My Cath Kidston Love Affair

I have always struggled with finding the perfect bag.  I have gone through Louis Vuitton, Prada, Kate Spade, Longchamp and Ralph Lauren among others but I could never find the bag that fits my lifestyle and need.  

When I saw single, Ralph Lauren fit my need perfectly.  In fact, one of the oldest bag in my current collection is a 15 year old Ralph Lauren blue and black houndstooth bag with matching wallet.  I bought it almost 15 years ago for around Php 5,000 or US$100 and it still pretty much looks new.

Cath Kidston logo

However, ever since I became a mom five years ago, I could never find a bag that big enough to fit most essential items but not too big that it would be difficult to lug around. I also needed it to be sturdy because I don't want to worry about my bag breaking in the middle of a trip.  Most of all, I needed it to be low maintenance -- meaning I don't have to worry about getting stains on it. 

It wasn't until I saw one nanny from my daughter's school carry a Cath Kidston bag did I find "The One".  I noticed it was made from some kind of plastic so I knew it would be at least waterproof and the size was big enough to fit a lot of things but not too big that it would be a bother. It was all I could deduce without being creepy and asking the nanny if she would mind if I take a peek inside the bag.

So when I got home that day, I immediately went online to search for Cath Kidston and if there's any way I can purchase this locally. It was unfortunate that they do not have local stores here in Manila except for an independent shop in Rockwell, Accessory Lab, which carries a very limited number of Cath Kidston item at a given time.  I also read there are some stalls in Greenhills that sell replicas but I am not a fan of replicas.  I would rather purchase something from an unknown brand than waste my money on a replica.

My Cath Kidston collection (37 pieces!)

So I opted to shop online.  I remember my first purchase being a green spot day bag, 2 small zip bag and 2 green spot folded wallet.  The shipping was relatively cheaper since I had it shipped to a US address and had it forwarded to Manila using a third party freight company, MyShoppingbox, instead of having Cath Kidston ship it directly to Manila since I am very suspicious of our Customs Officer. 

The items I have purchased exceeded my expectations.  It is low maintenance, water proof and quite cute.  The thing that makes me love it more is that there aren't many people sporting the brand in Manila. Hurray for a great find!

I have been constantly purchasing Cath Kidston items ever since but always online so it usually takes 15 working days to arrive (via air) and around 50 days if I opt to ship it via sea.  Imagine my delight when I found out that they were opening a branch in Singapore last year! 

I was over the moon because my sister was starting a new job there and for me, it means, no more shipping cost! Although it is a little more expensive than it is online even without the shipping but I can't really complain especially when I can claim GST for purchases over SGD$100.  Moreover, my sister usually gets a lot of freebies due to a tie-up with Citibank for purchases above SGD$200. 

So far, all of my Cath Kidston items are stain-free, even after one year. This is quite a feat especially since I have a pre-schooler in the house.  This prompted me to hoard every chance I got which you can see in the photo. I didn't occur to me until now that I have 37 items but two of which are my daughter's so it's still a lot! It's not stopping me from lusting after some of the new bags in their new collection. 


What is your current bag addiction? Why do you love it? I'd love to hear it! 

Hugs!

~mtz~