Bag a Baggallini at Pomegranate

Baggallini is a company that just continues to amaze us, season after season. Started in Portland some years ago by two former flight attendants, their handbags and travel pieces are so well designed, lightweight and chic. Each piece has lots of organization and logical places to stash your cell phone, camera, cards, etc. And now they've pushed the envelope even further with a whole new collection of stylish bags to use everyday (but still great for travel).

We just received a Baggallini shipment (oh yeah, I'll be struggling with it today at the downtown store, because it's still all over the counters, and spilling out of boxes -- the best way to get first pick, girlfriends). It's a mix of old favorites (urban backpack, etc.), new colors, and the best of their new designs. Shown here are a couple of new pieces: the Valencia in black, and the Monaco clutch in mushroom. Love the big chunky hardware... but not overdone.

And then there's the Shanghai Satchel. Extremely cute, and all ready for my trip to Spain. I'm obsessed with going to Spain now (only if we win the lottery); you'll understand if you've been watching Made in Spain with José Andrés or On the Road Again... in Spain (Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow). That's a whole separate blog entry, but I would totally take the Valencia or Shanghai bag with. And fill it with Sevilla oranges and that ham they keep tasting (if it spills I can just wipe it up because these are all made of durable water-resistant crinkle fabric).

On the other hand, sometimes for every day use, you don't want to be dragging a satchel all over town and just want a small, lightweight bag you can tuck the basics into. Baggallini has lots of those. Love this new little Midtown tote for just that purpose. Throw it over one shoulder, or extend the adjustable strap to sling it across you when you're zooming around on your Vespa. Ciao, baby baggallini!

By the way, as with all our products, we're trying really hard to keep prices as slim as we can, to give you, our dear customers, a break. On the Baggallinis, for example, we're way lower than the suggested retail price. And as always, we're happy to gift wrap at no charge.

Personal, personalized gift idea

I'm loving monograms again. Not just for your stuffy uncle anymore, monogramming is fun and funky and great to do for anyone (as long as you leave yourself a bit of turnaround time).

Shown here is a glass from a set of four tumblers that just arrived for a customer. I love the way they turned out. They have a nice weight and feel, and the engraving is beautifully done (hard to see in the photo, but the letters are deep engraved into the glass, not just etched on the surface -- big difference). It only took about two weeks (all done in the US); cost is $38 for the set of four tumblers delivered to our shop in a sturdy box (just $3 extra per set if you want them drop shipped elsewhere). And, there are 11 different shapes/sizes to choose from, including ice buckets, carafes, wine glasses, champagne flutes...

You can specify one, two or three initials as shown, or -- my own brilliant idea which the company is happy to do for us -- you could do two initials with an ampersand. Perfect for couples with different last names. Come by and see some of the options at both Pomegranates, or call me for a faxed copy of the order form (541.312.9232) or email for more details (jantiques@bendcable.com). Cin cin!!