As “vegan princesses” go, Cornelia Guest has me beat by billions of miles. In case you didn’t know, Cornelia is the daughter of American fashion icon CZ Guest and polo champion Winston Frederick Churchill Guest (cousin of Winston Churchill). She is also the goddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and was named “Deb of the Decade” in 1986. Also an accomplished equestrian and animal rights activist, she founded “Cornelia Guest Events” in 2009 catering to high-end charity and entertainment events with healthy, vegan dishes. Her new book “Simple Pleasures,” which I have not yet read, is about “Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining.” Two summer recipes from her book are shared on her website.
When I learned that Cornelia designed a new line of handbags, I felt the need to further explore. I headed straight to the handbag department of the Bloomingdale’s store in Garden City, New York where I asked the salesperson to show me the “Cornelia Guest” line of handbags. I was shocked when she told me that they were all “sold out.” I asked her what her opinion was about the handbags to which she replied that they were “functional, high-quality and very good-looking for the price even though they were not leather.” Naturally, I told her that I was very interested in this line of handbags because they were NOT leather. She seemed surprised as if she never heard of anyone preferring non-leather over leather. Observing the puzzled look on her face, I decided not to explain “veganism” to her. So I went home and looked at Cornelia’s handbags on Bloomingdale’s website. There were many styles of handbags, including clutches, wallets, and I Pad cases in the collection. I ordered an “ecru” colored cross-body bag (shown below) which arrived at my home this morning. The bag is beautiful, well-made and I love the color. The front flap closes magnetically and easily and the woven design is classic. I LOVE the manufacturer’s label which I found inside the bag stating that “NO ANIMALS WERE HURT BY MAKING THIS COLLECTION”! Some of her other bags actually state the words “cruelty free” on the pulls which open/close the bags. My bag came with a storage cover which is nice. I will be interested in buying another “Cornelia” bag for the Fall/Winter. All items I viewed on the website were $285 and under.
Bravo, Cornelia!!
