I’m usually the one chasing after sources and asking the questions, so it came as an amusing surprise when I was approached six months ago at one of my favorite San Francisco cafes by a fellow fashion editor to be interviewed and photographed for an article.

The piece was a travel meets style profile for a Toronto-based magazine, Rouge, an editorial- advertising hybrid for P&G beauty. I was a bit flustered when the editor interrupted, since I was mid-latte with a journalist friend of mine, who I hadn’t seen in ages. But with the two of us knowing the challenges of asking random strangers on the street for interviews, my friend gave me the thumbs up to help out the weary magazine crew, and away I went to the impromptu shoot on Fillmore Street.

I had forgotten all about the story until I started getting Facebook messages a few days ago from women from Canada to North Carolina, asking where I got the white handbag I was carrying in the Rouge magazine feature. By the time I had received the fifth email asking about the bag, I knew it was time to post the piece on my blog to broadcast the details.

The drawstring shoulder bag is white crackled leather with silver tone hardware from Reiss, a London-based retailer that I love. I found the roomy satchel on a trip down to L.A. at their Robertson Boulevard boutique in November, but they only had a floor sample at the time, so I had them track down the bag from a New York branch and ship a fresh one to the San Francisco store at the Westfield.

The white bag set me back about $400, although you’ll be hard-pressed to find the same exact one this season. I did find an alternative on the Reiss website from their Autumn/Winter 2010 collection that has a similar chain-link handle and slouchy shape in a beautiful taupe and a woven texture that reminds me a bit of the classically luxe Bottega Veneta weave—but at a fraction of the price. Happy Shopping!

*To read the full story in Rouge, click on this link: Pacio_StyleProfile_Rouge-summer-2010_Vertical.