Show Us Your Bag
■ Who? Mingo Collaso, general manager and partner of Mundo restaurant at World Market Center
■ Location: Mundo at World Market Center
■ Handbag: Sisley men's doctor bag
■ Are handbags status symbols? Yes, to a certain extent, but when I buy a bag, I'm looking for functionality as well as style. If it so happens to be a high-end bag then great, but either way it's a way of expressing the way I feel and adding an additional layer of style to my outfit.
■ What does this bag say about you? It says that I like to carry a lot of stuff with me. All the time. In style.
■ If someone found your bag and looked inside, what would they think of you? They would think that I'm a geek who carries my stuff in hot bags.
■ What's the most important item you've carried in your bag? My Macbook (because it has all my work on it) or my Dec. 3, 2011, Michael Jackson Cirque show tickets.
■ What's the strangest item you've carried in your bag? I used to carry a bottle of Sriracha hot sauce. I love that!
■ Tell us about the first special bag you owned. It was a vintage black leather doctor's bag with creme colored stitching and a lock on the zipper, which I found at a thrift store. It had a lot of character.
■ Knockoffs: Love 'em or hate 'em? I am not a fan. They are low quality and you can tell just by looking at them. I'd rather save up for one really nice bag than spend money on a whole bunch of cheap bags that will fall apart.
■ Image is ... everything. People still make opinions based on appearance. Plus, when you look like crap you always run into that person you didn't want to see. True story.
■ What's in your bag? Macbook (can't leave home without it), "The Vegetarian Cook's Bible" by Pat Crocker (I'm looking for new vegetarian dishes to add to Mundo's menu), Clear Personal Hotspot (I need Internet access wherever I go), Kenneth Cole Reaction business card holder, Michael Jackson's autobiography "Moon Walk" (I heart MJ and received it as a Christmas present), YSL L'Homme (I love the smell and need to make sure I have something yummy to spray on just in case).
