Working from home attire is pretty much leather leggings, loafers, and an oversized knit. If I happen to venture outside the house I reach for my Mansur Gavriel bucket and suddenly feel properly dressed up to see other humans long enough to hold basic conversations like, "A small coffee with room, please."
Weekend Muse: The Posternaks
Zhenya and Tanya Posternaks are the photographer and twin duo behind the crazy beautiful instagram accounts @zposternak and @tposternak. Their photos have a dreamy quality to them, opting for grainy nostalgic finishes rather than super crisp saturation. They make the mundane beautiful and have inspired me to look at more interesting and creative ways to compose a shot. Follow them immediately. Or don't and regret it.
Black and Tan Mansur Gavriel
To the right you'll see the black mini bucket bag I've owned for the past six months or so with not an ounce of buyer's remorse. To the left you'll see my new butterscotch brown mini bucket bag I've decided to keep after a week of deliberation between this mini brown one or the ballerina bucket.
That means I'm selling my black ballerina bucket bag. Here's the kicker though, I'm selling it without the black pouch inside. The bag is still absolutely beautiful and completely brand new (with a pink box!), but the little Mansur pouch that comes in side the large one is so practical and genius that I really want to have it for when I tote along small things in bigger bags. So if anyone happens to be reading this before I post the official listing on my tictail shop, feel free to email me at hey1204@gmail.com to chat purchase details.
Merry Christmas!
Polka Dot Details
Vivetta dress (worn underneath a WAYNE dress) *old | MANSUR GAVRIEL mini bucket bag | TARGET polka dot cardigan | MARC JACOBS heels *old
Weekday Muse: Girl a la Mode
Charlie is probably one the best at a highly edited, creative, monochrome wardrobe. Follow Girl a la Mode
Jil Sander
What better argument against an all-black wardrobe than the tempting Jil Sander S/S 2015 collection.
Painterly
Return of the Mack
I know what you think: This bag is frivolous and completely unnecessary, not to mention expensive — and I agree with you. But for some reason owning this bag, in this combination, was so important for my personal style that I was willing to part with other pretty things from my closet in order to afford it more readily.
Why? Because I wanted to own a bag that was special, dammit. I'm a city-dwelling girl and I like pretty things. and as much as I want to be this minimalist person that eschews labels and logos in favor of homegrown pretty things, I can't deny the desire for pretty designer things. Yup, I own a sea of totes now in a variety of sizes (more on this later) which are super perfect for work and practical errands, but I wanted something more dressy and frankly a little more desirable for when I don't carry a laptop. I wanted something renown for its design and recognizable, but I was definitely unwilling to pay for the price of a Céline trapeze or Chanel Boy bags, and I was really tired of spending $80-$150 on Zara bags that give out after a few months. (Disclaimer: There's nothing wrong with owning any of those "it" bags, I just don't think I could deal with the fact that $3,000 will be forever in one bag. A purse. A leather thing I put on the bathroom floor of bars when the hook is broken. That's not to say that if I had the means to get one without breaking the bank in the process I wouldn't do it in the future.)
So why the Mansur Gavriel mini bucket?
Because I already owned the Mansur Gavriel large bucket bag for about a week before realizing I wanted it to be smaller and black. So shoot me if I jumped at it the second I saw it in stock at Pourporter. I have no regrets so far, though I will have to modify my fall purchases now in lieu of this trendy splurge. But hey, as you have seen when I'm over an item it's basically yours for the taking on my Tictail shop.
Update: The Guide to Everlane's Big Black Sack (AKA The Petra Portfolio)
UPDATE:
So I can see that this post is trending for the past couple weeks now, so how's about I give you all an update on the status of my owning said Petra Portfolio leather bag. Well, after 6 months of using this little baby in heavy rotation I can clearly say I'm a supremely satisfied customer. For the record, I use the Petra Portfolio to carry: my Macbook, The Goldfinch (huge 700 page hardcover and one of my favorite books ever now!), cell phone and charger, tiny makeup pouch mostly used to keep my migraine medication and a couple granola bars in, commuter shoes, Glasswear lunchbox. Let me be clear; that is not an easy amount of shit to tote about the city and the east bay 7 times a week.
I ended up having the bag straps reinforced knowing I would be carrying a lot of things all the time, which is a good thing because those adjustable snaps come undone easily when the bag is heavy. This can be easily done at any shoe repair shop. It cost me $15 in SF. What about the leather? I love that leather is soft and ages super super well. I'm actually so shocked my Petra looks as good as it does after such use. The leather is definitely not as delicate as it first seemed. Feel free to throw this bag around like the horse it is! JK, it's a beautiful pony. Any other downsides? Those little grommets are pretty useless. The corners of the bag wear out very easily because that's where most of the weight goes when you set it down. That's about it for downsides, which is why I'm such a satisfied customer. The bag has lived through so much abuse and looks beautiful still. My absolute favorite place to take the Petra Portfolio tote is the airport. The terms "personal item" and "carry-on limits" have never been so maximized here in this land that basically encourages people to push rules like this to the limit. This tote literally fits everything you'll ever want to have access to during a flight. (I'm using the word "literal" here because I need to underscore my honesty in describing its size) The Petra P even fits perfectly under the seat in front of you, so it helps you keep track of all your stuff because the bag's size is a reassuring feature that comforts you in knowing your important things are all in there somewhere.
If I had to suggest changes I'd say: Dear Everlane, please include more internal pockets and pouches. The Petra Portfolio is enormous and one time I dropped my keys in my bag and needed them in a hurry about a minute later and I couldn't find them and I became that girl who puts her entire bag down on the floor between her legs, crouches down, and proceeds to audibly grunt and dig like a dog with a bone for her keys. Also, fix those grommets. Love you, mean it, thanks!
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To say this leather tote is big is an understatement. I finally pulled the trigger on the Everlane Portfolio Petra bag after missing the boat a couple times and ending up on the waitlist. Why? Because I simply did not know if I needed the largest size. I thought I could just get away with the Market tote, but I know very well my life isn't as simple as place my wallet, phone, and laptop in the bag and go. There are the extra commuter shoes I carry, and the glassware of lunch and snacks I take with me (on a budget forever!), not to mention the zipper pouch of phone charger, lip gloss, compact mirror, and who knows what else that always end up in my purse. These facts complicated the seemingly simple task of buying an all purpose nice looking bag.
So my coworker Steph and I came up with a genius way of trying to figure out what would really fit inside it before ordering it: we taped out the dimensions of the Market tote and the Portfolio tote on an empty desk. To our surprise, the Portfolio wasn't really much larger depth-wise, or even width-wise in some parts of the tote, than the Market toteand the canvas tote. The extra width in the Portfolio tote really comes in handy when you have a ton of crap to haul home — which let's be real is all the time.
Is it heavy? Yes. When it's full, it pretty much sucks, but whose fault is that? I may reinforce the straps at some point, since there is a slight gap in stitching that kind of freaks me out when my full haul of nonsense is in it. Is it beautiful? Definitely. The leather is basically the anti-Mansur Gavriel, in that it is soft and a little structured at the same time. The slouch in the bag keeps it from getting too uncomfortable on your shoulder. Oh, and those grommets? Those are definitely a must, since when the bag is full you'll definitely want to put it down. What about when it's empty? It's pretty adorable empty. It's just large and slim. Is it worth the price? Listen, I purchased mine with all the credits on the planet I earned from Everlane the past 2 years with their in-house referral link program. So mine was in a sense "cheaper." I'd say I still would have paid the higher price, but Mansur Gavriel totes run along the same cost, so it comes down to your preference.
RewardStyle is being annoying, so here is a link to the bag. If you like what I'm saying and wouldn't mind me getting a commission on your purchase, click this one, friends: SHOP IT HERE