vintage styles

Balenciaga City Bag review

 in General Fashion / Handbags  tagged balenciaga / handbag reviews / vintage styles by

pictured: Balenciaga Le City Bag vintage circa 2009 (formerly known as the Balenciaga City Tote) / nail polish / iPhone case /

It’s back! Demand for the original Balenciaga City Bag exploded in 2025, and as we land in 2026, demand is still skyrocketing. Is it possible to revive an IT bag from yesteryear? It sure looks like it!

The Balenciaga City Bag was iconic in the early 2000’s. I snapped up mine in 2009. It was originally a light, denim blue but has faded to more of a grey-blue. Colored leather is always susceptible to fading and color changes. For a more stable color, I recommend natural colors and also black. That being said, I still love the color it has become over the years.

Now, let’s chat a little bit about Balenciaga itself. The design house was popular for decades going back to it’s founding in 1917. Nicolas Ghesquiere launched the city bag collection, and it exploded to IT status rather quickly. Unfortunately, when Demna took over, the brand’s vibe became dark; and let’s not start in about the advertising scandal. It’s too shameful.

Thankfully, Balenciaga has parted ways with Demna and now they have Pierpaolo Piccioli and the brand is once again, out of the dark.

This may have led to the renewed intereest in Balenicaga’s handbag collection as well as designs as a whole. For now, the City bag collection is exploding once again, just like 15-20 years ago. If you have one in your archives, it is time to pull it back out and rock it on casual days.

If you do not already own one of these soft and squishy, delightful bags, what are you waiting for! Look at the squishy and soft leather!

I love the whole moto-chic vibe of the Balenciaga City Bag and how it can be worn by the top handles or the attached shoulder strap. My bag is from 2009, and it has been worn A LOT! The leather is in amazing shape, minus the faded color. The craftsmanship, quality, leather, and style are impeccable. If you don’t already own one, I highly recommend investing in a Balenciaga City Bag for your collection. It is well worth it!

The interior features a zipper pocket and there is a mirror attached to the bag you can move around. I keep mine tucked inside the bag. There is also an exterior zipper pocket, which I never use.

I plan to wear mine a lot this spring and summer seasons. I am so happy this bag is back in style. It is one of my all-time favorite bags! Love!

Shop the Balenciaga City Bag online:

What do you think of the Balenciaga City Bag? Do you love it too?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Vintage inspiration at New York Fashion Week spring 2020

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged cho cheng / hanh merriman / Indonesian diversity / new york fashion week / nyfw ss20 / runway trends / son jung wan / spring 2020 / summer 2020 / taoray wang / vintage styles by

cho cheng nyfw spring 2020

Cho Cheng NYFW spring 2020

The last model has walked off the runways of New York Fashion Week, and we are left with so many trends to get excited about for next year. One of my favorite trends every season comes from vintage inspiration. It is always amazing to see which decades inspired designers for the season.

For the spring/summer 2020 season, designers were in love with the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. We saw a lot of Hollywood glamour, sparkle and shine from the Studio 54 era, feminine touches from the 50’s, sleek and chic 40’s looks, as well as playful and fun 60’s styles. Here are a few highlights from some of the New York Fashion Week runways I attended reflecting the spring 2020 decades of inspiration:

Cho Cheng 60’s

cho cheng nyfw spring 2020 cho cheng new york fashion week spring 2020 cho cheng nyfw ss20

Taoray Wang 40’s and 70’s

taoray wang new york fashion week spring 2020 taoray wang new york fashion week spring 2020

(photos courtesy of Taoray Wang PR-mine came out overexposed and blurry)

Hanh Merriman 70’s

hanh merriman new york fashion week spring 2020 hanh merriman new york fashion week spring 2020

Son Jung Wan 70’s

son jung wan new york fashion week spring 2020 son jung wan nyfw spring 2020

Indonesian Diversity 50’s

nyfw spring 2020 indonesian diversity nyfw spring 2020

Which one of spring 2020’s decades of inspiration inspire you? I am definitely feeling the 40’s and 70’s, although, I am forever feeling the 70’s, so that’s no surprise. Haha

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Vintage brooch and plaid coat

 in General Fashion / Jewelry  tagged gucci / holidays 2018 / outfits / vintage styles / winter 2019 by

san jose winter stylegucci bag and rain bootssan jose street stylevintage brooch 1960sthe wall santana row

wearing: sunglasses / lipstick / ivory, cz, and silver earrings / red turtleneck sweater (last seen here) / plaid coat (under $100!) (last seen here) / belt (vintage Prada, also love this one) / dark wash skinny jeans / vintage brooch c. 1960s (also love this green one) / Gucci bag / holiday nail polish / black ring / black rain boots /

Disclaimer: I broke my own cardinal fashion rule; never wear red and green together because you will look like a Christmas tree! Ugh! So, what did I do on the morning I planned to meet my friend Dawn for breakfast at Santana Row? I pinned my green vintage brooch to my coat and threw it over a red turtleneck. What was I thinking???

When I looked at these photos a few days later, I took a deep breath. I look like a Christmas tree, but somehow, it’s OK since it is the Christmas/Holiday season! Any other time of year, and I would go for a clear stone brooch with this outfit. Now that my looong explanation of my red and green together is done, let’s chat about this brooch!

This brooch was my Mothers’. Around the turn of the century, I was in a huge brooch mood. My Mom, who loves jewelry, had a fabulous collection of brooches from the 1960s that she bought when they were all the rage. I raided her stash, and she gave me two of her brooches! I couldn’t believe it. I was so grateful! She never got back into the brooch look, so she is happy the two I took are getting some use.

I love vintage jewelry and accessories. I also have a few vintage clothing pieces which I am too afraid to wear. If something were to happen to them, how would I replace them? It would be impossible! At least with accessories and jewelry they are easy to clean and keep nice.

This brooch is my favorite vintage brooch from my Mom’s collection. Its’ stones are crystal clear, and they sparkle so much! The green is a beautiful hue, and I love the design. My daughters love it too; someday they will be able to split the vintage brooch collection, and I am thrilled that they appreciate vintage and understand how special it is in the world of fashion.

Shop my winter outfit:

Shop modern brooches which can pass for vintage:

Are you into anything vintage? If so, what types of clothing and/or accessories?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Photos taken by the fabulous Dawn Lucy of Fashion Should be Fun at Santana Row.

vintage broochsan jose holiday style