The Beloved Bermuda Bag

Who remembers Bermuda Bags?

They used to be considered a wardrobe staple in every "Preppy's" wardrobe,

but if you are a "true" preppy, it was...and still is a part of your handbag collection.

Back in the 1980's, deLanthe was the Bermuda Bag of choice, 

but when they became the rage, many other shops sold their own version of the Bermuda Bag.

Here is a vintage deLanthe...

Lilly Pulitzer also used to make Bermuda Bags...

my daughters have the adorable mini Bermuda Bags

(I am saving them for my granddaughters...that I do not have yet...lol)

I still have the original Bermuda Bag that I got in high school...

This is my bag...with my only summer cover.

These are the only other covers I have left....a red wool, a navy corduroy, and a quilted mini print.

I have been looking all over for additional covers...

Ebay....but no luck.

Etsy has them...but not what I am looking for.

I need some summer colors...like PINK...

and then I got an email from one of my favorite online shops,

The Pink Giraffe

and look what was featured in their email...

PERFECT!

You can buy the handles, which come with one cover,

or you can buy just the covers...and they will monogram for you!!!

They have many different cover colors and many monogram thread colors to choose from!

Sidenote....if you already have a Bermuda Bag, 

make sure you measure the distance between the buttons to make sure these covers will fit.

I have no affiliation with The Pink Giraffe

other than the fact that they have a

FABULOUS selection of classically preppy merchandise!

Who still has their Bermuda Bag?

Spring Longchamp Colors

I love the Medium Le Pliage Longchamp bags and usually get a new one every fall and spring, 

but the last couple of years they did not have any colors that I was thrilled with.

Well this spring they are making up for it and I may have to get two or three...

just in case they don't make good colors next year!

Here are my top three favorite colors...

Medium Le Pliage in Lagoon

Medium Le Pliage in Pink

Medium Le Pliage in Azure

It is going to be very hard to choose....what do you think?

Holiday Handbags

It's no secret that I have a love for handbags...

so here are a few festive bags that would be

great to carry during the Christmas season.

I LOVE this one...perfect for a Christmas cocktail party!

Another gorgeous bag....perfect for that little black dress!

Another classy clutch....can't go wrong with anything Ferragamo.

If you have a spare zillion dollars, this Judith Leiber bag is BLING!

Love the snowflake pattern....perfect for a black tie affair.

A cute bag to use everyday during the Christmas season!

Classy Kate Spade....another great bag you can use everyday.

I wish I could add one of these to my handbag collection....

I'm not going to....

but I WISH I could.

To find these bags, visit my Fabulous Bags Pintrest page.

Lucky Girl

So...you saw my post about brown handbags?

And you remember how I said I hope my Virginia mom was not reading?

She has an intervention planned if I purchase another bag.

Mom...stop...do not read any further.

 

 

So....the Marine Corps Exchange was having their BIG anniversary sale this weekend.

D needed some new sports shirts for work and they carry Brooks Brothers there,

so we decided to head over this morning and get a few.

 

We walked in and I got my "scratch off" extra saving coupon that could NOT be scratched off

until your purchases were rung up and then they would add the additional discount...

5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25%...

and my sweet and statistic-loving husband reminded me that 99% of them are only 5% off

 

On the way to men's clothing, sweet D detoured to this department....

 

 

 

And I was going with him until I saw THIS...

Notice the COACH 20% off.....

 

So I detoured to here...

 

And LOOK what I found....

 

It was the ONLY one of its kind in the entire Coach department...

and it retails for $298, sells for $237 and the Exchange...and was 20% off that price!

PLUS....I had my scratch off coupon.

Hmmmm.....I grabbed the bag and found my sweet husband,

who was still in the electronics department...

and casually "slipped" it into the basket.

 

My husband, who totally spoils me, probably rolled his eyes...

and ignored it.

Oddly, the last time we were at the Exchange,

a Navy blue Michael Kors bag "accidentally" fell into our basket

and found a new home in my closet.

 

Well...I was feeling major guilt because I NEED to finish several projects around the house...

and I did just get a new bed...

so I decided that if my scratch off coupon was for only 5% more off,

I would return the bag...I told D my plan.

 

My scratch off coupon was....additional 25% off!

(disregard hat hair from USNA football game today)

Love my new bag....

It ended up being more than half off and no sales tax!

Oh...and we did get D his shirts....all on sale with additional 25% off too.

BEST husband EVER

Guess who is not taking me with him to the Exchange again?

Good thing I can get in with my own military id.
 

 

Brown Bagging It

I hope my Virginia mom does not read this post....LOL.

I need (want) a brown handbag.

Believe it or not, I have never had a brown handbag...

unless you count Louis Vuitton...

but I am not counting that.

 

I am really not a "brown" person...

but last year I found myself wishing I had a brown handbag

to go with some weekend casual outfits.

 

So...here are a few that I have my eye on...

I love this Michael Kors tote but I already have the same one in navy blue.

 

I also love this Coach tote...I particularly like the hardware.

And who could say no to this Tory Burch handbag?

As much as I need (want) a brown handbag...
I have a bay window in my kitchen that needs a little board mounted scalloped valance...
So a brown handbag will remain on my wish list for now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Longing for a Longchamp

I have long loved the Longchamp Le Pliage,

and I used to get a new one every fall and spring.

 

Knowing my style, you can guess what colors I always choose...

I have one in bright pink, cherry red, sky blue, and a wedgewood blue.

Sadly, I have not been able to find a color that suits me for the last 18 months...

The past spring/summer collection was a big disappointment.

This is the pink one I have...LOVE it but it is too worn out to use anymore.

 

Now I know that there is a large population of women who are not Lilly Pulitzer loving,

pink and green wearing, preppy kind of ladies...

and I do think Longchamp should always offer a selection of earth tones to use as neutrals,

but WHERE are the bright fun colors?

The colors that make it fun to carry a Longchamp!

 

I took a field trip to Nordstrom's to check out the new fall colors....not excited.

Here is the current selection of colors for fall...

 

Black...basic but I would rather have dressier black tote.

Chocolate

Clay (light gray)

Cumin....can't say I like this at all...looks like a dirty yellow.

Deep Red....I have a cherry red already

Fuchsia....I don't know about you but I think PINK not PURPLE when I think fuchsia

Gunmetal....a charcoal gray...my #1 just got this color for fall.

Natural...looks like khaki

New navy...appears to be the same navy to me.

 

Slate...a brownish, greenish, gray...LOL

 

White....seriously?

 

So....nothing that is too inspiring to me for fall.

I would have loved to see a rich hunter green, a bright burgundy, or marine blue.

To view the Longchamp Le Pliage tote at Nordstrom's, see here.

 

Here's hoping they bring back the BRIGHTS!

 

 

 

 



The Kelly Bag - A Classic

As I have previously mentioned on my blog, I am a bag addict. There is one bag I have yet to add to my collection, and that is a Kelly Bag, named after Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco.

Grace Kelly, along with Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are all, in my opinion, fashion icons of their time. I find their style to be classic and timeless, and love to page through photographs of those lovely ladies.

 

Here is Grace Kelly carrying the bag that was named after her...

 

Here is her bag today...

This bag is a Hermes and retails for around $10,000....clearly this will not be finding its way into my closet, but I wanted to post a picture of the original.

Here is Chanel's version in black...still quite pricy at over $2000.

 

Louis Vuitton version of the Kelly Bag...again, quite pricy.

 

 

This version is Gucci...also with a pretty steep price tag.

 

Burberrys version....clearly I love expensive bags.

 

Here is a vintage Coach version of the Kelly Bag.

I LOVE this Ferragamo version...perfect for cocktail parties, luncheons, or even church.

 

As you can see, many different brands have copied the classic style of the original Kelly Bag. You can find reasonably priced "Kelly Bags" in every color imaginable at any department store, as well as TJ Maxx or Marshalls.

 

If I win the lottery, this ADORABLE Chanel would have to find its way to my closet...it's PINK!

 

All of these bags can be found on my Fabulous Bags Pintrest Board.

 

 

Do you have a Kelly Bag?