Holidays are over and we’re back in the grind again. Sigh! For our first poll for the year, why don’t we sort through our avalanche of corporate gifts and vote for the best? So no one sends us logo-embossed paperweights again next year. Let’s assume they’re all worth the same value so we don’t wear our brains out overthinking this issue. Don’t forget to explain your answer in the comments section!

She will not go quietly, ‘crazies, and she’s getting curiouser and curiouser with age. Madam in her heydays was a character whose iron will and flamboyance rivaled that of Eva Peron. And now, she has announced she will be launching a low-cost fashion and jewelry line, to be aimed at—get this—the youth market. Co-designed by her grandson, the “underwear model Fernando Manotoc” as Reuters breezily called him. (Tsk tsk, Borgy really doesn’t get enough credit. We think he’s a lot smarter than he seems. Read the Reuters article here.) Amazing! There’s no one quite like Madam and never will be again—though Kris Aquino shows oddly similar peculiarities. This development calls for a special ShopCrazy double-poll.

For the article on Borgy running for mayor, click here.

It’s not quite Nora vs. Vilma, Pacquiao vs. Morales, or even Kapuso vs. Kapamilya, but in the world of ShopCrazy, these are the stars we would toss into the mosh pit for entertainment. Manila became a lot better-dressed since these three came to town, but alas, we do love our petty rivalries, don’t we? So, here goes:

(Dear Topshop/Zara/Mango: We’re just playing, okay? Don’t hate us. Love, ShopCrazy)

Webmaster’s note: Welcome to ShopCrazy’s new polling section, where we mouth off about shopping “controversies”! Step 1: Read the back story. Step 2: Cast your vote in the poll box at the bottom. Step 3: Go to the comments section and explain the reason for your vote.

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Would you rent a designer bag and pass it off as yours?

BACKGROUND

If you’re lusting after the latest LV but paying for one would render you homeless, there are now online sites that rent out authentic designer bags for a fee. The rules vary from one company to another, but the basic idea is the same. For just a few dollars (as little as $15/month for trendsetting labels, to $275/month for hard-to-get designer purses), you can borrow a bag for an unlimited time. And when you’re tired of it, you simply return it and borrow another one. Some companies even offer customers the chance to buy or “steal” the item at a discounted price. You’d think this only happens abroad, but we’ve heard of Manila residents who have these borrowed bags shipped to the Philippines then ship them back to the US.

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