Fine leather goods

So many pretty things today, people!

First off, I took Baby Boots out for a walk in her stroller while my husband had to do some work. Since I knew she wouldn't be running around (we were running errands), but rather tucked into her "buggy-ride," as she calls it, I decided to pull out some new-to-her accessories:

Why, yes, those are little red baby cowboy boots. Why do you ask? 

This summer, we all went to Estes Park, Colorado to spend time with some college friends of mine. One day, just the three of us were walking around the town and we got Baby Boots these, er, boots on a whim. I have a slight issue with the fact that my not-even-three-year-old is wearing a shoe with a slight heel (I feel like one of those moms on 'Toddlers and Tiaras'), but she loves them and insisted on keeping them on when I kept on asking her if they were comfy today. She stomped around the house happily. 

… And let's admit it, they're adorable.

But please don't tell my mom.

I was very excited to come home from work yesterday because I knew something special would be waiting for me. When I started really getting into the Style Nation, I started noticing one particular company being name-dropped a lot when it came to bags: The Cambridge Satchel Company (linking to US site). I've always drooled over their bags - and the assortment of colors! - but the price and the pounds sterling kind of intimidated me. Well, wouldn't you know it, Gilt Groupe, of which I am a member, had them on sale last week. As I may have mentioned, I'm trying to be fiscally responsible these days, but my husband encouraged me and after thinking long and hard about color, I went with their trademark "fluoro" 15-inch "batchel":

source

Their official site doesn't have it in the color I got it, but that's the model. My color looks more like this:

source

Now that's bright! I practically glowed in the dark when I wore it tonight on my date with my husband.

Speaking of which, this is what I wore on my date out for gluten-free Italian food (I ate a whole pizza by myself. I'm disgusting):

Forgive the face: did I mention I ate a whole pizza?

It's the return of my OTK crimson Fryes! My favorite of my Fryes! And my short-ass buffalo plaid dress! Honestly, I was feeling this outfit. It was snuggly and warm enough for walking around before and after our gargantuan dinner, but I also felt chic both for the baby-sitter (one of my advisees) and the restaurant. Win-win! 

Anyways, I hope you're having a lovely Saturday night. I'm trying to train my daughter to go to bed without me gently holding her to sleep every night and I can hear her tossing and turning and whimpering in her bedroom, so I might have to go deal with that…

Sweater: Old Navy (online)

Buffalo plaid dress: Old Navy (online), remixed

Grey leggings: Calvin Klein, via TJ Maxx, remixed

Red boots: Frye Shirley OTK boots, via endless.com, gift from my husband, remixed

How I wore it: slouchy

A weekend update! How novel and refreshing! I usually use my Saturday and Sundays as an excuse to do nothing and hibernate a little between each busy week. However, between last week's four-workday extravaganza (we had a freak snowstorm over Halloween weekend that WRECKED the power in a lot of MA suburbs, including the town where my school is located) and this week's THREE-day extravaganza (end of the second unit, which means I get to spend another four days grading - but in my house), I figured I could actually leave the apartment over this weekend.

Plus, my husband and I had an appointment at the hospital to take one of those all-day baby-preparation classes. Since I didn't really know what to expect for this nine-hour marathon, I decided to dress in a more casual version of my new favorite outfit:

Usually, I like to wear warmer colors with any boot that color (despite the obvious comparisons to Robin Hood / Peter Pan, a green top would've looked more natural to my eye, but maybe that's just me), but that blue top is so comfy and casual  and my suede fringed boots so soft and my beloved striped cardigan so cozy that I couldn't resist putting it all together and pretending that I was still asleep even while listening to a way too chipper nurse at 9 in the morning. 

Since I was already decking my feet out in suede, I decided to also pack my softest and slouchiest purse, one that y'all have never met:

Meet my thirtieth birthday present from my husband. You see, over the summer, he was agonizing because he hadn't yet gotten me a birthday present. Well, after all our travels throughout Greece, my awesome Pan Am bag died and I desperately needed a new carry-on for our flight back to the States. While we were killing time and looking for stuff at the Agios Dimitrios mall in Athens, I fell in love with this Zara bag (for men) and it became my husband's present to me. It's a total workhorse because it's huge and it's the only bag I trust on Fridays/Mondays, when I take all my stuff home with me from school to plan lessons over the weekend and then take it all back to school to live at my office again. 

Plus, since I was wearing black and blue and suede, I thought it only right to carry a black, blue, and suede bag with me. 

No one really noticed or appreciated it. That's okay. I was proud of myself...

Striped cardigan: Banana Republic, remixed

Blue dress/tunic: hand-me-down from a friend, by way of Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Leggings: HUE, via Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Boots: Steve Madden, via Lord and Taylor (New York), remixed

Bag: Zara (Athens)

Trinkets and Travel

As I may have mentioned a few times in the past, I turned 30 last weekend. When my husband and I returned back to Sparta after our vacation in Foinikounta, my mother-in-law had a lovely and thoughtful birthday gift waiting for me:

A stack of silver bangles held together at one part! I don't talk about this much, but I looooooooove me some bangles. When I spent my summer in India in 2004, I totally came home with lotsa bangles, although I stopped wearing them because they made so much noise. I had a bunch of colleagues at my first job who had gone on a trip to Morocco and they'd all bought awesome silver bangles and I was so jealous... So I'm pretty psyched about this. I've already worn the stack once and they were nowhere near as jangly as I feared, so I will be good to go with this. I don't love that they have the big "Just Cavalli" logo, but no one can really see it when it's on, anyway (as it dangles on the bottom). 

As anyone who has ever read this blog knows, I really love jewelry. In fact, I sometimes wonder if I made a mistake in highlighting my love for boots over jewelry. Because I have loved jewelry since I was sentient. It's all my dad's fault, bringing me back lapis lazuli stuff from Chile every time he went home... Anyway, I do love jewelry. And I love wearing a variety of it. And I also love travel. How do I combine these two loves without hideously combining them? 

In the past, I used to shuck everything into a little leather case no doubt intended for some other use and would inevitably spend at least one morning laboriously undoing the knots in two necklaces that had snarled together. But that hasn't happened in well over a year cuz of this guy! 

Style Nation, meet my travel jewelry case. I saw it in a J. Crew catalogue last school year (does anyone else feel really wistful when they read a J. Crew catalogue? Everyone looks so fresh-faced and preppy!) and as soon as I had some time to kill while visiting home, I moseyed on over to my local store and bought my own. People, it has been a lifesaver. Okay, I'm exaggerating: a trip/jewelry saver, at LEAST. It is full of nooks and crannies and three different zippered compartments and it really fits everything I would want, even for a long trip like this one. I organize it differently each time and depending on what jewelry I'm packing (which, of course, depends on what clothes I'm packing, duh). 

On this trip, the top compartment (i.e., the one all the way to the left in the above picture) has my necklaces/pendants. These either have big, chunky pendants that discourage their tangling together or chains with links that make untangling easy. I've had a few tangling incidents this summer, and they were all resolved in a few seconds without the use of anything other than my own hands (I'm weirdly good at untangling delicate jewelry - if all else fails, I'll even use a safety pin/unbent paper clip; again, I've been doing this for a long time). Below, you see my chunky turquoise and chunky red seashell necklaces:

Next up, we have my two favorite bits: the strips for (stud) earrings and rings, respectively:

I love these features. Even long, dangly earrings have space to fit. And my rings are doing just fine, hanging out on their own little strip, just sliding around merrily all day long.

The next compartment houses my non-stud earrings (and the gold chain I've had since childhood which is currently holding my mom's baptism medallion, because I would be more nervous if that tangled with anything else: it's quite delicate, hence it hanging out with non-threatening earrings):

Lastly, in the final compartment, I have my carnelian jewelry set. Since it's only housing one necklace and two earrings, it's well-nigh impossible to have tangling issues, even though the many chains and stones and danglies on this set are prone to wrap around each other; but putting the whole set together in isolation has worked a charm so far:

Isn't that fun? The saleslady at J. Crew, a woman from Sweden, said that she used the same case to travel to and from home. And I love my own. I love that it has so much space and is so delicate that you feel your jewelry is super-safe in there (priorities, right, people?). I also love that - since it does have so much space for trinkets - I can always shop for more and fit them in without worrying about loading up my suitcase! In the end, the whole thing folds up to this:

It's about seven inches long and 2.5/3 inches wide. And lightweight enough to toss into your carry-on without worrying about anyone stealing it from your checked luggage - or maybe that's just me. 

Anyway, I've been wanting to feature this lovely little travel case for over a year now and I'm glad I finally was motivated enough to do so. Do y'all travel with a bunch of jewelry? Do you have a fun way to pack it? 

Note: I was no way asked/compensated by J. Crew to write this post. I friggin' love this product and if they want to repay me in gloriously preppy pastel chinos and cute skirts, I would...really like it. But, seriously. I just really like this travel case and it happens to be from that store: that's all there is to it. 

¡He vuelto!

PEOPLE! I am back from my vacation exile! Is it weird to say that I missed y'all? Our hotel had some sort of internet connectivity, but my dinky iPod isn't good for reading blogs and I couldn't steal my husband's iPad too often or he'd have an Angry Birds withdrawal, so... I read a couple of blogs every once in a while and commented never.

But now? Now I'm back! I had a marathon of catching up this morning and even started slowly commenting on a couple of blogs! I took photos! I'm a monster! I'm back.

So, yeah, I went to Madrid. MADRID! Oh, people. It was so wonderful, even better than I remembered; this was my third trip to Madrid, but my first time staying in the center of the city (and my first time going WITHOUT my parents, which makes a difference) and I fell in love all over again with the city. My husband and I stayed in the Hostal Madrid, right on Sol, and we went out every day, every night, and did wonderful things. I didn't take as many pictures as I'd planned, mostly because I was so busy drinking everything in. We ate like hogs, we walked like mules, and had a wonderful time exploring different neighborhoods and meeting up with a Chilean second cousin of mine who now lives in the city with his Spanish wife of Swedish origin, as well as dining with a family friend of mine. It was magical. I did not take a single outfit photo. The only photograph of the trip in which I appear is a hideous self-portrait that my husband and I took of ourselves in front of the Palacio Real.

I was actually very proud of my packing skillz for this trip: I took two pairs of shoes (the grey booties and the cognac Steve Madden Intyces), two pairs of leggings (one black and one blue jegging), three dresses, two pairs of tights, one cardigan, a couple of tops, and one light jacket. My husband was the bigger diva in terms of packing because he had to look purty for the world premieres he had last weekend in Philly (!!! It was so wonderful!) and New York.

That being said, our suitcase was pretty full when we left the US for Spain. Good thing my new carry-on bag is ENORMOUS:

Oh, hey! Remember this guy that I ordered from CSN Stores way back in the day? Well, it came almost as soon as I ordered it, but I used it for the first time on this trip, and oh boy, did I stuff it. Since I had the luxury of not taking my computer, which is rare for me, I filled it with books and magazines and my camera and iPod and two cell phones (one for the US, one for Europe) and my wallet and... You get the picture. It worked beautifully, but my one complaint is that I wish either the handles were longer or that there were an extra longer strap, because it was often too heavy to carry around in my hand or on my forearm. Other than that, though, I'm very pleased with the bag and undoubtedly rate it a √+. 

So because our carry-ons and one suitcase were topped to the brim upon arriving in Spain, I'd decided that whatever souvenirs I bought (and was bought - my husband and I decided to get our anniversary gifts for each other on this trip) had to be small and portable. I was angling for jewelry, as it's something I always love and it would travel on my carry-on. However, the famous specialty boutique windows that I browsed were disappointing and I realized that I'd have to look elsewhere for an anniversary gift. 

Until we saw the window of this store. As we walked by on Wednesday afternoon after an enormous lunch with my cousin, we saw a beautiful grey and maroon cape/wrap. The store was, unfortunately, closed, but my husband insisted on going back later so that he could buy me that exact cape. I saw the price of the cape online and balked, but the Greek insisted, and on Friday evening, I became the proud owner of a grey (with maroon border) "Paseo" model. Here I am trying it on today, looking less than chic:

AMAZING! Although I do need some work on the draping angle (never my strong suit, even with something more lightweight, like a dupatta). The cape is essentially a ginormous wrap with two flaps, which you can fling around your neck in a dramatic fashion while putting it on. If you don't fling either of the flaps around your neck, you just have a standard Dracula-esque cape. I'm gonna work on draping it a little more efficiently so that I won't entangle anyone on the streets of Boston (the only time I've been happy to come home to cold weather!). But in the meantime, the profile is pleasingly pared down:

Love. It's ridiculously warm (85% wool) and beautifully made. I'm going to treasure it for a long, long time.

Well, so that threw a dent into our packing strategies, but not too badly. The next day, we wandered over to the Salvador Bachiller store on Gran Vía and I bought my husband two beautiful leather items: an iPad case and a laptop case. I can't photograph them because both are at work with him. However, as we were returning to our hotel that evening, I asked to go down Arenal street, because I'd seen some cool shoes the night before in a store near our hotel. Well, one thing led to another and I also ended up being bought these:

You guys, light blue boots! Can you believe it? The store had a bunch of boots in different pastels, including a dusty rose color, which was nice. But I, of course, gravitated to the more turquoisey colors. The three pairs of boots they had in this color were: high lace-ups, motorcycle-like ones (like the Frye Veronica Slouches or the Fluevog Radio collection), and short lace-ups. I originally was gonna go for the high lace-ups, but the short ones were in front of me and once I tried them on, I was in love (It didn't hurt that I saw a gorgeous madrileña wearing short lace-up boots [not blue] on the metro the night before and immediately coveted my own version). So in they went.

So it's not jewelry, but I'm pretty happy with my Madrid souvenirs: light blue boots and an amazing cape.

I tried to notice what people were wearing, too, and enjoyed observing both natives and tourists. Europeans (I saw this on our flights to and from Zurich, too) seem to be less afraid of color and I saw a lot of people - both men and women - wearing fantastically colored glasses, for example. It made me sad not to have packed my blue Warby Parkers. OTK boots are big right now too and I also regretted not packing my own (how SICK are they gonna look with that cape?!). Overall I felt as if I dressed in more dark/subdued colors than other women my age - many had colorful coats and bags, if not accessories or shoes. And everyone of all ages was wearing boots, making me happy to have only packed those.

So, YEAH, people, I'm BACK! I'm happy to be here - although I could've done with another week in Spain, to be honest - and excited to be on track with all of your lives. 

Dreaming of travel

Guys, I'm out of the groove. I was too lazy today and yesterday to take pictures of my outfits - plus, all you would've seen was black, grey, and more black and grey. AWESOME. I'm stressing about my interview next week and trying not to stress about that by thinking instead about my trip to Spain in a little over five weeks.

... On that note, the folks at CSN Stores - purveyors of everything from office furniture to stuffed animals (trust me, I've combed through their selection) - have offered me another gift certificate in exchange for a review and I'm very much thinking of spending it on this guy:

[picture of Pan Am Originals Explorer Bag from the CSN site]

This bag is supposed to hold everything for a weekend getaway, or perform as a decent-sized carry-on bag for an intercontinental flight. 

Plus, it's not hipster posing if you've actually flown (and gotten some of your stuff stolen while on) a Pan Am flight, am I right?

Good weekend, y'all!

Treasures from my closet [and I need YOUR help!]

People, I am so, so tired. Today I've done nothing for myself at all (gym - which, sorry to say, despite being an almost nine-year-old habit is still not something I always love doing; errands with my dad; library for hours) until just now, sitting down on the couch after a handful (or two) of chips and getting to catch up on some favorite blogs and update my own. In a couple of hours, I'll be having gluten-free mac and cheese with a college friend and that will probably be the high point of my day.

... I'm looking forward to returning to Massachusetts, people, what's wrong with me?!

Anyway, on this trip, because my parents have been on my ass about getting rid of extraneous stuff around the house (you mean your parents' home isn't, like, an extra house where you can store your crap?), I've been super aware of clothes and books and objects I'm taking back to my home in Cambridge. Some things I knew I wanted to take home...others? Not so much.

Take this, for example:

I bought this midsize purple leather handbag in a boutique in Old City, in Philadelphia, in the summer of 2005, almost a year before meeting my husband, and about two years before actually moving to Old City with him. I loved it on the spot and it'd been my favorite purse for years. For some reason, I left it in NYC and for some reason didn't bring it with me on any of my subsequent trips. Upon seeing it this time, I decided that the time had come and it's now snugly packed in my suitcase.

How about this, though?

People, this is a November of 1965 Tiger Beat magazine, with such breathless articles as "Elvis Presley's Secret Life!", "Sonny & Cher: Sweetest Love Story of the Rock Age", and "Loves & Hates of the Beatles!" I have no idea what it was doing on my dresser. Someone must've bought it for me, I guess. But...who? And where did it come from? I've decided that it's another iteration of La Historiadora de Moda's mysterious Wang stork, only this one leaves exciting 60s paraphernalia instead of designer sunglasses. You bet your asses that that magazine's coming home with me.

Now, on to the clothes. I don't really have many opportunities to dress up in Boston, but if my parents want to make room, why not jump at the chance and take some dresses back to New England (and find an excuse to wear them?)? Before I go on, though, let me show you the raw materials of what we're working with:

Babe, am I right? Yup, this is how I tend to dress when I'm at home: enormously oversized cotton pants and an old, faded, oddly-shaped t-shirt. I'm too sexy for my pants, y'all.

Anyway, on to some dresses. First off, the crazy dots:

My mom and I went into Saks Fifth Avenue some years ago (maybe also the summer of 2005? It was a good year for me, apparently) to use their restroom. We saw this dress hanging on a rack and homed in immediately on it (my mother adores polka dots). I tried it on and it was mine. I've worn it very rarely - a fancy dinner once, a wedding another time, and...that might actually be it. Embarrassing. Oh, no! There was an Easter in there somewhere. I love the old-timey silhouette and the thin white belt: I used to not really like the belt, but now I'm a big fan and wouldn't wear the dress without it. The season (and my social life) is against this dress for the moment, but it'll definitely add some spice to my closet and make me more excited for parties where I can really dress up: this is definitely an adult party dress.

Now for something more classic:

I improved my Barbie-arm pose

This dress was also bought at Saks by my mom, along with this skirt: what can I say? We're New Yorkers; we like black. Anyway. Nice, right? It's another garment that I've rarely worn [the only thing that comes to mind is one of my husband's concerts], but it's suitable for most seasons and it's always good to have a classy black dress in the closet, no?

Now comes the part where I need y'all's help. This dress:

This dress was my mother's, back in the 70s. I used to wear it to some things when I was younger and slimmer and now it juuuuuuuust fits. I love the shape and the fabric (linen) and I can foresee some adorable outfits with it. But look at that pouch that appeared right at gut-level: I didn't realize that was happening until I saw the photographs. [There are pockets there, so that has something to do with the puckering, I think] Anyways, it's a little too tight and therefore hard to get on/off, but I...want to fit into it again. However, is it worth it? Will it just make me feel bad about myself when I see it in my closet and struggle into it, pretending that I still Got It? Is it even flattering at this point? Should I wait until I have more space in my suitcase? Should I invest in Spanx? Whoah, sorry, I don't know where that came from. Anyways, gentle readers, this is where you come in: could you tell me if I should take this dress back home with me now or leave it in NYC for later? Please be kind in your comments. 

Whew! Lots of outfits and photos! Oh, you want a fun fact? I got married in those shoes, along with this dress. They'll be staying in New York because right now books trump shoes in my suitcase.

So, go on! Tell me what to do!

What's in my bag?

So today happens to be the birthday of fabulous blogger Hillary. You might've noticed that I have her link up on my list of blogs where I spend way too much time. I've been a big fan of hers for some years now: if you haven't read her blog, you're totally missing out: she's funny, has a fantastic sense of style, and has some seriously awesome make-up. Well, for her birthday, she's asked her readers to tell us what's in our bags. So here goes...

This is the last bag I took out (Saturday was the last day I actually left the house with a real purse and not, say, a gym bag):

This is one of my favorite bags: it's from the Gap and made of genuine leather. It's comfy, chic, and big enough to fit my laptop. It has a few pockets inside and a handy outside pocket. What I usually take with me in my purse are:

1. my red Moleskine notebook. I'm not a creative person who needs to chronicle her hopes and dreams in a fashionable Moleskine, but I fell in love with this red one and I use it for notes on the go, not to mention library call numbers. Hey, it's even had a snippet of poetry in it!
2. my pink Filofax. I've been hauling a Filofax around with a huge weekly calendar / all my addresses / note paper, etc. since I was in high school. My husband bought me this pink one in April of 2009 in order to make me feel better about my Orthodox conversion (he needs to bribe me every time I go near a church)
3. my leather wallet. From Argentina, a gift from my mom
4. my green cell phone
5. my keys
6. my pink Estée Lauder make-up bag which always holds: lip balm, my green eyeliner, a mirror, a small brush, a comb, and concealer from 1999 which I've not used in a "concealer emergency" since about 1999 (high school) and not since, but that I can't bring myself to throw out. It also holds emergency painkillers

Depending on whether or not I'm schlepping across town and/or going somewhere where I'll need to wait, my bag also sometimes holds these:

My iPod if I'll be walking a lot (I like to walk to music) and a book if I'll be taking a long subway ride or will need to go somewhere with lots of waiting (doctor's office, jury duty, DMV, etc...).

Although I didn't show it, this particular purse always has a pen in it. And now that I tutor regularly, I make sure to always pack a pen if I'm not toting this bag. Depending on the outing, this bag also may hold my camera. And lots of odds and ends: old receipts, bits of paper, etc.

And that's my bag! What's in yours? Happy birthday, Hillary!

How I wore it: semi-professional life

After a surprisingly leisurely morning and afternoon (I was supposed to have dissertated some more, but ended up going for a run quite late after Amalía's first vet check-up), I headed to downtown Boston for my new regular gig: I'm going to be tutoring a little girl in Spanish; she's a student from the school at which I worked last year. It'll be nice to take a quick breath away from my Ph.D. work (although this week has been more about long sighs away...), interact with a student, and hang out with a cute little kid - it'll also be nice to have an excuse to get out of the house and wear something cute: yay for mascara!

Anyway, eager to be seen in pants by her family for the first time, I decided on my favorite grey jeans with a trusty red shirt and ... hey, hey, matching time! Red shoes, too:

The look was simple and classic for me. When I asked my husband for his expert style analysis, he said "You look like a very chic academic taking time off to do some tutoring." Well, okay. I didn't realize I was going for quite so literal a look, but that's what you get for asking a jet-lagged male to opine about your outfit.

Today I débuted my grey Greek handbag. It is indeed as enormous as I predicted and held two big books, legal pad, Filofax, wallet, cell phone, Moleskine, pen, make-up case, and allergy meds for my husband with room to spare. I wanted to show it off hanging oh-so-jauntily from my forearm like a sullen Fashion Babe:

Do I look blasé enough? God, that thing is huge. I've always wanted a big purse like that, dripping with handles, so I'm very psyched about it. I hope no one finds out that I bought it for €48!

Red top: from Tony's, a boutique in Philadelphia's Old City, remixed
Grey jeans: Bulldog by Urban Outfitters, remixed
Red wedges: CL by Laundry, by way of DSW, remixed
Grey bag: from a boutique (Dressing Room?) on Adrianou Street(?) in Monastiraki, Athens

Neutrals with a pop of color

Last day of August, eh? I'm usually all for the summer staying around forever, but I have to admit - now that I'm not working - I won't mind cooler temperatures: I want to wear my boots! Oh and my Fluevog yellow boots arrived today, a couple of hours ago, and they're awesome. I can't wait to trot them out.

Anyway...today I decided to go all out with the matchy-matchy and match my outfit to my bag: both the neutrals and the color. As you all have realized, I'm a big fan of the black + turquoise color combo. So today I decided to have those be the only colors on my body. I knew I'd have to include my sandals...but what about the bag? Do I actually own a bag that has both black and turquoise?

The answer is yes:

Meet my only other John Fluevog object. This was my husband's present to me last Christmas. I heart this bag, y'all: it looks kind of like an old-fashioned doctor's bag, with the shiny black leather, but it has those gorgeous little stitching details and, of course, the turquoise zipper.

The inside is also very pretty:

Turquoise also!! The bag fits a lot of stuff, although, alas not my laptop (which was the main reason for which we bought it) - on the bright side, though, I took it to work extremely often since Christmas and it fit all of my files and folders, even when I was bringing home all of my classes' folders on Fridays and before holidays.

Since I'd missed this bag, I knew I wanted to wear it, with the sandals, and the rest of the color combo, and an idea was born:

So I put on some old black clothes, slugged on some turquoise jewelry, and went with an "all-in-black with a pop of turquoise" look (what?! That's a thing, isn't it?).

                                                   (me + how I wear my bag)

I matched divinely to myself. I also color-coordinated with this young lady:

Meet Amalía! The newest member of our household is a pretty fashionable girl, also rocking the neutrals (black, white) with a pop of color (yellow eyes). I've wanted a cat for over twenty years; my husband and I wanted to adopt since we got engaged; we went into Boston's Animal Rescue League on Sunday "just to look" and we fell in love with this girl and brought her home today. Pretty girl, huh?

I hope she enjoys posing artistically. She's definitely got the chops for it.

Black + turquoise bag: John Fluevog
Black tank: H&M, remixed
Black skirt: H&M
Turquoise sandals: Nine West Athens, remixed
Turquoise pendant: Macy's, remixed
Turquoise earrings: Banana Republic, remixed
Cat: MINE!

A paean to my summer bag

So y'all have seen the pretty leather bags I bought in Athens this summer. I wore the pink one out and about quite often, but not the grey one: I'm saving that for the States. However, what about my everyday bag? The one that I used every single day last summer, for three straight months, and then used almost every day again for six weeks this summer?

Here it is:

Not bad, eh? Especially for being free! Yup, I got a coupon from DSW offering me a free handbag with purchase. I went for it and here it is! It's not exactly noteworthy, but I figured it was free and it would work for the summer.

How right I was. I love the simplicity of the tobacco leather with the off-white linen. It really does go with every single summer outfit. It's also deceptively roomy, fitting in my usual purse necessities (Filofax, cell phone, make-up case, wallet, odds and ends), as well as my camera for sightseeing. I left it in Greece last August and I will do the same thing tomorrow morning. It's a nice little bag to come "home" to and it's especially fun to clean out the débris each time I return to Athens (metro tickets, etc.).

Godspeed, free DSW purse -- and see y'all on the other side!

How I wore it: it doesn't count if you don't photograph it

Geia sas, paidia!

Today I spent the majority of my day in my nightshirt, screwing away at more IKEA products (oh, after furniture shopping, it took a week to get delivery because of a truckers' strike: live your myth in Greece!), but we had to hurry up and get dressed and pretty in the afternoon, because my little sister-in-law returned home to Athens after a few months abroad. So I pulled on a dress I've worn before:

(complete with new shoes and bag!)

I have a secret to tell: I wore this exact same outfit (including jewelry, although I styled my hair differently) on Monday, two days ago. We went out for a long walk on a beautiful marina and I wore this exact same dress, with this exact same bag, with these exact same shoes, with the exact same...well, you get the picture. However, I didn't photograph it, so what better chance to do so than today, when I got all dolled up only for a few hours?

I actually wanted to tell a "color story" with this outfit. Obviously, with a light blue dress, I wanted to bust out the turquoise sandals. However, wearing turquoise jewelry with all of this would've been a little too much, no? So I wore my old favorite carnelian set and added on my pink ruby ring. The ring (and, in today's version, the hairband) went nicely with my new pink bag. Ta-da! Lots of colors, not too clown-like!

Here's a closer look at the important jewelry of the day:

Amazing. Also, I still can't get over how much I love that damn ring.

In the airport, I picked up a new friend:

Yup, a stuffed basset hound. Yes, you've seen a picture of me with a stuffed octopus in the past. Yes, I LOVE stuffed animals (my favorite, of course, being a fifteen-dollar walrus that I ordered through Amazon last year). And, yes, I shelled out almost fifty euros to buy a commemorative souvenir basset hound from the Eleftherios Venizelos airport. His name is Hector. What of it? The guy at the counter asked me how old I was. He guessed twenty-two, but I decided not to tell him that I'd be twenty-nine in a couple of days and that this was a present to myself...

(see what I did there?)

I still feel the hot flashes of age-inappropriate shame.

Hairband: CVS, remixed
Blue dress: Ann Taylor Loft, remixed
Turquoise sandals: Nine West, remixed
Pink bag: Nine West
Carnelian jewelry [necklace and earrings]: gift from my husband's family, from the store Byzantino in Athens, remixed
Pink ruby ring: gift from my husband from a jewelry store in Hamburg, remixed

FINALLY!

So I've tried to go shopping about three times in Athens so far this vacation and ... nothing. Mystery novels, conditioner, and moisturizer had been the only things I'd bought so far. Fun sandals to replace the silver ones? No. Cool European bohemian maxi-dress? No. JEWELRY? No (but let's hold out some hope for that, because there are only eight more shopping days until my birthday). I mean, I won't be working next year, but the Greek economy is in the crapper, I have more money saved up than usual ... I'm practically THROWING my hard-earned euros at storeowners. Alas... I had decided to just stop looking for anything until today: I made three purchases!

First off, while walking (and walking, and walking), we passed by my favorite Athenian street (Ermou) and ended up at Nine West. Oh, look, turquoise sandals! I love turquoise! Bam!

I know, right? They're like walking on a cushion. That is my new favorite color. That goes with my jewelry. And my skirt. Just like that, I decided to renounce all sandals (even the gladiators!) and leave them in Athens just so I could bring home these beauties to the States. I'm that fickle. But look!

I will probably be wearing them tomorrow. And for the rest of my life. 

Upon deciding to take them, the saleslady informed us that if we got one other item, like a bag, we'd get 10% off the purchase. Never being ones to shy away from a challenge, both my husband and I zoomed in on an adorable salmon/pink handbag. BAM!

(it's less pink and fluorescent than it looks in this picture)

Cute, right? I've never brought it up on this blog, because it's a little too painful, but I love handbags. When I lived in Philadelphia, I had a million pouring out of my closet. When I moved in with my husband, I bought a new closet mostly to house my handbags. When I moved everything to New York, I was "the teacher with the cool bags" (at least, so I imagined it). Then I moved to Boston, where I have about three purses on rotation. Only one of them is big enough to hold my laptop. Another is my first and only designer handbag (Fluevog!) and it's gorgeous, black with turquoise trim (...what?), the third is a small, lady-like purse. Anyways, I like huge bags, the bigger the better, but I'm very excited to add this girly one to the rotation. It will be coming home with me. While I was staging this very official photo shoot in our upstairs bathroom, I opened it for the first time, and look:

An extra little purse and leopard lining!

As we skipped on to Monastiraki, I felt kind of bad for asking my husband to stop by another handbag store, as he had just generously bought me a pink handbag (yup, he paid for my stuff). He said that it was worth checking out and I prattled on and on about how the Holy Grail of handbags for me would be a nice grey leather one (just as it was for boots). I had a grey handbag for about two hours: I bought it with my grey leather booties from Aldo, but after a couple of months of very little use (also quite small), its zipper stopped working and I chucked it. So we get to this cool store and...well, call me Galahad:

Enormous? Check. Grey? Check. Different handle situations (including that one in the middle with the three ridges that I'm not quite sure how it works)? Check. Big enough to carry my computer? Along with the majority of my closet? Check and then some! Super on sale? CHECK!

I'm a rock star.