Back From Prague (Part 2)

We didn’t do much in the way of shopping in Prague, as the prices for clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. are about on par with the prices here in the U.S., and not being a fan of decorative glass does limit one’s ability to bring a souvenir back from what seems like a city full of decorative glass shops on every corner.

I did, however, manage to score a very cool, Czech designed and manufactured handbag for a good friend:

The company is Bambas, and I stumbled upon a locally owned fur and leather shop (Kožešiny Kubín, located in the general vicinity of Prague’s recently opened Mandarin Oriental Hotel) that featured the line while we were on one of our exploratory missions through the streets of the city. I literally stopped dead in my tracks when I saw some of the bags sitting in one of their shop windows — my first thought was, “My god, these are like those fashion-week hyped Prada Faerie Bags, only way cooler!” My second thought was, “I must buy one of these for Louise!” — as there’s truly nothing like presenting a gift of a gorgeous hand-made, hand-painted bag from the Czech Republic (that none of her friends can just run out and buy at Neiman Marcus, natch) for eliciting squeals of delight from a fashion-forward female friend.

We included a wallet from the same company in a similar, though not absolutely matching, design in order to avoid the “What the hell kind of wallet do I pair with this unique bag?” conundrum. Louise received the package yesterday and proceeded to text me with ecstatic, rapturous and profusive thanks for a good ten minutes solid, nearly getting into a car wreck in her excitement (she was driving and texting, an act that requires inimitable skill behind the wheel — a quality she does not possess). She promptly scheduled a dinner date with friends for that very night in order to show off her new bag from Prague, and I received hilarious text updates on the various levels of envy and delight each dinner companion expressed.

I also picked up a small Bambas shoulder bag/day clutch for my sister, who is taking a vacation soon with some girlfriends and was musing aloud a few weeks ago about her need for a nice, small, travel-friendly day bag that could double as an evening clutch in a pinch. Well, voila!:

Here’s a detail shot (can you tell I’m impressed with these bags?):

You see? There are far better things to buy in Prague than some old glass vase!