This is Jimmy Choo’s Cecile evening clutch bag, trumpeted by the company as “a vintage elaphe snake finish”.  This is being sold as a retro evening clutch bag with the option of attaching the strap for a shoulder bag.

What do I like about the Jimmy Choo Cecile in Elaphe snakeskin? Firstly, the animal print is fun, it is a good compact size and I particularly like the gold finish metal plate across the top with a the name Jimmy Choo stamped boldly in fairly large letters.   I like the look of the snakeskin across the top of the bag, too – although personally I dislike the feel of snake leather. I am also not sure whether it is all certified as being obtained without cruelty.

I do not like the excessive hardware – with three light coloured frames round the edges and a central slot, the front of the Cecile Elaphe clutch looks just like a slot for hard drives to go into. Look at the second photo to see how far the slot juts out from the bag: not very comfortable to hold as a clutch bag, I think.  However if this rocks your boat the recommended price is currently £974 but I think it will be among the first to be reduced as the season progresses. Dimensions: L16 x H10 x W6cm = L6 x H4 x W4″

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The latest Jimmy Choo Bag that I saw and liked was the recently launched Ruben. It has a classic, slightly squishy silhouette and strong plaited leather straps which are attached to the bag with bold U shaped clips.  There is a wide zipped opening, concealed behind the high sides of the bag, and inside is a zipped pocket. The Ruben by Jimmy Choo is available in black and, I am pleased to say, a true shade of red – not orange, not pink, but a real in-your-face red!At last someone at Jimmy Choo must have heard me moaning that they had not made a nice red Jimmy Choo handbag since the Maddy, so here it is for 2009. On the red version of the Ruben the clasps are in a more subdued silvery metal which is nice and classy against a strong colour.

Dimensions: L34 x H36 x W18cm = L13 x H14 x W14″

AS oversized bags go, the Ruben is farily modest – Jimmy Choo do not design many seriously large bags, I’m happy to say.  There is no way you can fill a really large bag without being seriously weighed down on the shoulder, then carrying your handbag becomes more of a workout. This could be useful for anyone seeking weight loss products, I suppose.

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As I have the serious chance of choosing a brand new Jimmy Choo bag for myself, I have been making some serious comparisons between the models in the Jimmy Choo Spring Collection.  I love the lines of the Jimmy Choo Ramona, but the dimensions are rather on the large side for my requirements.  The Ramona measures 16″ long  x 11″ high x 6″ deep at its widest point: that would hold enough for a visit to rv parks.  The everyday bag I have been using measures 12″ long and I think I would like something slightly smaller than that.  A bag with room for a wallet, purse, hairbrush and some makeup as well as space for some small purchases to be carried home.

The Roquette is a miniature version of the Ramona, and it is available in a gorgeous finish of Biker leather and Elaphe snakeskin (shown in the photo). At £661.00 it costs just over half the price of the Ramona Hobo, and it measure about half the overall size as well.  This little gem is just 6″ long, 6″ high and 6″ wide.  That is a little too small for my regular use, are you listening Jimmy Choo?  I would like something in-between!

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Today I had a little look at the Designer handbags selling on eBay, just to see if maybe there was a genuine used designer bag that might be sold for a good price. I was interested in finding good used Jimmy Choo handbags, as I know it is practically impossible to buy a genuine new Jimmy Choo anywhere but licensed retail outlets. I was quite saddened to find some obvious fakes, being sold by ‘new ebay members’ – people with no history of buying or selling on eBay. They were poor imitations of a genuine designer bag, easily spotted from outside shots only: the seller had wisely not provided a photo of the lining and inside labels, where counterfeit items are usually exposed most easily. But look at the central strap if you wnat to spot the difference: on the authentic bag, the strap tapers neatly below the clasp. On the imitation, it is the same width all the way down. The story was pretty shoddy, as well: “Stunning Jimmy Choo designer Ramona bag Genuine leather. I bought it from Italy last week on holiday when I was visiting the wholesaler with a friend who is the son of the director at the company. The bag was on sale at the wholesaler for £455 but i got a good price on the bag because of my connections“. If you could get this bag, which retails in the UK at £1000+, for less than half price, would you not have a queue of eager friends ready and willing to buy it from you ?
If you need more clues as to this bag’s authenticity or lack of it – look at the colour of the hardware: the genuine article has subtle pale gold eyelets and buckles, the imitation is gaudy and brassy. It is simple to report these to eBay, and that is what I do when I see them. If I am buying a designer handbag, that is what I expect to get, like Outer Banks rentals. If I want a replica bag there are plenty of shops that sell clearly labelled, good quality replica bags.

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Sunday was a rainy day, so what better than a day of shopping? Off to Brighton, my nearest good shopping centre, a stylish place that stands out among the tiny towns of Sussex. This town has a Kath Kidston shop – each to their own, but at least it is there for window shopping – plus dozens of other excellent handbag retailers and boutiques.  So it was that I wandered into Area, in the Lanes, to see the fab Designer Totes that were on display in the shop window.  Here I found a Chloe Paddington in black, along with a Juicy Couture oversized Free Style Hobo - also in black and shown in the photo.

The Chloe was priced much higher than Juicy, of course, but on closer inspection, with the help of the well informed shop guy, I discovered a design fault in the Chloe Paddington! I know: it is the end of a handbag dream, but it must be said.  The top closure is made up of the tradmark Chloe Padlock plus two zips and they are open at the end in the way that a jacket zip would be.  Now, think how you have to line up the two sides of the zip on your favourite leather jacket.  Then imagine having to do this twice on your handbag without being able to pull the sides together as you can with a jacket – you get the idea?  Well personally, it would bug the hell out of me to pay nearly £800 for a Designer Bag from Chloe only to find out I cannot do the bag up! Read more »

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The sale now on at Jimmy Choo.com is a rare chance to buy your favourite designer handbags at half price, so have a look today.  My favourite reduced handbag is the Malena Tote is shiny leather and suede.  It comes in Cognac, Plum  or Black, with wide straps clasping graphic brushed brass squares. This tote is just the right size to use as a work bag. The UK price is £538.50, down from £1076.

Just be sure not to cram too manypossessions inside:  Plantar Fasciitis is a painful foot condition that can result from back problems.

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Today I was told that I could choose my favourite designer bag for my Christmas present – really, my fiance says he will buy me the best designer handbag that I want as a wedding present! What would you choose if money were no object? The Jimmy Choo Maddy bag in red has long been one of my favourites, also the Mulberry Mabel and the Chloe Paddington Handbag are on my wish list. I am surprised how hard it is to narrow down the list when you can actually get the designer bag that you want.  I will make sure my car insurance covers my possessions, just in case!

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I know I wrote about how designers are using more Ostrich leather in handbags and purses, and I can see that is OK because the birds are used for meat. I still find it hard, on the other hand, to get along with the idea of using snakeskin in bag manufacture. I do not like the look or feel of snake hide, either. Jimmy Choo is a label that is not afraid to use snake in its bags, like the Zulu Snakeskin Clutch. This has a snakeskin front in a stone colour, with a soft suede back. These are teamed with gold pyramid studs, which I find quite ostentatious. I am not sure I would want to think that a creature had died simply to produce this one luxury item when there are so many other materials available. The poor old snake never did any harm, and it doid not even need to take the alli diet pill, either.

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