Friday 5 June 2009

Purple language!


My friend Jacula knows my penchant for purple. Indeed, she did the most wonderful portrait of me in red hat and purple jacket, skirt, bag and shoes. I have all of these, bar the bag. In fact, I have been searching for the perfect purple bag for a long time.

Yesterday I met up with friends in Oxford Street. After lunch, I scoured the likes of Accessorize and John Lewis, but to no avail. There was purple with red and green, purple but too small, purple with the wrong kind of handle, purple costing £550 - yes, really, in John Lewis! Hot and tired, I gave up went home empty-handed, though my friends had bought various things such as comfy Ecco trainers.

Almost on my last legs but with the shopping spirit still flickering, I got off the Tube after the long journey to Uxbridge (I got a seat - yay!) and stumbled to M&S for a bottle of Rose, had a look round their bags (no purple), then remembered TK Maxx, where I'd bought two swimsuits last week in the hope of splashing into the Med again one day. There, just inside the door, was a large purple bag with three big zipped pockets. So far, so good. I like to wear bags with long shoulder straps so I can sling them across me (less chance of getting them snatched) and still leave two hands free for carrying shopping, or rifling through items on rails in charity shops. This bag's strap was bundled up in white tissue paper but, by the bulk, it looked like the right length, so I bought it (£19.99) and brought it home with a sense of triumph.

But when I snipped off the packaging, my spirits fell. The handles were short, just enough to let you hand it on your shoulder and clamp it under one arm. No good for me. But... those big rings. Surely I could find a long strap to clip on to them? I was on the internet last night till I almost fell asleep over the keyboard, but nothing could I find other than ugly webbing ones for camera or laptop cases. Plenty of suitcase staps, but with click-locks. Nothing attractive with clips at both ends. If I could find a long strip of leather, I could tie it on, but... It's gotta be purple. (Sigh.) Any bright ideas out there?

2 comments:

Jackie Sayle said...

Nice bag! Re the strap you require, maybe you could use a black strap off an old handbag? Or find a bag with a suitable strap length in a charity shop? If the charity shop bag's cheap enough, you can discard it and just keep the strap. Failing that, I'll be having a sort out of my wardrobes soon. If I find an old bag (no, not in the mirrored doors! Cheek!) with a suitable strap, I'll send it to you.

hydra said...

No need. See latest entry! Thanks very much though, Jac!