Handbags


Brahmin summer 2018 blogger event San Francisco

summer 2018 it bag

Last week, I was invited to attend an event hosted by Brahmin at the Presidio Social Club. So what do you wear to a handbag event in San Francisco? A handbag made by Brahmin of course! You can see my bag of the night placed carefully on the passenger seat of my car above. I wore my favorite denim dress and brought a pale grey pashmina with me just in case the fog showed up and froze me to death.

My outfit turned out to be perfect because the fog never came in! Imagine that?! The event started with a cocktail hour outside on the back patio of the Presidio Social Club. The deck was so pretty! I wish I took more pictures, but I was having so much fun I forgot to snap photos!

The restaurant passed appetizers, which were amazing, and I met a few new bloggers, a writer for the style section of The Chronicle, and the Brahmin team. Everyone was so nice, and so much fun to talk to!

brahmin summer 2018 collection event

The amazing bartender pictured above gave a  drink demonstration, and then the restaurant passed around mini-drinks for us to taste. I tried to stay away from the mixed drinks since I don’t drink very much, and I knew I would be driving back to the south bay later that evening; but they looked good!

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

The table settings were so cute, and there were place cards at all of the seats. I was seated close to a few of my blogger friends, so that worked out well! The ladies I met on the patio were at a different table, but I am so glad I got to meet them at the beginning of the night, I definitely made some new friends. I met a few new ladies at my table too, so it was a great opportunity to meet new people.

The Presidio Social Club prides itself on farm to table cuisine. The chef has his own farm and much of the food raised and grown on it is served at the restaurant. I enjoyed a vegan soup to start, followed by an amazing swordfish dish. The dessert was fabulous too. If you are ever in the city, definitely enjoy a meal at the Presidio Social Club, the food is to-die-for! Plus, they have a parking lot! That’s golden for us suburbanites coming into the city with our cars!

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

My seat was on the corner of the table, so sometimes it was hard to hear people talking further down the table. That’s OK though, because this was the view from my seat. Do you see that black satchel? It is now number one on my wish list. I was staring at it all night long; and it is so chic and beautiful in person. I need one in my life! I wish this was a better photo so you could really see how beautiful it was. Alas, I only had my iPhone that night, so my photos are not as good as they could be.

Now, onto the summer 2018 collection by Brahmin! The collection is beautiful, hands-down beautiful. The brown hue in the collection is rich, and will easily flow from summer into fall. It is also dark enough to be worn in lieu of black. I would love to get my hands on a bag from the collection in brown! For summer, Brahmin also has on-trend styles which include a belt bag, a small backpack which is great for travel, various tote bags which will work for the office, the beach, or day to day summer life. The famous circle bag, known as the Lane Melbourne, is also being shown in a few new colors for the summer season. There are also basketweave leathers, and smooth leathers which compliment the predominately stamped croc collection. All of the summer fabrications are very pretty in person. You will love it!

You can view the entire summer 2018 collection online here. I curated my favorites from the Brahmin summer 2018 collection and placed them in the shopping widget below for you to see. Which bag is your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*special thank you to Brahmin for hosting this event and gifting us with a tote bag and goodie bag filled with local artisan foods. all thoughts and opinions in their article are my own.

*all photos taken with my iPhone, apologies for any quality issues

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco


Summer totes 2018

summer 2018 totes beach bags

pictured from top left: straw beach tote / caramel gold studded tote / blue and pink tote bag / rose gold tote / soft red tote / structured navy tote bag /

Summer 2018 is fast approaching, so we all need a fabulous tote bag! There are so many amazing totes this summer season which not only function as both a work bag and beach bag, but also reflect the current trends in handbags.

For the summer 2018 season, the top trends in handbags include straw, white, and bright colors. Designers are showing a variety of silhouettes including butter soft leather and structured fabrications. If a traditional tote silhouette isn’t your thing, you can look for a large circle, hat box, or geometric shapes. Totes are getting fun for the summer season!

If you work in a conservative environment, and need to stick with a tote bag that is understated and classic, this trapezoid shaped tote can pass for conservative, yet still reflect your fashion-savvy taste without violating dress code. It’s strong construction can withstand a laptop and high heels stuffed inside. Love that! I’m debating which color to get! It’s so cool!

The straw handbag trend is huge right now. If you don’t want your everyday bag to be straw, but would still like to rock the trend, a straw tote might be your thing! It’s a fun bag for the beach, poolside, or anytime you are casual and feeling whimsical.

Would you like to be as fashion-forward as possible? Well then, a two-tone tote is a great option. Rose gold is another great way to be cutting edge this season. There are so many fun options! I found a few fashionable and fabulous totes around the web and assembled them into the shopping widget below, I hope you love them!

Shop summer 2018 totes:

Which tote style is your favorite for the summer season?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


How to store a handbag

how to store a handbag

If you are like me, you own several handbags. Perhaps you like to store certain handbags for specific seasons, or dressier occasions. In this case, you need to know how to store a handbag in order to protect it from damage which can occur in a closet.

The handbag I am using as an example in this post is my go-to dressy handbag. I wear it whenever I go out to dinner, or attend a special event; unless of course I am attending a formal event, then I use a formal bag, but I digress. I purchased this handbag back in 2007, and it still looks shiny and new! The reason it looks so good, is because I go the extra mile to properly store my handbags. Handbag storage is really important!

How to store a handbag: dust bag or box

How you store your handbag can have a lot to do with the type of closet you have. If you have a large walk-in closet, you may have special shelving for your handbags. In this case, you will only need a dust bag. If you have a wall closet, or are pressed for space, you might consider stacking your handbags. In this case, you will need a box.

Many handbags come with a box, but when they don’t, you can easily use another box and then label the outside so you know what is inside. A sturdy box is key since you don’t want the weight of other handbags bending the box and potentially smashing your bag. This will cause it to lose it’s shape.

My house was built in the 1950s, so my closet is small. I store my handbag at the foot of my bed in stacks. This means all of my handbags are stored on their back, inside of boxes. I have to make sure the boxes are strong so my bags on the bottom of the pile don’t get smashed.

If you are lucky enough to have shelving for your handbags, all you need is a dust bag. Most handbags come with a dust bag, but if you have bags which didn’t, or the dust bag has been misplaced, you can find them online here.

How to store a handbag: protecting it with felt

how to store a chanel handbag

Once you have your dust bag and/or handbag storage box, it is important to place your handbag inside without damaging it. Many bags have metal hardware which can damage the leather or fabric of the bag. The best way to keep a bag’s hardware from damaging it is to use felt. Felt is really inexpensive, and can save your handbag! I use black felt on black bags and white felt on all other colors.

You should cut the felt into the right size piece to fit between the leather or fabric, and the hardware. There should not be any hardware touching your bag when it is stored. Hardware can discolor your bag, dent your bag, or tear your bag. You must use felt to keep your bag safe!

How to store a handbag: proper placement of a chain strap

how to properly store a handbaghow to store a designer handbag

Once your bag is inside the dust bag, be sure to store any metal strap outside the dust bag. This helps to keep hardware off the bag, and also help your bag keep it’s shape. It is important to make sure a metal strap is stored on the side of the bag, and not underneath. You don’t want the weight of the bag on top of the metal strap. Your bag will dent.

How to store a handbag: maintain shape with tissue

how to store a handbag

One of the biggest mistakes we can make while storing our handbags is to not stuff them! You can use white tissue to stuff your handbag. The tissue not only helps your handbag retain it’s shape, and prevent drooping, it absorbs any moisture in the air. This helps protect the leather on your bag so that it lasts longer.

Moisture from the bathtub, shower, and sink in your master bedroom can wreak havoc on your handbags. The tissue helps absorb that moisture, as well as high humidity in the air from weather. This was told to me by the designing duo Lamberton-Truex over lunch at Neiman Marcus almost fifteen years ago. If a handbag designer tells you to use tissue inside of your bags-you do it!

Lastly, always store your handbag on it’s back. If you store it standing up, it will eventually droop; even if it is properly stuffed. Storing your bag on it’s back is the best way to help it maintain it’s shape, and last a lifetime!

How to store a handbag: what you need:

Now that you know how to store a handbag, why not treat yourself to a new one! 😉

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

how to store a handbag