International Women’s Day Outfit

Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining the Girl Scouts of Utah as they celebrated International Women’s day with an amazing dinner program at The Complex.  I love supporting the Girls Scouts since they provide much needed mentoring and education of girls.  This is always a fun event and I seem to run into other great women active in the Salt Lake community.

I haven’t done an outfit post in a while, so I took some photos of my outfit from yesterday.  This was a very Zara heavy outfit.  The blazer, faux leather peplum top and shoes were all found from Zara online.

This outfit works because the tweed blazer adds some polish to the slouchy boyfriend jeans.  The faux leather top works well under the blazer mostly because the break on the peplum is in line with the break in the blazer, so both flare out at the same point.  This can be tricky when layering a peplum top underneath something else.

Then there are the shoes.  I’m loving simple pointy toed shoes this spring.  These reminded me of the Alexander Wang pair that I picked up for my birthday, but about a 10th of the price.  I was most amazed at the fact that Zara had them in a size 5, which they almost never do.  The woven metallic toe piece is a great way to add a bit a shine to the outfit without overpowering.

Happy International Women’s Day and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

One Year Anniversary and My New Bag Obsession

I know you have been wondering where I’ve gone, but I warned you that I wouldn’t be blogging much this year.  Since this is my one year anniversary of starting my blog, I decided it was time for a new post.  I started this blog showing one of the bags from my collection and I celebrate my anniversary with a new bag that I recently purchased.

I don’t purchase many purses now that I’m surrounded by them on a daily basis.  I also almost never pay full retail price for anything.  So when I do buy a bag at full retail price, you know it is something special.  I purchased this bag last week when I was in Las Vegas for some trade shows.  Walking into Barneys is always dangerous for me, but this time I found love.

Golden Lane is a brand from Britain.  They have created quality leather goods for sometime, but only recently entered the world of women’s handbags.  And they hit it out of the ballpark with their first design.  The Duo Satchel is unique in that the bag is separated into two compartments that has its own zippered opening.  This creates a bag that organizes well and allows the user to find items easily.  The satchel has a top handle as well as a longer adjustable shoulder strap that can be used cross body as well.  This style is offered in leather, suede, patent leather, and leather with metal corners.  It also is available in two sizes.

I purchased the smaller sized satchel in nude gray nubuck suede.  I loved the two toned composition of the bag in neutral colors.  I also like how the black leather adds punch to the soft suede.

What drew me instantly to this bag was the versatile shape and construction.  A satchel that converts to a crossbody happens to be my favorite kind of bag since I can use it as a handheld or hands free.  I was also impressed with the quality details like the zipper pulls that lay flush against the zipper when closed and then creates a loop when the zipper is open.

Right now you can only get these bags through Shopbop or Barneys, but I loved these bags so much that Purse Dreams will soon be carrying Golden Lane.  I know that when you see how well thought out these bags are, you will love them too.  Happy shopping!

Sale Crazy!

There are so many great sales going on right now, that I had to take a minute and tell you about some.  Most first markdowns of designer items have been made and now is when you see the second markdowns, which mean even more savings!  Here are some items that caught my eye.

First of all I wrote earlier about these Chloe wedges that I found at Nordstrom Rack.  Now they are on The Outnet for a steal and in lots of sizes.

I’ve had my eye on this sweater from Carven.  I love the classic cable knit sweater with a colorblock twist.  It’s still out of my reach at $329, but I have it on my list at Barneys.Another trick to shopping these sales are to think ahead.  Even as the snow is falling, I am looking at these great deals on tanks, shorts and even bathing suits.  Plan ahead and never pay full price.  This bikini from Suno is so colorful and bright.  Even if you are not going anywhere warm this holiday, in six months you’ll have a great bikini stashed away for the beach getaway.

I was also thinking the same about these 10 Crosby Derek Lam shorts.  I could easily see these shorts being paired with black strappy sandals and a simple white tank.  The fun blue print can be dressed up or worn casually.

There are great winter items on sale too, but if you’ve had your fill of sweaters and boots, you can find some great off season deals for the warmer months.  Happy shopping!

Alexander Wang Lina

My birthday is coming up in 10 days.  Christmas is one month later.  I just got back from a quick getaway to New York City and while I was there, I bought myself a present for my birthday and Christmas.  I couldn’t resist.  If you have been following my blog, you know already the challenges of having small feet and my love for shoes.

Shopping at the high end boutiques in SOHO can be depressing.  So many gorgeous items that I will never be able to afford but covet.  Most of the time I just go and window shop, touch the clothes, see the fabric close up, in awe of the workmanship and design that goes into all those beauties.  This time, when stepping into the Alexander Wang boutique, I was greeted by the shoes that I have been coveting, sitting pretty on display.  I picked up the pair and saw that they were my size!  I proceeded to try them on and knew instantly they were coming home with me.  So what if they cost more than my plane ticket?  I was not leaving New York without them.

These are the Alexander Wang Lina pumps.  They are a two piece pump with leather on the toe cap and purple suede on the heel and ankle strap.  The true 3 inch heel with no platform and the pointy toe gives this modern shoe a classic feel.  I have dozens of black heels, but believe it or not, this is my first pair with a pointy toe.

Just looking at these pictures as I write this post makes me love them even more.  It seems so wrong to love a pair of shoes so much.  But you already know about my shoe problem.  These shoes will be worn with cuffed jeans as seen here, or with cocktail dresses, or even with leather shorts.  Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it.  Happy shopping!

Chloe Groove Wedge Sandals

If you have been following my blog, you already know that I have small feet and love my finds from Nordstrom Rack.  I have also found that the best deals come at the most inappropriate times.  Like when I found the Vera Wang Larissa over the knee boots in June.  Well this time I found sandals in October.  Salt Lake is blessed with a beautifully warm day today as we are in the warm before the storm.  The snow is coming in two days.  So to celebrate the almost 70 degree day, I decided to test drive these sandals.

This is my first pair of wedges.  I usually don’t like wedges.  I don’t know exactly what it is about them I don’t like, but I’ve avoided this trend for years.  I saw this pair, not in the designer section, but in the regular shoe section.  And this is where I always find the best deals, like the YSL Tributes.  Initially, I wasn’t sure they would fit, since the European sizing on the bottom of the shoe was 36.5.  Depending on the maker and style, I’m usually between a 35 and a 36, but rarely can I fit anything larger.  But I tried them on and what do you know?  Perfect.

I really liked the simple design that Chloe is known for.  What really sold me on the sandal was the black and brown combination.  I can see this going with so many outfits because of this color combo.  I also really liked that the heel wedge has a slim silhouette and isn’t thick and clunky.  These sandals retail for $795 and I got them for $250.  Oh, yeah!  Love good deals.  Have a great day and I’m back to black tomorrow.