripes.

Also, I am rather concern whether the "B" insignia will get scratched off since it's imprinted and not a hardware.

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

Oh I thought about that too! yeah, that is one concern of the B insignia getting scratched off thru wear and tear.

Maybe it is a nice but not a durable bag. haha.

Anonymous said...

I love to read your messages. You guys are so well informed. Much more than I am, haha..

I have seen this bag in reality, it's very nice. I didn't get the impression it is so small. Not too small anyway. I'm almost 190 cm, and I would carry it. I love small bags however. Not all guys do.

Also got the impression the B was actually hardware, but I could be remembering wrong.

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

Hi Jens,
Good Thursday to you:-)

hope you are enjoying a smooth work week.

The balenciaga bag is nice. Maybe I am into bigger bags...hahaha. that is why I dun think it works for me.

as for the 'B' insignia...yes, that is stamped on the bag. Not a very wise thing to do. hopefully, the ink will stand wear and tear.

I am informed of these bag info...cos' I shop too much. hahaha.

Anonymous said...

Guilty! ;-)

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

we are on the same boat:-(..hahaha

whats-he-wearing.com said...

hello its joseph :)

i've not been to selfridges for a while, its a dangerous place for the bank account balance so i avoid it these days hehe (been trying to recover from my mad post christmas shopping still...)! not sure if they still have that sandal, maybe you can ask your friends to find out. but i did mention to you before the tall shoe boot was around GBP550+, and recently i saw on GQstyle the other strappy sandal, also retailing for GBP550+.

expensive for a few bits of string!

Anonymous said...

Hi all of you,
I hope you are enjoying a smooth working week, myself I am far too busy right now. Still had time to visit some shops today though.
I saw the Balenciaga bag again, and surely the B was not hardware.
The bag is very nice, but it doesn't have the extra super-nice touch. Considering that, it is a bit expensive.
I wish Chloé did mens bags..

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

thanks Joseph! nice to get your name and for the info. yeah, GBP550 is very steep! yikes. I may just ask my friend to check it out for me. Club 21 will be like the land of temptations. I too try to avoid it if I want to avoid spending money. But that is my source of research..:-P it's a dilemma.

And Jens, good for you that you get to have a second look at the balenciaga bag. It is a nice bag. But I thought the design might resemble those vintage adidas sports bag in the 70's. Hence, yeah, maybe not unique enuff to pay such a high price for it. And the B insignia is stamped. Not a wise move. If only chloe does some man looking bags...:-P or menswear! the ladies boots are a killer!

Anonymous said...

Woo HOo...Hell WEek finally over. Time for some retail therapy over the weekend. ;-)

Kevin @ myMANybags said...

Indeed! Thank goodness weekend is here. Had a horrible work week.

yes, retail therapy. I just did 2 magazines (One is for runway looks for fall winter 2008/2009, some nice acessories shots there! will report soon!) the other is a japanese mag that got the 'unsuitable for young' label...and I was thinking some nudity somewhere? then when I flip thru the magazine...(after I bought it, cos the sales person refuses to let me browse), and I cannot locate anything explicit! after many tries, finally I realised the censorship was due to a pic of the model's bedroom with lots of naked photos of women pasted on the wall. Gosh, and it's small and tiny pics and unclear. Big deal! Singapore is so prententious in this aspect. what's the prob with breasts? if the determined young wants to look at breast, plenty to be found in the internet. Anyways, I got a cheap reversible Zara jacket, looks great at such a good price!

what time you be in town? yes, retail therapy time.