It’s entirely possible I have been in a black handbag mood for the past year. As you can see, all my bags are black right now! Well, black is classic, and can seamlessly move from season to season. This makes black handbags a great investment option if you are looking for longevity in your bags; and despite my handbag shopping addiction, I do look for longevity in my bags! haha, hard to believe right?!
For the holiday 2019 season, my handbag capsule wardrobe contains one mini bag I can wear to parties. This mini bag is my Valentino VSling. It’s a great little bag since it can be worn for both casual parties, and dressy events. It plays well with the sequin looks from my holiday capsule wardrobe. If you don’t have a little bag to pull out for the holiday 2019 season, I highly recommend this one! It’s a current IT bag, and the strap is convertible. See my full review here.
Since the holidays are busy, a cross body bag is a must. If you don’t need a lot of room, but want to remain hands-free, this cross body bag works like a charm. It is also convertible. It can be a cross body bag, or a belt bag. Love that!
The rainy season will start soon, and football season isn’t over. So, this little PVC tote is perfect since it is stadium approved when the interior pouch is removed; and since it’s PVC, it is rain proof. Love! Be sure to incorporate a PVC bag into your holiday wardrobe for those reasons. This is an IT bag and priced under $200. Love!
Lastly, my workhorse bag this holiday season is my Chloe Aby. It’s roomy and can be worn over the shoulder, or cross body. This makes it ideal for busy holiday, errand filled days.
Shop this holiday handbag capsule wardrobe online:
That’s it! Four bags should get you through the busy holiday season. Shop your closet for a small or mini bag you can wear to formal affairs, one cross body bag, a PVC bag, and a workhorse bag. If you are missing any of these bag styles for the holiday season, check out my picks, and invest in once!
I’m mixing things up here on Bay Area Fashionista! You all gave me such great feedback on my “what’s in my suitcase” posts this past year, that I decided to take those style posts a bit further, and show you my seasonal capsule wardrobes! If you like this type of post, please let me know and I will continue it into the new year!
The holiday season is a combination of cool, winter-like weather and parties! Yipee! This means we all need clothing which offers a festive vibe, keeps us warm, and can take us from day into evening for all those parties! Yipee!
The capsule wardrobe pictured above features denim styles we all have in our closet. Skinny jeans and bootcut jeans are basic, go-to denim styles which work well for mixing and matching our daily looks. This fair isle sweater is the perfect “hero” piece for this wardrobe. It offers a wintery vibe which is both fashionable and festive for the season. Love that! It can be worn many different ways, making it a great central focus for a holiday capsule wardrobe.
This sweater pairs well with skinny jeans, bootcut jeans, and over leggings for a more casual and comfy look. It can be layered with a long sleeve tee. I love black or charcoal paired with a green scarf, or worn alone with the red tee for a more holiday look. This is my workhorse capsule wardrobe this holiday season; you will see it a lot!
Hopefully you can find most of these items in your closet to create a similar capsule. I recommend adding this sweater to update your wardrobe basics and make them scream holiday 2019!
Shop this casual holiday capsule wardrobe online:
What is your favorite piece from this holiday capsule?
This holiday season, sometimes we need to be casual yet fabulous. This vest will make you fabulous! It can be paired with everything pictured above, so it’s an easy add to your closet. I love it paired with a red long sleeve tee for a holiday vibe, a black long sleeve tee for a chic look, or over this thin, white turtleneck sweater for a winter wonderland look. I prefer it over leggings with furry boots for an apres-ski look, or paired with skinny jeans or bootcut jeans for an everyday look.
Shop this fabulous yet casual holiday capsule wardrobe online:
I love this capsule for a girls lunch, daytime holiday party, school party, office party during the day, and for everyday fabulous-ness. (haha, is that a word???)
Looking for something day into evening? Or maybe something festive casual? This green sequin top is a game changer! It’s really affordable, and can be paired with jeans from your closet; and paired with pumps or high heel booties for a daytime party. This is also great for casual evening events too! This is my favorite party style. If I can get away with jeans, I will!
This top can also be dressed up with a black pleated skirt-which you may already own-for evening events. It can be paired with booties for a daytime or funky look, or with pumps for a dressier, evening vibe. This is a great holiday party, casual wardrobe, which can be integrated into items from your closet. Love that!
Shop this casual holiday party capsule wardrobe online:
Do you see a theme here? Almost everything goes with the jeans in your closet-did I state the obvious? You can save a ton of money this holiday season just investing in a few “hero” pieces and then mixing them into items from your closet. I am sure you already own jeans, but I also recommend investing in a black pleated skirt, and if you dare, coated leggings for the season. They are basic pieces you can mix into your wardrobe during any season of the year.
How fabulous is this dress?! The price is magnificent too! It can be paired with pumps for a holiday party look, New Years Eve party, or night on the town. It can be dressed down if paired with coated leggings; this also works if you are attending an outdoor event. The leggings will keep you warm while keeping you in a festive theme. Love coated leggings!
Shop this holiday party capsule wardrobe online:
I don’t like buying expensive clothing when I know I won’t wear it often. This dress is perfect and guilt-free since it is so affordable! I actually am obsessed with it over leggings. It look so festive and funky. Love that!
This is my first time posting a seasonal capsule wardrobe. If you like, or dislike, the format, please let me know! Here is another breakdown of what’s shown in this post:
Closet basics which transcend season and should be in everyone’s closet:
Holiday 2019 key pieces to pair with closet basics:
I hope this holiday capsule wardrobe for 2019 helps you plan your holiday outfits! Stay tuned for more holiday style!
Have you ever spent a ton of money on white leather sneakers, only to watch them get disgustingly dirty? Oh yeah-been there! While it is impossible to make a pair of white sneakers look brand new, forever after, it is possible to keep them clean and looking presentable. Or shall we say, less disgusting and gross?
I purchased these beautiful Gucci sneakers last summer so that I would have something fabulous to wear on my feet at New York Fashion Week in September. They turned into my workhorse sneakers at fashion week, and since then, I wear them multiple times per week. They are really comfortable! Normally I keep my white leather sneakers clean on a regular basis, but this fall season has been hectic, and I have fallen behind on my shoe care. Hence, here are my beautiful sneakers in a very, very dirty state. Time to clean them!
It is really easy to clean white leather sneakers, and keep them clean throughout their life in your wardrobe. So, without further ado, here are my easy steps on how to clean white sneakers.
How to clean white sneakers step 1: The Wipe Down
The first step in cleaning your white leather sneakers is to wipe them down. Take an old towel, rag or cleaning rag and wet it. Squeeze out any excess water, and use it to wipe down your sneakers. Keep a second towel handy so you can quickly wipe off the water from your sneakers. Since they are leather, you don’t want them to soak in water. Wipe or pat them dry. This should work better on the leather, or faux leather, than the soles. The soles are harder to clean. It also takes off the top layer of dirt, allowing you to get to the deep dirt in step two. Which brings us to. . .
How to clean white sneakers step 2: A super secret magic tool!
OK, if you are a Mom, you own tons of Magic Erasers. If not, here is a tip, keep multiple Magic Erasers around your home. You will find they are the handiest cleaning product on the market. I started using Mr. Clean Magic Erasers when my kids were toddlers. It wiped crayons off the walls-yes, we had that-and I also found it cleaned any type of mark off the wall without hurting the paint. Loved it!
So, since then, I have been using my Magic Erasers on pretty much anything white for the past fifteen years. It is easy to use to clean your white leather sneakers too. Also, if your sneakers are not leather, it works too!
Take a Magic Eraser, wet it, and squeeze out any excess water. Use one side to rub on the leather, the other side to rub on the sole. The soles will be very dirty. I only clean the sides, not underneath the shoe. I know some people will clean the underneath, I am not those people. The Magic Eraser will work on the sides, and bottom; so if you choose to clean the underneath of your shoes, this will work for you too.
Gently rub the Magic Eraser on the leather. Keep your dry towel handy to rub off excess water from the leather. The leather, or faux leather, will clean quickly, and easily. When it comes to the soles, it will take some scrubbing; and some time. It took me twenty minutes to clean the sides of my sneakers’ soles. Keep in mind, the pair of sneakers pictured in this post are platform. Your sneakers might not take as long if they are normal height. There will be dirty water dripping from your shoes, make sure you have something underneath you, or clean them outside like I do. Also, keep your dry towel handy to wipe off the extra, dripping water.
There you have it! Those are the easy steps you take for cleaning white leather sneakers. Here are a few tools you might need to help you get started:
I recommend cleaning your shoes often, instead of waiting until they are very dirty, like I did. If you wear them all the time, try to clean them every week. It will only take a few minutes. If you wait, it will be a big job, like it was for me. I plan to clean them once a week now that they are clean!
I learned shoe repair when I worked in a shoe store shortly after graduating college. If you have any shoe care, or repair questions, feel free to ask!
