Tunnel of Luggage

Tunnel of love?

No, tunnel of luggage. 

Nothing comes out the same on the other side. 

This is called bumps and bruises. 

Still it’s a long way to paradise. 😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Gucci Bee Bag

Thought this was a pretty nice Gucci bag. 

Large decorated bee with expansive wings on the flap. 

Beautiful pink with white pearl studs. 

Brass chain and red, white, and blue shoulder strap. 

Priced around $1500! 

Small shoulder bag yet plush oversized and ornate make a big statement. 

Nice gift for that special someone or to treat yourself to Gucci! 😉

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Trendy – Shoes and Bag In One

I thought this was a very creative ladies bag.

It combines two things that many love–shoes and bags!

No, you’re not putting your shoes in the bag.

And you’re definitely not wearing your bag on your feet (that’s another blog on innovation).

In this case, the shoes (and legs) are the design on the bag itself and make up the shoulder straps to carry it. 

Creative and fun thinking, right?

Also, I like the design of bold colors of the red and white sneakers and the blue jeans on the black bag. 

This is both functional and cool, and I like the trend of “mixing it up.”

The straps are the legs and shoes–pretty smart! 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Minions Help Me!

This was a funny picture I took in Washington, D.C. 

This women is sitting on the Metro. 

On her lap are two big bags.

One bag (a knapsack) has a Minion on the front. 

And on top of the Minion bag is her overfilled buldging handbag.

The Minion is slanted sideways with the heavy handbag on its head, practically squooshing his face.

From the likes of it, the Minion looks like he’s got one big headache and wants out of there. 

His eyes pleading for a new owner to loyally serve or just to get that darn heavy handbag off its head. 

Feel better Minion…unfortunately, it’s not your day.  😉 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Higher, Higher

Took the girls to Sky Zone today.

It’s an indoor trampoline extravaganza.

The kids had a great time–jumping around, doing acrobatics, bumping off the trampoline walls, and even playing trampoline dodgeball.

I got left holding the bag (literally!)–all their handbags and stuff.

Thank G-d, I was able to lose myself in the fun and photography. 😉

(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)

World’s Nicest Ballerina Umbrella

So we’ve had our share of rain in the last few days with Hurricane Sandy.

But with the right umbrella even Frankenstorm can be tamed, a little bit. 

That’s why I wanted to share with you this picture of the nicest umbrella that I’ve ever seen–it has dancing ballerinas all the way around. 

And if you like the umbrella, there are bags and totes to match.

I found these hanging in the gift shop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. 

Personally, I opted for a music box for someone special, but I still had my eye on that umbrella. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

>From Pocketbooks to Whirlybirds

>

From Inspector Gadget to Transformers–there is more than one purpose to everything and that is the type of flexibility that we need to be agile, competitive, and efficient.

Miche Bags is a new amazing example of a company that has “got it” in terms of architecting their products for re-use.

The bags work in 3 easy steps:

1) Consumers pick a bag base–big or small.

2) Then they choose the shell (design) on the outside that they like–and this can be changed out as often as desired.

3) Finally, there are plenty of accessories–organizers and straps to select from.

Viola, your own bag creation; tire of it–and choose something else and simply swap it out.

According to CNBC, the idea for the changeable bags came when to the owner when she spilled something on one of her bags and wished that she could just change it out.

Sure, sometimes, it’s nice to have a whole new product–take my old smelly sneakers for an example–those have got to go! 🙂

But at other times, it can just make more economical and environmental sense to just freshen up a product with a change or new look.

Cell phones and smartphones seemed to have gotten that idea in their changeable “skins” that let people snap on and off different colors, textures, and materials.

Another example is Crocs (shoes) that accessorize with Jibbitz or colorful charms that snap into the holes on the shoes–these range from sports team to Disney characters, flowers, flags, and more.

Of course, there’s lots of other, more familiar examples–reversible belts and coats and removable comforter covers just to name a few.

In a dynamic and faced-paced world, where at the same time resources are more and more constrained, the ability to change out components and at the same time reuse basic elements is what is needed more than ever.

It’s great to have the versatility to personalize and accessorize skins, but it’s even better and more powerful to be able to change out components–like expanding the memory on our computers.

Like Inspector Gadget, you never know when a cap that changes to a “whirlybird propeller” that flies you out of harm’s way will come in handy!