don't miss sample sales for Thursday, September 9: on Rue La La: Cole Haan outerwear. on Gilt: L.A.M.B., Oliver Peoples, Seven for all Mankind. on Hautelook: Voom by Joy Han, Betsey Johnson, Shae. on ideeli: Marika Workout WEar.
A few more things from my Active Endeavors order last week – along with the Mike & Chris hoody posted below. The Trovata Aft Short Sleeve Hoody (I seriously have a thing for hoodies), and the Lauren Merkin Dylan Handbag.
I love Trovata, but hadn’t purchased anything from the line until now. They really have casual chic down; the entire collection is totally wearable, and timeless, in my opinion. I decided to try this hoody because I wanted something short-sleeved I could just wear over a tank top, but with character. The white adds some brightness to my outfits, without being overkill (I don’t do prints…) and the fit is good. It may be a little big, but I had to get the large to fit around my hips.
The Lauren Merkin bag is very cool – it’s my first bag by her…she mostly does clutches, and I don’t have much need for a clutch. I wanted something exactly like this – a smaller bag I could wear messenger style, that wasn’t brown. I already have a smaller Chloe Paddington messenger style bag, now I wanted something black or grey. The Dylan is washed lambskin, so it is kind of a faded black that looks almost like suede, but it’s not. It has two sections inside, a zipper pocket and two open pockets which are great for a phone and iPod. The coolest thing is that you can adjust the straps very easily by pulling the ends through – so you can wear it messenger or shoulder style (as seen above). The braided strap is a very nice touch, and I find the quality of the leather and workmanship to be superb. I did figure out yesterday after I took these pictures that my makeup bag is just too thick to carry with this bag – that’s why it doesn’t hang right messenger style. If I take it out, it falls flatter against my hips and looks much better….I will need to get a new makeup bag that’s narrower then, because that’s my key to changing out bags so often – I just move over my wallet and makeup bag, and I’m good!
I have owned five pairs of Robert Clergerie shoes (counting these) and I cannot rave enough about them. Yes, they are pricey (about $450 a pair), but they are always my go-to shoes; I wear them ALL THE TIME. As I’ve mentioned before, I shop & buy strictly on Cost-per-wear, not initial cost.
Anyway, I had been lusting after these for several weeks, and searched high and low for an acceptable (cheaper) replacement to no avail. After being consistently frustrated that I couldn’t find an exact pair for cheaper (duh) I decided to take the leap and purchase these anyway. I knew they would be perfect, comfortable, and I would wear them forever…but it’s still tough to pull the trigger on a $453 pair of shoes…
First, I ordered my normal size (8) and they were too big. The 7.5 fit better, but I had to tighten the strap quite a bit. Once I did that, they were incredibly comfortable and didn’t flip around too much. I did have a small problem with chafing on the top of my foot, but I didn’t get a blister, and my feet didn’t hurt after wearing them the first time for several hours shopping. The color is exactly what I wanted – a great neutral to wear with black, and brown – the height is perfect – and most of all, I just love to look at them.
I know these aren’t for everyone – but they are the perfect shoe for me. Maybe they are for you too? Try them…but if you do, get them from Zappos so you will get free shipping and free returns!
I wore this Mike & Chris hoody yesterday with jeans and I’m wearing it again today like this – over a James Perse Tube Dress from last year. I had been looking at this for a while, and finally took the plunge and ordered it from Active Endeavors last week.
It’s perfect. With my body type I need things that define my waist, and this is just the jacket for that. I love everything about it – it’s warm, but not too warm, so it will be okay for wearing outside as the temperatures warm up, and GREAT for wearing inside with air conditioners blasting…The hoody itself is completely removable if you want a less casual look – but I have a thing for hoodies, I think I’ll leave it on! It’s totally machine washable, and in my opinion, runs true to size. I took a large, and while it may be just a teeny bit big at the shoulders, it fits perfectly at the waist – which is the most important fit area of the jacket.
I’m wearing it with my new Robert Clergerie wedge sandals (scroll down for review), over a James Perse tube dress, and accessorizing with a super-cool photo cuff by Smoy. This is such a fun idea, it has cut-outs where you can insert your own photos, but what I did with it is added some patterned origami paper or something for something fun. (I’ll post some close-ups later) It’s a great gift idea for a new mom, or mom of older kids, or teenager going to college…just about anyone really. Check out the styles here.
It’s another bag!! I couldn’t resist the chance to try one of Loeffler Randall’s first bags from their brand new handbag line, so I decided to give the Kitty bag a try. I must admit, it looked very ‘interesting’ online, and without having seen it in person, I was a little wary of what it would feel like, and how it would ‘work.’ But all my doubts faded away once I received it and started carrying it.
The leather isn’t as yummy and soft as some of my other bags (Andrew Marc specifically), but it is thick and sturdy, and I love the texture. The clasps and zippers are polished, shiny gold, and very high quality. The shoulder strap is detachable, and the handles are woven leather – which adds a very nice, luxurious touch (I would actually love it much more if the shoulder strap was adjustable in length so it could be worn messenger style, but what can you do…). The inside is lined with a shimmery gold fabric and has two side pockets.
I carry it mostly using the shoulder strap, but I also like to carry it on my shoulder using the handles. Since the shoulder strap is thin, it tends to cut into the shoulder after hours of wear, so I alternate carrying it that way, by hand, or even messenger style, if I’m desperate. Actually I carried it to the zoo yesterday for 5 hours of walking, and while it wasn’t the ideal bag, it worked (held snacks, the camera, zoo map, and various other odds and ends) and didn’t break my back.
I’m very pleased with it – I love the color and think it looks fabulous with black – and have carried it constantly for a few weeks without getting at all bored.
