bag!monkey

1150.00! For canvas! I want one.

2007-10-31T21:52:00.000-05:00

So...in my last post I talked about curbing bag spending after my wild, months-long Pierotucci buying spree. I thought about getting a Tano -- or two, at those prices.

Hahahaha!

Somehow, my brain turned "one cheaper bag" into "Louis Vuitton! Yes, please!" I have one LV now, the ever-classic Speedy 30, but I'd like another, more structured bag, something slightly larger for those times when I'm toting more than the usual amount of life crap. I'd really like a Speedy 35 or 40, but for the money, that seems a bit redundant. So!

I've been looking at the Deauville for quite a while now, possibly through two price increases, one certainly, so I'd be insane to wait any longer. It's 1150.00 on eLuxury, which, luxury, no kidding, because it's basically coated canvas.

I wouldn't balk at paying that much for leather (I already have!), but...canvas! I think this is Salma Hayek, but I can't say for sure. One thing for sure is that she looks as short as I am, whoever she is, so this is a good picture for sizing purposes.

Oooooh. Want.

Including the Speedy, I own four LV pieces: the Passport Organizer Wallet, which is the best wallet I've *ever* owned (I think I'm the only woman on the planet who has one); the Snapped Billfold and Coinpurse wallet for smaller bag days, and the Pochette Cosmétique for lipsticks and such. The Passport Organizer was worth every penny, by the way; I've had it about three years and even though I've carried it every day, it's still in nearly mint condition.

LV love notwithstanding...1150.00 for canvas? I can't decide! I'm going to the Mothership this weekend; I'll have a better idea once I see the Deauville in person. I can pose in front of the mirror for a while, and drive the sales staff crazy with my indecision. Maybe I'll buy something small to soothe their anger. One of those little round coin thingies, perhaps.

1150.00! For canvas! But I really, really want one.

Today's bag: Lous Vuitton Speedy 30

Fall! Almost!

2007-09-26T22:24:00.000-05:00

I wore a surprisingly successful outfit the other day, surprising because I threw a new color into the mix and came up with something a little nicer than the usual.

I have an oddly-patterned skirt that's covered with geometric shapes. It's a lightweight two-layered skirt, a nice weight for three seasons, but it doesn't look ridiculous in winter. The predominant colors are cream and a soft celadon green; detail colors are a kind of olive/brown shade and a bit of light teal. The tops I wear usually play on the greens, creams and browns.

Since it's been a bit fallish the last few days, I thought it would be nice to transition into deeper colors. I picked a dark teal knit tee to wear, along with my slinky chocolate cardigan. It looked wonderful! The only thing I'd change would be my footwear; I wore tan/light brown shoes which I swear, just don't look quite right with anything -- and I can't figure out why. I bought them with summer clothes in mind, and I've tried them with several outfits. Seeing them the other day was the final straw. The next time the Salvation Army calls for donations, they're out the door.

For my new fall combo, I think cream stockings (the skirt's too light for anything darker, no matter what the fashion nabobs are telling us this season) with my dark brown silver-buckled flats will look nice, especially with the chocolate cardigan up top.

In other completely-not-surprising news, I'm scouting bags to give myself for my birthday. Since I've gone Pierotucci hog wild the last few months, I'm looking at bags with more modest price tags. I'm thinking a Tano might be nice; I've never had one, but they seem to be interesting bags for the price. Stay tuned!

Today's bag: cognac Pierotucci Birkin-style bag. I loooove it.

More shoes! Tortoise bangles! Cute outfits!

2007-09-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

Another successful outfit today; this one was even simpler than yesterday's.

I wore the white version of the v-neck, long-sleeved t-shirts I talked about in my last post, my slinky black side-slit skirt, white hose, and a new pair of fun leopard flats that I got for 7.99 on sale at Target. Very comfortable, and they look more luxe on your feet than they appear in this picture: Pearls, tortoise bangles (hahahaha, yes again), silver hoops with tigereye ball drops completed the picture, along with my cognac Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

You know those women who roll out of bed looking fabulous? They might be wearing nothing more than a crisp Oxford shirt and a pair of jeans, but they look flawless and wonderful? That's how I felt today. I love a simple, elegant outfit.

Speaking of tortoise bangles, I stumbled upon this bracelet duo by Liz Claiborne (30.00) and was immediately smitten:

Chunky tortoise bangle! Sadly, no modeling pictures on the site, so I can't get an idea of the true size, but it must be fairly substantial. I am intrigued. I may hunt these down in person for a live viewing, and then buy two sets. Yes. Also, I am an idiot: the 225.00 tortoise 5-bangle set by Ralph Lauren (lusted after in this post) went on sale for 125.00, but I didn't jump on it. Those bangles are now back at the original 225.00 price point. Yes, I'm a doofus.

Today's bag: cognac Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

New shoes! Cute ones! And the coat search continues...

2007-09-19T16:54:00.000-05:00

I wore a very successful outfit today, and like the best ones, it was simple and pretty effortless. I bought three v-neck, long-sleeved T-shirts the other day, in a heavier weight that's perfect for air-conditioned offices and cooler weather: white, black and charcoal grey.

I wore the black one today with a black/cream scrollwork skirt. I started the day in off-black hose, but changed to white when I got a run. Waaah! I think the off-black stockings had a slight edge, though the white looked nice too. Tortoise bangles, of course (I live in them), pearls, silver ball-drop earrings. What really made the outfit memorable were the cute new shoes I bought yesterday!

Valentine by NaturalSoul by naturalizer, believe it or not! 37.99 on sale! I went to Kohl's with a friend at lunchtime; she was buying socks for her husband so I tagged along. When I saw the shoes on the display rack I couldn't resist. Shiny! Deep, deep red patent leather! The velvet bow on the toes! I'm such a sucker for an embellished shoe that it's almost a sickness. Anway.

I've been wearing my new cognac Pierotucci bag since I got it a couple of weeks ago, and in a very happy accident, discovered that my deep red shoes and my bag are gorgeous together. You'd think cognac would be brown, but the bag's more of a dark red with slight brownish tones. I don't normally do the bag/shoes matching thing, not conciously, so I was beyond pleased to see that it looked effortlessly polished and not matchy-matchy...because the shoes are patent and the bag isn't, most likely. I felt totally fabulous.

Also, the great coat search goes on. This one is so Madonna-in-the-80s, when girls bought men's vintage coats for a couple of dollars and turned them into huge style statements.
I like it; it comes in charcoal, which is another plus, but I'm a bit put off by all of the pockets. Do I really need a breast pocket? Boiled Tweed Coat, 139.50 at TravelSmith. The jury's still out, but it's fun looking.

Today's bag: cognac Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag. Still no pictures. Yes, I'm ashamed.

Yves and Dior, sittin' in a tree...

2007-09-09T14:01:00.000-05:00

Okay. Remember this post about Chloe's Big Edith, the bag that looks like a cross between the YSL Muse and a regular Edith? Well, the Muse has been a busy bag, because another lovechild has been spotted, this time from the House of Dior.

I wasn't too crazy about the Gaucho when it first came out; kind of like the regular Edith, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. That was before my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw the Gaucho Croc-Stamped Patent bag:

Holy Hannah, that's beautiful! The Muse just continues to inspire and improve other bags, doesn't it? Genius. Here are the particulars, if you're like me and would love to buy one of these babies. Available here at eLuxury, $2,390.00, 18.5"x 13.25"x 7.5" (big!). Here's the bag in action:

Dior's not the first place I stop when I surf eLuxury, so it's a new experience to find myself head over heels for one of their bags! If I had to give Dior a few thousand dollars for one of their products, this Gaucho/Muse hybrid would be my pick. Ah, she is shiny, croco-stamped love.

Today's bag: cognac (yes, another one!) Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag. When I stop being lazy I'll take pictures.

My coat is made of squee!

2007-08-16T11:47:00.000-05:00

Now that the fall items are beginning to roll in, my annual coat search has begun. Last year's attempt to be fabulous fell far short of the goal; this year I just want to find a simple, beautiful, classic coat that will work just as well dressed up as down. What I'd really like is a classic menswear cashmere topcoat, cut for the feminine body, of course.

I wrote the above in a draft post on July 4th. Fast-forward a few weeks to last night...

Unlike my rather cracktastic claims of coat fabulousness last year (ye gods, what was I on?), I'm set to achieve true outerwear perfection this year. As mentioned in my last post, I've been positively giddy with this season's offerings. I've seen so many beautiful coats and cute jackets that my hard drive is filling up fast with the photos I've saved!

I wanted a neutral color, nothing too long, and nothing too trendy. I wanted a coat that would look polished with work clothes, but relaxed with casual clothes. Ultimately, I wanted something classic that would look great for a number of years, and not look dated as soon as the leaves begin to fall next year.

After looking at many, many coats, this is the first one to really slot itself into the "buy me!" niche in my brain:

Despite the fact that it looks slightly purple or lavenderish, the website listing (and the catalog picture) shows the coat is grey. I saw it and fell in love, despite the fact that I'm not the world's biggest fan of hooded coats. Still, pretty! I very nearly bought it a couple of days ago, but last night I kept surfing. Then I saw it, this beauty by Eileen Fisher:

The people at Saks really know how to style a photo shoot, eh? At first I thought it was a bathrobe, and I was completely underwhelmed. But the more I looked at it the more it intrigued me, and I wondered if somewhere out there, someone had actually taken pains to make the coat look interesting. Hurray for Garnet Hill!
I was sold, because this is exactly what I've been looking for. It's stylish, it's got that vintage vibe that I love, and the oatmeal shade is a perfect neutral (camel would be better, but I can live with it). This coat can be dressed up or down, and I'll still be able to rock it when I'm 70! How perfect is that?

Two things are a bit worrisome. It's unlined, so will it be warm enough? On the other hand, an unlined coat is a much lighter coat! The length is the stickiest point: it's about 42 inches long, and I'm about 61 inches high. If I'm lucky, it will hit at my mid- or lower-calf. I've got my fingers crossed. Stay tuned...

Edited to add another picture:

Eileen Fisher coat, at Neiman Marcus, Saks, Garnet Hill. Also at Eileen Fisher. Plus sizes, $378.00, women, $358.00.

Today's bag: camel Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Footwear eccentricity and my dream wardrobe. And bags!

2007-08-13T18:40:00.000-05:00

Ah, that time of year again. Time to dream of and surf for new fall clothes! A few posts ago I said this:

Every year I swear I'm going to buy an all new wardrobe consisting entirely of solid-color clothes (no prints!) in neutral shades: black, navy, brown, ivory, cream, white, grey...you get the idea. It's never happened, but one of these years I just may do it.

While shoe-surfing the other day, it came to me. How fabulous would it be to wear nothing but leopard or other animal-print shoes? Yes, I'm completely serious. Think of it: A gorgeous wardrobe of neutrals worn with animal shoes in every style imaginable. This would be the prime year for such an eccentricity, too, because apparently animal prints are tres hot this fall.

If I were, say, JK Rowling (more money than the Queen and more fashionably flexible), that would be my signature look. Neutral color palletes and leopard shoes. You'd need a few shots of color of course, because who can resist all those deep, beautiful jewel tones that usher in fall? And think how a beautiful bag would pop against such a background...

Speaking of beautiful bags, here are three in one of my favorite color combinations, black and chocolate brown...

waaaaaay luxe - Louis Vuitton Delft Exotic in the new-for-fall monogram Mirage line, $8,250 (info - though not the picture! - snagged from The Purse Blog):

less luxe, but still gorgeous - Coach Chelsea Leather tote, $428.00, [11 1/4 (L) x 11 3/4 (H) x 5 (W)]:

waaaaaay not luxe, but still interesting - Gap Patent-trimmed leather tote $128.00 (14"x16"x4"):

I'm sure it's safe to say that I'll only be admiring the Vuitton Mirage from afar. The Coach, however, is singing a very sweet "Come buy me!" song that's hard to ignore. Even the Gap bag, in all its thrifty least-luxeness, would be a welcome addition to my bag wardrobe.

I've been looking at coats too (squee!) , and unlike last year, I've found quite a few that I'd actually spend money on. The first of many coat posts will soon follow. Stay tuned...

Today's bag: camel Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Latest bag purchase the day(s) after.

2007-07-04T22:34:00.000-05:00

I saved this draft post on July 4, shortly after the bag mentioned in the previous post had arrived, but had not yet been carried.

Well, my wallet seems to be safe -- though I love the vintage vibe of the Kelly style, I'm defnitely a Birkin-style girl.

My new bag is lovely, but it just isn't my style. I do like that it has a vintage, "left to me in Grandmère's will" look...which oddly enough is my style. Holy moley, it might actually work for me! Yikes! My wallet!

Don't love: I'm carrying essentially the same things in my new 35cm Kelly style that I had in my 35cm Birkin style, but it's a snug fit. I put my makeup and little things in smaller bags to save room, since the Kelly style is a narrower bag.

Do love: It's lighter in weight. Great color, love the contrast stitching. I'm leaving the straps open and just letting them dangle; it relaxes the look of the bag just enough, I think. I love that the handle is big enough to go up to the elbow with my coat on, which is always a plus with a handheld bag. There's a detachable, non-adjustable shoulder strap which offers a hands-free option.

It's kind of scary that the more I look at it (it's on the bookcase where I can see it while I surf on the laptop and watch TV), the more I think I might be liking it. It'll look fabulous with fall clothes. Oh no! I think I like it after all! It wasn't love at first sight, but it's growing on me fast.

I wasn't quite sure if the style really worked for me, but I can't stop looking at it. This may be the start of a new collection; I'll know better tomorrow after it's been in action. I may even do a little shopping after work -- for wearability research purposes only, of course.

present day... My initial response was correct -- the Kelly style is a beautiful bag, but I really am a Birkin-style girl. I'm highly pleased with my new bag though, because it'll fit right in with fall's retro vibe. I mostly bought it for dress-up occasions anyway, so spicing up work outfits with a little vintage glam now and then will be a bonus!

Today's bag: camel Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

New bag!

2007-06-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

Someone I know purchased this bag last week:

Pierotucci 35cm cognac firm leather, gold hardware. Actually, that someone was me, as if you couldn't guess.

Is that a beautiful bag or what? Want to hear the best part? $327.00, which is 40% off! Because, yes! It's the Pierotucci summer sale! The link I gave is to the full price page. Here's the link for the sale bag. [note: link removed, sale's over!] Buy away, and feel free to tell them I sent you.

I wanted a Kelly style bag because it's such a feminine style, very ladylike. Despite the size, I'm thinking it'll be gorgeous for dress up, for those occasions when my tote-style Pieros would be just a bit much. Estimated date of delivery is Thursday June 21st, which means I'll most likely have it by Wednesday afternoon -- which means I need to come up with an outfit for showing off purposes Thursday morning.

Sadly, none of you can really help with this since you have no idea what I've got in my wardrobe. Actually, I've been starting with accessories and color and going from there. So...what to wear?

Turquoise immediately leaps to mind since I've embraced my love of blue-greens with a vengence this summer and have the bangles to prove it. My tortoise bangles are classic, of course, and would look wonderful.

White shirt? A white twinset look, perhaps? Clean and streamlined and perfect for the 90+ degree heatwave we're currently locked in. White tank or tee, white shirt worn open over. Yessssss.

The skirt option is where things get dicey. Had I not worn it today, my go-to black slinky side-slit skirt would be a good, though safe, choice. I need something more fun! Or...do I want to go more straightlaced? Maybe my dove grey/muted plaid? Or the pencil skirt in navy silk? Ahhhh. Did you hear that "click"? That was the sound of the pieces sliding into place.

White tee, white blouse. Navy silk pencil skirt. Pearls, silver coin/pearl earrings, tortoise bangles. Depending on the true color of the bag in real life, my croco-embossed flats with silver buckles on the toes (think Roger Vivier) will be perfect. Yay, new bags! Yay, planning outfits around new bags!

Today's bag: blue Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

A cautionary tale: French 1946 Speedy-style bag.

2007-06-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

I confessed in another post that I'm the laziest blogger ever, and I'm confirming it now by recycling what I posted about the French 1946 Speedy-style bag in a purse forum.

I ordered the Black Shadow design -- all black, including a black metal lock, keys and hardware. I was excited when the bag arrived, but when I opened the package and saw the nylon zipper I was immediately disappointed.

It would be a great bag for a ninja or a spy; I think gold or silver hardware would have looked nicer.
12 in. Sacoche - Black Shadow

Definitely of the good: The bag was 102.00 on sale. It'll make a good knock-around bag, and probably a good bag for rain, since the fabric is water-resistant, according to the website. For 102.00 it's not bad. The construction is solid and the bag seems sturdy. I carried it to work once and added another check in the plus column: there's a leather strip lengthwise down the bottom of the bag, which means that even though the bag was pretty loaded there was no "Speedy sag." Yay!

Of the bad: The aforementioned nylon zipper. One of the handles is pretty shoddily sewn -- the stitches are tight but crooked. It's a good thing the thread is black to match the leather, because contrasting stitching would have looked awful.

Again, for the price range, not bad. After carrying it for a day I might buy the herringbone version when/if it goes on sale:

12 in. Sacoche - Herringbone

One thing would keep me from ordering: crappy customer service.

I wasn't happy about the 20.00 shipping charge, especially since - at the time - the banner at the top of the site said "Free shipping in the U.S." When I called to ask about the discrepancy I was told that they'd "look into it." What this meant was that they updated the website, changed the banner to remove the "free shipping" statement, and didn't offer to make good after misleading me. Great P.R. there, fellas.

Today's bag: blue Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag loaded up for tomorrow.

Ordering another one! and clothing adventures.

2007-06-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

Another unexpectedly fabulous outfit yesterday. Slinky chocolate cardigan, khaki/goldish-ish tank, black/gold scrollwork design skirt. Tortoise bangles, sheer cream stockings, leopard ballet flats, silver hoop earrings with gold dangles. It probably sounds odd, but the camel/gold/brown/black combo looked extraordinarily sophisticated. I was quite pleased! The only thing I'd change: I'd carried my olive Pierotucci the day before and didn't have time to change before leaving the house. The olive looked good, but I think my blue Pierotucci would have added a nice pop of color.

Speaking of camel and black, I've decided that I need a pair of classic Chanel-esque camel ballet flats with black cap toes. That is my shoe mission!

Speaking of Pierotucci...yes! I'm ordering a fifth bag! I tried to order this afternoon, but that stupid secure VISA password thing never seems to work for me without a lot of failed transactions, frustration and crying first. It might be a phone order. ;-p

Today's bag: olive Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Further adventures in monochromatic dressing.

2007-05-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

I wore a successful outfit this week that could have been better. Black slinky side-slit skirt, dove grey v-neck t-shirt (Mossimo from Target, I'd love a rainbow of these!), deep charcoal grey shirt worn open over the t-shirt. Slender silver bangles and earrings, black sheer stockings and my black flats with black/white dotted bows completed the ensemble.

The black and greys looked good, but definitely could have benefitted from a pop of color. In my defense, I wore my blue Pierotucci that day. Looking at myself without the bag, though, it was just a good outfit that fell a little short. Next time around I'll do one of two things:

1) White t-shirt instead of the grey, same silver accessories. Same blue bag. That would have looked fabulous!

2) Same grey t-shirt, but colorful bangles and earrings instead of the silver. My new turquoise bangles and a pair of turquoise earrings. Maybe with my ivory Pierotucci...

Another thought is that my accessories were just too wimpy to add punch to the outfit. I think I'll try the combo with a bold black bangle and some interesting black earrings next time.

I actually started to wear a slinky chocolate cardigan instead of the charcoal shirt, but I wasn't feeling quite that adventurous once I got dressed. :-) The grey t-shirt looked wonderful with the chocolate cardigan though, so that will be my next monochromatic experiment. Hopefully I have a skirt that will work with such a combo. Then again, if I don't own something already, that's a great excuse to go shopping!

Today's bag: blue Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Purchased ages ago, like, January 2006...

2007-05-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling incredibly lazy; I want to post, but I don't really feel like writing anything. Because of this, I'm going to recycle a post I made in a forum; I bought my Luella Suzi tote before I started this blog, so here's a blast from the past...

The leather is gorgeous and I love the styling. The bag is a bit heavy for its size but not crippling.

My main issue with the Suzi is that because of the way it's constructed, it's much smaller on the inside than you'd think. The sides are gathered and there's a pocket sewn in the middle to create two compartments...two small compartments. Plus, there's a foldover flap from the back that attaches magnetically inside the front of the bag, which makes getting in and out a little trickier than it needs to be. There's a ton of wasted potential space.

With all that said, it really is a pretty bag; I carry it every now and then as a change of pace. I bought it online from Saks after seeing the white version in Vogue; if I'd seen this bag in person first, I'm pretty sure that's $1100.00 I'd have spent on something else.

Today's bag: blue Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Bangles and baubles and shoes, oh my!

2007-05-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

I've been on a tear lately buying accessories. I've wanted tortoise bangles for the longest time, and couldn't seem to find any online. Two weeks ago I was surprised and pleased to find six or so at a thrift shop; priced at two for five bucks, I bought four of them, not wanting to be greedy. Four skinny tortoise (plastic, of course) bangles looked quite nice on my wrist; six seemed to be pushing it. Now, of course, I'm wishing I'd gone overboard and gotten the last two as well.

Naturally, now that I've found my bangles after what seems like ages of looking for them, they've popped up courtesy of Ralph Lauren, no less, at three price points.

Chaps, three bangle set, $18.00:

Lauren Ralph Lauren, three bangle set, $30.00:

Ralph Lauren, five bangle set, $225.00.

I purchased the cheapest set at my local Kohl's; believe it or not, they're not quite as nice as my thrift shop finds! They're just a bit smaller in diameter, and the color's just a wee bit off. You quite obviously get what you pay for, eh? I'm thinking that 225.00 seems a bit overpriced for plastic, but I just may treat myself to the five bangle set. Accessories last a lifetime, especially the classics, and tortoise bangles may be as classic as it gets.

Classic while perhaps debatably classy, I finally sated my lust for leopard. I'm starting small but a bit daring for me: leopard ballerina flats with a Chanel-esque quilted cap toe! All done quite grandly and cheaply by the folks at Old Navy:

The fit is a bit odd; the size 8 feels like a 7 on my foot (a bit tight!) but moving up to a 9 felt more like an 11. How completely bizarre is that? No half sizes, naturally. For 20.00 bucks though, I decided to splurge on a bit o' cat; I've worn them with two outfits, and I'm convinced that these are definitely something worth having at a higher price point -- and a better fit!

In the past week I've also purchased a set of three silvery bangles, and two three-piece sets mimicking pieced tortoise and pieced turquoise (to go with my lovely new blue bag!)

I've worn two successful outfits this week that are going on my favorites list: khaki linen jumper with a crisp white shirt worn open over it, silver earrings, my now infamous tortoise bangles, sheer stockings and the also now-infamous leopard flats. Topped off with my blue Pierotucci, I looked fabulous.

Today's outfit was even better: slinky black side-slit skirt, white long sleeved v-neck t-shirt, powder blue cardigan, pearls, silver earrings, silver bangles, sheer black stockings and my leopard flats; blue Pierotucci bag. Perfection!

I love silver jewelry in the summer. Silver's pretty in winter too, of course, but it seems especially refreshing in the summer. Against the powder blue of my sweater and the white t-shirt...perfection.

Today's bag: blue Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Maternal influences can sneak up on you...

2007-05-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

I lost my mother five years ago, and even now when I find something fabulous, I have the briefest flash of, "Wow, Mom would love that!" before I remember. I inherited my intense love of accessories from Mom, and believe me, if she were still around, she would probably have asked to borrow quite a few items that I've acquired since she's been gone.

When it comes to accessories, I'm like a bizarre, negative mirror-image of my mother.

I'm all about bags, she was manic about shoes. She loved pumps, and very nearly always wore heels. I'm crazy for flats!

I have more pairs of earrings than I can even begin to estimate, and she had one pair of nice gold hoops that she wore daily. Mom slept in her hoops, while I strip off all jewelry the minute I come in the door, wedding ring included. She had an intense love of perfume, and I can barely stand scented anti-perspirant.

Like Carolina Herrera, Mom never met a white blouse or shirt that she didn't like. I haven't cleaned out her closet yet but when I do, I'm going to count just how many white shirts she had in her collection. I found this fixation amusing until I realized, sometime during my junior year of college, that I owned about six white turtlenecks. I'd apparently absorbed the Wisdom of White by osmosis! I currently own at least ten to fifteen white knit tops in various sleeve and neckline configurations. Even now, typing about them, I'm itching to buy something new. Hmmm...

Happy Mother's Day to everyone, including those mothers like me, whose children have four feet and fur. :-)

Today's bag: You have to ask? My lovely new blue Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Come to me, my beauty...

2007-05-12T02:10:00.000-05:00

Oh, my goodness. Oh, sweet heaven. My newest Pierotucci arrived today and it's breathtaking. There's a depth to the color that I can't even describe; it's absolutely incredible! I took a few pictures earlier; sadly, they're incredibly crappy. Here's the best of the lot:

Needless to say, this picture in no way, shape or form conveys the gorgeousness of the color! I'm going to try again tomorrow in natural light (outside), and we'll see what happens. Also, the cool tones of the silver hardware complement the blue perfectly. So beautiful.

This Hermes twilly comes close to the depth of color in my Piero, though my bag is more on the blue end of the scale than the twilly. I am officially the world's worst photographer, but that's okay, because I have the best bags evah.

And by the way, is that scarf gorgeous, or what? I received a teeny, tiny unexpected little bonus-lette at work a week or so ago, and the twilly would make a nice little gift to myself. I'm mad about the aqua, but the black version would probably be a more practical choice, since it would work with more of my wardrobe. But I really love the aqua. But I should get the black one, right? But the aqua has green in it...

See the glasses on my bag? They're also new! They're Isaac Mizrahi, purchased at Target for 17.99 (link courtesy of Amazon.com):

Unless I simulatenously (or subsequently) win the lottery and lose my mind, I will never spend more than 25.00 for sunglasses -- I've lost or broken way too many pairs to justify spending more than that. There is one exception: RayBan Wayfarers, because I'm a retro traditionalist at heart.

Yessssssssssss, I'm thinking the aqua twilly. Perhaps. Stay tuned.

Today's bag: Michael Kors signature jaquard bag.

Color, take four.

2007-05-09T18:11:00.000-05:00

If inspired-design bags make you weep, flee now and don't say I didn't warn you.

The following is my Philosphy on Blue. Because I'm apparently the laziest blogger ever, I'm going to copy the text from a mail message I sent to a purse-loving friend:

I'm really funny about blue. I'm not partial to thin, cold blues, but I love anything with depth. I love navy. I'm partial to blues with just a hint of green, or the kind of blue with a soft, creamy base (like robin's egg or Tiffany blue), and I love turquoise. This is why I have a hard time trying to find blue accessories that I really like, especially bags, because the shade has to be just right, and there are *tons* of shades that are just so, so wrong...at least to my eye. :-)

So...I've seen tons of blue bags, and I've even been tempted by a few, but I just couldn't find the one that truly spoke to me. Eventually I fell in love with the oh so lovely color known as 'blue jeans' and I was hooked. Pierotucci had my money quicker than you can say, "Gimme that bag!"

I ordered soft leather, 35cm, silver hardware. The silver should be lovely against the blue! I'm very excited.

This will be my fourth bag, and this one wasn't even on my wish list. It should be a gorgeous warm weather bag, and the blue will provide a bright pop of color against darker clothes this winter. Again, I'm ridiculously excited.

I've been planning lots of monotone outfits in neutral colors so that the bag will shine: khaki, black, brown, grey, white. This will be the first outfit: a crisp white shirt worn open with a white tank beneath and my black slinky side-slit skirt. Finishing touches include a trio of turquoise bangles on my wrist and a pair of silver hoops in my ears. Yes, I shall be fabulous.

Today's bag: camel Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

I must be crazy.

2007-02-20T17:46:00.000-06:00

Am I really considering another green bag, especially one that's alarmingly similar to another bag I already own?

While perusing the Michael Kors website, I saw this: MICHAEL Michael Kors Something Wild Leather shoulder bag:

Look familiar? Judging from the picture, at least, it's very nearly identical in color to my Tod's Nomade Grande. It also has the same metal-tipped leather zipper pulls, and the slip-in pockets behind the zipppered pockets mimic the look of the horizontal line across the front of the Tod's bag.

The dimensions are nearly the same, too. The Kors bag is 13"H x 16"W x 4 1/2"D, the Nomade Grande is 17.5" x 11.5" x 7". Basically, the Kors bag is the Tod's turned on its end.

The Miky is $1300.00 at the eLuxury website; the Kors is $378.00.

I wish the Kors was available in a different color; alas, it's only available in this green. Still, I really like the bag. I'm very, very tempted. Very tempted. Very.

Today's bag: Luella small Suzi tote.

New loves.

2007-02-13T21:00:00.000-06:00

I have three new loves.

1) My beautiful new beige Pierotucci Birkin-style bag mentioned in my last post. The thing is huuuuuge (40cm), and it's perfect for work. It can hold a multitude of schleppage (the usual stuff you'd find in a handbag, plus work folders and a pair of shoes!) and still look great. I love the color, and I love how polished and professional (yet stylish) it looks with whatever I'm wearing. The only thing I'd change is that it's "strong" leather rather than the soft leather I prefer for their bags. Still, it was half-price so I'm not complaining! I'm contemplating a second 40cm in soft leather in a dark color. I doubt if I'll wait for the next sale though...maybe a present for my work anniversary? Hmmmm!

2) Another fun outfit with my new favorite skirt (also mentioned in my last post), a black/light khaki toile-ish print cotton. I wore it with a black turtleneck, slinky bordeaux cardigan, pearls, sheer black stockings, and, again, my black flats with black/white bowed toes. Great outfit, and it looked fabulous with my new beige bag!

3) Just discovered (thanks to a post in the Purse Forum) The Sartorialist, one of the few fashion-oriented blogs I've fallen absolutey in love with on first sight. I love, love, love that he doesn't just spotlight trendy, hipper-than-thou types; he photographs great personal style on just about anyone: young, old, male, female, rich, not-so-rich. There are pictures of people in the business as well as tons of pictures of regular everyday folks. I've spent the last couple of hours working my way through the archives; it's definitely a love letter to everything that makes fashion/design/style fun and interesting. Seriously one of the best blogs ever. Check it out if, like me, you've obviousy been living under a rock.

Today's bag: beige Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Great outfits, great bags!

2007-01-27T18:16:00.000-06:00

Another great outfit! Black/light khaki toile-ish print cotton skirt, light khaki heavyweight t-shirt, slinky brown cardigan, pearls, sheer black stockings, and, yes, my black flats with black/white bowed toes. The skirt's one I bought at the end of the summer season, but I figured that since it's on the darker end of the color scale I could get away with it. It's the first time I'd worn that outfit and it looked fantastic! Happiness is a great outfit.

As I type these words, there are two bags en route to my home. Eeee! I'm so excited! I purchased my third Tod's bag from a fellow purse board member, a gorgeous caramel-colored Miky Zip Media. The seller was sweet enough to let me use her picture for this post. So lovely!

I killed two birds out of my wish list sky with the second bag: I bought the beige Pierotucci Birkin-style that I mentioned in my last post. It was the annual half-off sale, so how could I resist? I now own a bone/ivory/beige bag for the first time since I was about eight. Squee! Yes, I'm excited!

Today's bag: I didn't go anywhere today, but my Lauren by Ralph Lauren hobo is still loaded up from yesterday.

More outfits and bag shopping!

2007-01-15T16:24:00.000-06:00

A semi-successful outfit and a completely successful outfit rounded out last week. Thursday I wore a long button-front denim jumper with a gray striped sweatshirt cardigan (zip front) and white socks and grey suede flats. Upkeep note: The jumper needs to be hemmed a few inches.

Friday I wore one of my favorite color combinations, black and brown, in one of my new favorite outfits. I wore my slinky black side-slit skirt (slit only up to the knee!), coupled with my slinky chocolate brown twinset. Pearls, sheer black stockings and my black flats with black/white bows completed the outfit. I wore my Tod's pumpkin Miky media. I love that bag!

Speaking of bags, I'm jonesing for a new Birkin-style bag from Pierotucci. I think I'm going to go up a size, to a 40cm, but I'm having trouble deciding on a color. There are two I'm thinking of, beige (which looks more like bone or ivory on my monitor) and yellow (which looks more like a heavy cream). I'm leaning toward the yellow, though I hope it's as soft and neutral-looking as it appears on my computer. I think it would work as a neutral. If not, I can always carry it in the summer.

Today's bag: None! Martin Luther King Jr. Day off from work. :-)

Polished and pretty!

2007-01-10T19:27:00.000-06:00

Another successful outfit today, one of my new favorites: long, slinky black skirt with side slit, moss/olive v-neck long sleeve tee, black wool cardigan with embroidered olive swirls. Pearls, sheer black stockings and my favorite black flats with black/white dotted bow toes completed the look.

I *love* this outfit. I feel (and look) very polished and professional, and because it's completely made up of knits, it's very comfortable. That's the best combo ever, isn't it? When you not only look but feel great?

I should have gone for the win and worn my olive Pierotucci, but I went with the hands-free versatility of a shoulderbag and wore...

Today's bag: green Tod's Miky Nomade Grande.

Color, take three.

2007-01-09T19:44:00.000-06:00

Today's color is...grey!

I wore a highly unsuccessful outfit yesterday: heather grey sweatshirty material skirt, white mock turtleneck top, dark grey collared wool cardigan. OY VEY.

Overall, I think the proportions were wrong. The cardigan was a bit short for the length of the skirt, the top was the same length as the cardigan. All in all, a fashion mistake I won't make again! I'm thinking of adding the skirt to the "weekend only" pile; that's the second time I've worn it lately and realized that it's really not flattering -- at least not for work. For knocking around running errands, it'll be fine.

About the only thing the outfit had going for it was...

Yesterday's bag: Dooney & Bourke Medium Nubuck tote, in a darkish slate grey. It photographs a bit lighter than the real color.

I wore grey again today, an outfit that I always think looks good: dove grey knit dress, slinky chocolate cardigan, sheer black hose and black flats with a black/white dotted bow at the toe. It might sound weird, but grey and chocolate is a really nice combination. The dark brown is softer than black, and with the rest of the black and grey going on, it adds a subtle touch of color. I recommend that you try it sometime, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Speaking of shoes, I finally got around to buying the ones I mentioned in this post, the Target buckle-toed flats. Not quite half price but almost, and they still had the brown ones that I wanted! I had to go to two stores to get them, but it was definitely worth it. They're darling on, and the color is genius. They're a very, very dark brown, like bittersweet chocolate, like, chocolate black. I love them so much I'm tempted to get them in black as well, but I don't know if I need yet another pair of black shoes. Still, I love them madly.

Zebra luuuuurve!

2006-12-29T21:58:00.000-06:00

Is this gorgeous, or what? This is another one of those bags that made me say "Oh my God" out loud when the picture popped up on my monitor.

This is ridiculously beautiful. Simple but rich, luxe but not over-the-top. The red leather handles add just the right touch of color, and the twisted gold links are genius - sophisticated bling at its best. I want to marry the person who designed this bag. You will truly be a workplace diva with this baby on your arm!

Valentino Zebra Hide Tote. Zebra-printed pony hair, 12"H x 12"W. Pre-order for $2,395.00 at both Neiman's and Saks. I want, want, want this bag.

Today's bag: Tod's Miky Nomade Media.

I'm back! Also, new bag lurve for Christmas!

2006-12-22T18:53:00.000-06:00

It's been forever since I posted -- my father was suddenly taken ill and has been in the hospital for the past few weeks. During that time I either haven't felt much like blogging or I haven't had the time. He's done much better this past week, so I've been easing back into my online life. :-)

My Tod's Miky Nomade Grande has been getting a workout since Dad's been in the hospital; since I never know what I might need to lug to and from the hospital, it's nice having a big bag to toss any- and everything into. Oddly enough, even though I've worn it plenty of times before, I suddenly received a cluster of compliments during a four day stretch, including: A woman at work who practically twitched with the need to touch the leather ("It looks so soft!" she said); one of the nurses at the hospital wanted to take it right off my shoulder; my aunt, who commented twice about how much she liked it.

I loved the big one so much that I thought it would be nice to have the regular shoulderbag-sized version. Since this is the season for bag sales left and right, I got lucky (though not as lucky as when I got the big one half off), and not only nabbed it at a pretty good price, but I got the orange bag I've been jonesing for. Yay! Tod's Miky Nomade Media in pumpkin:

I ordered it Tuesday from Bluefly; with Christmas two-day delivery I received it yesterday! Bluefly charges tax, which was an unhappy surprise, so I probably won't order from them again unless it's something I absolutely have to have and can't find anywhere else - and the price is right. One happy surprise is that the bag was shipped inside its big orange Tod's box, a bonus I didn't receive when I ordered the big one from Neiman's. Whee! My cat had a ton of fun helping me open the package.

I now have two Tod's bags, and I'm pretty sure there are more in my future. The leather is luscious, the construction impeccable. I'll be watching the sales, because I fully intend to get at least one more Grande. I plan to get a neutral shade, like the brandy one pictured here at Eluxury. I'm not crazy about brown bags, but that's one I think I can live with. I love Tod's.

Today's bag: Tod's Miky Nomade Media.

Fabulousness revised.

2006-10-18T13:22:00.000-05:00

Yay! I finally ordered my coat! Because there is clearly something wrong with me, I didn't order the camel I've been thinking about day and night, but instead ordered dark brown. This is probably why I still covet a camel coat rather than own one, because another color always seduces me at the last minute. But! If my coat is still available in camel by the time the clearance sales roll around, I'll buy one then. Woohoo! Responsible consumerism at its best.

My plan for fabulousness (see link above) has been revised. Because I'll never be able to buy gloves that satisfactorily match my bags, I'll satisfy my lust for leopard instead.

Aren't they cute? Available at Bloomingdale's: Echo Leather Turnlock Gloves, $75.00. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the fact that the lining is polyester, which isn't the warmest of fabrics.

Now all I need is a fun scarf. Hmmmm. Would a leopard scarf be too much? Again, hmmmm.

Today's bag: None today, because I'm home sick. Bleh. :-p

Design sense of humor, take two.

2006-10-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Another Moschino design that's a bit of a mash-up of the signature bits from other bags:

Moschino Large Patent Shoulder Bag, $995.00. No dimensions given.

This bag is less obviously (playfully) tongue-in-cheek than the Hermes Kelly/Chloe Paddington lovechild I covered a couple of posts ago. It combines the triple-flap opening of a Birkin, Luella's signature heart-shaped tag, the padlock from...just about everybody these days, and the gathered opening that's not original to the Jimmy Choo Ramona, though that bag has made it fresh again.

Did I say less tongue in cheek? Actually, when you consider the lengths to which one must go to in order to actually get in the bag, I'd say someone's having a poke at one if not all of these closure trends. To be honest, I really like this bag, and I'd honestly be tempted to spend a few hard-earned bucks to get one in my closet. Sadly, I think this is one of those bags that looks best when it's cinched, strapped, and locked. Ah, impracticality. Thy name is Moschino.

Today's bag: olive Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

New bag luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurve.

2006-10-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

Yay! My new bag! One of these days I'll take outdoor pictures, as I've been advised, in order to more accurately capture the color of this bag - this picture comes nowhere close to doing it justice.

It's beautiful! Olive green, with a touch of brown undertone. The wonderful folks at Pierotucci certainly know their way around leather, and their customer service is incomparable.

I've seen so many fabulous green bags for fall - and wanted them all! - that I've been asking myself just how many green bags one person really needs. Well, this is my fourth, so I've decided that green will be my own personal neutral. Hooray!

Like any acquisitive bagista, I'm already eyeing my next purchase. Tod's new Bensonville is beyond beautiful; I loved the midnight blue, but swooned when I saw the deep green. The leather looks absolutely luscious.

Tod's Bensonville Media, $1,350.00. at Neiman Marcus.

Today's bag: olive Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

New bag!

2006-09-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

Green is my favorite color, and I've been eyeing a number of green bags lately. I already own three: a lovely, dark olive suede tote from Coach, my newish Tod's spring green Miky Nomade Grande, and a kelly green patent leather Cole Haan.

As mentioned a couple of posts ago, I wanted to buy a new Birkin-inspired bag from Pierotucci. Well, I ordered one last night! Yay me! This will be my fourth green bag:

35 cm, olive green soft leather, gold hardware. Oooooh, so excited.

After lamenting the fact that I've been pretty boring in my bag choices lately, I've changed bags three times! I've worn my Kooba Woven Ada, my Marc Jacobs New tote, and...

Today's bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30.

Design sense of humor.

2006-09-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

I saw this while cruising Zappos.com this afternoon and nearly laughed out loud. I'd say that quite a few tongues were planted firmly in cheek when this one was sketched up.

Moschino Handbags: Tresor Borsa Tracolla Shoulder Bag, $808.95. 13 1/2" wide at bottom, 11" wide at top x 3" deep x 6 1/2" high.

Let's see: flap closure a la Hermes Kelly, huuuuuge padlock a la Chloe Paddington, and for extra fun, the gang at Moschino have tossed in a Chanel-inspired chain shoulder strap. Yes, the inscription says "GOOD LOCK."

All this hilarity can be yours for only $808 dollars which, frankly, I find baffling. Even more baffling, for just an extra hundred dollars, the textured leather version can be yours for $908.95. Woohoo!

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag. I've been completely boring with my handbag choices lately, but I intend to mix it up a bit tomorrow.

Fabulous for fall!

2006-09-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

WARNING: If you're easily offended by designer-inspired bags, the following post isn't for you.

My Plan to Be Fabulous This Fall.

The perfect spring coat managed to elude me, but I'm making up for it with a vengeance. Here's the first part of my plan to be Fabulous. I want this coat, but in camel:

I don't need anything too fancy because I drive to work. Also because I drive to work, I don't want a long coat, but it still has to be long enough to keep me warm once I'm out of the car. This one should do nicely. I like the relaxed shoulder, and it's got the flirty attitude of a swing coat. Cute! Once I actually place the order I'll be set.

What do handbags have to do with this, you may ask? That's the next part of the plan!

Just like the mother in the "Visiting Tennessee" Kate Spade ad, I like the look of matching bag and gloves; it's a nearly effortless way to look polished and pulled together. Bag, gloves, and silk scarf (featuring a bit of your bag color), and you're set!

You may (or may not) have noticed that I seem to carry my Birkin-inspired bag quite a bit. I hadn't realized myself actually, until I began this blog. I change bags every couple of weeks or so as the mood strikes, but it seems the bag I'm usually changing back into is my Pierotucci.

I've seen Vogue spreads featuring women with rainbow assortments of the real thing: ten or twelve Hermes Birkins in different shades, like a collection of gems. I'll buy a t-shirt or blouse in several colors, but I've always loved diversity in handbags. I didn't quite connect with the idea of putting so much loyalty into one bag, even one as lovely as the Birkin - until my bought my Pierotucci, that is. A couple of days after I'd first carried it, I knew it wouldn't be my last. Which brings me to...

I've got an annual raise coming up, and a few weeks after that, my birthday. And then there's Christmas just a couple of months later! Yes, I'm planning to buy a new Pierotucci to mark all three occasions. These are the colors I eventually hope to purchase. From left to right: black, dark brown, olive green and navy blue.

Mine is camel, so a darker neutral would be nice - I'm leaning toward the olive green for my next purchase. The kind folks at Pierotucci offer a choice of hardware, palladium (silver) or gold. I'll probably go with gold no matter the bag color.

These are the brights I'd eventually like to purchase. Again, from left to right: cognac, orange, yellow, and beige.

I'm thinking maybe cognac or orange for my birthday; I'll probably go with cognac, though I've been dying for an orange bag! I have a pumpkin bag now, but it's on the flat and skinny side, not at all suitable for my kind of day to day toteage. The Pierotucci looks a bit bright, though. A browny orange would be nice, but this one looks like Crayon orange. I could always request samples...

I figure a couple of mulicolored scarves should take care of any bag I might want to accessorize. Something like this or this (ooooh!) would be lovely with the dark neutrals, and this one would work with the brights...actually, that would punch up the neutrals, too. Now I get to start looking for gloves to match!

So there it is, the first part of my plan to be Fabulous for Fall. Stay tuned!

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Fall bags! Barney's NY, online.

2006-08-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

FALL! I love fall, I love everything about it. It's the last stage of the year, but fall is forever associated with new beginnings in my eyes, thanks to all of those first days of school. Fall's my favorite season, and it's the gateway to the best holidays of the year. :-) I'm so excited to see all the new bags and clothes!

I did this a few times in my fandom journal. I'd post a list - with text links and commentary - with the results of my online bag surfing. It was a great way to remember what I'd seen where, and what I loved and *almost but not quite* liked enough to buy. While putting in a few Sunday hours at work last week, I did a quick buzz through Barney's online. I suddenly realized I could kill two birds with one stone. Here, then, is a list of what I liked at Barney's. I'll begin with the pieces I'd buy if I had unlimited Barney's Bucks to spend.

Bags I'd buy!

Lanvin, Kentucky Tote. $1,545.00:

I love this bag! It has just the right mix of relaxed sophistication; dressy enough for work, but not so fussy that it would look out of place toting a couple of books back to the library. Another plus: Expensive, yes, but it's clearly an investment piece. Unlike trendier bags, the Kentucky won't look dated in a couple of years.

Henry cuir, Travel Wallet. $445.00:

This wallet is about as simple as a piece of leather can get, but the clean lines appeal to me. A bit pricey for all that simplicity, but this piece snags my eye every time I'm at the Barney's site.

Barneys New York, Classic Pencil Case. $45.00:

Another very simple piece that calls to me. Unlike the wallet, however, the small price tag on this piece would encourage me to buy one in every available color. It's a pencil case, sure, but I'd probably use it for lipsticks and other small bits that seem to float around in unorganized disarray. Corral those bits!

Marc by Marc Jacobs, Leather Frame Wristlet. $128.00:

I adore this color! I'm not much for metallics, but this pearlized leather has just enough sheen to be interesting - it reminds me a bit of one of my favorite bottles of nail polish. I aso love the oversized pink closure. Marc Jacobs has had a bit of a love affair with oversized details lately, and this is one of which I heartily approve. I'd buy this and very happily tuck it into the last purchase on my list...

Mayle, Billie Shoulder Bag. $475.00:

Visually, pink makes me very happy; oddly enough, I own only a few pieces of pink clothing, but *no* pink handbags. I had a lovely pair of pale pink Aigner flats, but they've recently gone to the big shoe retailer in the sky.

I'm not sure exactly what my pink bag block is, but one of these days I'm going to overcome it.

Bags I'd blog about!

Barneys New York: Weekend Tote, $355.00. A sophisticated, uptown, grown-up version of the classic LL Bean Boat and Tote bag. A bit pricey, but interesting.

Marc by Marc Jacobs: Luxe Leather Zip Clutch, $168.00. Judging by the price, this is probably a wallet rather than a true clutch. I like it! I like the embossed MARC, but I *really* like that you can't tell what it says, because of the way the leather is cut and pieced. I didn't put this on the "I'd Buy It!" list, but the more I look at it the more I think I *would* like it.

Barneys New York: Two Handle Evening Bag, $595.00. I don't need an evening bag very often (like practically never!), but if I did, this would be a nice one! It looks vintage but modern at the same time. For 595.00, it should come with a pretty fancy free dress tucked inside.

Barneys New York: Washed Leather Sac, $595.00. A cool bag, but not exactly me. I like the look of the leather, slightly broken in, like you've had it a while. No dimensions are given, so it's hard to tell how much work toteage you'd actually get out of it. A couple of binders and a folder? A *pile* of binders, a sweater, an extra pair of shoes and a couple of overdue library books? Hmmm.

Goyard!

I'm not normally a Goyard girl, but I found the following bags interesting enough to talk about.

Croisiere 35, $1,300.00. I like the slightly Speedyish shape of this one. Unlike other bags in the collection, the chevron design works nicely with the sophisticated lines of the bag.

St. Louis PM, $785.00. Another one where the shape of the bag works with the chevrons instead of against it. I think I'd try this one in orange, just for fun.

Jersey PM, $1,375.00. I really like this one - the leather across the top makes all the difference. Very sophisticated lines, looks a bit more uptown than some of the other bags. A nice one for work.

Jeanne PM, $1,250.00. Domed bags are pretty big this year. This is kind of cute, but I don't think I like it enough to buy one.

OMG, WHAT THE HELL?

Henry cuir: Puzzle Tote, $1,160.00:

Truly one of the strangest bags I've ever seen. It might be interesting in person, but on the website, this bag looks less like puzzles pieces and more like a mass of intestines. The color certainly doesn't help! It's a kind of cool bag once your eye picks out the puzzle shapes, but my first impression, sadly, is always a startled one.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Color, take two.

2006-08-18T10:51:00.000-05:00

An addendum to my last entry: While cleaning out my mess of a mailbox, I found a copy of a 2004 email message to a friend - two years later, I'm thinking the same things! One positive though, is that I've calmed down on prints, and I'm buying solid things that will work with the prints I do buy.

July 02, 2004:

You know what I've always wanted to do? Every fall I want to give all of my clothes to Goodwill and start over with all new sophisticated stuff. But I go through my closet and think, "Eh, I might wear that one of these days!" Well, that's over. If I haven't worn it in six years, I think it's time to finally give it up.

I used to be a very bad shopper. I'd buy all of these gorgeous pieces that didn't work with anything else. Florals and plaids and things I couldn't mix and match. What kind of crack was I on? I've gotten better, still.

I want to start over with basics, everything (mostly) in solid colors. Black, grey, brown, camel, khaki, navy, cream, white. Red. Pumpkin, moss, mustard...all the deep, gorgeous fall shades. But everything should work together. I'm tired of having a closet stuffed with things that don't work together, and other things I haven't worn in ages and probably will never wear again.

I love twin sets. I'd love to have a whole rainbow of twinsets in fall shades.

Goodwill's doing a pickup in my neighborhood on Tuesday, and I think I'm going to do a radical overhaul on my closet this weekend. It's time to say bye-bye to a ton of stuff!!!

Today's bag: I'm on vacation! The Pierotucci is still loaded up, but I don't think I'm going anywhere today.

Color.

2006-08-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

Every year I swear I'm going to buy an all new wardrobe consisting entirely of solid-color clothes (no prints!) in neutral shades: black, navy, brown, ivory, cream, white, grey...you get the idea. It's never happened, but one of these years I just may do it.

I bought a couple of t-shirts yesterday, v-necked, long-sleeved, with lace at the wrists and neck. Without realizing it, my t-shirt purchase fell right in line with my dream wardrobe of neutrals: one is cream and the other in a very pretty grey. I was quite pleased! Now if I can just keep it up.

Speaking of color and beautiful neutrals, I must mention my favorite Kate Spade campaign, and one of my favorite ad campaigns for anything ever: the Lawrence family visiting daughter Tennessee (from 2002).
Everything is absolutely perfect: simple but posh, upscale and classic. Look at the red bag and gloves with that camel coat. Check out the black and white bag with the red coat (cape?)! The black sleeves showing from under the cape with a touch of gold at her wrists. The black hat. It just makes my style-loving heart a-flutter! I want to find the stylist for this shoot and kiss him or her silly.
Look at Mom in that tapestry coat. Could she possibly be more fabulous? And I love, love, love that bag. Sadly, at the time I really didn't have the money for it; now that I have the money, the style is long gone. Oh Kate Spade, you make me cry with sadness and weep with pleasure.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Fall bag swoon...

2006-08-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm still swooning over this weekend's haul of fashion porn (Vogue, Bazaar, Lucky, Shop Etc. and Elle), and I'm loving the gorgeous deep reds everyone's agreed will be the new black.

While perusing Lucky I happened across a pretty bag, the Bridle tote by Maxx New York. I popped by their website for a better look.

Ooh! The tote is fun, but I think I prefer this one, the satchel. For 98.00 bucks, it isn't bad. Ruby suede was shown in the magazine, but this cocoa is pretty, too.

I love this one, they call it the Rider hobo. I think this is black, though it looks more like a very deep brown-y black to me. 12.7" L x 7.5" H x 4.5" W. Handle, 10.5". $125.00. Hmmm. Should I chance it?

If I could only have one thing from the site, it would be this, the Saint Benedict tote. Look at that color! If only I could find a lipstick in this shade.

178.00. Is that gorgeous, or what? 17" L x 5 1/2" W x 10" H. Strap, 11". I could so see me with this bag.

There are quite a few cute bags on the site, but these are the three that got my heart pumping faster. My credit card is singing its special little song...

Today's bag: Tod's Miky Nomad Grande. Still no picture of my bag yet, because I continue to suck.

Shoe lurve.

2006-08-13T13:48:00.000-05:00

Eeee, it's my favorite time of the fashion year! All the magazines are doing fall spreads, and so far I'm pretty much loving what I've seen. The parts that carryover to real life - big bags, gorgeous deep neutral colors and FLATS! I love FLATS!, have made me a happy woman. It's always fun to see what's up for the new season, but when it's stuff you already love anyway, well, so much the better.

A work friend emailed me, swooning over a pair of shoes she'd seen at Target. The enclosed link left me less than enthusiastic:

Another pair though, looked quite intriguing:

I mentioned in another post how I'm a sucker for a shoe with an embellished vamp - well, this was no exception. We hit Target the next day for a little lunchtime shopping, and headed for the shoe aisle.

I have to admit that her little pointy-toed shoes are much cuter on, not unlike some garments. Looking at them on the shelf didn't do much for me, but once she popped them on her feet, they were transfigured. Still not for me, but no, I wouldn't heckle her if she wore them to the office. She's planning to buy a pair when they go on sale.

How did the buckle-toes work out for me, you may ask? Eeeee! So cute on. Absolutely darling. I'm not normally one for brown shoes, but I fell in love with these. $22.99 and they're available in deep red suede and black as well as the brown leather, and I won't be surprised if I end up with a pair of each. If I stop myself at one pair, though, it'll be the brown ones. These are deep and chocolately and gorgeous, and I'll most likely scoop up a pair this week. Flaaaaaaats. I'm in shoe heaven.

Today's bag: Tod's Miky Nomad Grande. Still no picture of my bag yet, because I suck.

New bag lurve!

2006-07-24T21:16:00.000-05:00

It feels as though I haven't posted in months, but it's only been a week. Odd!

I'm here today with two tales, one of shame and one of triumph. Let's go ahead and get the shame out of the way.

1) The Beast(s)

A few weeks ago I purchased three Steve Madden bags online, and blogged about them here. I purchased these bags on the naive/hopeful assumption that they'd look at least as good as the pictures. HAH! I'm here to say that that's a load of hooey.

I was disappointed as soon as I opened the box - I should have followed my first impulse and purchased all three in black, as that's definitely the best of the three colors. I'm pleased though, because the one bag I hoped/thought I'd use the most, the shoulderbag, is black and indeed, is the one that looks the best. I've carried it a couple of times and I didn't feel too ashamed to have it on my arm.

The so-called tote bag is a bit smaller than the shoulder bag and the boxy rectangle bag is smaller still! It's a long bag but small inside. No, I can't figure it out either. The brown tote isn't too bad, and I think I carried it two days. The boxy bag is pretty awful, but I felt obligated to carry it at least once. The color is weird and the leather is truly strange, kind of waxy and...waxy.

The day I carried the boxy bag, I almost made it through the day with my dignity intact. As luck would have it, I stopped by the restroom on my way out of the door for the night. As I approached the restroom door, a tall, slim, fashionable diva stepped out. She gave me a quick once over, definitely gave my bag a long look, and swept on by. Oh, the shame of it.

There's a reason I don't buy trendy bags - they're not me. My style is definitely classic, and that's fine by me! The experiment wasn't a total loss, because I do have a fun black bag now and a brown tote-y thing, maybe for days when it's raining so hard that I don't want to carry one of my good bags. Ah, well. I'm giving the boxy bag to the first one of my young neighbors who'll have it, and good riddance.

2) The beauty

I ordered the Tod's Miky Nomade Grande from Neiman's a week ago, and it arrived this past Friday. It was on sale, half price to be exact (woohoo!), and I love green.

I didn't have a Tod's but I'd been eyeing their bags forever. The only thing I wasn't sure of was the size. I knew it was big, but would it be too big? I kept going back and forth about it, but I couldn't get it out of my head. I saw this picture, and thought, yeah, big but workable, I think.

I kept checking and finally figured that if they sold out I'd regret it forever. So I bought it and crossed my fingers.

This thing is HUGE. HUGE. Almost weekender size. But it's beautifully made, of beautiful leather. I love the way it looks, simple and clean but with enough details to make it interesting, and the silver hardware adds a bit of flash. The strap is adjustable to three lengths. I'm currently wearing it at the shortest length, doubled, and the bag hits me at the hip (I'm 5'1").

I wore it shopping yesterday, and I felt like a rock star with this huge, beautiful bag on my shoulder. It's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure! I absolutely love it. Even better, I checked the Neiman's Final Call to see if it had been further reduced, and it's gone back up! It's still less than the original 1300.00 price, but it's 260.00 higher than when I bought mine. And to that I say woohoo.

Today's bag: Tod's Miky Nomade Grande (no pics yet, the battery's low).

Chloe and Yves, sittin' in a tree...

2006-07-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

I was never bitten by the Edith bug. I couldn't understand the passionate adoration that surrounds the Edith - at least on the bag boards I frequent - and wondered what everyone else saw that I didn't. I just didn't find anything particularly squeeworthy about it, and wondered if the must-have mystique had been fueled by the departure of Phoebe Philo (designer of both the Edith and the wildly popular - and better looking! - Paddington) from the House of Chloe.

Visual aid: the Edith in rouge (as seen on the Luisaviaroma website):

Nice, but. Eh. About 1275.00, if you're curious, or you've suddenly been overcome with bag lust and must buy one immediately.

Like I said, the mysteries of the Edith have eluded me...until now. Yes, the scales have fallen from my eyes and I've been blinded by the light! In my own defense, the light that's calling me is beaming from a slightly different direction. It's the Big Edith, also in rouge, also from the Luisaviaroma website:

Big is right! The dimensions given are 15" x 18", according to one of those handy-dandy online measurement conversion tools. Also handy-dandy and online, the XE.com currency converter is telling me that 1195.00 euros = 1526.70 American dollars.

After seeing this baby (and loving it!), I ran to my local bag forum to oooh and ahhh with long-time Chloe lovers. To my great surprise, many of the opinions given were negative. A few people called the bag the red-headed bastard love child of the regular Edith and Yves Saint Laurent's very lovely Muse. Well, if the designers at Chloe were indeed inspired by the Muse, they have good taste. More power to them!

If I had to give Chloe a few thousand dollars for one of their products, the Big Edith would be my pick. Ah, she is love.

Today's bag: Yellow Coach tote.

Black bag squee! Multiple bag squee!

2006-07-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

While perusing the August issue of Shop Etc. this afternoon, one of the bags in the 'Luxe for Less' section caught my eye. If you haven't seen it, 'Luxe for Less' shows how to put together a similar look within three different budgets - Deluxe, Luxe and Less. This month's look was composed of a grey tank top, a black pencil skirt, and black belt, booties and oversized bag. As usual, the bags were my main focus.

The deluxe and luxe bags were nice (Kate Spade and Rafe, respectively), but the third one (Steve Madden) was really the most interesting, a huge, slouchy frame bag in the spirit of - among others - Celine's Clandestine. Even better, all that style at a $225.00 price point really piqued my interest. Before I got too excited though, I hit the Steve Madden website in order to find bigger, better pictures. Sadly, the fall styles aren't on the website yet, but I thought I'd take a look around since I'd never been there before.

There aren't many styles listed in the regular section, but the clearance rack yielded gold. I bought three bags! Leather bags, crazy prices! Each of these is offered in black and one other color. I'll show the styles in the colors I purchased.

This is the biggest of the three, listed as ANXIOUS. 16 1/8 in. L x ¾ in. W x 20 ¾ in. H, regularly $175.00. Clearance price? Believe it or not, $35.99.

It looks better in black, but since the bags I bought are all variations on a theme, I didn't want to buy three similar styles in the same color. It's not a classic deep brown, but this color should work for fall.

This one I got in black, since I've been jonesing for a black bag. It's on the large but everyday size, at 13 ¾ in. W x 4 in. H x 19 ¾ in. It's listed as STRESS, regularly priced at $118.00. Clearance price? A jaw-dropping (my jaw, anyway), $34.99! Leather, people! Leather!

It's also available in brown. I'm very excited.

This is the smallest of the lot, 15 in. L x 4 in. W x 15 ¼ in H. It's FRENZY, in tan, and it's regularly priced at $150.00. Clearance price, an amazing $39.99.

Finally, I'll have a bag in the ivory/bone/taupe (kinda) family that I've been thinking about since early spring. It's a nice light color for spring and summer, and I might try to squeeze it into the early to mid-fall range, too.

These bags are definitely a little more ornamented than I usually go for (studs, tassles, ring hardware up the wazoo), but at these prices, I figured I could definitely afford to ride the trend. I've already decided that the tassels are going to come off as soon as I've got these babies in my clutches. I don't know anything about Steve Madden and the quality of their bags, but the pictures look pretty good and honestly, I'm willing to take a chance.

Three bags for less than the cost of the most expensive one at regular price - and that includes shipping! I'm definitely excited and more than a little pleased.

Today's bag: Yellow Coach tote.

Dooney & Bourke sadness.

2006-06-30T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm the biggest doofus ever.

I've been admiring Dooney & Bourke's Anniversary Signature Giant Sac since it was introduced. It's monstrously huge, L 18.5" W 5" H 14.5", but relatively inexpensive, at $275.00. Like most D&B bags, it comes in a host of bag/trim color combinations. What immediately caught my eye with these was the very unexpected deep red leather trim on most of the bags. Beautiful!

The poster-bag for the collection seems to the be navy/red combo, as this is the one Dooney highlights, but the black/red combination was my choice. Sadly, just when I finally decided to buy the thing (Wednesday night!), Dooney's website told me that the black/red bag wasn't in stock.

Nooooooo!

My second choice would've been the black with black leather, but guess what? You guessed it! Black/black isn't in stock either! If I wanted the poster bag, navy with red trim, or one of the other five colors offered, I'd be in business.

You know what else saddens me? Dooney doesn't offer a matching wallet. There are two that come close, but nothing made to specifically coordinate with the special red-trimmed Anniversary bags. Oh, the short-sightedness of it all.

Today's bag: Kooba Ada.

Black bags: The madness continues.

2006-06-23T20:59:00.000-05:00

I seem to have overcome my inability to find a black bag that I like. Lately, black bags have been fairly falling out of the sky and pelting me on the head.

While perusing Neiman's fall bag preview (That just kills me. Fall bags in June.) online, I actually uttered, "Oh, my God," out loud when I saw this bag.

It's Prada! I'm not normally a Prada girl, but I've seen a few designs lately that have increased my heartrate dramatically. And I have to say it again: Oh, my God. I love this bag. The Prada Logo Tote.

It's relatively simple, but the gold hardware and largish, rectangular logo plate add just enough flash to nudge it firmly toward the "workplace diva" category. And might I add that I love gold with black - I know lots of women prefer silver hardware on black bags, but I've always found that kind of cheap-looking for some reason. Was I traumatized in childhood by a particularly ugly bag? I'll probably never know. One thing I do know is that this bag is not only beautiful, it's fairly large, 14"H x 15 1/5"W x 6 2/5"D, and the full body provides what looks like plenty of room for just about anything you've got to tote for the day.

Sadly, as with many Prada bags of promising design, this lovely thing is made of nylon with deerskin trim. Nylon! $1550.00 for a nylon bag! That's just not going to happen in my world. Oh, it makes me cry.

Today's bag: Kooba Ada.

Midnight and powder blue love.

2006-06-20T18:14:00.000-05:00

A few days ago in comments, designer ella wondered why, with a blog devoted to bags, I'd chosen a pair of shoes for my icon. I answered in comments, but thought I'd post it here as well.

I originally searched for just the right bag for my icon. I had a very specific idea of the kind of thing I wanted, vintage preferably, a vintage illustration ideally. I surfed for hours (truly!) but nothing clicked. Then I found this, a vintage poster for Bally shoes. The color caught my eye immediately.

I loved the sweep of the garment (a coat?). I imagine it's one of those chic, ultra-feminine numbers that's fitted at the waist and flared at the hips, rather like Dior's beautiful and dramatic New Look.

I loved the movement implied in the position of her feet. Is she dancing?

I could easily imagine this woman standing at the railing of an ocean liner in days past, a luxurious fox stole draped around her shoulders as she gazes out over the water. Only a few hours at sea, she already misses her beau terribly, but she's looking forward to high adventure on her Grand Tour. Her luggage? Louis Vuitton, of course, her grandmother's old set purchased for her first trip abroad.

The color. The sweep of her coat. The movement in the position of her feet and of course, the very lady-like shoes themselves, sensible yet oh-so-feminine. All together, it's a midnight and powder blue peek into an elegant vintage world.

Today's bag: Lauren by Ralph Lauren hobo.

Let's play stylist!

2006-06-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

I fully intended to take the new bag for a spin yesterday morning, but alas, I was caught unawares by a Star Trek marathon on the G4 channel (seriously). While I watched Spock, Kirk and the gang do their intergalactic thing, I cruised the 'net building an outfit in response to Create an outfit around this, posted in the Budget Diva blog.

I'm newish to the fashion blogsphere, so I've been a bit reluctant to add my two cents in these "let's see what you think!" kinds of things. Not because I'm particularly shy, but I like to get the feel of things before I jump in there. When I saw the shoes the outfit's supposed to be built around - rose gold metallic ankle-strap heels - how could I resist?

I found the skirt first, which (along with the shoes) served as the inspiration for the rest of the outfit. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a top. What I eventually found (and fell in love with) was the complete opposite of what I'd been looking for - which is usually what happens, it seems!

Since the purse I started with wasn't exactly budget, the search was on for a replacement. Again, what I found (and again, fell in love with!) was definitely not what I'd originally had in mind. I found a beautiful necklace to top it all off, but there were no matching earrings. Since trying to match the necklace would be insanity at best, I think that gold stud earrings are the best way to go. Once I settle on the earrings my outfit will be ready to go.

To end on a bag-related note, here's the clutch I originally planned to use for the outfit I mentioned above. At 230.00, it isn't exactly a budget item. By E.D.E., it's 10" wide x 1 1/2" deep x 6" high, and you can get it from the Purse Store.

I'm not normally a clutch girl and I've never owned one, but lately they've been catching my eye. I love this! I love the leather. I like that it looks hand-crafted, but not as though it had been put together in someone's kitchen. It's just ornamented enough; the rivets and the hardware give it a tomboyish edge, but the rounded corners add softness and femininity. This is definitely a clutch I could own.

New bag lurve.

2006-06-16T22:27:00.000-05:00

Squee! Is there anything as fun as a new bag? I think not. The husband and I went out for dinner tonight. I strolled down to TJ Maxx afterward to see what they had to offer. Not much, as it turned out.

There were a few cute fabric bags. I was very tempted by an oversized convertible backpack (short strap at the top for handheld purposes as well as the back strap) in natural leather. It was only 108.00, but I didn't want to buy something just to buy it. Back on the rack it went. I also saw a darling Lauren by Ralph Lauren bag, small and beautifully crafted in burgundy leather. 99.00, but again, not really what I was looking for. Lovely, but too small. I kept looking.

Oh my God, there were tons of pleather bags, and bags that might as well have been pleather. Lots of cheesy metallics. All in all, I'd say this was the worst crop of bags I've seen at TJ Maxx. I was pretty disappointed and just as I was giving it up as a lost cause, one of the bags at the back of the lowest rack caught my eye. I pulled it out and oooooh, fell in love.

The leather is beautiful, and the color is gorgeous. The cost, 99.00; the Lauren tag priced the bag at 238.00! It's amazingly light, which is a treat, especially after lugging around the likes of Luella, Marc Jacobs and Kooba bags. Backbreakers, all of them!

I changed bags as soon as I got home, so it's loaded up and ready to carry. I wore it while I continued browsing, so it's already passed the first shopping test. The real test will come tomorrow when I go back to TJ's to grab a couple of things I passed on tonight (stupid, I know).

Mmmm, I love new bags.

Today's bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30.

Waaay big bags.

2006-06-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

I'm a crazed monkey when it comes to bag links - I collect them like they're going out style. While perusing The Bag Lady's blog yesterday I came across one I'd never seen: My Wardrobe. Like a proper crazed monkey I scampered right over to check out the goods.

There were a couple of bags that I found intriguing, from a designer I'd never heard of, J&M Davidson. First, the Portman bag. There's something vaguely Marc Jacobs/Marc by Marc Jacobs-ish about it.

When I saw the second picture I was amazed at the size of this thing. This bag could tote just about anything you could possibly want for the day, probably with plenty of room to spare.

It's 11” x 17” x 8.5”, and it's 1023.00. I'm not sure this is exactly me, but it's certainly eye-catching.

This second bag is more likely something I'd buy, but probably won't - I'd be too worried about keeping it clean. I'd freak if I paid 1350.00 for a white bag and I got something on it. It's the Jefferson Buckle bag, also by J&M Davidson.

Again, I was surprised when I saw this bag with a model - it's huge.

It's 20" x 6” x 12", big enough to serve as an overnight bag in a pinch. And what a stylish overnight bag it would be.

Today's bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30.

Totally girly shoes!

2006-06-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I did state in my blog blurb that I might even post about shoes from time to time...and this is that time.

I saw these on the eLuxury website and fell immediately in love. Unfortunately, I didn't save any of the pertinent information so I have no idea how much they went for, but I seem to remember a figure in the 300.00 range. They're not on the site anymore so some lucky and fashionable woman is tipping around somewhere in my shoes. Aren't they beautiful?

I'm a sucker for a shoe with an ornamented vamp - bows, buckles, kiltie ties, or in this case, flowers. The dusky blue complements the brown Dior logo fabric quite nicely, and the logo itself adds texture and interest but isn't distracting. I'm not usually one to fall for logo-fabric shoes; the flower reeled me in.

Despite the cost (300+!), I told myself that if I had to attend a wedding this summer, I would buy these shoes. I think I lied to myself but since the shoes are gone my statement will go untested.

For many years I bought special occasion outfits in shades of navy. I love navy, though it's not one of the colors that look spectacular on me (red, royal blue, purple). These shoes, then, would have given me the perfect excuse to break my "no more navy!" rule. I'm thinking though, that something in the Dior brown shades would be more sophisticated. I guess I'll never know. ::sigh::

Work bags, part four.

2006-06-08T18:49:00.000-05:00

I love shopping for work totes and bags. It's like the Holy Grail for me: the continued search for The Perfect Bag. I want one that won't be too big but will hold everything that I need for the day, and it's got to be fabulous.

Every year it amuses/infuriates me that the fall pre-season (and the spring one, when its time rolls around) begins so soon. I can't believe that stores are already looking forward to a season that's about three months away. Summer's only just beginning, but already we're being prepped for the cold-weather buying season. Madness!

The above comments converge here: I found a gorgeous work tote while perusing Saks' site, the Miss Loop bag by Dolce & Gabbana. It's 9"H X 15"L X 5"W, and you can pre-order one for fall for $1325.00. It's a kind of taupe or putty-ish color that Saks lists as grey. Ooooh, I want one.

Here's another tote that caught my eye, the vaguely Boogie bag-ish 'Soft Calf Tote' by Marc Jacobs, spotted on the Bloomingdale's site in putty, no size given. It can be yours (or mine!) for $1095.00. Lovely, but I think I prefer the D&G above.

I also like this one from Fendi, which surprised me because, besides their Speedy-style satchel and B-bag, I'm not normally much of a Fendi fan.

Unfortunately, it seems to have disappeared from the Bluefly site, where I spotted it a few weeks ago. This would make a nice bag for work tote-age. The next time I see this bag pop up (though I doubt I'll be that lucky), I'll have to jump on it!

Today's bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30.

Black bags: Yet another chapter.

2006-05-23T22:49:00.000-05:00

I saw this bag a while ago and thought it rated pretty high on the 'adorable' scale. Ralph Lauren Pink Pony mini-tote handbag. L 5 1/2" x W 5" x H 5 1/2".

It's 45.00, 10% of which benefits the Pink Pony Fund for Cancer Care and Prevention.

I spotted the black version tonight and fell even more in love.

It's almost painfully cute, but seeing it with the key reinforced just how tiny this bag is. Too tiny for me! While a small bag is a nice change of pace, I do prefer something a little bigger on a day to day basis.

Then I saw this one. I am officially in love. It's the Pink Pony small tote, 11" x 5" x 9 1/2". Again, 10% of the 75.00 cost goes to cancer research.

This one looks perfect. It's small enough to be adorable, but big enough to at least hold my makeup bag and wallet as well as my keys! Black canvas would be fun for summer and fall, and would definitely stand out in the sea of super popular white bags this season. Hmmm...

Today's bag: Kooba Ada.

New bag love!

2006-05-22T17:07:00.000-05:00

So. About two minutes after this post, I did indeed purchase the Kooba Ada from eLuxury. I love it.

It's absolutely gorgeous, and completely different from anything else in my bag wardrobe. The first few days I carried it, I kept looking at it thoughout the day, thrilled that such a beautiful thing belonged to me.

Oddly enough, it's not as big as I imagined it would be, though the size is true to this picture. Actually, it's a good thing it's not bigger, because it's a heavy bag. Also, mine had quite a strong chemical smell, I assume from being stored in closed boxes at the eLux warehouses. Store-purchased bags might not smell, simply by virtue of being out on display in the open air. At any rate, all the bag needed was a good airing out. It hardly smells at all now.

I've gotten several compliments on this bag, including a fellow employee who went into an orgasmic swoon touching and stroking the leather. All in all, I'm very, very pleased with it, and I'd have to say that over all, it's one of my favorite bags in my collection.

Today's bag: Kooba Ada.

Good bags gone horribly wrong.

2006-05-10T20:33:00.000-05:00

The following two bags by Juicy Couture and Dior have one thing in common - a design team that just didn't know when to stop. It's especially sad because, beneath the blunders, both are basically great bags.

I've never been a fan of unnecessary add-ons; the Lady Sarah bag by Juicy Couture is a perfect example of what I hate. It would make a great overnight or carry-on because it's so big. The leather looks soft, even if the pictures on eLuxury aren't as flattering as you'd expect.

Between the quilted leather, corner patches, chunky hardware and overly-detailed straps, there's already a lot going on.

Why in the world was a non-functional patch of leather slapped on the front of the bag? To add insult to injury, it's attached to a leash, probably to keep it from leaping off the bag in embarassment. I realize it's probably embossed with the Juicy crest, but honestly, it's just too much. Even worse, the not-quite-asymmetrical placement just looks messy. Overall, thumbs down.

I was so excited when I first saw this bag, but I was quickly disappointed. It's the Vintage Voyage Large Boston, and it's on eLuxury as well.

I absolutely love this bag. I love it. I love the antique-looking leather, the restrained detail, the vintage look of the logo fabric. I'm not sure what the deal is with Dior, but the big metal plaque on the front of the bag reminds me of something you'd find on a cheap piece of luggage.

Sadly, there's no way I could bring myself to carry this bag, even though I want to so badly. Oh Dior, you make me cry.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Work bags, take three!

2006-05-08T21:36:00.000-05:00

I love looking for work totes and bags. When I first started shopping for totes a few years ago, there weren't as many cool things to choose from - it helps that big bags are wildly fashionable now. There are so many beautiful choices out there!

There are three non-plaid Burberry totes that I like: the Six Pocket Tote, the Canvas Gusseted Tote, and what's listed simply as Leather Tote.

The Six Pocket is a citified garden tote. Not overly huge, more like a large handbag at 12" x 9 1/2" x 7 1/2", which is a good size, and it's $395.00, which isn't a bad price. The color is gorgeous - it would be a pretty addition to a fall wardrobe. I already know what I'd put in each of the outside pockets: cell phone, iPod, sunglasses, work ID, keys, and maybe a few quarters and a couple of bills in the sixth.

The Canvas Gusseted is nice too. It's 13" x 13" x 8", bigger and more streamlined than the Six Pocket, and it has longer straps for shoulder wearability, which is a plus. It's a bit more expensive, $450.00. Cute, though the siren song of the Six Pocket seems to be a little sweeter.

I'm finding myself drawn to yellow bags too, and like the orange ones, a yellow bag would add a bright punch of color to a fall outfit. The Leather Tote is pretty, pretty, pretty, and elegantly simple with an upscale vintage feel. 13" x 12" x 4 1/2", $895.00. Beautiful.

This Ghurka bag is completely out of control. Olive is another of my favorite colors for bags, and olive suede makes me weak in the knees. The Melanie tote is on sale for $626.50. It's on the large side: 17" x 6" x 13.5", more than enough room for anything you might need during the day - and possibly overnight! With the suede, leather strips and hardware, it's almost a bit too much for me. Still, very nice.

I love the Large Monaco tote at J. Crew. There's a smaller purse-sized version, but it was the tote that caught my eye. This baby is 13"H x 15 1/2"W x 6 1/4"D and $325.00. The color is gorgeous, J. Crew calls it "Espresso." The straps look long enough for the bag to be worn comfortably on the shoulder. Oh, I do love this tote.

Another yellow one, and at 17 1/2"L x 15"H x 7"W, it's on the large side. Cole Haan calls this the N/S Tote and it's from the Paige collection. According to the blurb, the bag holds a laptop. Well, the only place my laptop travels is into the bedroom so I can surf and watch TV at the same time, but this bag might be incentive enough to actually take myself down to Cup O' Joe for coffee and blogging. $425.00 buys quite a bit of fabulousness.

I've mentioned this bag in denim leather, but I do believe I prefer either the cofee or the dark green. I've already confessed my weakness for green, since it's my favorite color, so that one's got the edge. Elisa Atheniense Studded Double Pocket Messenger at Revolve. 15.5"W x 13.5"H x 0.75"D, $$699.00.

Out of all these bags, this is the one that's got me fingering my wallet, Kooba's Ada tote. I love the color, I love the 70s vintage feel of the chunky leather straps. A friend of mine called it the 'macrame' bag - with this said, she still had to admit that she liked its old school vibe.

Available at shop.bop, among other places, for $725.00. 15"L x 6"W x 10"H. Every time I look at it I feel myself crumbling. I have a feeling I'm going to own this bag before the end of the week. Like, possibly tonight.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Anthropologie - bags galore!

2006-05-06T16:06:00.000-05:00

I hadn't visited the Anthropologie site in a while, so I popped by this morning before going shopping. Holy cow! They've had an influx of cute bags since the last time I surfed by! These are the ones I'd spend money on.

johnny utah satchel, 8"l, 11.5"w, 5.25"d. $378.00. Vaguely Marc Jacobs-ish in style. I love the color! White bags have been huge this year, but I've never been much of a white bag person. This taupe would be much more my style.

jetway bag, 13"l, 14"w, 3"d. $348.00. Kind of 'Marc Jacobs meets Coach' styling. White leather, with the foldover flap and buckled front pockets that have been popular this season.

gracie handbag, 10"h, 12"w, 3.5"d. $398.00. Cute bag, but I can't see wearing this one more than two days in a row. Navy and white is such a clean, crisp combination, and this would be a great accent piece for summer outfits.

lola handbag, 12"h, 16"w, 2"d. $498.00. Wow, a nice budget alternative to Celine's big, beautiful Clandestine (and its big price, $1395.00). That taupe is definitely speaking to me.

melopita satchel, 8.5"l, 13"w, 6"d. $398.00. I'm a sucker for a Speedy/Boston/barrel-type bag, and this is no exception. I like the detailing; my only quibble is the color, which is a little on the boring side. But I really like the detailing.

double agent bag, 6.5"l, 14"w, 5.75"w. $328.00. I should save this one for one of my black bag posts, but here it is. I like the styling, but I'm not sure about those straps - would they be long enough to properly sling over my shoulder? Is it just a bit too trendy? Hmmm.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag. I've taken this one to work quite a few times, so for toting purposes, and going out to lunch purposes, it's been fine. This is the first time I've taken it shopping, where the hands-on factor is much more important.

I wasn't actively annoyed as I've been with other handbags I've used when shopping. It doesn't quite hit the crook of my elbow, but it's close enough that I was barely aware I had the bag on my arm as I shopped. Still, because of the mostly hand- or arm-held aspect of the design, I don't know if it would be good choice for hardcore shopping involving lots of bags or hangers. Clearly, further experimentation (shopping!) is needed.

Black bags: The ongoing saga.

2006-05-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

I mentioned the Marc Jacobs Quilted Ursula Tote in an earlier post. Go to eLuxury to check out the closeups. 13" x 18.5" x 4.5" and 1175.00. It's absolutely gorgeous!

Then I saw two bags from Burberry's Fall 2006 line, listed under their online Trunk Show. I am so in love. One of these may be my first bag over $1150.00.

This one is listed simply as Large Quilted Bag. $2330.00, 17 1/2" x 13" x 7". I couldn't take it to work because I wouldn't get anything done - I wouldn't be able to stop looking at it!

This one is the aptly named Manor Bag, because yes, you'd certainly look like the lady of the manor strutting around with this on your arm. It's pretty in black but the more I look at it, I think it's even prettier in what they call beige, but I'd call stone or putty. First the black...

...and now the beige.

So, so pretty. 14 1/2" x 9" x 7", $1680.00.

Today's bag: I didn't go to work today, so I still have the Pierotucci on deck. I've been itching to whip out my yellow Coach tote, though. I have to go shopping for a baby gift tomorrow, so we'll see what I'm in the mood to wear when it's time to go.

J. Crew summer cuteness.

2006-05-04T23:32:00.000-05:00

In a quest for fun cosmetic/toiletry bags, as mentioned in my last post, I visited Banana Republic (eh) and then surfed on over to J. Crew, where I found lots of cute bags for summer, including these canvas totes on the Men's Shop side of their website. Only $68.00, and a fairly large size for your summer toting needs: 15"H x 17"W x 7 1/2"D. The black and white rugby stripe is my favorite.

The Women's Shop held this nifty little surprise: a green straw flamingo tote that I'd never have imagined I'd fall in love with. I love green, so the color was a given to draw me in. And who can resist pink flamingos?

I love the pretty striped lining, especially the way the fabric is used as a scarf-tie closure for the bag. Holy cow, this thing is pretty swoopy: 9" handle drop. 12"H x 25"W at top, 10 1/2"W at base x 7"D. So pretty and feminine, and only $48.00! I want one.

Mmmmm, I like the styling of this hobo. The description says the leather trim is canary yellow, but it looks softer, to me, like butter yellow. $185.00, not bad. It comes in white too, but the yellow is awfully pretty.

Buttery yellow hobos aside, I do believe that green flamingo tote is going to be coming to live with me. Now I need a huge pair of sunglasses and I'll be summer fabulous.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-inspired bag.

Tame that bag!

2006-05-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

I always have tons of paper bits in my bag, and if there's a zippered compartment or pocket, that's where they go. Unfortunately, changing bags becomes more of a production when all of this paper shuffling is taken into account. I could probably make my life a little easier - and my bag a little lighter - by weeding out the things I really don't need, but that's not as fun as finding something to corral it all, right? Right.

So, I'm thinking that a toiletry case would work for things like envelopes, papers, receipts, fortune cookie fortunes, blahblahblah... Something like these two might be fun. Gucci has two sizes listed on their site. The small toiletry case is 9.8" x 3.9" x 7", and the large is 12.6" x 3.9" x 7.1".

The small is $220.00 and the large $250.00. The large is probably a bit too big for what I have in mind, but might actually make a pretty good clutch in conjunction with my big blue tote.

The LV Trousse Toilette 23 (at eLuxury) is 9" x 5.9" x 2.4" and at $320.00, costs a bit more than either of the Gucci options.

I can't explain it, but I love LV monogram pieces. I love the way they look, the way they feel. The LV might be the winner. Then again, I've seen some really cute Lulu Guinness bags...

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Work bags, take two.

2006-05-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

Another bag for possible work-toteage. From the Active Endeavors site, it's by Elisa Atheniense, and it's listed simply as the Stud 2 Pocket Sac.

It's denim blue, according to the description, and the dimensions are 17"L x 14"H. I'm not crazy about the tassel, which doesn't seem to be removable, unfortunately.

It's a bit similar to the bag I carried today, my Marc Jacobs Quinn tote.

Aiii! The Quinn weighs a ton when it's empty! It's made of lovely leather and it's a great color, but it's not quite what I expected when I ordered it from eLuxury. The bag was slightly angled in the picture online, which lessened the squareness of its shape and made it look much more fun.

It's not a bad tote, but it's definitely too heavy to use as an everyday bag, which is what I'd originally planned. I need a cute little bag like the LV pochette to use with it. I'd prefer blue, though, like Gucci's old skool version of the pochette. Do they still make those? Hmmm.

Today's bag: Marc Jacobs New tote.

Work bags.

2006-04-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for work totes, and I think this would be a great one since I never know what I'm going to toss in my bag on a whim: catalogs, a second pair of shoes, a sweater, a stack of CDs. This would also be a good bag for overnight trips. Looks like a tight fit for shoulder-wearing, so more than likely, it would be a handheld or crook-of-the-arm bag only.

I saw it on shopbop this morning and fell immediately in love. It's the Setela, by Gustto, not too shabby at $645.00. Oh, I am such a sucker for a gorgeous leather bag.

Obviously, that thing's *way* too big for lunchtime trips, so something like the LV pochette would be a nice team-up bag, especially since the pochette is small enough to tuck in the tote until needed. I think the colors of the two bags would complement each other nicely.

Today's bag: It's Sunday and I didn't go anywhere today, so the Pierotucci will probably be tomorrow's bag again. That may change though, depending on my mood in the morning.

Black bag dilemma, take two!

2006-04-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

It looks like my black bag dilemma is turning into not so much of a dilemma after all. Suddenly I'm finding black bags left and right that I could (presumably) not only live with, but love. I found another one today at Luna Boston, Hayden-Harnett's Lorca Flap Demi Bag.

I was surprised by the dimensions - 16"w x 7.5"h x 1.5"d - which is a lot bigger than both the styling and the word 'demi' would imply. It's only a bit smaller than the Marc Jacobs I wrote about two posts down (17.5" x 10.5" (with folded top) x 2" ), but not bulky, which I like, and big enough for serious tote-age, if need be. I like the styling and the leather looks good, and you can't beat style and substance for $273.00!

As a possible addition to what seems to be a growing collection of brown and almost-brown bags, Hayden-Harnett's Havana hobo caught my eye. Also at Luna Boston.

It's like the punky little sister of the Marc Jacobs Polina hobo. It's a bit bigger than both the Lorca Flap and the Marc Jacobs. It's 18" at its widest point x 12"h, x approximately 3"d. Mmmm, that color is luscious. So's the price, $383.00! I could get both of those babies on one order. Hmm.

I think the Lorca Flap is winning the black bag race. Stay tuned.

Today's bag: Still the Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

This is my luck. A.K.A.: Spring coats, take two.

2006-04-27T22:19:00.000-05:00

Two posts down I lamented my lack of a spring jacket - and just for the record, we had another bright, beautiful, cool day today. Look at all the days I'm wasting, not being fabulously jacketed!

While surfing around Neiman Marcus I saw a cute linen version of the classic denim jacket and fell completely in love. $158 .00, though. Not bad, but I don't think I'll be buying it. Still, I was inspired. Yes! A denim jacket! I've never had one, but I've always wanted one, and I have *no* idea why I've never bought one. I now know what I want.

I cruised around a bit more and found a jacket on the Eddie Bauer site, for about half the price of the linen version. Hmmm. But!

Then I found the perfect jacket. Look! Dickie's garment washed, relaxed fit, and only $28.99! Sadly, and I do mean sadly, the site's telling me there are "no sizes currently available" which I'm guessing is Dickie's-speak for: "currently out of stock." The bastards!

Witness the cuteness and share my pain.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Black bag dilemma.

2006-04-26T16:54:00.000-05:00

There's something about black bags that I just don't connect with, for some reason. I can only remember owning one or two in the recent past - a Liz Claiborne backpack style, and an oversized grandma-ish vintage bag from the thrift store. Anyway.

Like the rest of the women in the free world, I've been looking at hobos this spring. I've never had a hobo, so I thought I'd buy one for test drive purposes. I found one at the thrift shop, a black microfiber that looked practically new. For two bucks I had my test bag.

I loved it. I usually carry leather bags, so the practically weightless microfiber was a nice change. The unstructured interior meant that I could pop just about anything (within reason) into the bag, if needed. Also, I discovered that it was useful to have a black purse in my accessories arsenal. The test drive was a mighty success. I began s-l-o-w-l-y shopping for the perfect hobo.

Well, the other day my husband commented twice on the bag, and not in a good way. He wondered why, with the "cool" bags in my collection, I was carrying such a plain jane purse. He said, "You need a new black bag!" I heartily agreed with this pronouncement, especially since the hobo had been a stop-gap to start with. Let the serious black bag shopping commence!

You can probably guess what's coming next. Because I don't bond with black bags the way I do other colors, I've been having quite a time finding a leather shoulderbag/hobo I like in a reasonable price range. Reasonable, because it would be ridiculous to drop a ton of cash on a bag I already know will see limited wearings. If not for my self-imposed restrictions, I'd have jumped on the Marc Jacobs Quilted Ursula Tote in a heartbeat. So, so gorgeous.

These are the two I've finally settled on. I love this Donald J. Pliner tote. The leather looks gorgeous! I like the quilting, I'm a sucker for a tote, and the handles look long enough to slip over your shoulder if persuaded. It's $229.00 on sale at Bloomingdale's. Not bad!

The Marc Jacobs Eyelet Leann is the other choice. It's huge, and with the casual styling, it's more of a knock-about bag than the Pliner. I wouldn't have a problem toting anything around in this baby. It's $428.00 at eLuxury, and it's bigger than it looks in the picture. It's huge.

Since the bag is mostly for work, I'll probably go for the dressier option, the Pliner tote, but I'm still deciding. This is the kind of dilemma I like!

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

No spring coat for me.

2006-04-25T16:26:00.000-05:00

I'd really like a new spring coat. Last year's, a pretty, leaf green quilted number, is perfectly fine, but there's nothing like a new spring coat to usher in the season. It's been sunny but cool here, so a new coat wouldn't just be celebratory but useful as well.

While shopping the other day I found a cute coat (On sale! Thirty dollars!) and very nearly bought it. It was a stylized pea coat, heavy, cream-colored cotton, with matching buttons. I fell instantly in love. Unfortunately, the coat was obviously designed to be worn by those smart young things who walk to work; it was structured to within an inch of its life, so structured in fact, that while I looked fabulous standing with my arms to my sides, miming a driving motion proved painful and nearly impossible. Sadly, that fabulous little coat was not meant for me.

Today's bag: Pierotucci Birkin-style bag.

Bags R Us!

2006-04-24T18:53:00.000-05:00

So...I'm the bagmonkey. My mom got the shoe gene (in spades!), and I got the bag gene - also in spades.

This is my third blog/journal. I have one for fandom (writing, music, TV, etc.) and another for dolls. This one will be for the girly stuff - bags, clothes, makeup, maybe even shoes!

The bagmonkey is in the house.

Today's bag: Polo Speedy-style satchel. Worn with optional shoulder strap.