Actually, B is for Bad. That’s the guilt talking – I made a rather lavish handbag purchase a few weekends ago when Harrods had their storewide 10% off weekend and I’m still feeling guilty. My friend and I started with good intentions: Meet up on Saturday morning. Check. Grab coffee. Check. Grab cosmetics with the discount. Check. Buy a Balenciaga bag each … errr what?! How did that happen?

Now, I’m not an impulse buyer when it comes to major designer goods. I most likely have a picture in my head or pinned on my wall at least a year prior to purchase and in my defense, I have been on the lookout for my perfect Balenciaga for a while now. You know, visiting the website daily, harassing Balenciaga boutique staff, accumulating half a dozen quote cards only to pretend I still need ‘my other half’s opinion’ before sneakily taking pictures on my phone as though I’m making copies for the black market and embarrassingly rushing – These have become routine weekend activities for me. I even scoured Ebay on a daily basis for months, hoping in vain that my Balenciaga bag would magically appear heavily discounted and BNWT (brand new without tags). It.just.never.happened. What else was I meant to do?

If you own a Balenciaga or are a fan, did you, like me, find there so many decisions to make about one bag? Velo vs. City. Rose gold hardware vs. regular hardware, Black vs. anthracite … the list continues! Luckily I knew the colour of the bag from the beginning. My friend’s mum has a gorgeous tanned coloured Balenciaga and I too have wanted one in a similar hue since circa 2006 when they last released that swatch and I decided the ‘city’ perfectly fit usual handbag contents and my DSLR and as much as I love rose gold now, long term, I wanted the colour of my Balenciaga to fade and I felt the classic hardware would complement the aged look (told you, I’d given this way too much prior thought).

Ok, enough writing … Here are some pictures taken on the weekend with my new lover: Balency

The first night I had my Balenciaga, I literally cuddled it in bed. My bf, rightly so, was convinced I was bonkers for a) spending so much money on a ‘boring’ bag and b) seeing me at a new low – sleeping with a designer handbag. It’s kind of a running joke now. If he annoys or upsets me, he runs into the room, looks for the Balency and shows me because he knows it’ll make me smile. I can’t help but laugh at him and the fact that it actually works!

Outfit Details

• All Saints Knit
• Country Road Cardigan
• Zara Reversible Vest (in stores)
• Saba Coated Black Jeggings (similar here)
• Office Kactus wedge boot (similar here)
• Classic City Balenciaga (in Cumin with RHW)
• Pashmina my dad got me from Thailand

After this splurge and in attempt to curb spending, I’m now officially on a shopping ban (damn you Shopbop discount code – you got me good) with the caveat that I can still spend on travel, presents, groceries, food and goodies from markets. I know some people can’t stand looking through ‘old junk’ and antiques but I could wander for hours through Portabello Antiques market in Notting Hill. I was on the lookout for some antique vintage trays for my future dresser (to display make up and perfume bottles) and ended up with two  Sheffield Silver trays after a good bargaining match …

Does anyone know of any other flea/antique vintage markets I can attack going forward? I’d love to hear about the ones in your city in hope that I get a chance to travel there one day!

I know at the end of the day, it’s just a handbag, albeit an expensive one, but I guess when you work hard and choose to splurge on yourself it’s difficult not to feel guilty and excited at the same time. I don’t take it for granted that I’m fortunate enough now, whilst relatively committment free, to spend on a bag but it’s an investment and I can tell it will get a lot of air time. Finally, my chronic balenciaga bag envy is cured. B is for beauitiful.