I recently went to Paris for the first time to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. Although we lived in Europe and I notice that dark, conservative colors are standard for the cooler months, I wanted to be able to still dress stylishly and comfortably with a goal NOT to look like the tourist I most certainly was. Why? Mostly for security reasons. I didn’t want to be tagged as a tourist by con artists and pickpockets in the heavily trafficked areas where we would most certainly be visiting, like Montmartre, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. I think it worked because we weren’t directly approached for handouts anywhere we went and the only time I made a donation was to a guy who was fast asleep along the Seine. The guy never responded when I dropped the coin in his cup but his oh-so-cute dog did.
Homeless man and his dog along the Seine. He was fast asleep but his dog was well behaved and looked around a lot. He was tied up to the suitcase so didn’t try to run off when other dogs passed by.
Plus I took the advice of a friend who’s an American expat in Paris and I walked against the light. Literally and figuratively. Walk with purpose wherever you go, look like you’re going to eat anyone who gets in your way, basically look unapproachable and the little groups of kids on the train or ladies with kids holding petition forms will not dare to approach you.
So the outfit here is what I’d probably wear back home in Germany or in Washington DC or in Tokyo, Japan (yes, I lived near all these places). But the cowhide and leather bag by Germany’s Bull and Hunt is my accessory splurge, along with the Step by Step jewelry from Switzerland. The jewellery alone deserves its own lovely post.
The best practical thing about this messenger bag is that it can hold a lot and it has a zipper top under that cool reversible flap to securely hold my iPad, camera, passport, wallet and so forth. I could even slip a bottle of water in it! The adjustable strap is wide and comfortable and can easily, quickly lengthen to be a shoulder bag or a crossbody bag. I’ve been waiting since my mid-summer purchase to break it out!
July 22, 2014: updated link for Step by Step jewellery Switzerland.
Trying NOT to look like a tourist but the 10Euro shopping bag gives me away… photo courtesy of David Fugazzotto Jr. (www.sandandtsunamis.com)
The post Product Review: Germany’s BULL & HUNT TWENTY FIVE “KUHGLÜCK” Sherpa Leather & Cowhide Messenger Bag appeared first on Global Family Treks.