Paris itself is a pretty special to spend time if you like me are fashion mad, but there was something extra special about spending the night in one of the world’s most famous clubs.
If I’m honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect because tourist attractions tend to be overhyped.
Thankfully, though, the Moulin Rouge loved up to its billing – and then some!
It’s a riot of noise and colour. It’s hugely entertaining. It’s funny. It’s flamboyant. It’s fun. It’s amazingly choreographed. It’s gloriously camp. It’s a show like no other. And it provides plenty of fashion inspiration, although there’s no way I could step out in public some of the outfits! Not unless I put some serious hours in at the gym.

The outfits on show at the Moulin Rouge got my thinking about how influential it has been over the years in shaping what ordinary women wear.
Burlesque clothing and accessories has enjoyed a revival in recent times and vibrant reds, blues and eye-catching blacks are everywhere.
Sexy corsets with lace trims have also become more mainstream and ‘vintage chic’ is the buzzword in the world of fashion.

Over a hundred years after the Moulin Rouge first flung its doors open its legacy lives on and there’s something uniquely brilliant about that.
Go and see it if you can. It really is THAT good!

1. Finland – Mika Piirainen

I love this guy’s bags – they are so cute! I actually visited a Marimekko store in Copenhagen and everything there is so cute! I don’t think he has an offical website but Marimekko do, so you can find some of his stuff here. The runner up for the ‘Finland’ category isn’t a designer as such, but there are loads of really cute Moomin bags out there – my favourite Finnish creation

2. Bosnia and Herzegovina – Aida Korman

It was actually quite hard to find a Bosnian designer, but I found Aida Korman who designs some wonderful stuff! Not a handbag in sight, but some really quirky dresses.

3. Denmark – Ann Opstrup

There are great bags by Danish designer Ann Opstrup available in the UK. They are really cute. The tag line is ‘handbags to make you feel wonderful’!

4. Lithuania – Juozas Statkevicius

I feel bad because I have no idea how to pronounce his name, even though I have Lithuanian friends. On his offical website he has a lot more than bags. Some really awesome dresses too.

5. Hungary – Makány Márta

Is it sad that I like looking at wedding collections even though I’m not getting married? Hungarian designer Makány Márta has some really gorgeous wedding dresses.

6. Ireland – John Rocha

One of my favourite designers over at Debenhams I hadn’t realised John Rocha wasn’t actually Irish born. But he’s based over there, so I’m counting it. He does some great bags for men, if only my boyfriend was more interested.

7. Sweden – 10 Swedish Designers

I’ve got to admit that I love Swedish design. These guys, 10 Swedish Designers (10 Gruppen is what they call themselves in Sweden) design really bright stuff, and their bags are no exception.

8. Estonia – Kristina Viirpalu

I really love Estonia design – it’s somewhere between Swedish and Finnish design. Now Kristina Viipalu might not design handbags but she designs the coolest, brightest tights! There’s also a really awesome shop in Tallin called Nu Nordik, they don’t have a website, but they do have a flickr account.

9. Greece – Celia Kritharioti

When I think of Greek fashion, I can only think about Greek strippers. This mini-dress really sums up this silly stereotype! Celia Kritharioti actually does a lot of beautiful wedding dresses and other gowns. I just thought this silver thing might catch your eye more!

10. Russia – Kira Plastinina

Now I think Kira Plastinina is an excellent designer inspiration. From a young age she’s managed to do very well for herself, working with the likes of Lindsey Lohan. Her outfits are really current and would be great to stand out in a club. Cute little clutch too!

11. France – Louis Vuitton

You knew this was coming. As I said recently, I recently received my first Louis Vuitton from my boyfriend But yes, he is definately the best French designer, I don’t care what anyone says – jsut look at his collection!

12. Italy – Versace

Deciding on a favourite Italian designer was tough! In the end I went with Versace because it’s so classy and very occasionally I’ve found some of his stuff at TK Maxx. Even if I can’t afford it, it’s nice for a look!

13. Switzerland – Algo Sa

It’s actually surprisingly hard to find Swiss designers that don’t design watches or jewellery. Not that I mind. But Algo Sa have some really lovely and pretty, but really smart dresses, skirts and suits. Lots of mountains, but no handbags in sight.

14. United Kingdom – Liz Cox

I had a lot of choice with this one, but I went with Liz Cox as her stuff is so classy. I love the way you can pick the fabric – some of them are really unique too! For something really original though, I’d recommend Folksy.

15. Moldova – Georgeta Ieahia

It is actually incredibly hard to find anything for poor old Moldova. All I know is it’s a post Soviet state, but one of the ones that Russia seems quite keen to get back. They haven’t had a lot of time to establish themselves as designers, but I did come across this article about Moldovan designer Georgeta Ieahia taking her fashion to Milan. I’d really love to see a collection!

16. Germany – Karl Lagerfeld

I really love Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion. It’s so striking and all the models look so fearless! I’d love to see what he could do with a bag! Oh wait, Karl Who?

17. Romania – Belinda Liu

I have always thought that Belinda Liu designs some of the cutest stuff. I wish there were more bags like this hat! That fabric is so adorable.

18. Austria – Susanne Kitz

I’ve just discovered Susanne Kitz. Her website is all in German but all the bags are named after places. I think that’s pretty cool!

19. Azerbaijan – Fahriyya Khalafova

Azerbaijani designer Fakhriya Khalafova designs some really crazy catwalk outfits. I love this kind of design – where designers just go crazy!

20. Slovenia – Jelena Leskovar

Slovenia is rather hard to find designers for. But I did find Jelena Leskovar whose line is called Cliché. There’s some really odd but cool fashions on this website! I’d love to see a handbag!

21. Iceland – E-label

As far as I’m aware, Icelandic designer E-label provide some outfits for TopShop. There are some very nice ‘little black dresses’ on this website

22. Spain – Balenciaga

Whilst doing research for Italian handbags, I didn’t come across a TK Maxx favourite – Balenciaga. Turns out they’re Spanish, my bad. I really love these bags, they come in a range of colours!

23. Ukraine – Andre Tan

Ukrainian designer Andre Tan designs some really cute bags! But it’s nowhere near as impressive as this guy who designs dresses, even though he is now blind. Woah!

24. Serbia – Ana Sekelarac

Although she is British born, designer Ana Sekularac is of Serbian origin, so that counts, right? She might not design any bags but her dresses are quite nice, if a bit weird sometimes.

25. Georgia – Noma Studio

Even so they don’t appear to have a website I found an article on Georgia Fashion Week that featured Noma Studio. They design clothes that look like they would be really awesome for winter as well as really stylish.

To conclude: This was loads of fun and a lot harder than I thought! If you have an suggestions for any European designers that you think I should check out, let me know.

Well, my 4-day weekend was spent… in bed. I came down with ‘the plague’ – a mysterious throat infection that’s been around the office recently, hence I haven’t been blogging as much. I do have some more ideas for this blog on the way, but I thought I’d let you know I was alive first.

I originally had plans to go home and see my family, but I really wasn’t well enough to be driving anywhere. So my wonderful boyfriend came over to look after me and cheer me up on Easter Sunday (he works in retail, so doesn’t get the bank holidays off).

And look what he brought with him!

I really need to invest in a digital camera, but I promise it’s real…

Basically, it wasn’t just a random gift because I was sick (okay partially) – but also because we’ve been planning to go on holiday soon (to celebrate our anniversary), and I mentioned to him that I needed a new bathroom bath and so… ! I’m so happy! My first Louis Vuitton! It might only be small, but that means I’m on my way to getting a larger one!

This bag is great, as I am really awful when it comes to bathroom bags – they literally have everything in them. This one is the largest in the range (please don’t tell me how much he spent) so it’s perfect for me and all my bathroom kit!

Now I can only hope for a similar gift over the Royal Wedding period

Has anyone else ever received a bag as a gift? Let me know!

If you want to remember this year’s Royal Wedding in the form of a bag, it’s only £8 at John Lewis.

What will you all be doing on the extra Bank Holiday? Are you going away or like myself, going shopping? I feel sorry for anyone who works in retail or catering at this time of year, especially this year. This is a little tasteless, but you can buy yourself some Royal Wedding Sick Bags if you’re fed up with this whole thing already.

At number 10 – The Keybag

This keyboard bag (Keybag) is available to buy in black, white, pink and red for around €125 (£109) by Joao Sabino.

At number 9 – the Map Print handbag

With this bag you will never get lost again. The map print bag by Gina Pierce Design can bought from Not on the High Street for £40.

At number 8 – The recycled numberplate handbag

I have seen these recycled number plate handbags for sale in quirky little off-the-high-street shops before. You can buy them at HandyCandy from £95.

At number 7 – The Pursauder

The Pursuader is available to buy from James Piatt for $579 (£356)! He has many unique designs on his website so you may want to have a browse!

At number 6 – The Dachshund bag

It’s now becoming quite commonplace to keep your dog in a bag, but with this, your bag can be… a dog. You can by this cute Dachshund bag from Dutch by Design for £65.

At number 5 – The Waist Pouch

Okay, so this one isn’t a handbag – but the Waist pouch by A ‘N’ D is pretty weird. It’s like the sleeves of a shirt tied round your man’s waist… but without the rest of the shirt. And it’s also a bag. You can buy it for £97.

At number 4 is – The Union Jack Lips Purse

Just in time for the Royal Wedding – the Union Jack Lip purse by Timmy Woods is available to buy from Patricia Field for $330 (£203).

At number 3 – Eiffel Tower Bag with Crystals

This Eiffel tower bag is studded with crystals and costs only(!) $3000 (£1844) from Timmy Woods.

At number 2 – The frog bag

This cute but kind of weird bag is on sale at Catalogue Favourites for $29.95 (£18)!

And at number 1 – The shark attack sleeping bag

Okay so it isn’t a handbag, but this is pretty weird. This sleeping bag makes it look like… you’ve been eaten by a shark. You can buy it from Patch Together for $250 (£154).

If you have seen any weird handbags (or any kind of bag) – let me know!

In the age of the credit crunch, that may not be wise – the chances of you being able to afford a new bag on a whim are declining.

So I’ve had a little think about ways to revamp or modify old bags so you’ll go back to using them.

I’ve never really liked that handle

Sometimes the bag is wonderful, the shape and size are great… but the length or feel of the handle is just all wrong. And sometimes, depending on the material of the handle, it can wear thin and either snap or look terrible.

I found a great tutorial that lets you turn your old handle into something pretty. The full tutorial is at Cut out and keep. They have a bunch of other things here such as a music score clutch bag and a great way to make a new bag from old plastic bags!

Everyone has this bag

You could make your own bag with any pattern you wanted. There are lots of good tutorials and makes over at Folksy. Each make has a level of difficulty, and some are suitable for novices – such as this one for a simple book bag and a little more advanced tutorial on making a leather bag

My laptop bag is so boring!

There are a number of ways to brighten up an old laptop bag – the first is a little complex, and a little cyber-goth, but inspired by the Tron films, Ladyada and Stern Lab came together to make a tutorial on how to make a Tron bag. It glows in the dark!

If you’re looking for something a little girlier, Rosalinde made a really cute laptop bag and gives good tips on this.

I just don’t have any more use for it

Image courtesy of Viva Bags of California

For those who just can’t see themselves using their old bag again – salvage it! Any charms could look great on a necklace or a bracelet. Spare material could be used to make a coin purse or used to line a bag, or make a new handle. There are loads of uses for old bags!

If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to put them through!

First of all, answer this question:

What do you carry in your handbag?

(Image courtesy of dichohecho)

Okay, just tell me about a bag

Finally, of course – the worth of your handbag! The most expensive handbag ever produced was by Ginza Tanaka for Hermes – there are over 2,000 diamonds on this baby, so imagine just how much it might cost to replace! This one cost $1.9 million (£1.2 million)!

So I think I might as well write up the answer to this question:

What are the best handbags to use in a fight?

Firstly, it depends what kind of fight you’ve gotten yourself into. If you think someone is following you’ll want to keep your distance, right? But if they get too close, you’ll need a bag with quite long handles in order to keep them away.

This one by Steve Mono was on Far Fetch for £171 – well worth the protection against stalkers!

But what if it’s not a stalker, but your Ex, or soon-going-to-be-ex? Of course putting bricks in your bag is ill advised, and you don’t want to get charged for assault! But something heavy enough to give him the message (as well as getting him to leave you alone!).

This one is available at Debenhams for £45 £36! A great way to get back at your Ex!

But what about those bitching sessions with your girl friends? You know how it is, someone will throw her lip gloss at you, and it descends into handbags. LADIES! You’ll want to get up close and personal, so a clutch bag might be be your best bet.

This Jessica McClintock clutch bag is only £12.99 at TK Maxx – the best way to win at those catfights.

What if you want to attack from a distance? If you want to throw a bag it has to be relatively small, and it should have a decent handle to get a good swing on it. But mostly – it should be cheap! Throwing it from a distance may result in you not getting it back!

The best place to find a bag like this is Ebay – there’s an ever changing selection of cheap bags in different shapes and sizes.

Finally, a bag to frighten people off before they even start on you. You need a spiky bag – ouch!

At present there isn’t a UK website for the designer of this bag – Christian Louboutin, but if you visit Net-a-porter you’ll find it on sale for £1075!

If you have any other suggestions for handbags to wield should you get into a fight – let me know!

So, I got this bag:

It’s on sale here for £36.99… but that’s not what I paid. The larger strap was broken, so was able to get £7 off in store – how good is that!

Anyway, hopefully I’ll remember to update this thing once in a while!

x Sally

Believe it or not, this handbag is actually made from old soda can ring-pulls! What a great way to recycle metal! The bag comes in 4 awesome colours and is made by crocheting ring pulls into the design. It’s fully lined and has a zip closure.

$148

Available to buy here.