In The Bag

Do you guys also feel the need to keep shopping bags? Not like...plastic ones (though the H&M ones often find their way into my closet), but nice paper ones. I don't know, it's just something about throwing them away that makes me squirm. I used to use them to bring my lunch to school, but now I just use my LeSportsac.

I house all of my bags in this bag from Bluefly, which previously came with my prom dress.


Oddly enough, I found myself rifling through the bags to see which stores I tended to keep bags from, and which stores I tended to shop at a lot. H&M of course is the most prominent, but those plastic bags get used so easily that I don't really keep them. There is definitely a lot of Urban Outfitters in here as well.


So while looking through my bags, I figured I'd share with you my views on the best shopping bags. If you're using them to bring your lunch, C. O. Bigelow is the definite winner. The bags are super...thick? I'm not sure how to describe it, but they're cute and really durable (but not so great if your lunch is really big).


For normal shopping bags, I'd go with Urban. I think the bag itself looks really crisp, and that girls would be happy to walk down Michigan Ave. toting this along (rather than a hot pink Forever 21 bag, for example).


The only problem with the bag is that when it begins to rain, the bag gets a sort of odd stench. I do, however, love love love paper shopping bags, so I was surprised when I came across a paper bag that didn't have that weird smell when it got wet. Sadly the store itself is not in Chicago (yet).


Yep, it's Topshop :)

I am such a sad individual that I made a whole blog post about shopping bags. Yikes!

Jewels on Sale

Something that I try to do when I'm keeping my budget steady (usually at the end of a month) is only spending a limited amount on accessories. During a time when I'm trying to be really tight with money (and I don't have the self-control to save up for things I really want) I'll look through everything in my wardrobe and try to rework it, and then think up of things that could make outfits different. One of the ways I like to satisfy my hunger for retail therapy without breaking the bank is a nice piece of jewelry. It's best not to be too matchy-matchy with jewelry, which makes it all the better because I can use my new...say, blue necklace with my green top, my pink skirt, my yellow scarf, and everything in between. Remember those Etsy earrings I posted about? I expected to be using the silver ones almost 24/7, because they matched my silver heart necklace that I wear every day, but instead the silver ones have hardly been used and I find myself reaching for the pink and red ones all the time. So anyway, in honor of my love of jewelry, here are a few discount jewelry finds for you to spice up your own wardrobe.

If you're into the chain trend, Bluefly has a couple of pieces that will help bring the look into your wardrobe. My personal favourite out of these pieces is the black chain bracelet, just because it's practical and wearable but it still adds a little bit of edge to ordinarily girly outfits.

First, there's a simple gold chain necklace that's fairly chunky but can be worn with a cardigan or a simple tank top for maximum impact. It's from A. V. Max and on sale for $36.00.


As I mentioned before, there's a black chain bracelet (which was really in a little while back -- I want to say Nicole Richie wore something like it but I really don't remember). I also put up the white chain version, though for some reason the black one is more "edgy" to me and the white one is borderline tacky. But don't let that deter you -- I'm a firm believer in "to each his own."



Remember the whole trend of kitschy watch necklaces? It was all started by the Marc Jacobs fruit watch pendants, which are on sale at Net-A-Porter for $90. So if you don't really care much about trends coming in and out, and you need a new watch, this isn't a bad choice. Yeah, $90 is a bit high for a watch, but it is Marc Jacobs and it is fun and funky without being over-the-top.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

I'm really not one for designer ripoffs, unless it's a fairly basic style that no one designer can really call their own. I'll admit, I buy a few pieces from Forever 21, but they're usually pieces that I've scouted around for. I always make sure that they won't fall apart after a few washes, and I never buy the pieces that are really obvious fakes of designer pieces. However, being the bargain-oriented person that I am, I have no problem with taking a high fashion designer style and buying pieces that echo the style without being an outright copy.

While staring in wonder at Neiman Marcus' completely unreachable set of designer purses, I came upon this unbelievably expensive black crystal purse. And no, I don't mean my version of expensive. This purse is a whopping $2,295. I don't really see what's so great about it, besides that it's beaded with "jet Austrian crystals." I did, however, like the idea of a black twinkling clutch. I loved that it could add some glitz to an outfit without being completely over-the-top.


After checking out the outlet at Bag Borrow or Steal, I found this glittery evening clutch by Franchi, a well-known high end bag retailer. Thankfully, this one is only $45.00 (though it originally sold for $157.00).


Another evening bag I found at Neiman Marcus was this infamous Valentino bow clutch. This red silk contraption is a little too much for my tastes, though. It's also $1,095. Why on earth anyone would pay over $1,000 for a purse this strange is beyond me, but I guess to each his own (or her own, in this case).


What I did like about that clutch was the idea of a bow detail on an evening bag. A clutch, specifically (they can get a little too cutesy on purses sometimes). So, I found another great bag from the Bag Borrow or Steal outlet (I'd suggest you sign up for an account there ASAP, even if you're not planning on borrowing anything) from Furla. This silver bow clutch is perfect for dressing up any evening outfit, while adding a little bit of cute. Plus, it's only $85.00.


I'm sure you all have seen this Gucci crystal clutch...or at least, I'm hoping you all have seen this Gucci crystal clutch or else the picture probably won't do it for you. It's a fairly simple clutch, with a small buckle detail. It's also $495.00.


While looking over the Lime Tag sale at Piperlime, I found this bag which is almost a variation on the idea. Gucci's clutch was more of a hard-cased clutch with a smaller buckle detail. This bag, from Francesco Biasia, can be used as a clutch or as a small purse, and it features the same type of buckle detail with a slightly larger buckle. This one isn't as much of a discount bag as the other ones, but it's $149.99, which is still quite a bit cheaper than the Gucci version


Finally, while perusing the Bluefly sales I came upon this cute little Kooba bag with a ruched detail. I think that this bag is definitely very versatile, and the buckle detail adds a little bit of interest. It's on sale for $195.00, which isn't too bad, but this is sort of a small bag and I'm sort of on a small budget. So I set out to find an even cheaper alternative to this bag.


While looking at my beloved Piperlime, I found this grey bag with the same sort of ruched buckle detail. This time, however, it was a larger bag and it had additional buckle detailing on the side. And the best part? It's only $62.99. Though "Melie Bianco" may not have the same designer ring as "Kooba," sometimes you've got to make sacrifices so you don't break the bank.