Vintage Vein & Wacky Weaves @ Ngoc Chau

The longer you live, the more things you will end up buying. Some for keeps, some for temporary pleasure, some to enrich your life and some merely bought at the whim only to find you never really wanted them but now you don't want to throw them away either so you repack them and give it to a distant relative on your next Christmas or any other suitable occasion. And for a special number of things, women (and men) have a need to keep them close wherever they go. For all these various things and the different places they go to multiplied by the number of attire they have, will explain why women have such deep passion and are constantly on the hunt for that perfect…handbag.

Like the number of things we accumulate in life, the handbag is often a woman's 'code-of-arms'. Some like them simple and 'roomy' while others swear by lines of zipper pockets to keep everything as neat as a bookshelf. Some just want one for every occasion. And perhaps nowhere else in the world are there more types of handbags than there are in Saigon. From top European and American signature labels to accessible commercial brands to superbly handmade pieces of Vietnamese artwork, expect a visual feast of 'bag-o-mania' to turn women into a frenzy.

This Sunday, the Good Shop features 2 particular finds with very polar genres - Both brands from one family that has run the business since 1969. For Vintage classics to go with your Jimmy Choo's and red carpet dress or bright wacky zip totes for your weekend scooter escapade, Ngoc Chau's Brilliant Bags and Art&Funky Bags will see you ultimately needing a brand new suitcase to fill all the new bags.



BRILLIANT BAGS + ART&FUNKY BAGS / NGOC CHAU BOUTIQUE
108 Nguyen Hue Ave, Dist 1 HCMC

Two shops, side-by-side tells a story of the past and of the present. On the left sits Brilliant Bags, a mini museum of tote-bags, handbags, purses and trinkets dedicated to the art of beading. But it is the bags that really capture your attention as the richly embroidered pieces twinkle to life against shimmering silk, corduroy, velvet and cotton fabrics.

Each piece is reminiscent of a time when a woman with one held gingerly on her fingers was addressed as madame and doors would open for her wherever she went. The classic beaded handbags call out for a night of grandeur at the ball or a ride on a carriage with a gentleman spouting prose as he tries to impress you with his amiable wealth. Sitting pretty in days of old, these original 'hand-carry' bags seems to have stood the test of time and are ever ready to give new life to even the most mundane of dresses you may own. Take your pick of cute buttons to sea shells and jewel stones of beaded bounty to adorn your arm and softly murmur to yourself in the mirror saying...."Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

"Should you require more than a centerpiece on your arm and prefer to really dazzle like a damsel on her way to the emperor's court, accentuate the monarch chic with necklaces, hairpins, earrings and jade money tree - A look that will guarantee to send the emperor himself coming out of his chamber to humbly bow at your stilletos."


Now walk over to the shop on the right and you'll be confronted with primary coloured tiles amidst a cheerful wonderland of 'candy bags'. Here, the wacky world of art weaving aiming to please every tween on her way to a high-school musical rehearsal. Take your pick of patchwork shoulder slung bags to animal patterned embroidery or whimsically weaved cartoon purses and bags to fill all the colourful things in life you treasure...at least until you get your next boyfriend.:P

With all that I'd seen I decided to speak to the owner to understand how all this obsession with bags started. Ruby Ngoc was sitting at her small corner table showing me her collection on the web when she revealed to me how the history goes back 3 generations, a time when her grandmother began making bags for women. It was obvious that Ruby's love for bags has brought her to continue the family tradition and to maintain the 'code-of-arms' of making every piece a memorable one. The shop is small and humble by comparison to large scale commercial brands but it is this exact quality that lends its unique charm to a truly valuable shopping experience.