I have not always been a handbag girl and I cannot classify myself as one but it is slowly turning into a little love/addiction. I have quite a few bags but I only use one at a time until I get fed up and change it. I admire people who change their bags ever so often; I am too lazy for all that malarkey. Of course, I change my bag if I am going for an event, say, church, wedding, dinner, etc as it would be atrocious to lug around my heavy everyday bag.
Zara is my go-to High Street Store for anything handbag or leather accessories because they are so fantastic in quality, style and price and they last really well.
Read my reviews of my Zara Bags here and
here to see what I am talking about. Anyways, my most expensive bag is/was my Zara Office City Bag which I still love but it's quite heavy and encourages me to stuff it to the brim. Zara Bags are the bridge between good quality and affordable prices and they are my usual choice when I want to splurge on a bag. However, I have been eyeing Longchamp bags for over two years, in particular, the
Le Pliage range which is the commonest and best selling Longchamp bag. I could not decide on what colour I wanted and to be fair, I did not really want to purchase a bag that was really common despite my l
ust love for it.
Enter the
Longchamp LM Metal Large Shopper...Before now, I had never seen this design so I was quite intrigued and even more when I discovered it was on sale in
Elys Wimbledon. When I heard Elys were having sales, I popped down (as you will) to see what was on offer. Most of the best selling colours of the Le Pliage were sold out/not on sale until I spotted this lovely one-
The Longchamp LM Metal and it was love at first sight although I deliberated on buying it but it was on offer and who even sees Longchamp bags on offer? It's not an everyday occurrence so I picked it up. Although it may look like an impulse buy but it’s not technically because I wanted a Longchamp bag since 2012 which is a pretty long time to be lusting after a bag that won’t technically break the bank or piggy savings in my opinion.
The Story behind the Brand-Longchamp
Longchamp was
founded in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain who inherited his family’s Tobacco shop and
decided to create an innovative pipe wrapped in leather which was instant hit
and was sold exclusively in his store. Seeing that leather was desirable, he
branched out into more leather goods like handbags, purses, wallets and other
leather accessories which were also instant hits. With a new line comes the need for a new name, he chose the name “Longchamp” after he was walking
past a Horse Race Track in Paris and he thought that would be an amazing name and I can't agree more. In case you are wondering, Longchamp in French
translates to “Long Field” and it is the basis for the Longchamp Logo which is
a Jockey riding a horse and I really like it. Today, Longchamp is a brand going
strong even after 66 years of its launch.
Longchamp LM
Line
The Longchamp
LM line was first launched in the early 1970s and as usual, they were an
instant hit. The original LM Line was made of Calf-Skin Leather which was silk
screened with a vintage horse and belt criss-cross logo but the line was
discontinued in the 1980’s. In 2008, the LM line was re-launched in honour of
Longchamp’s 60th anniversary although the re-launch is slightly
different to the original one. Longchamp LM metal collection is known for how
uniquely it showcases the LM logo in a wide variety of fabrics and patterns. The
LM range comes in Metal and Cuir but the LM Metal is much cheaper than the
Cuir. The LM Metal has the horse (with jockey) and Belt print borrowed from the
original LM range with a signature equestrian grid which patterns a shimmering
metallic tote.
Details of the LM Metal Large Shopper/Tote
The Longchamp
LM Metal comes in various sizes: Small, Medium and Large and it also comes in various shapes: Totes (Shoppers) and Handbags. The basic difference between the Longchamp
Handbags and Totes/Shoppers lies in the handle; the Handbag has a shorter handle
which means you can only hang it in the crook of your hand or elbow while the
Tote has a longer handle which can be worn over the shoulder. I personally
prefer the Totes because it feels more comfortable and I prefer to have my
hands free. I believe the Totes are slightly more expensive than the Handbags.
Its dimensions are: Height (30cm), Width (31cm) and Depth (19cm). It is made
from coated cotton which makes it really durable. Its outer body is quite soft
because it is not made from canvas as found in the Le Pliage. It has an internal
slip pocket and a top zipper and popper fastening all embossed with the
Longchamp Horse/Jockey symbol. Inside is fully lined and made from a burnt
orange cotton material which is easy to clean. It also has fixed leather
handles that has a 9inch drop which means it drops to the side of the bag when
it is standing.
Usage
I have had
this for a month now and it still looks brand new. This is my new everyday bag
and I love it because it has a lot of space. It does not have any partition
inside which means that your handbag items can get missing in the abyss which
is why I purchased handbag dividers which give the bag some structure and also
helps me organise my items. To be honest, due to its wide space, I load this
bag with a lot of things which is really bad but I love that it contains all
the essential things I need. I initially had some problems with structure
before the handbag dividers arrived so I just cut some cardboard and put it at
the bottom of the bag and it made a massive difference. I found the cardboard
in the bag when I purchased it which I guess they left inside to give the bag
some structure and shape when it was on display. You can buy any cardboard from
your local stationery shop to do the job
Cleaning
I have not
had any issues with cleaning it although it is a little difficult to clean
inside because it is made from coated cotton but it cleans well eventually. I
just turn the bag inside out to get rid of any debris and lightly clean it with
a damp cloth and leave it to air dry. The exterior is easier to clean and I
just use a microfiber cloth for that it looks brand new again. The exterior hardly
gets dirty anyway because of the texture of the material
Price
I got this on
sale in Elys Wimbledon for £60 which is a massive bargain from the original
price of £86 which is still the current price in Selfridges, Saks, Nordstrom
and of course, the Longchamp website and outlet stores. A few sellers sell it in on Ebay but I have not yet learnt
the skills of purchasing designer handbags or any luxury goods from Ebay so I
steer clear.
Personal
Thoughts
I am sure you
can tell that I am obsessed with this bag (imagine how many photos I took; it's ridiculous..I know, I know!!) and my love for it seems to grow
every single time I use it. It’s a perfect everyday bag and it’s my first
dabble into a somewhat designer bag and I am really pleased with it. I am
thinking of adding a wallet or cardholder...just a fleeting wish! If you are
thinking of buying it, I suggest buying it from Duty Free (if you are travelling)
as it would be slightly cheaper. Sadly, Elys has sold out all their Longchamp
Sales items. I also heard from the grapevine that this collection will soon be discontinued (again!) so now is the time to buy it. Oooohh, it also has comes in Gold and White colours which all look beautiful but Black seems more universal which is why I chose it. Hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you in my next...x
