Fashion Blog

I love yellow.  You stand out.  It goes nicely with your new tan skin.  You attract bees….wait..what?  I would say the bees part is a small price to pay.  Check out these great yellow accessories, shoes & handbags found around the web: 

                                                    Cole Haan Carma Air Sling: $275  

                                           B. Makowsky Eden Convertible Crossbody Satchel: $318

                                                       Tasha Patent Leather Bangle: $58

                                                     Gustto Crocho Ciosa Clutch: $368

                                                                    L.A.M.B. New Guy Sandal: $195

                                                  Francesco Biasia Nika Laptop Satchel: $538

                                              Tasha Enamel Hoop Earrings: $28

                                        Maxx New York Bleeker Top Handle Satchel: $125

If yellow just isn’t your color, check these items out anyway as they come in many other great spring/summer colors. 

For more women’s shoes click here.

For more handbags click here.

For more fashion accessories click here.

Cute coat alert!  From the first time I saw this textured twill coat by Marc Jacobs, I loved it. That collar detail is very glamorous, and the relaxed fit keeps it subtle enough for everyday. It’s also versatile enough to be worn day or night.

And it’s on sale now at Nordstrom.  It used to be $628 (woh!), but now it’s $375.  Still pricey, but maybe worth it if you would get a lot of use out of it.

I recently came into a little bit of free and unexpected money and decided to blow it on a new bag. I don’t usually go around buying expensive handbags, but this was a special occasion and this was a special bag…or so I thought.

I’d been eyeing this Marc by Marc Jacob’s Lovely Behati Tote ($458) for awhile–I even included it in a post not too long ago. At the time, I thought it was perfection. I told my friends about, had daydreams where it played a staring roll, and often found myself gazing at it lovingly online.

So, when I got the money, I thought why not? Sure it costs bundle, but I said to myself, it’s classic, neutral and delicious. It will bring me joy for years and years…or so I thought.

I chose to buy it while on a company trip in Las Vegas. They’ve got a pretty good mall there with lots of high-end stores, and after a bit of searching, the Lovely Behati was right in front of my eyes and it was beautiful. It should have been a moment of retail perfection, I should have been euphoric, but after the initial delight of seeing it in the flesh, reality set it. Though “lovely,” that bag was freaking gigantic!

Here it is in full scale with a human being:

This bag is pretty big on this model though not too crazy, but I’m only 5′2, so you can imagine how it looked on my shoulder. And oh, how I tried to love that bag and make it work. I stood in front of the mirror, willing it to not look ridiculous but to no avail–I looked like I was carrying mommy’s purse. A really big mommy.

The girls who I was shopping with tried to be encouraging since they knew how much I’d been lusting after that thing, but there was no getting away from the awful truth. My frame was no match for that bag. “You could fit in it,” was one comment, along with “It’s half the size of your body.”

One friend pointed out how lots of teeny celebs shoulder giant bags and pull it off, but I just didn’t feel up to the task. I’m no Mary Kate or Ashley, and I don’t want to be. Instead, I set about coming to grips with the sad facts…it just wasn’t meant to be. The Lovely Behati was meant for someone else… someone taller.

It was a sad moment, indeed. I looked at other bags, considered buying them, but none were the Lovely Behati. They all paled in comparison. Tears.

This here Chanel tote goes for an astounding $1,600. No, it’s not made of angel tears and it doesn’t cure cancer–it’s simply vinyl with a magnetic clasp and metal bottom. Oh, and it comes with that little pouch thingy, too. Would you buy this bag? I wouldn’t even consider it for that price. In fact, I get buyer’s remorse just looking at it.

Which leads me to Ruth La Ferla’s article “When the High Price is the Allure” from today’s New York Times. In it, La Ferla discovers that even though the prices of designer goods, which mostly hail from Europe, are going up (sometimes as much as 15%) due to the weakness of the dollar against the Euro, consumers don’t seem to mind. And for some, high prices are the very reason they’re attracted to these luxury goods, the thinking being if it’s pricier, it’s better. Um, but how can Chanel vinyl be any better than Merona vinyl?

Of course, the other more important reason is image, the thinking being if it’s pricier, I’m better. Fashion houses know this, of course, so they’re nice enough to oblige our self-esteem and keep prices as high as the market will bare. Plus, they want to compete with the other labels, and price equals status. For instance if the new “it” bag from Fendi is priced way lower than that from, say, Dior, then what does that say about Dior? It may as well be from Target in some shopper’s eyes.

All that said, I’m still lusting something awful over this new Lovely Behati handbag from Marc by Marc Jacobs (you know, the “cheapy” line for the riffraff):

But I can assure you that I would like it just the same if it were $20 instead of $458. Oh well, at least it’s not vinyl!

To read La Ferla’s entire article click here.

Tonight I’m going out to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I’m wearing a flattering Dolman sleeve black knit dress that I bought on sale at Banana Republic (I’d show you, but it’s not on their site anymore), some cute and 40s-inspired black wedges I’ve had forever, and a woven mustard-colored belt to top it all off and add color. The only thing I forgot, until now when it’s too late to do anything about it, is a purse. I know, what was I thinking? Sigh, I’ve been busy–this whole week is a blur.

So, since the damage is done, and I’m going to have to ask some poor friend to hold my essentials all night, I thought I’d do a woulda, coulda, shoulda post. Here are the fabulous clutches that should be completing my outfit tonight (because this is a fantasy, I might get a little extravagant. Cheers!):

I could go for contrast with a white bag (look at the detail on the lock) 

Franchi Mia Kiss Lock, $158

I could play it safe and sophisticated with a black bag:

Goldenbleu Katie Woven, $358

This grey would really look great with the mustard belt:

Marc by Marc Jacobs Lovely Clutch, $248