handbag

wishpot

by Lara on October 6, 2009

in decor,fashion

You know registries – when a friend is about to get married or have a baby and have chosen all the things they want from a generous group of family and friends. Most people will let you know that they are registered at one or two places, and Target is usually an old standby. So, everything they want/need is supposed to come from 2 stores? This is incredibly restrictive and boring but easier than sending everyone on a wild goose chase for random items at random places with no way of knowing if it was already purchased or not.

Well, Wishpot is a place where you can create a wish list or gift registry for any occasion (or just for fun), from every store on the internet, all consolidated onto one site! It’s really easy and fun to use. You add a simple button to your bookmark bar and as you peruse the internet, you easily click the button and it automatically adds the item to any of your wish lists, without having to divert back to the site, much like Polyvore works for creating outfits. 

I was recently asked to be a fashion “expert” for Wishpot. Me? Yeah! So, I created a profile (anyone can) and have already compiled two lists of must-have items. Many of these things have already been mentioned here but, it’s nice to have it all grouped together for easier shopping. You also receive price alerts when your coveted items go on sale!

Keep an eye out for a guest blog post I wrote for them, introducing myself and such. It should be up soon!

So, check it out!

PS – You can also follow them on twitter for giveaways and other offers.

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oot and aboot

by Lara on October 2, 2009

in fashion

This past Saturday night warranted heels! My bff all the way back from middle school was in town for our mutual friend’s 30th b-day. Everyone was a bit too excited to be dressed for drinks. (2 moms, a 30th b-day, and times have been tight.) It was raining and I was half broke so I didn’t plan on staying out for more than 2 drinks (plus a drink before I left and a drink at the house we met up at). Drinky drinky drinky! Saturday night means packed bars in Richmond, crap parking and a bit of walking. We got pretty lucky but I still wanted to be comfortable.

Anyhow, I pretty much wore this. There you go. An outfit post of sorts. Basically what I wear every day but I threw on a blazer and heels.

J Brand dark skinnies. I live in my two pairs. The newer darker pair made an appearance.

2 tanks layered – grey and black – bought from the Target clearance rack for $2 each. Yeah! Seriously, these are the best tanks I’ve ever owned. Some were racerback and some regular. All are pretty low cut and longer in length and fit perfectly. Not too tight but not maternity style either. I went to 3 different Targets and scooped them all up. I think I bought 6 or 7 in grey black and white. They have a new style out now which is the same thing only they did that little Alexander Wang style tiny pocket on the front.

black blazer with sleeves rolled up – Last Fall I had a terrible time finding blazers. I just wanted simple black, 1 or 2 buttons, lined and well-made but not outrageously expensive. I hit a few department stores and was disappointed with everything I saw. They all had some stupid embellishment. I wanted sharp and fitted. As usual, the place that always has come through for me with simple basics at a good price was NY and Co. If you need some decent black pants, a pencil skirt or a blazer, they’ve got it. I got two $70 blazers from the clearance racks at $10 a piece! Hell yes!

My new trusty grey bag (not the one pictured)

I didn’t know the heels I bought were Sergio Rossi rip-offs. They’re grey snake (not pictured) and I like the cone heel way better. I saw this pair in TJ Maxx on 4 different trips and tried them on each time. No one was biting so I saw it as a sign and finally caved and bought them.

The usual jewelry I wear every day – silver hoops ($3 a pair that I throw away when they get funky), hammered silver band, Nixon watch (yay bf!)

A good time was had by all. It was nice to see my girls and get out of the house and feel like a grown-up.

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pack mule

by Lara on September 24, 2009

in fashion

Yesterday, I needed new liquid eyeliner so, for the sake of convenience, I hit the CVS down the street to try some new applicators by L’oreal. One was the elongated felt tip Lineur Intense (love it) and the other was their Voluminous beveled edge felt tip marker style. Well, after opening the beveled one, it was obvious that the tip was not like it was shown on the packaging. It was round and blunt. No way was I getting cat’s eyes with that. So, I called the 800 number and I am pleased as punch with their customer service. It was obviously a manufacturing flaw and they were quick to remedy the situation with a free return mailing label and gift certificates. Hell yes!

Then, after adding my one new liner to my purse, I noticed how much crap I carry around with me! I like to be prepared for anything. If I had a pack mule to follow me around all day, I would probably carry around an emergency sewing kit, an extra pair of shoes, a mini blow dryer, a lint roller, a netbook, a clothing steamer, my perfume, a folding chair, a chess set, a hefty dslr camera, my cat, and snacks galore.

Instead, I carry a big bag. Not so big that I’m dwarfed by it but, a nice size to carry all of this:

  • old as hell and just won’t die Nine West wallet
  • silver glitter make up bag (really a pencil case I picked up for $1) containing high and low end products, all tried and tested and have never failed me- 2 mini moisturizers, Bare Minerals foundation, brush, compact, concealer, tweezers, eyebrow pencil, eyelash curler, lash comb, mascara, 2 liquid eyeliners, 2 eye shadow brushes, 4 shadows (TIGI, Bare Minerals, Revlon, Hard Candy quad)
  • In a side pocket I have way too many lip glosses and lipsticks and lip liners and lip treatments – I have a problem.
  • Helio Ocean phone (charging)
  • cigarettes and lighter (in the livingroom)
  • keys (in the front door)
  • comb
  • 2 mini hairsprays
  • children’s scissors for emergency bang trimming
  • hair ties and clips
  • ginger Altoids
  • lotion
  • mini nail file
  • random candy (I’m like a grandma)
  • an emergency xanax and ibuprofen
  • my small Nikon camera (not pictured, of course)
  • pen
  • (usually) a list of things to do or groceries to get
  • cat claw clippers (2 cats at 2 different locations, I need to buy another)

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tell me who!

by Lara on March 19, 2009

in fashion

For years, department store juniors sections have been suffocated with bright repetitive all-over prints. Rainbows and rainbow stars and rainbow birds and rainbow turtles never were my thing.  Then this trend infiltrated other trendier stores and it seemed like you just couldn’t get away from it. I tried a blue tee with red apples on it and felt incredibly juvenile as soon as I left the house. Now, it barely makes it into my pajama circuit. Design thankfully has gotten more abstract and I’ve really been enjoying some of the random off-center t-shirt designs at UO and the like these days.

Now this.

Vans. I love Vans.
Robots. Who the hell doesn’t like a damn robot?

I just don’t know about this.

Robot Vans by Aimée Wilder

Then, there’s this. I love Fifi Lapin and have been following the bunny’s blog for quite some time (secretly wishing I had thought of her idea a long time ago when I was brainstorming web comic ideas to no avail).

80s throwback LeSportsac, the king of all-over prints, has teamed up with Fifi for a new collection of travel bags and the sort. Who the hell doesn’t like a fashionable bunny?

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want

by Lara on February 1, 2009

in fashion

I have already professed my love for the Be & D Kan Kan tote in gunmetal. Now, for their 5th anniversary, they have redesigned their Garbo satchel. Oh god how awesome is this bag!?

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on the hunt

by Lara on January 4, 2009

in fashion

The brown bag hunt has begun.

Here are the guidelines:

  • Fake leather when it’s black is usually fine by me. Brown pleather is a tricky tricky thing to pull off. It has to be exceptional and I would really rather avoid it altogether. I have plenty of cheap little bags I’ve collected over the years and although I could care less about brands and whatnot, I would like something of quality that will last me forever.
  • No giant embelished logos, rhinestones, tassles, or all over monograms.
  • A large bag with multiple compartments… not a full-on wallet style credit card organizer on the inside but at least a cell phone pocket, small zip pocket and two large areas.
  • Having to get through a combination lock, turning latches, 4 flaps and a zipper to get into a purse is out of the question. Opening with magnet clasps or a narrow flap is okay. A long top zipper is also fine.
  • Structure is important. Loose sacks that can’t sit up on their own don’t cut it. I hate laying a bag down and having half of my stuff slide out.
  • A bottomless pit to dig around in just to find my lipgloss won’t work. 12″ deep is about as far as I’m willing to rummage through. I don’t get those deep narrow bags at all where you’re up to your shoulder just trying to get your wallet out. Oh, and a wide opening is important. I like to see what I’ve got inside.
  • I don’t like long straps or crossbody designs. A bag does not need to be flopping around slapping my ass with every step. That style is always convenient for a festival or concert but for everyday normal usage, straps are definitely needed but I prefer a shorter pair that can fit on my shoulder with the bag under my arm. I don’t mind an additional detatchable long strap for those moments when you even need a shoulder free, though.
  • Hardware is tricky with brown because I like to pair both gold and silver with natural toned outfits but I’m not so anal that I can’t just ignore a silver buckle on a purse if I want to to wear gold earrings. I realize I’m just a freak.
  • The actual hue of brown is also tricky. Chocolate? Camel? Nutmeg? Cognac? Most of my brown shoes and belts are in the chocolate family so I guess that’s where I’m headed, maybe with a few exceptions. I don’t want a bag to feel too wintery. Being able to transition through all seasons is important.

Good grief, I’m a picky bitch!

Okay, I started with Amazon since the selection is enormous. I looked through over 1000 bags and can’t believe these are the only ones that made the cut. This first one is from The SAK. A friend of mine loves the newer SAK bags so I’ve seen them age over the years and still look as nice as the first day they were purchased. They have come out with some great designs since their original stretchy gimmick back in the day. I really like this bag and its leather construction. I actually like the blue option better than the chocolate (and found for the most part that brown bags are really kind of unattractive) and the blue would still go with brown really well! At $189, I could definitely afford this but would like to try to find it even cheaper somewhere else online.

At $320, this bag is really beyond my price range but I like its shape nonetheless. It’s by Hype and called the Heloise. I’m enjoying it in red more than the brown! Maybe brown really isn’t where it’s at for a new bag?!

Brown bags usually don’t get a good graphic treatment but this bag from Badgley Mishka is a nice change. It’s on super sale for $276 with an all leather construction. If only the straps were a wee bit longer… My hands HAVE to be free.

So, that’s that for Amazon. Next, I looked at NineWest.com since that’s where my trusty studded black bag is from and it’s made it through hell and back still looking pretty fantastic. Nothing was cutting it. Some shapes were appealing but then I discovered they were too small. Next, I went to Nordstrom.com and on the front page of accessories were bright beautiful leather bags. Check out this one from (unknown to me) B. Makowsky. The hot pink is pretty intense too. I really really really love this bag.

I like the shape and size of this one by Michael Kors but the top stitching makes it too casual. Also, what’s the point of that stupid drawstring?

Last but not least, I checked out Zappos, which can be just as overwhelming as Amazon. I stuck with the “satchel“, and “shopper” subcategories which was a nice time saver. I really like this gold Moschino bag with detachable long strap. It’s not so flashy that it’s straight tacky. It would be incredibly versatile but even at 48% off, if completely out of my price range.

Here’s another Moschino bag of the same ilk, just glossy. Hmmm.

When you really give some thought to what you want in your next big purchase, it will narrow things down so much that you will be less likely to make an impulse buy you may regret. I had no idea it was going to be so difficult to find something I wanted and that quality construction of a pretty basic nameless bag would be this expensive. I may have to make a few trips to TJ Maxx to see what’s out there since none of these bags are 100% ideal to me (except for the turquoise bag which went off in a completely different direction than I had planned). I wish I could just have my Nine West bag in every color in the rainbow.

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