New Kate Spade Love

The weekend before I left on my New York trip, I was in Raffles City when the sale going on at the Kate Spade store caught my eye. I'm usually not into designer handbags at all as I'm more a High Street (in the UK sense of the word) kind of shopper whose closet is dominated by Topshop, Warehouse, Zara and Mango. The most expensive bags that I own are all by Tokidoki. Nevertheless, I was drawn to this shimmering gold gem of a bag which was on sale at 30% off. I resisted the temptation to purchase it on the spot, telling myself that if it was still available after my trip, then I would reconsider it.

Fast forward to a week later and I was in Takashimaya. This bag was sitting prettily in the Kate Spade shop window so I went in, tried it on again and finally decided to purchase it as I love how the gold exterior twinkles brilliantly at every angle. The material also feels very soft and luxurious.

Another feature that attracted me was the braided design of the strap. It's broad enough to sit comfortably on the shoulder. The opening has a magnetic closure, which has proven to be very convenient as here in Delhi, you have to go through security screening and get your purse checked every time you enter a shopping mall.

The interior is lined with a cheerful polka-dotted silk faille print with a large zip pocket on one side and two slide pockets on the other side. Also pictured are my Cath Kidston tissue case and Samantha Thavasa Liberty-print wallet that I picked up in Tokyo in April. The Cath Kidston tissue case is from the Hello! From London - 2010 Spring & Summer mook that was released in March.

This bag design also comes in a larger size known as the Jamesport Natia, which is currently on sale on Katespade.com for US$263 (down from US$375). Kate Spade's prices in Singapore are quite a bit higher compared to the US so many ladies prefer to shop online. Even with the 30% discount on my bag, the sale price worked out to be about the same as the normal full retail price in the US. But I didn't really mind as I prefer being able to shop leisurely in the store (which was empty of customers on a weekday despite the sale) and the instant gratification of trying and purchasing the bag, instead of going through the hassle of shopping online.