General Fashion

All about the studded handbag

 in General Fashion  tagged fall 2024 / outfits by

wearing: statement earrings / silver necklace / distressed tee / black belt / wide leg jeans / silver bracelet / fall nail polish / studded handbag / boots /

Do you ever pick your handbag and then create a quiet outfit so your handbag stands out? Well, that’s what happened here! I wanted my look to be all about this fabulous, studded handbag, so, I chose to wear a tee and jeans! haha

While considered wildly basic, a tee and jeans doesn’t have to be completely boring. This tee is slightly distressed giving it fun yet edgy look in person. In addition, these jeans are wide leg, so they are trendy, which is less basic than classic cut jeans. I swear!

To add a little sass, without distracting from the bag, I chose these pewter boots; which happen to be very comfortable, especially considering I have planter fasciitis! Love that!

I wore this handbag, with clothing as my accessory, to a casual Oktoberfest event in downtown San Jose. It was really fun with live music and traditional food. I was able to dance in these shoes and stay comfortable in this outfit.

When you design an outfit around your handbag, what do you typically wear?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

BAF Weekly IT List

 in General Fashion  tagged baf weekly it list / fall 2024 by

BAF Weekly IT List from top left: Mary Janes / Dior holiday top coat / Hermes fall nail polish / Chanel fall nail polish / grey sweater / caramel top handle bag / fall lipstick / golden hoop earrings / black studded bucket tote / boots / suede shoulder bag / suede and leather bucket bag /

So many beautiful, anonymous investment handbags below $1000! Love this! If you are a handbag fan like me, then you must be enjoying this era in handbag style. The anonymous handbag, sans loud logos, is reigning supreme. It’s a beautiful thing.

Several years ago, we found ourselves spending $3000+ on one handbag with a loud logo. It would have been an “IT” bag with a shelf life. This was not a sustainable time in fashion. To add salt to the wound, as prices rose, quality declined. There is nothing worse than to have the strap snap and break on an expensive designer handbag-while you are walking down the street. Yes, that happened to me. The bag was one month old. I started looking at my older bags with their superior construction and materials, then I began comparing them to my newer bags. Something was off. Very off.

The newer bags, which cost twice as much, had thinner leather, loose stitching, loose hardware, and more. I looked at my older bags from ten to twenty years ago and I could see why I loved designer bags. The leather was top notch, the construction was impeccable. These bags could possibly last through a nuclear war; well maybe not the lambskin bags, but I digress. . .

Fast forward to the past few years and I am not the only one finding this disappointment. We have all started to gravitate towards the anonymous handbag. It isn’t just quality, some designer houses have been accused of, shall we say, odd activities? There are some designers we don’t want to advertise anymore. On that note. . .

Bags from emerging designers, modern designers, and popular brands started to attract my eye, as well as yours. We are all flocking back to Coach, discovering and falling in love with designers such as Toteme, and finding thick, fabulous leather in bags under $200 from brands such as Madewell. Yes! Madewell! I am in love!

As we enjoy this golden era in handbags, let’s enjoy the lower prices, higher quality, and beautiful styles anonymously. I hope it never ends.

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for more fall coverage and the start of holiday coverage this month.

XOXO

Cathy

BAF Weekly IT List

 in General Fashion  tagged baf weekly it list / fall 2024 by

BAF Weekly IT List from top left: mint sweater / Dior fall nail polish / Hermes fall nail polish / Chanel fall nail polish / v-neck sweater / suede shoulder bag / lipstick / golden hoop earrings / deep red hobo / top handle caramel bag / suede and leather bucket bag /

The heatwave is finally over, and it finally feels like fall! Yay! I love carrying fall handbags, wearing a cozy sweater and rocking fall nails; especially after that second summer we just endured!

This is a great time to snap up a few sweaters as the weather starts to cool. In a few more weeks holiday styles will start to flood store shelves, so it’s nice to grab a few fall items before they are gone! Now that we have seen the spring 2025 runways, we know suede, hobo bags, slouchy bags, and the anonymous handbag are still going to be hot in 2025. These are great styles to invest in! Not only are they on trend, they are timeless, and will transcend trends. Love that!

Stay tuned for more fall coverage and near the end of the month, I will start posting about the holidays!

XOXO
Cathy