"There was Topper, and there was the Mediterranean. A magnificent spectacle, that - Topper and the Mediterranean. Kindred spirits well met, contemplating each other across an alluring girdle of sand." - Thorne Smith

One more vaguely Vegas-y post. Though, truth be told, the only thing Vegas-y about Balenciaga's raffia tote is that it happens to be where I first caught sight of it...the bag itself is pure "walking along a quiet little rue in the south of France...sun shining...air smelling of lavender and verbena...and a freshly baked baguette poking out of your bag". Which is probably why I'm so smitten by it...it is summer...at least the summer that I had once before and want again...the fact that it doesn't fasten closed in any way (and is therefore hideously impractical for city life)...and that it is staggeringly overpriced (for what is essentially a straw bag)...is not making a whit of difference to my usually quite practical soul.