LEATHER + lusciousness

Wowza, how did I live before life with this bag? Well, I'm not really as materialistic as I may seem, so life was great before this bag, but now it is GRAND. I love love love this J. Crew bag. It was still slightly more than I would have originally set out to spend, but the price had been knocked down $100 -- yeah, $100. I rationalized the purchase as a coming home present after many a long day and night working in the Orient -- as if I really needed a reason. 

Big enough to hold all of my daily essentials for my trek to the office and the shoulder strap is neither to long nor is it too short. The leather is so soft and luscious -- even my fiance, John, who originally gawked at the price, had to give props to this bag once he got a touch of its sweet sweet leather. The description from J. Crew's website says it best: "crafted from couture-quality vachetta leather that will achieve a beautiful honeyed patina over time (it just gets better with age)." With that, I dub this bag "The One" -- cannot wait to grow old with it as a classic staple in my wardrobe.

Though mine is no longer available on their website, below are a few bags similar in style & with that same gorgeous leather in case you're looking to invest your hard earned money into an item that will continue to pay off with its timelessness.

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LADYLIKE + lacey

Found these genius 

pages in the September 

Issue of InStyle.

SANDAL + sale

Wantin' these for my feet! All signs point to yes -- good reviews, on sale (about half price!), fiance-approved, & only available in my size. Hmmm... can I resist? Heck no!

RIESLING + relaxing

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We had plans to go see the Braves play tonight at Turner Field with some of our favorite Atlantans {see the breakdown of my planned outfit above}, but unfortunately we had to cancel last minute since my fiance's sugar was running high enough to warrant a trip to the Emergency Room. Thankfully he was discharged after about 5 hours of waiting, testing, & pricking. Grabbed some Panera Bread on the way home, now I am kicking back with a glass (or two) of wine, & appreciating this time with my man.

AIR-WEAR + entertainment

Luckily my job attire is relaxed, so that I may wear comfortable clothes during my travels; would I survive if I had to where heels & a power suit in my coach seat?! I couldn't help from thinking about the second to last SATC episode when Carrie glamorously treks to Paris in Manolos & an adorable dress. 

It probably wouldn't be so difficult to pull off Carrie's air-wear in reality since a flight from NYC to Paris is approximately 7.5 hours. Sounds easy compared to 15 hours of total air time from Atlanta to Shanghai. Here is the breakdown of my completely different version of airplane attire (& entertainment) to get me through those long (sometimes restless & sleepless) hours.

(1) Old Navy Gray Cardigan: great for layering; the button detailing on the sleeves allows for it to easily be converted into a 3/4 length (2) Old Navy Brown Long-sleeved Tee: one of the softest shirts; I have it in a multitude of colors (3) Old Navy Perfect Khakis in Olive Green: great fit, comfort level is very high because there is a slight amount of stretch to the fabric (4) InStyle Magazine, September Issue: packed full of interesting imagery & info, so that you'll be distracted for hours reading about each detail (5) Black/Tan Work Tote: this is the fill in bag I mentioned in my last post; I was able to cram all of the essentials into it & it held up extremely well throughout the whole week (6) iPod Nano in Dark Gray: music helps me to stay sane on these trips; I'm constantly tuning into my favorite playlists in order to stay refreshed & upbeat -- I'm considering an upgrade to the iPod Touch before my next trip (7) Sony Headphones: my fiance let me borrow his pair for the trip since I recently lost my earbuds at the gym; now I want my own pair of these babies -- they're so nice! (8) RayBan Wayfarers: can't go anywhere without my favorite new to me sunglasses; great for that first step back into the sunlight (9) Black Low Top Converse: all time favorite everyday sneakers; they're so versatile & comfortable

My co-worker & I lucked out on our long flight from Atlanta to Tokyo because the two seats in between us were empty; I actually got to put my feet up & spread out -- it was a great way to set the tone for the rest of the trip.

It's in the BAG

A couple of weeks before I left for my China trip, I started hunting for a great big bag that could double as a carry on bag for the plane & a purse for everyday. Of course, I found a bunch of great bags, but it's been hard to find a bag that fits all of my criteria (needs to be comfortable for long days of constantly being on your feet, must hold laptop, pens, notepad, highlighter, mini stapler, measuring tape, snacks, bottled water, sunglasses, iPod, Passport, wallet, itinerary, etc. in order to be prepared for anything while catching domestic flights & taking 3 hour car rides without sacrificing stylishness). Oh & did I mention I wanted one with a cross-body strap and a reasonable price tag too?

No. 1: So this bag was never in the running for my needed jet-setting bag, but when I stumbled upon it on sale at Anthropologie, I had to document it. Even if I could rationalize this purchase, it is no longer available on their site. 

No. 2: Like many others, I can't get enough zippers right now (did you see the zipper embellished headband in the September Issue of InStyle?), so I love the extra ones on the side of this Nine West beauty. It's still available & now on sale, so I may have to reconsider this one. It'd make a great everyday bag for fall since it's coloring could lend itself to a variety of outfits. 

No. 3: Yeah, like I noted when I saved this image originally, the coloring is fabulous. This one is also a Nine West edition, but you won't find it on their site... head straight to Piperlime for it. In addition to Rust, it's also available in Cognac. Although it's not on sale, the price is still reasonable too.

No. 4: Wow, this one blew all of the others out of the water (based on my needs). It's practical without sacrificing on design and beauty -- I absolutely adore tan + black together. The cherry on top is the long cross-body strap, but I wasn't so sure about the price tag when I first found this Lucky Penny bag on Anthropologie. Now after seeing what is (& more importantly isn't) out there in the way of cross-bodies, I think I could maybe, possibly, rationalize this purchase. I am a fan of quality versus quantity in the handbag arena because I do not change bags on a day to day basis. I usually get stuck on one bag for a few months at a time then retire it until I want to fall in love with it all over again; this cycle repeats until I inevitably wear out the bag.

Seeing as how I couldn't even think about rationalizing the Anthro bag at the time, I knew this one was way out of my league, yet I still torture myself with its image. It's J.Crew, it's gorgeous, & still at full price -- it's gonna cost you a pretty penny... duh. 

Needless to say, I did not leave enough time before my trip to purchase one of these online, so I took to the stores for temporary filler at best (I'll be going back to China in October for a longer trip, so the real deal will definitely be needed by then). I ended up settling for a leather work tote from Target -- no bells & whistles, no cross-body strap, but surprisingly roomy, comfortable, & crazy inexpensive; however, the search continues...

BBQ & Jet-lag

Yay, I'm so glad to be home from a one week work trip in China! The trips are very productive due to a schedule booked full of appointments which makes the crazy long plane ride worth it. However, I get insanely homesick at night once I'm back in the hotel at the end of each day. Naturally, I miss my family, my fiance -- John, & Hazel, our chocolate labrador, when I am away. Plus I miss my day-to-day routine -- morning coffee, commute to work, office interaction with my co-workers, unwinding at the gym, & recapping my day with John. This time I was excited at the prospect of filling my down time in the evenings with new blog posts, but I wasn't able to access Blogger. Even more upsetting, I was unable to view my Reader all week... Ugh! 

Last night John and I chilled; he surprised me with some BBQ for my first meal back & I got him slightly hooked on Bravo's Flipping Out. Today has been a day of jet-lag recovery, paying bills, catching up on recent goings-on, & putting a little dent in the 500 posts that have accumulated. 

{I'll be adding posts that I had originally planned for this past week}

Skirting the Issue

I cannot get enough skirts -- they transition from day to night easily, comfort level is sure to be very high, & they help to make the Georgia humidity bearable.

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Above are a few printed styles which I have stumbled upon lately. My favorite is No. 2 -- which happens to be the most expensive. I'm trying to be more practical than usual in order to save major money for the wedding, so I'll need to redirect my focus toward the other more reasonably priced selections. Luckily my favorite of the solids --  No. 4 {see below} has great detailing at the bottom, would look great paired with any number of tops, could easily transition into fall & winter wear with some tights underneath, & it won't break the bank. 

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Silver Lining

I recently purchased this Lux Jewelry Box from West Elm when it went on sale for half the regular price. This beauty is even better in person & I just love the key and lock detail. I've got a good little collection of jewelry goin', but this thing is BIG! I'm gonna need some more baubles to fill it -- these are the items that I am currently coveting to do just that.

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