Thanks, What Not to Wear

Thanks to the folks at “What Not To Wear”, every 45+ year old woman I talk to believes that all you need to do to look stylish is match your bag and shoes. Thanks a lot, Stacy London and blonde-ish guy.


Unfortunately, this “rule” has been abused. Give them an inch, and they run a mile, as the saying goes. Does the photo above scream ‘style’ to you? (If it does, the next question is whether you are 45+ or not and/or potentially from rural areas. It matters.)


One of the nice things about style and fashion is that generally, there are few rules. Buy clothes that fit you – don’t look at sizes. Buy quality clothes – these are available in all price ranges. Try to wear colours the look good together. Don’t wear mom jeans. Try not to wear only jeans. (I hate jeans.) Also, the cardinal rule should always be upheld – workout pants are not pants.


After going over that, matching bags and shoes doesn’t seem so bad. But unless the bag and shoes in question are black, I think anything else would look kind of silly. See the photos above again if you are unsure about that. Unless you are sporting an outfit like this:


But only in black and white!

Brass Knuckles

So I'm not a clutch person. Not sure why that is...I'm more a giant-ass shoulder bag kind of person. I feel that constantly having it in hand would get it all sweaty-palmed and since it would expensive (naturally - this is me we are talking about) that it would get discoloured. Am I grossing you out? I don't mean my sweat is chemical-y or whatever...eh, I'm digging my grave here. Anyway, onto the sweet, heavy-metal look of this brass-knuckle type clutch from my fashion hero.

Life Before I Met You

I'm bad at posting.

I've been hoarding a bunch of pictures I found a while back so I'll share two with you now...sorry if I'm already out of fashion (sarcasm). You know how things go. However, it is not yet after Labour Day (like I pay attention to that anyways) so I can go ahead and post lovely pictures of this delicious Prada sack I could use in my collection.

Inhaling Smoke

I've never been a big clutch fan. They seem like handbags but hold less things and you actually need to have your hand on them at all times. What if I want to eat while standing up? This would not work. I might be willing to starve, however, if I had this in my hot little hands.

Being Nerdy

In college, I had a habit of perfectionism...its still there, to a degree (okay, maybe a lot) but back then it translated into my studies (now, not so much). Due to my hard work, I was awarded a cheque for being smart and nerdy or something. I spent this cheque on my first designer handbag..sniff sniff. Being young, I was basically only aware of Louis Vuitton since everyone and their dog has one, so I went out and purchased me an Epi Petit Noe. Mine doesn't look this mint anymore. Boo hoo.

PFW - Part 15

Hoity-toity, Louis Vuitton is thy name. While my life's goal is still to become the CEO and President of LVMH Group, I must stress to become the next Marc Jacobs will do just well enough. Excuse me while I go prepare myself.

Bag Ladies

For some reason, I can never have too many bags. I can think of any number of things I could use them for - eco bags, square canvas bags, fold-up nylon bags, felt totes, etc. Honestly, I do use them all, so I'm justified in my purchases. I now just need to find a use for that giant Jockey underwear eco-sack. Barring that, I now want this CdG contribution.

Coming Around

As a punky teenager I hated pretty much anything that was white. I still hate white cars (for the most part) but I'm coming around. Now that I've purchased my first pair of cream-coloured skinnies, I'm ready to try full-on white. I'd best probably break it in with a lovely white handbag such as this creation by Lanvin.

My Prized Possession

Because I am an accountant by trade, I believe it keeps me somewhat practical and fiscally responsible. Believing that, I'm not sure what came over me when I ventured into the Prada store while in Tokyo in October. The overly-helpful sales lady shadowed me as I glanced from item to item and was more than willing to yank out the stuffing of any bag at a moments notice. Obliging (because "what the hey! I'm in Tokyo!"), I took one bag and she cleared off a display case post-haste so that I could dump my shopping bags in the place of Prada ones. Before I knew it, I thrust a supple brown leather shopping tote at her and said, "Kore ni shimasu" ("I'll take it"). Ah yes. I don't think I'll be doing that again as the exchange rate really taught me a much-needed lesson - but I love you best dear Prada bag!

Some Times

I'm feeling reminiscent today. As I mentioned previously, last year this time I was traveling - 2008 was a good year for that. I visited London, Paris, and Tokyo last year and there was one bag I took with me to all three of those gorgeous locales - my LeSportsac Tokidoki Campeggio bag. While it is certainly not the most glamorous bag one could carry, it surely was functional and endured the hardships of travel. Thank you for staying strong little bag.

Sparkly Shiny Gold

One year ago today, I left for London on a wild adventure that I won't ever forget. In tribute to this day, I thought it fitting to celebrate the first birthday of my Vivienne Westwood bag and share it with you. Oh little handbag...you used to be so shiny and new-looking.

Sunshine-y Day

Prada makes some deliciously buttery soft leathers and fashions fun designs for their handbags. Their newest spring bags were released for sale this week and my favorite colour of the moment has made it into the roster - yellow! Ah, it might be more of a gold, but I can deal with it.

Going Vegan

When the largest handbag I've almost ever seen saved my beloved Prada from the onslaught of dirty street water before Christmas, I took notice - what was this superbag? It was my sisters' Mat & Nat bag. Presented with a Mat & Nat sale last week, I decided that since I don't really need a new handbag, I needed a new messenger-style bag for my travels this year (since you need to carry an inordinate number of things for day-long excursions). Mat & Nat certainly has the excessively-large bag market covered.