 |
Cath Kidston Book Bag
by daisylee3
Me and my lovely boyfriend have only been together for just under three weeks and so when he brought me a bag full of presents round over Christmas, I assumed a majority would be chocolate, teddies and all the other stuff that guys stereotypically buy their new girlfriends at Christmas. I'm not the easiest person to buy for so most ... people buy me simple stuff - not many people dare buy me clothes, bags or stuff like that!
After opening most of the presents, I came across a medium sized square present which I expected to be either a chocolate orange or one of those tacky mugs with a personalised message. How wrong was I! He'd discuised the bag well by having it wrapped up in a gorgeous floral box, and the bag is lovely - I knew instantly that it was a Cath Kidston bag by the floral design and I was over the moon. He admitted my mum had shown him a picture of the one I was after (this bag was on my Christmas list), and he said as soon as he saw it in the shop he literally grabbed it as fast as he could as they were selling out so fast!
These book bags vary from £16 to £18 each. This is slightly expensive for a book bag, but well worth it - the quality is brilliant and you can tell how well made my bag is just by looking at it. My boyfriend bought my particular bag from John Lewis, but they can be bought from a variety of shops such as ASOS, Cath Kidston, Debenhams etc.There are a variety of patterns available. There are all sorts of colours and designs including shooting stars, chelsea rose, field flowers, retro flowers, birds, lace stripe and lots more. I have this book bag in country rose. It is gorgeous! It's an off-white colour - almost beige with a tone of light khaki. It has gorgeous roses all over it which vary in colour - there's shades of pink, red, pale pink and white. The design is lovely and really eye catching - it's a tell tale Cath Kidston print meaning that no one will look at it and think "tacky!" or "cheap!".
This is a shoulder bag and it has two handles which are big enough to be put over my shoulder without hanging too low - does that make sense? Sometimes shoulder bags can be a bit too long and can bang against my hip or side when i'm walking but this doesn't. The handles can alternatively be held like you'd hold a shopping bag although the bag's a bit too long to hold it like this as it'd drag along the floor. Directly underneath where the handles are it has the Cath Kidston badge/logo sewn on, this simply reads "Original Cath Kidston Ltd London." I love this as it shows it is a real Cath Kidston bag and not a cheapo Primarni rip off!
The bag is made of thick cotton. The cotton's not soft, it has quite a tough, strong feel to it but it is smooth to the touch. I was worried it would get drenched when I go out and about in the rain and it'd get spoiled, however it doesn't absorb water at all and it was fine yesterday when I got home after walking from my boyfriend's house in the rain - it dried quickly. Despite it being thick and good quality it is still very lightweight when empty and when I put my phone, purse and other bits and bobs it doesn't weigh me down like some tote/book bags can do soon as you put something in it - the bag holds the weight well if that makes sense.
It also has an inside pocket, which is big enough for a small purse or phone. The book bag measures L38 x W33 x D8cm and I can fit loads of stuff in this bag - yesterday I took a few presents to my cousins house and used this bag to carry them, it fitted two large books in it fine and also a variety of smaller items such as dvd's, my camera/camera case, etc. Overall this is a lovely bag, it looks great and is very strong and spacious, it is quite expensive for a book bag but it's good quality, so I would highly reccomend it.
Read the complete review |
 |
Antler Torque Leisure Bag
by GillMN
***I bagged it for him***
I bought this bag for my husband to try to wean him away from the horrible camouflage utility bag he insists on heaving around with him (apparently he used it when he was a Boy Scout). I paid 24.99 for it in the Antler shop in Cheshire Oaks retail Park. I would have paid more for it because it looked well ... made and just the right size for carry on on a plane. It is gunmetal grey and black with silver coloured metal fittings.
The bag is quite heavy before you start to pack it but the thickness of the canvas type carcass explains that, to be honest I prefer the extra bit of weight as a trade off for a more substantial piece of luggage.
It is quite a rugged looking little bag. The material is water resistant and fairly stiff. The webbing carrying straps have a velcro wrap around fastener which is slightly padded to your hands. I find the velcro a bit of a pain because it catches on clothes and things whilst I am packing but it does close the bag securely for carrying. There is detachable shoulder strap which uses very sturdy metal clips to attach to each end of the bag. This strap has an adjustable shoulder pad which slips up and down to lessen some of the discomfort of the weight on your shoulder. It is a well made pad and doesn't slip around when not in use.
The rounded ends of the bag means that when I am carrying it by the hand straps, it doesn't hurt if if I bang it into my legs when walking, or sometimes running, for a plane. It sounds like a small thing, but rigid squarish bags can really hurt yourself or fellow passengers in a crowded place or jostling queues and they are often just the right height to behead an innocent toddler!
***It's my bag!***
Even though I bought this for my husband, I'm the one who uses it most. I 'borrow' it from time to time depending on where I'm going and for how long. It easily accomodates a couple of pairs of jeans, two tops and jumpers and the necessary toiletries and footwear necessary for a few days away. The large front outer pocket holds travel documents well without scrunching them on the journey and it makes them easily accesible. The two end pockets are fairly spacious and tend to hold my books (suduko) and bits and bobs. I particularly like the quality of the zips on all the compartments. It drives me mad when cheaper zips come unconnected and the bag gapes. They are sewn in well at the ends too. The top zips join together with a little hole in the metal tabs for a padlock. I never see the point of this, if someone was about to steal from you they would take the whole bag wouldn't they? A fiddly little padlock isn't going to deter anyone.
The front of the bag has minimal adornments but it does have a square metal ring thingy for attaching things to. It would make more sense if this was closer to the top of the bag. As it is, anything you clipped onto it would drag on the floor so I haven't really worked out what it is for yet. Perhaps it's just to add to the overall 'Manly' look of the bag. (Is there a connection between men and useless dangly bits?) I tried connecting one end of the shoulder strap to it in case I was missing something but that didn't work at all.
***Inside information***
The fairly stiff nature of the bag means that my clothes stay put and get minimal creasing if I pack it properly. The top zips curve a little way down the side of the bag which makes access easier. There is a stiffener at the base which is removable. It fits well to the bottom so stuff doesn't tend to slide under it and hide. (I lost a big silver necklace for a few years this way. I was lucky to see it exposed by a luggage x-ray machine which I happened to be in the right place to see! The baggage inspectors thought I had gone a bit mad when I cheered!) There are no other compartments inside the main one, just a single space. I find it a comfortable and roomy bag to pack.
***Size***
The best thing for me about this bag is that it is a perfect size and shape for carrying onto a plane. I know that the Ryan Air Bag Sizing Gestapo will not single me out and try to make me pay £40.00 because my bag is too big or too orange or too baggish! (or whatever reason they can manufacture to charge the traveller extra!). It holds enough for me not to have to check luggage in if I am on a short business trip and that suits me fine! On longer trips it's a useful size for being out and about with carrying beach gear and shopping etc.
The actual dimensions are 55.0 x 29.0 x 29.0 cm or 22x 12x12 inches approx'.
***Overall***
I think it was a good buy. It does it's job well, looks reasonably smart. We have been using it for over a year and it isn't looking tatty, scuffed or saggy (unlike me). It was a reasonable price and looks as though it will last a fair time. I reccommend it. My husband still clings on to his antique Boy Scout bag though!
Read the complete review |
|
|
Argos Set of 3 Garment Carriers
by joe_purdy
==introduction==
Although I hardly get the opportunity to wear a suit, I did have to for a wedding not too long ago, I needed something to keep to suit in while transporting it down to the hotel and also something to keep it in once I returned home as that it did not get damaged and kept in pristine condition, I opted for the set of ... 3 garment carriers from Argos, priced at £11.99
==About the product==
The set of 3 carriers are made from PVC and they are not the best of quality although I didn't expect fantastic quality for the price that I paid. 2 of the carriers are quite small and would be no good for suits but my mum used one to keep a dress in no problem, the last one is much longer which I used for my suit. The carries are black and the zip goes through the middle of the front.
The bags are simple to use, just put your desired item onto the hanger inside the bag then zip them up and they are ready. I was pleased with the result from these carriers and they did a good job of keeping my items in good condition and crease free. Although I've only used the carriers once and I now just keep my suit in this in my wardrobe I have read other reviews which say the quality is not great after using a few times and also that the zips may break so if you are looking for something to use regularly maybe if might be better to spend a little more on a more expensive, better quality garment carrier.
The smaller 2 carriers are H91xW58xD7cm and the larger one H120xW58xD7cm. As well as protecting clothes from creases they are also ideal for damp, dust and from sunlight so no fun coloured clothes!
==Summary==
I think it depends on what you want these garment carriers for whether they are going to be of use to you, if like me it's not something you're going to be using too regularly then they will be ok although if your wanting them for regular business trips then these are not for you. I don't think I would really recommend these products as they are not great quality and if I were to need more in the future then I would probably try better quality garment carriers.
Read the complete review |
