Thank you to all of you who entered our competition. We loved getting the entries through, but there were two stand out story tellers amongst you.
Drum roll please....
The winners are Minnie Eve who wins the Grover Tote and Alex Davies, who wins the Kampuchea Coin Purse.
Minnie Eve
My mum has a walk-in larder,
a compulsive eater’s heaven and hell.
Among many, many, many other things
it contains 22 jars of pesto.
22 JARS OF PESTO!
She says she’s preparing for an epidemic.
The larder, a steadfast panacea in more than one world.
In what can only be, inherited neuroticism,
(I like to think of it as the height of organisation)
I entertain a Mary Poppins-esque handbag.
The steely stalwart in my life,
that renders me ready for any situation, on pandemic scale.
a compulsive eater’s heaven and hell.
Among many, many, many other things
it contains 22 jars of pesto.
22 JARS OF PESTO!
She says she’s preparing for an epidemic.
The larder, a steadfast panacea in more than one world.
In what can only be, inherited neuroticism,
(I like to think of it as the height of organisation)
I entertain a Mary Poppins-esque handbag.
The steely stalwart in my life,
that renders me ready for any situation, on pandemic scale.
I don’t like to be anywhere without water
lest I might expire in the UK’s desert climate,
or randomly choke on air.
Mints – everyone needs mints,
they are better than prescription drugs,
when it comes to calming an anxious mind.
My favourite part is the bag within a bag (of which there is more than one).
The make-up bag, mine has ducks on, and the zip broke long ago.
It contains all the things that might make me look better
(when dealing with desert / arctic conditions or the aftermath of choking).
Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream, the solution to many a quandary,
hand gel - because who knows who had your shopping trolley before you?!
Borrower-sized hair product – important for that dragged backwards through hedge look.
Spare hairbands, plasters, and Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclait pen.
The second bag within a bag, is just an empty bag, for green shopping moments.
Get an umbrella in there too – go on!
lest I might expire in the UK’s desert climate,
or randomly choke on air.
Mints – everyone needs mints,
they are better than prescription drugs,
when it comes to calming an anxious mind.
My favourite part is the bag within a bag (of which there is more than one).
The make-up bag, mine has ducks on, and the zip broke long ago.
It contains all the things that might make me look better
(when dealing with desert / arctic conditions or the aftermath of choking).
Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream, the solution to many a quandary,
hand gel - because who knows who had your shopping trolley before you?!
Borrower-sized hair product – important for that dragged backwards through hedge look.
Spare hairbands, plasters, and Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclait pen.
The second bag within a bag, is just an empty bag, for green shopping moments.
Get an umbrella in there too – go on!
Of course there are instances where a bag,
nearly as heavy as its owner, is just not practical.
When ‘stepping out’ and by this I mean
all-night, crazy, having it out with yourself, disco-dancing.
I can survive on a hand-held purse, on
lip balm, plastic money and a door key.
Liberating occasions, where the aforementioned contents
and more, are left with gay abandon,
On the kitchen table.
I go about, willy-nilly, without a care in the world.
It’s like that feeling when you go on holiday and think
“Well, all I really need is my passport.”
Everything else, you can buy, (as long as you have your wallet!)
so why bother…Well I’ll tell you.
Sometimes, it’s not just about what’s inside,
sometimes, it’s just about the bag.
nearly as heavy as its owner, is just not practical.
When ‘stepping out’ and by this I mean
all-night, crazy, having it out with yourself, disco-dancing.
I can survive on a hand-held purse, on
lip balm, plastic money and a door key.
Liberating occasions, where the aforementioned contents
and more, are left with gay abandon,
On the kitchen table.
I go about, willy-nilly, without a care in the world.
It’s like that feeling when you go on holiday and think
“Well, all I really need is my passport.”
Everything else, you can buy, (as long as you have your wallet!)
so why bother…Well I’ll tell you.
Sometimes, it’s not just about what’s inside,
sometimes, it’s just about the bag.
In any marriage there are certain Givens. It's a Given that, no matter what time we arrange to go out, my husband will wish to leave ten minutes earlier. It's a Given that, when we go on holiday it will fall to me to pack and, no matter what I put in the suitcase I will leave out the one thing he really wanted to wear. And it's a Given that, if I carry a bag, my husband does not need to. For my bag - a cavernous, practical and hard-wearing tote - is sufficient for all his needs. "What's mine is yours," he says cheerfully, dumping book, phone and camera in its rich depths, "and what's mine fits so well in your bag!"
The size of the bag doesn't appear to matter. A wedding-sized clutch is appropriate for his phone and Golden Virginia (the tiny brown tendrils remaining stuck in the seams for weeks afterwards like obstinate pubic hairs around a plughole); a coin purse is sufficient for a packet of Rennies and his keys. He marvels at the practicality of the numerous pockets in my various bags, noting that the designer must have had his particular make of phone in mind when they added a side pocket, and understood his precise need for a handy repository for the bottle of wine we're taking to a friend's for dinner when he needs his hands freed up to roll a fag (all accessories for which are stored in the top zipped pocket).
My husband likes to affectionately tease me for the size and quantity of the bags I own, but has yet to fully realise the reason behind both - that if he himself carried a bag I would need only a pocket. I travel light, doubling up a phone as a diary, watch and mirror; stuffing debit and oyster card in the back pocket of my jeans.
So, whilst it's a Given that my bag will, at any time, be stretched to near breaking point under the weight of wallet, keys, medicines, fags, additional clothing, reading material, Satnav and camera, it’s also a fact that the only possession of mine competing for space will be a solitary lipstick or occasional tampon. And whilst we're sat waiting, ahead of schedule at the airport, and I'm pondering which favourite shirt I didn't pack in the last few seconds before I was hurried out of the door, I also know that it’s a Given that, if I see a nice roomy handbag in the duty free shop, my husband will retrieve his wallet from a handy tobacco-infested pocket, and with a wry but indulgent smile, buy me another receptacle within which he can store his belongings. After all, a girl can never have enough handbags - even if she has nothing to put in them.
M.Hulot has been featured in German magazine Brigitte, not once but twice! The classic Garrard Clutch and new season Nova Flap Shopper are loved for their green credentials- Made in England using veg tanned leathers you can be both stylish and ethical!
You didn't disappoint! We put the word out and in came the entries for 'What do you carry?
Above are just a few that we like so far.
Now that you have cast your eye over the handbags of others let us know all about yours here!
It's competition time here at M.Hulot and we are giving away one Kampuchia Coin purse and one Grover Tote in the two winner's choice of colourway.
To be in with a chance of winning, we want to hear your stories!
We are asking: What do you Carry (and why?)
Do you like to travel light? What more does a person need than their most treasured and essential possessions. A little pouch and you're away and ready to go! Small is beautiful.
... or do you need a large bag: the ever-present protector and carrier of your world?
Maybe you are both of these people. You love to be hands free and feel liberated without baggage, but there are still times when you need everything but the kitchen sink!
Please send us your accounts of both...
Be funny, be poetic, be short and sweet or long and languorous, but whatever you do, let us know! We'd love to hear from you. We will share the entries on the blog and then pick our favourites.
Email entries to info@mhulot.co.uk titled 'What do you carry?'
Deadline for entries is Weds 12th December.
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| The Sheltering Sky- Bernardo Bertolucci |
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| Pans Labyrinth- Guillermo Del Toro |
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| Moonrise Kingdom- Wes Anderson |
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| The Darjeeling Limited- Wes Anderson. |
Costume plays such an important part in films, a character can be given meaning by their attire, but what of a character's bag? It is something I have been thinking about, as I love the subtleties of what a person may (or may not) carry and how bags are used in film to enrich and embellish the the story.
The defining film for me, in relation to bags, is Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. Not only are the Monogrammed Louis Vuitton pieces OFF THE SCALE in terms of desirability, but they perfectly illustrate the wonderfully self involved nature of the brothers and their detachment from reality. Whilst the hand painted animals reflect the adventure they also allude to the childlike nature of the characters, something ever present in Andersons's films.
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson's latest, continues the obsession with luggage and all things retro. Could there really be a better satchel than the wicker basket carried by Suzy, with the prized contents ...her cat!
One of my favourite films is Del Toro's Pans Labyrinth. The bag used by the main character, Ofelia, is not of any great note compared to Wes Anderson's carefully sourced and styled pieces, but the fact that the bag in question is a satchel, tells us so much about the character. The bag is robust and hardwaring, suited to Ofelia's imminent and dangerous adventure. With the thick, leather cross body strap the bag is fit for purpose; Ofelia can be hands free, ready for anything thrown at her on her journey.
This post focuses on bags that enable journeys. I guess this is true of all bags. Our bags contain possessions and tools that we need, or want, on our meetings with the outside world!
In Bertolucci's The Sheltering the Sky, a married couple from New York travel to Morroco. The main protaganist, Kit has a wardrobe to die for, of cool and minimal cotton. In the above images she travels through the desert and I love the contrast of the her neat Western outfits with the North African berber clothing. The leather panniers, slung across the camel, are beautiful in their dishevilled and sun bleached layers and the obvious handiwork and fringing are unmistakable of that part of the world. In contrast to Kit's loosely tailored garments I love that they are slouchy, bulbous and without structure. Unprecious in their appearance they still carry objects of importance.
I would love to make this a repeat feature on the blog. If anyone would like to share any beautiful, or significant bags from film please do so....
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We are participating in a very exciting Christmas market on Dec 8th, with a great mix of new and varied designers. So get yourself down to Dalston for a good old browse and some unique Christmas shopping.
