Wednesday 'Excursion'

I haven't used my Excursion in ages so when I brought him out today, I believe a photo op is in order. LVoe it!!!

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Well...

Well, after much ado, I finally decided to stop at the boutique on my way home and purchase the Excursion. The lure of it being the last one in-store added to the fact that it is a discontinued item, was too much for my weak resolve. I'm off to NYC tomorrow with Jeff for a wedding and I thought that since we were travelling by bus, might as well travel in style. Thanks Purse Forum and especially Arjay for all your advice and support. I highly recommend Sophia from LV Chevy Chase. Excursion Monogram Canvas June 22, 2007. Wishing you all LVOE...

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From Los Angeles with LVoe

Mike's own words: Hello, I just wanted to send you a note of thanks. I am an avid reader of your wonderful blog and thanks to your good taste, you inspired me to find my perfect man bag. I just acquired the Excursion bag today as my birthday gift and I am in LVOE!!! I searched for ages and I found that the Excursion met all my needs, I just added the shoulder strap from my Keepall and my heat stamped luggage tag and I am set. Gratefully, Mike from Los Angeles, CA Thanks for sharing the pics and you look dashing and handsome with all your Monograms. Happy Birthday!!! LVoe it!!!

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Monday Morning

Ahhh...Monday morning and I am still heady from the weekend's hectic pace. Travelling by bus could be quite tiring. The trip up was not so bad, but the trip home was awful. What should have taken us only 4 hours lasted 6 hours. Traffic was horrible and our driver had to make a total of three bathroom stops for himself! Big guy, small bladder. But I was quite content. I had the opportunity to go to three of New York City's Vuitton stores and saw some interesting pieces for future acquisitions. Here's a pic of my Excursion during the bus ride.

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Traveling in Style

Despite the cold front, my company is off to its semi-annual retreat in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It's a time for bonding with the co-workers and to charter our course for the future. I'm really not looking forward to this trip and I am glad that my Louis are coming with me. I have never used this Eole and Excursion combo and just realized that they resemble each other closely. Vuitton after all is built on travel so I decided to go in style. Gosh, I sound so pretentious!

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Yesterday's "Excursion"

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My first hot stamping -- Louis Vuitton Services

I was very much delighted when I found out that the House of Vuitton offers hot stamping at no additional charge. This is the kind of old world service that you don't get any more. I chose a classic gold monogram of my first and last name since if I did my three initials it would read "FAB" and people might think that I have an inflated view of myself. So here's the first of hopefully many that I would be hot stamping in the future. Even as a kid, my mother would have all our items initialed at Rustan's, the premier department store in the Philippines. Wallets and leather goods were hot stamped and handkerchiefs and towels were embroidered. It's nice to know that I will be continuing this tradition of my family with my Vuittons. Photo: Hot stamped small luggage tag with Monogram Excursion

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Toggles, Tassles and Fur

Well, I just saw for the first time today this Wednesday's Fashion Show. I do not claim to be a fashion critic but in my own little world (or in this case, my own little head), I would say that I LVoe, LVoe, LVoe this collection! The past seasons were more geared to the "mature" audience. Next year's is all about playfulness bordering on the weird which from Vuitton is a good thing. I know that some of you have commented how ghastly the LVooks were especially with those humongous doos, but dissecting the pieces revealed to me a very wearable collection that may not say 'luxury' but definitely 'forward'. As for the bags, I still have to pick out my faves. What do you guys think? As for me, the first order of the day is an excursion to find an Afro Wig worthy of the LV runway. Visit www.louisvuitton.com to see the vid.

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Updated Collection

From top: Excursion Monogram Canvas (June 22 Chevy Chase, MD); Naviglio Damier Azur Canvas (June 12 Chevy Chase, MD); Porte-cartes Simple (June 15 Chevy Chase, MD); Mini Pochette Accesories Trunks and Bag (June 14 Chevy Chase, MD); Groom Pochette Wallet (June 7 Chevy Chase, MD); Reporter Monogram Canvas PM (May 28 Fairfax square, VA)

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Post Thanksgiving LVook See & Chester See

After the Holiday Festivities, Arjay and I decided to meet up to scour the Black Friday leftover sales. Of course, stopping at LV resulted in us being shown the new Epi Electrique, a patent version of an old classic. We saw the Neo Pont-Neuf, Iena and Alma. I'm still on the fence about this latest addition to the core collection. It kinda feels too platicy for me. That wasn't the highlight of our excursion though because barely had we stepped out of the boutique when we saw Disney 365 Host, Chester See. I know that he is a tween idol but I didn't care, I needed a pic with him!!! Besides he's half-Filipino!

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The Louis Vuitton Luggage Tag

One way to spruce up a tired LV is to attach a luggage tag, preferably a colourful one. So when I had the opportunity to acquire a discontinued green, I simply had to have it. Now, my SA's pet peeve is to see an ill-tied tag. It's pretty common she says. You should have seen her face when I first walked into her store with my Monogram Excursion. She was appalled at the way my tag was flapping. She immediately pulled me aside and instructed me how to tie it properly. That was about a year ago and I've forgotten how to do it. (I remove my tags whilst in storage). It took me a while to figure out how to tie it correctly and I was frankly embarrassed. So not only would I LVike to share my epiphany with all of you, but this will be for me a record so that next time my brain cells fail to function, I would be able to LVook it up here. 1.) Insert the pointed end of the belt so that the "Louis Vuitton Paris" stamp is on the front. Ideally, your intials would've have been heat-stamped here also. 2.) Loop the belt through the auxilary buckle situated at the back of the main one. Slide it all the way until it reaches the top of the tag. 3.) Choose the desired length by fastening the buckle through one of its many holes. 4.) The auxilary buckle should "grasp" the belt for a snug fit. I know a video on youtube would've have been easier to visualize but that would generate another set of tutorials for me on how to upload it. I hope you guys enjoyed my lil' blurb. Doesn't the green LVook so well against the Monogram canvas? LVoe it!!!

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Cleaning your Vuitton Padlocks

I purchased my Excursion roughly about three weeks ago and I noticed that the padlock had begun oxidizing even when I was in the store. I thought nothing of it but today I decided that it was too dirty looking and I didn't want it to stain the vachetta. I know that Brasso is a leading recommendation but I use this with the acrylics on Rolex watches and they remove the scratches superbly. For this project, I decided to use this amazing product called Mr. Metal manufactured by Goddard's. I use it with my silver and decided to try it on the LV padlock. It worked beautifully and I wish I had taken before and after pics. Just use a pea size amount on a soft cloth and watch before your eyes how it restores it to the original factory finish. Tip: make sure the liquid does not get into the crevices of the lock and that you allow it to dry before attaching it to your LV. Hope you guys find this useful.

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LV 5th Avenue NYC June 23, 2007

Jeff's family had a wedding to attend to this past weekend in New York City and of course my top priority was not to attend the festivities but to visit one of Louis Vuitton's World Stores--the 5th avenue branch located on 57th street. I have been to New York many times before, but this is the first time that I saw it through the eyes of LVOE. I was excited and wanted to purchase a vachette tag for my new Excursion. The place was huge, consisting of 4 floors and as I waited for my tag to be brought out, I took a snap shot of the suspended antique trunks within the store. I was promptly berated by a security guard who looked like one of Capitol Hill's secret service agents. I guess they have a need to protect all those precious goods of theirs. What struck me most about this store, was that there were several Japanese sales associates. My light reading for the bus ride was "Louis Vuitton Japan: The Building of Luxury" by Kyojiro Hata. It basically tells how Japan saved the LV brand with its avid clientele, so I was impressed that there were SA's that catered to the stream of Japanese tourists in the Big Apple. Well, that's it for now. I'll post the other pics tomorrow.

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