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REVIEW: Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag

Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag, honestly I have never understood what's the fuss about. Let's take a quick read over the Balenciaga history shall we?

Nicholas Ghesquière (via)

Balenciaga is a fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Basque designer, born in Spain. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior. (source) Nicolas Ghesquière announced at the age of 12 that he wanted to be a designer, though he now admits this was partly from an adolescent desire to do something different from his parents and to alleviate country boredom. Through his contacts with Marie-Amélie Sauve and Nathalie Marrec, of Balenciaga, Ghesquière eventually landed a job doing the licensing for Balenciaga and designing for the Asian market. It was from there that he was plucked to be the new designer for the house, which had limited success since the 1970s (the label's founder, Cristóbal Balenciaga, died in 1972). 


We don’t often get a peek behind the scenes at the business and logistical decisions that go into making our favorite handbags a reality, but thanks to a Women’s Wear Daily interview with Balenciaga genius Nicolas Ghesquiere, we now know a little bit more about one of the most popular bag designs in the modern accessories world: The Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag. Ghesquiere tells WWD that he made the prototype at the behest of company brass, and they dismissed it as too soft, too lightweight and too lacking in structure. As it turns out, all the things that they thought would make it unpopular are what make the design so beloved. Those of us who have loved and adored our fair share of Balenciaga bags over the years have one group of people to thank for it: Models.


That’s right; if it weren’t for the models, we wouldn’t have a single Motorcycle bag in our collections. Ghesquiere says that he convinced his corporate minders to allow him to produce the bags just for the runway show so that the girls would have something to carry while they walked, but the models (most notably Kate Moss) were so immediately smitten with the design that he knew he had a winning bag on his hands. When Kate Moss tells you that something is cool, it’s in the best interest of everyone who stands to profit to listen to her. (source)


Okay got a little carried away reading all the history of the Balenciaga house & Motorcycle Bag! But indeed it is a very interesting read, isn't it? Nowadays it's not only Kate Moss who loves the Motorcycle Bag but almost all the famous celebrities has a soft spot for the bag for it's versatility & edgy style. It's cited that Nicole Richie had thirteen in every color in all different sizes!

"Suitable for all women, Balenciaga motorcycle bags are absolutely unique from other bags. The kind of leather used in these bags is one of the main features that contribute to the fame and popularity of Balenciaga motorcycle bags. Made from the thinnest, softest and light weight leather, the Balenciaga bags are quite exclusive and durable in appearance. The fact that these bags are made from such a material imply that the bags do not wear and tear out easily. Although the kind of leather used in the Balenciaga motorcycle bags looks very distressed but each Balenciaga bag is unique and no two bags look identical." 



The Balenciaga motorcycle bags are produced in a handful of colors. Black and white are the two colors in which the bags are continuously produced. Despite of this, black bags are hard to find as they are the most demanded color. However, color is one field where Balenciaga motorcycle bags seem to have no limitations. From metallic orange to teal, buyers will be able to find just about any color. There are basically two seasons, F/W and S/S. Every season boasts of pre-collection and then a collection. The F/W pre-collection is usually released in June and the collection in August. For S/S pre-collection, it is released in December and the collection is released in February.

Balenciaga Motorcycle Bags has a very wide variety of styles but these above are among the most popular ones. Don't get me started on the hardware sizes (mini/classic/giant) & stud colors (silver/brass/rose gold etc). Admittedly I have bought a fake First during my uni years but it does not even come close to the original designs which then I threw away, the fake one I mean. Luckily for me, Gorgeous by Sha Shaari has included a Balenciaga City for me to review.

Went to watch Sinister with Naz and yes that movie scared us shitless T_T. Wore Scarfla scarf , Pretty Chase dress & Levi's jacket.

A colorful combo to go for Levi's voice recording for the Go Forth video campaign, hoodie scarf from Al-Humaira Contemporary.

To Moslema in Style Fashion Show wearing Emystique scarf & peplum kurung set. Made a quick stop at Nuffnang bazaar & had lunch with the girls. And yep, that's Sazzy Falak and her clothing line, SF by Sazzy Falak.

Details:
Hand stitched handles • Removable shoulder strap • Top zip closure • Silver hardware • Leather tassel zipper pull • Front zip pocket • Interior zip pocket with Balenciaga engraved plaque • Leather framed hand mirror • Made in Italy
Dimensions: 38cm W x 24cm H x 14cm D
Material: Soft vintage crafted lambskin
Lining: Black cotton canvas

I think Balenciaga City is THE perfect everyday practical bag, the size is just nice to fit everything you need and more!
Not that I can just fit in the usuals such as the iPad2, purse, thin book, phone & shades but loooove that I can even fit in an extra clutch inside the City bag so that I can swap it for night time or something. For reference sake, here's me holding the studded transparent clutch in hand. So compared to Celine Micro & Chloe Paraty in Medium, the City won in terms of sizing & space efficiency. And also in terms of lightness. My only qualm is that the long strap is absolutely no use, it's not long enough and the rectangular shape of City probably is too wide to be a cross-body bag anyways. But then again, that's my only qualm about it and considering other factors I still think it's pretty worth it.

Here's a list of BALENCIAGA that's available at GORGEOUS by Sha Shaari.

RETAIL PRICE at local Balenciaga stores: OVER RM7000(!)
GORGEOUS by SHA SHAARI price: RM6.5k above (depending on colors & studs) & hey, they can even sought out a PRELOVED one for you if that's what you want! How awesome is that??

If you have anymore queries about the Balenciaga or any other designer bags, why not drop by at the boutique and just see which fits you the best!


Maybe I might consider a Balenciaga Motorcycle Bags now? ;) Check out the rest of my bag reviews:


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2 comments:

  1. nice! Love the mustard color..it pops! It's spacious enough to put all the necessary things inside one bag for people like me carrying a book to read wherever i go..love it..and oh, i love the color palette that you wore in picture number 2! love the pastel colors! keep it up! :)

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