Big bags and tiny coin purses

I got this bag for Christmas, after lusting over it for months and months. From Urban Outfitters, the Saddlery Buckle Bag, $58, is very nice, well-assembled, and looks great. But it's just not roomy enough for me. My previous bag was big enough to fit my 12-inch laptop, a notebook, a few folders and at least two books, plus a snack. This barely holds my wallet and a piece of paper. So even though I just started using it, I'm already itching for an upgrade.


Now this is the kind of bag a girl could fit her life into. From Lulu's, the Boondocks Handbag, $39, has the style of plaid but is actually diamond stitching on black faux-leather--very chic. It also has little pouches on the outside front and back (good for IDs) and a zipper pocket inside, which is nice since a bag of this size has definite potential to be a black hole. I'm just imagining all the water bottles and spare t-shirts and library books and dead bodies I could haul around in this thing... yeah, I think I need the giant bag.


On the totally opposite side of the spectrum, can I confess that I want a dainty little coin purse? I know that I would never use it, because my wallet has a coin pouch and even though I only use it if there's no one in line behind me and I don't have to feel bad about taking an extra five seconds to give exact change. I would never take the extra fifteen seconds to dig that coin purse out of my bag, along with the wallet, and then juggle the two while trying to pay. But some of the vintage ones on Etsy are so cute...

From seller Noobootoo, this chain-covered coin purse, $11.50, is pure vintage adorable. The orange leather shell, 3x3.5 inches, looks great inside the mixed silver and gold chains. It's sort of silly and impractical (what, are your coins going to make a run for it?) but still, so fun.

I'm also in love with this handpainted floral coin purse, $10, from Class Act Vintage. It's so ladylike that I'd feel like a true society dame, using it to pay for York Peppermint Patties at Duane Reade. The exterior is tan leather, and it's lined in gold satin, so talk about classy. I would maybe use this on a night where I don't want to bring a purse, and can just slip some cash and driver's license into this coin bag, then put it in one coat pocket and then my cell phone in the other. While I rarely travel light, it's not a bad way to go.

Modern Women in Retro Dresses

I've been watching a whole lot of Mad Men lately (amazing show, on AMC, second season starts July 27th!), and it's making me wish I could dress like those women all the time. I mean, how gorgeous is this dress on Betty (the blonde)? That blue sash, that full skirt, that cone bra! I want one to wear to class or the grocery store or what have you. Also, on a side note, the woman on left used to be married to George Clooney! She was once the luckiest woman in the world, and now she's the woman who ruined Clooney for everyone else, since he swore off marriage after their divorce. And she's also married to John Slattery now, who is a silver fox of a slightly lesser quality than Clooney.

Anyway, the show has inspired me to hunt around for some old-fashioned style dresses. I'm not too picky about the era-- I just want to look like I've stepped out of a time machine.

Ben Sherman is celebrating some sort of anniversary, so to celebrate they're selling a dress designed in the last five decades (or something-- I think I deleted the email with all the details). Some of the dresses are fug, but I love the Didi dress, $299. I believe that this dress is supposed to be from the eighties, but it seems way more 40's, screwball comedy, His Girl Friday. The houndstooth skirt is a classic touch, and the tucked in shirt plus pleating will make your waist look tiny. I want to wear this with some badass pointy-toed pumps, and then go in and demand a raise (... at my unpaid internship), because I'm worth it, dammit.

Also from Ben Sherman, the Dunnaway Dress, $94.99, has a fun sixties vibe that I adore. The length and cut is very mod-- if you really wanted to go with the theme, you could rock some go-go boots. But it doesn't have to be costume-y; the grey fabric is more modern, plus it counteracts the sweetness of the plaid bow.

So I recently discovered the site Blue Velvet Vintage, which sells both authentic vintage and vintage-inspired reproductions. Remember Blair's perfect blue sailor dress she wore in the Gossip Girl finale? It's from Blue Velvet.

I think this black and white floral sundress, $119.99, looks like it could be straight out of Betty Draper's closet. I can see her wearing this to a dinner party with her husband's boss, or to her psychiatrist's office, or while trimming the roses... everywhere. I think my favorite thing about these retro-style dresses is their emphasis on the waist. I'm a firm believer that under no circumstances would your waist be obscured, especially if you have the curves to really create an hourglass silhouette. The dress in this photo has a petticoat underneath-- I mean, talk about creating an eye-catching shape. But the overall look of the dress is so classic that I don't think a petticoat would leave you feeling like an extra from Gone with the Wind. The red sash with that swirling pattern? It doesn't get any better than that.