Monthly Archives: September 2016


JW Anderson Pierce bag review

jw anderson pierce bag it bag 2017

jw anderson pierce bag inside jw anderson pierce bag capacityjwanderson pierce interiorjw anderson pierce bag

Pictured: JW Anderson Pierce bag in Tangerine

Every year a new IT bag emerges from the runways. For 2016, the ultimate IT bag has emerged from the fall 2016 runways in London by Irish designer J.W. Anderson. When JW Anderson sent the Pierce bag down his London catwalk, handbag lovers everywhere were left breathless. This was it, the new IT bag.

For the past several seasons, Chloe has enjoyed IT bag status with the Drew, followed by the Faye, and then the Hudson. While fashionable heads still love all the handbags from the iconic Parisian design house, heads have turned towards the cool leanings of Northern Ireland. The J.W. Anderson Pierce bag is the handbag to own right now, and well into 2017. Love it!

Jonathon Anderson’s Pierce bag embodies everything women look for in an IT bag. It has high quality craftsmanship, it has an unique design, it offers an easy access flap closure which makes the bag practical for everyday wear, and it has a design element which is familiar, yet new and exciting; this is the most difficult element on a handbag.

This element happens to be the “Pierce” which looks like a typical piercing ring found on bellybuttons everywhere, yet it is large and bracelet-like, which is what makes this saddle bag unique, exciting, elegantly edgy, and just different enough to make everyone covet it.

I knew the J.W. Anderson Pierce bag was the new up-and-coming IT bag, but until I was in New York for fashion week, I had not witnessed this handbag in action. It draped beautifully on the arms of those lucky enough to carry one to fashion week. It glittered, glowed, and called my name. The Pierce bag added elegance and edge at the same time to anyone’s outfit who carried one. It looked like ultimate perfection wrapped into one beautiful handbag. I had to have one.

The Pierce bag by JW Anderson comes in a variety of colors for the fall 216 season. There is a beautiful cobalt blue, green, navy, burgundy, red, medium brown, classic black, chic grey, and the Tangerine hue I ultimately chose. The most popular color I noticed on the streets of New York Fashion Week was the black and white, color blocked version of the J.W. Anderson Pierce bag. It seemed to be everyone’s favorite.

Out of all the classic colors, I decided to go with a color I don’t normally wear; the Tangerine. I’m not really sure what drew me to this color. Perhaps it was the uniqueness of an orange which I find palatable. Or maybe I felt like it was the edgiest color of the lot, and the piercing detail got me in a rebellious mood. Whatever drew me to Tangerine, was fabulous! I have fallen in love with this color. While I don’t often wear shades of orange, it has become a fun compliment color to my fall wardrobe. I am looking forward to wearing it all the time this season!

Now onto the review!

The Pierce bag comes in three sizes; small, medium, and large. I chose the medium size because it seemed to have nice dimensions for everyday life. The interior of the Pierce bag is open and roomy. There is one large, interior slip pocket which is great for holding lipstick, keys and my phone. The main compartment of the bag fits my other purse essentials nicely. Love it!

The strap has three notches and can easily be adjusted if you would like to shorten, or lengthen, the length of the shoulder strap. I have mine set in the middle, which is how it arrived from the store. I like where the length is set, so I have kept it there without adjusting it.

Craftsmanship is a huge factor for me when purchasing a designer handbag. When you spend four figures on a bag, you want it to be well made; and investment worthy. The JW Anderson Pierce bag is extremely sturdy, and well made. The stitching is precise, all of the edges are even, and the hardware is placed perfectly, and secured.

The interior of the Pierce bag is a soft suede, and the exterior of my Pierce bag is a soft, pebbled leather which is scratch resistant, and durable enough for everyday use. This is a workhouse shoulder bag. I love it!

J.W. Anderson’s Pierce bag is chic enough to be worn with dressy attire, yet edgy enough to wear with jeans, and casual ensembles. The small version is great to use an evening bag for any type of outfit except gala or formal. This is a versatile bag you will find pairs well with almost any outfit, for almost any occasion. This is a key factor for an investment bag; can we say, lower cost per use? Yes please!

Since I have been so happy with my medium J.W. Anderson Pierce bag in Tangerine, I am starting to think I need to add the small version to my handbag wardrobe. I am eyeing the cobalt blue bag, which is to-die-for! I am also eyeing this version in white.

You can find J.W. Anderson’s Pierce bag online here, here, and here. More versions of the Pierce bag by JW Anderson below in the shopping widget. I hope you love the J.W. Anderson Pierce bag as much as I do!

J.W. Anderson Pierce bag size small:

J.W. Anderson Pierce bag size medium:

J.W. Anderson Pierce bag size large:


Green fall florals in New York

new york street stylemaxi floral dress fall chloe faye nyfwnyfw fall street style

Wearing: Chanel sunglasses / Banana Republic maxi fall floral dress / Kendra Scott earrings / MAC Lipstick / Chloe handbag / Kendra Scott ring set c/o / Kendra Scott nail polish c/o / Sam Edelman booties (sold out, similar pair online here and here)

Ah! This dress! Have you ever worn something and received compliments everywhere you go? That was this dress in New York! I wore this dress during New York Fashion Week, and to have fashion industry professionals compliment my dress; it was like a dream come true! I couldn’t believe it! I now know, this dress will get worn by me A LOT during the fall season! Love!

Fall florals are a huge trend this fall season. So it is fun to have at least one item in your closet to rock this trend with. This dress is an easy way to wear fall florals. I love how it moves and flows as I walk. It also happens to be quite comfortable! Love that!

Since I was running from show to show, I chose to pair my fall floral dress with low heeled booties. These booties are super comfortable, and helped carry me through the day. Unfortunately they are sold out, but you can find a similar, low-heel pair online here, and a fringe pair here.

I wore this fall floral maxi dress on day five of New York Fashion Week. Day five was a busy day! I attended Irina Vitjaz, Taoray Wang, Leanne Marshall, Vivienne Tam, Anniesa Hasibuan, and I also went to the RewardStyle blogger party. I was on the go! To see coverage of these shows, please check out my NYFW recap online here.

The weather was much cooler on day five than it had been previously in the week. This gave me the opportunity to wear this dress. I was so thankful the humid heat was over! I do not function well in hot humidity. I grew up in the mild climate of the San Francisco Bay Area, I am not accustomed to east coast humidity. It really does me in!

Want to see what’s hot for spring 2017 from the runways of New York? Check out my NYFW trend report online here. I love sharing with you all the fabulous new trends for spring coming out of New York!

Photography by Dawn Lucy/Fashion Should be Fun

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

Cathy


Top trends for spring 2017 from NYFW

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Photo courtesy of Desigual / Desigual spring 2017 NYFW runway

The spring 2017 runway at New York Fashion Week left us with a whole new set of fashion trends to think about, and to covet, for the upcoming warm weather season. Designers in New York introduced a whole new set of designs for spring 2017, incorporating trends from seasons’ past, as well as new, fresh looks. Loved it!

Let’s start with the overall vibe of New York Fashion Week spring 2017. Over the past several seasons we have looked at 1970s silhouettes, and inspiration. There was still an element from the 1970s on many of New York’s catwalks, but the 1970s look is starting to go by the wayside as we move into 2017. Designers are starting to seek 1960s inspiration, 1990s inspiration, and mixing it together into a romantic, nouveau nautical, and/or menswear look.

What is nouveau nautical you ask? Well, it is what I am naming the large amount of horizontal stripes on the runways of New York for spring 2017. These aren’t the yacht club’s nautical stripes, these are bold, colorful, whimsical, and sometimes unorthodox horizontal stripes. If it’s horizontal, it’s hot for spring 2017. Which brings us to “HOT TREND” number one. horizontal stripes!

Horizontal Stripes

vivienne hu spring 2017 nyfw

Vivienne Hu spring 2017. See full article here.

Horizontal stripes were splashed all over the runways for spring 2017 in New York. As mentioned above, they are not-so-nautical. Look for multi-colored vertical stripes, varying sized stripes, and horizontal stripes like you have never seen before! This is the hot trend for spring 2017 to watch for.

Romantic

irina vitjaz spring 2017 nyfw

Irina Vitjaz spring 2017 NYFW

Designers were in a romantic mood for spring 2017. There were shades of blush, soft ruffles, flowing fabrics, and an overall feeling you should be sitting in a Parisian cafe gazing lovingly into the eyes of your significant other. Look for flowing fabrics, ruffles, blush pink (yes again!), and 1960s inspiration which is romantic; yet evokes a vintage, European vibe.

Asymmetrical lines and Twisted fabrics

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Nicholas K spring 2017 NYFW, photo courtesy of Nicholas K press

Designers twisted and turned fabrics for the spring 2017 season. In addition to asymmetrical hemlines, and overall lines, fabrics were ruched, twisted, and manipulated into dresses, skirts, tops, and the like. Get ready to be a pretzel for spring 2017!

Denim Anything and Everything

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Demoo Parkchoonmo spring 2017 NYFW full post here

Designers loved denim this season! Look for anything and everything you can think of in denim. Denim is not just a regular pair of jeans this season, look for patchwork, asymmetrical hems, twisted denim, embellished denim, and more! Think, and buy, denim.

Jumpers

cynthia rowley spring 2017 nyfw

Cynthia Rowley spring 2017 NYFW 

Raise your hand of you wore a jumper in the 1990s? Mine is waaaaay up! This was a HOT trend in the mid-1990s. Jumpers over tee-shirts or blouses or thin sweaters or shirts was du rigueur. It is also going to be du rigueur for the spring 2017 season. Designers jumped on this trend for the spring 2017 season, not to mention it was already on the streets in New York where fashion week guests layered silk slip dresses over shirts and tees while attending the shows. This is a trend you can wear now, and well into spring 2017. Get ready to layer!

Spring 2017 Accessories

marissa webb spring 2017 nyfw handbags

Marissa Webb spring 2017 NYFW full post here

Accessories for spring 2017 are changing. While shoe styles remain the same, jewelry and handbags are going to be different as we move into the new year.

Jewelry: BIG earrings are HOT HOT HOT for spring 2017. As for statement necklaces, well, not so much. Rings and bracelets will also be large, bold, and noticeable.

Shoes: Shoes are staying comfortable for the spring 2017 season. Look for menswear inspired loafers, flats, and block heels. Keep to the block heels! Stilettos need not apply.

Keep it street with Adidas vintage-inspired sneakers, such as this pair (IT shoe alert!), or skate sneakers.

Slides are also hot, practice walking in them now!

Tie-up, or lace-up shoes are still around, but they should be on your keep list, not your buy list. Wear them out instead of replacing them. 2017 might be their last year.

Handbags: Gone are the days of the micro-bag. Most spring 2017 runway bags were medium. Look for duffel-style satchels, totes, boxy bags which are reminiscent of trunks or binocular cases, shoulder bags/saddle bags, and fringe. Long live fringe!

Other Notable Trends for Spring 2017

taoray wang spring 2017 nyfw

Taoray Wang spring 2017 NYFW

There are other trends for spring 2017 which are notable. Here they are!

*Spring 2017 is going to be all about dresses. Separates can take a backseat to dress after dress. Invest in a dress!

*The color palette includes all-white, all-black, military green, grey, blush (yes, again!), any metallic hue, red, bright pink, shades of blue, and red paired with green (the horror! yes, we are all going to look like Christmas trees, yikes! I plan to avoid this one, just so ya know!) Pantone’s top ten color’s for spring 2017 are shown below. Although it does not show red, I did see quite a bit of red on the runways; perhaps it is number eleven?

spring 2017 color trends

*Blazers are the IT jacket of the season, followed by Moto jackets. Go rebel, or go structured, it’s your choice!

*Fringe is still hot! Keep your boho-chic fringe and re-work it into a more structured, less boho look for spring 2017. Fringe is no longer hippie for spring, it got a job, and is now yuppie.

*Embellishments, brocade, and decadent fabrications are still hot as we move into spring. Keep it all!

*Leather, leather, and uh, oh yeah, leather! Did I mention leather is a trend for spring? I didn’t? Oops, leather is hot for spring 2017.

*Hemlines are rising. Start going to spin class now!

*Athleisure is continuing from now into spring 2017. Look for more leisure suits, athleisure suits, bomber jackets, street sneakers, windbreakers, and sweatpants you won’t actually want to sweat in.

That’s a wrap! I will start to cover the trends which make it from the runways to the streets as stores start to stock spring 2017. In the meantime, you can use this as a guide to start wearing the hottest runway trends from New York for spring 2017, right now! Love that!

What are your favorite runway trends for spring 2017 from New York?

custo barcelona spring 2017 nyfw