#handbags Archives - Northern California Style

Hello how are you all? Well sorry for the break here. I was just in a bit of a funk. I broke my right small toe by kicking it on furniture of all things, and what a pain. It’s essentially stopped all my active things which is a real bummer given spring is coming and I was hoping to get more toned after this pandemic winter. I’m trying floor workouts, but have had time for a closet cleaning too.

That closet clean got my wheels spinning. All of us having spent a large part of the past year at home, a lot of us have completely ignored 90% of our clothes. I think that gives us pause to reconsider what we wear, what we like and what we will wear going forward. Do we need restricting and uncomfortable clothes? Even if we get done with this pandemic this year, I don’t see skinny jeans and high heels coming back. So many of us have found the joys of relaxed pants, cute sneakers and slides and less formal clothes in general don’t you agree? Also some things are just about to be over in my opinion and high heels are on the way out. Watching the fashion at the inauguration I marveled how many still wore sky high stilettos with their beautiful coats. WHY ? They look dated, and make most women hobble. SO many cooler options now. We really don’t need them!

You know what else looks dated to me? A lot of makeup, overdone nails, fussy hair and you know what is current? Natural makeup, some roots in the hair, clothes that are a combo of relaxed and elegant- hence the sweat and blazer combo, sneakers with a dress, and so on. Think your home look, but just buffed up and polished a bit more..

I just listened to a piece on public radio talking to women who before the pandemic, were slaves to the daily routine of makeup, blow drying, nail appointments and all that and they feel freed of it all! Others have dropped the daily face makeup routine with the mask wearing. Why not a lot less?

On that note, of needing less… sadly my online shopping radar has naturally had a bit of an uptick sitting with my foot up, and I’ve scoped out a lot of cute things Retailers have realized people have no ‘events’ and what people want/need now are beautiful basics. I haven’t wanted to buy much this past year, given our ‘lifestyle’ is 99.9% staycation, but I went through the closet, pared things a bit and noticed I could add some pieces in the easy living category. :/

All of these below qualify as beautiful basics in my opinion.

J. Crew has finally gone back to its classic roots. I used to adore their catalogs in the early 2000’s and they have brought back the beautiful basics… Some things I would add to my wardrobe below, many of these things are on the 59% off sale this weekend!

I adore this eyelet blouse I can wear now and through summer. This silk camisole is also on sale and perfect for under these kind of blouses or for sleeping in.

I’m crazy for the tennis themed things they have and this Love Forty sweatshirt is on the sale.

This Petunia print Liberty floral button up is also beautiful. Anything from Liberty always is, and on sale, even nicer. There are matching swimsuits in this print called Mini-Floral Walk also! How fun to have this as a light coverup over it?

They have really done a super job of styling their cashmere pieces together and I love the shells with the sweaters half over the shoulder, the layered look with the new slouchier Boyfriend White Jeans they carry and this cashmere T.. all springy and classic. See all the cashmere from them here.

Also how cool are these Slouchy Boyfriend Chinos? After spending a year in the home in soft pants, the last thing I want is to go back to tight pants. I love the look of these and rolled up two ankle look could also be cute. Again a classic!

Love them with a white sneaker or something like these thin leather flip-flops. They also look cute as shown with the white denim above .

Isn’t the color great on these retro sunglasses?

Another retailer that keeps making pretty things is Tory Burch. I love her Lee Radziwell bags of all styles. The small cross bodies seem to be the easy bag to have now. I am really loving the mix of materials on them and colors. Each one is so unique..This suede/leather mix petite double is pretty and has a cross-body strap..

But then there are so many versions, all beautiful. I think she’s created a classic with it. A few of the many Radiziwell styles below. They remind me of the Birkin/Kelly bag without the outrageous prices. Still not cheap, but reasonable for the quality. Quality is the goal- longevity, classic looks, etc. There’s about 30 styles..Just a few below.

They also came out with this darling Printed Tote for summer -very cute.

Tory just came out with her own version of Birks and they are all the prettiest colors..

I have also been eyeing this swingy short dress which would go easily with slides and sneakers. I think you’re going to see more and more tunic dresses like this. They are versatile, comfortable and can be worn over jeans for an arty everyday look or dressed up.

I don’t know why I am obsessed with slides, but maybe laziness. They are just so easy. Tory’s Double T Sport Slides come in a pretty tan and off white, but I do love this black..

All my Tory shoes have lasted so long. Beautifully made!

Have you noticed the comeback of the 90’s polo style in sweaters? I love that look like this cardigan from Madewell. I like the Chanel pocket shape and the jacket look, but with knitwear ease. Would be pretty alone – or with a thin t-shirt and some long necklaces? Another classic.

I also like the sneakers Madewell has including these cute Veja ones in pink. If we are getting away from heels and all that we all need more sneakers in our closets!

Veja sneakers originate from Paris, but are made in Brazil from sustainable materials, including soles constructed of wild rubber from the Amazonian rain forest. I love all the Veja styles and they’re just as cute -sustainable and more affordable than the Golden Goose.

On my retail deep dive I just ordered this phone case from St Frank. I like the quality of their cases and this will be my third. Their other items I can’t speak for as I had some issues with delivery, and they never came, but the phone cases have come on time and been excellent.

They have many cool cases made off their textiles…A few others:

If you need some light and fun reading, this book, Long Live The Queen:23 Rules for Living From Britain’s Longest-Reigning Monarch looks pretty entertaining. Great lessons on resiliency, living with grace and simplicity using the Queen’s own habits and methods.

I’m in!

Another fun thing, I was reading Jeanne’s great blog, Collage of Life, and she shared she made a book of all her Instagram posts of the past year on a site called Pastbook. Its fast, made for you, instantly, and you can customize cover or remove a post. I just did the quick version, and edited the cover and added a back cover photo too. It came in a few days and is kind of a nice memory of the past year (okay a lot of home photos- LOL). I love seeing all the photos in a bound in a real book. Would be a nice gift for someone too. A glimpse of mine…

Let me know below your thoughts on all this wardrobe stuff.. Is anyone else feeling the same about their clothes and what they want to wear or don’t anymore?

So what are your weekend plans for this time of year? I think picnics in the car at a scenic spot are a good thing right now. My guys are off to ski and so I have time to do some masks, binge a few shows like Escape to the Chateau, and finish a book or two.

That is all for this week.. I am working on page about cabin style and a few other things relating to the remodel to add to the blog, so stay tuned.

If you missed it I just shared a walk through video of the entry and main rooms of our remodel on my Instagram this week and you can watch here.