Say Hello To Marcie & WIWT

Today I thought I'd introduce you to my new 'BFF' Marcie.  

Now I don't know if you're like me but I often look at designer bags & think about saving up & treating myself but needless to say Zara always comes up with some stunning new pieces that stops any thoughts of saving in their tracks.  Plus I also know deep down that if I paid X amount for such a bag I'd be frightened of using it & would insist on it having it's own chair when out so as not to damage it & I'd no doubt end up keeping it wrapped up in it's duster bag only bring it out to play on very special occasions, which is pure madness.

In the past I've also thought of going down the pre-loved route but the worry or being ripped off & not knowing if I could trust who I was buying from has always put me off.  

However that was before I introduced to Designer Exchange a company that buys, exchanges & sells pre-loved designer bags that have been fully authenticated in their four stores in Birmingham, Knightsbridge, Manchester & Madrid & also online.  

Naturally as soon as I mentioned this company to hubby you could hear the alarm bells ringing in his head but after a really busy & productive few months at work I had miraculously managed to put some money aside for a special treat & what better treat than a new bag!  So when I found myself in Birmingham the other week I popped into store to have a look, purely for research purposes you understand ;-)

The store in Birmingham is situated in the beautiful Great Western Arcade, which is located at the back of House of Fraser & is always an arcade I've loved to walk down.  Many moons ago when I got my first job in Birmingham I used to meet my mum for lunch in the Druckers on the corner so I've got lots of memories there & the shops within the arcade always feel very special & Designer Exchange didn't disappoint as it's beautifully designed.

Anyway I'm digressing - back to the bags.  Now if I'm being honest I had half expected to walk in & either see bags that were either too expensive for my budget or ones that I could afford but were either of an older style or that had obviously been used a great deal.   But I was truly amazed not only at the selection but at the competitive pricing & the general condition of the bags too.  I was seriously like a child in a sweet shop, which is of course extremely dangerous especially when the sales assistants are all so lovely & friendly.  

Needless to say there was much drooling & oohing & ahhing but I was very good & controlled & despite seeing the Chloe Marcie in Royal Navy I left the store empty handed to meet up with my son for lunch.  Catching up over lunch I naturally told (*gushed*) my son all about the beauties I'd seen & despite bags not being his thing he was very good & humoured me for a while before saying that I should use the money I'd put aside to purchase the Chloe Marcie that I'd fallen in love with.  In fact it would be safe to say he was totally egging me on.  However, that day I had my 'sensible' head on, something which doesn't happen often I know but I decided to think about it & I also wanted to have a look at their website to see what other beauties they had online in their other stores.

Anyway to cut a long story short after more drooling online the Chloe Marcie was still the one for me & having looked at the price online if I was to buy it new (around the £1,100-1,200 mark) I decided that the price tag of £450 at Designer Exchange was a complete & utter bargain.  Plus & seriously I kid you not, the bag looks totally brand new there are no visible signs of wear on it at all & believe me I had examined it closely!  It even had it's original dust bag, shoulder strap, original receipt & verification certificate, resulting in my mind being made up & me clicking the 'buy me' button quicker than the speed of sound!

And here's how my new baby arrived.  Beautifully packaged between layers of tissue paper with a lovely personalised & handwritten note thanking me for my purchase.

Naturally I'm over the moon with my new purchase so much so that I've based what I'm wearing today around my bag!

Top - Mint Velvet

Jacket - Marks & Spencer

Bag - Designer Exchange

Pompom Keyring - The Bobble Hat

Jeans - Zara

Belt - Gray & Osbourn

Shoes - Mango

Top - Mint Velvet £79

Jacket - Marks & Spencer currently £47.20 until the end of today!

Belt - La Redoute £29

Jeans - Zara £39.99

Shoes - Mango £59.99

I really can't rate Designer Exchange enough as they really do offer a very personal & friendly service & will even keep a look out for a particular bag & notify you as soon as one arrives in stock, which with their four stores sees new stock arriving on a daily basis.  Plus as I explained to hubby should I ever tire of my new BFF Marcie then I can always sell it back to Designer Exchange & what's great is they will buy your bag off you that same day, there's no having to wait for it to be sold.  Plus at the valuation they will even tell you how much they intend to sell it for so you can make an informed decision as to whether you decide to keep it, sell it or if you want to exchange it for something different, they'll give you a higher price!  As you can imagine hubby is now going to get the nervous jitters every time I pop into Birmingham or check their stock online!  I quite fancy getting a nice purse next so have already bookmarked their online site as one of my favourites......hubby you have been warned!!! ;-0

So has anyone else thought about or bought a pre-loved bag?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  For me it makes total sense & the dream of owning a designer handbag that bit more obtainable.

Finally a quick heads on a few offers, firstly there's currently 15% off new season stock at Baukjen plus free delivery for orders over £59, click here & use code AFNEW95, Marks & Spencers have 20% off online only, click here but hurry as this offer ends tonight & for those of you tempted by my biker jacket it's a fab time to buy & finally Wallis have 25% off everything see here plus free express delivery on orders over £30 with code AUTUMN30.

Have a fab day (can't believe it's 'hump' day already :-) ) & see you in the morning.