Big Girl Bags

I use this Longchamp tote currently and love it. It matches virtually everything I own, stands up well, and has survived 3+ years with minimal damage. It's a GREAT go-to bag.

The only problem is that it's not that professional when I go on interviews, practice interviews, networking meetings, business events, and other settings where you can't carry a pink purse! That has put me on the hunt for a new "professional" (aka "big girl") bag. Here are a few of my favorites:

This Dooney & Bourke bag fits the bill really well! I love the shape and the long handles allow you to schlep it over your shoulder when it gets really heavy. I also love the color!

I love the color combo of this one as well, but I'm not sure if it's as practical as the all over cognac.

This Kate Spade bag is more of a handbag, but I'm certain my laptop would fit in it easily. I LOVE the patent which really elevates the look and feel of the tote!

Satchels are too much fun! (I always think of "The Hangover" movie though!) This one in the reviews says that it's small, but it would match a ton of stuff that I have in my closet!

I always love a good quilted bag! I wish the hardwear was gold, but this Kate Spade bag would be great! Although on the pricier side of my spectrum, Kate Spade bags hold up wonderfully and would be a great investment piece for a young professional!

Last but not least, this Zac Posen bag is my ABSOLUTE favorite! It's definitely not going to be my first "big girl" bag, but it's easily on my lust-list! It has the look of a briefcase, but the feminine details make it look much more like a bag--plus it's classified as a "satchel" too!!

For my working girl followers, what do you use to tote around your daily items? What do your co-workers like best?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Paisley

April 17 by letsbepreppy featuring Jack Rogers shoes

My mom picked up these shorts for me at the J. Crew outlet not too long ago! I wore them for the first time and got so many compliments on them! The colors are a lot of orange, pink, gray and even some dark green in there too! I wasn't exactly sure what top to wear, but I ended up picking a gray silk blouse from J. Crew too that I love! I think it looked pretty good together!

Other than Lilly Callahan shorts, I pretty much live in J. Crew chino shorts! Whether they're printed chinos like these, critter shorts like my anchor ones, or even the solid colors, I'm a big J. Crew shorts fan!

What about you? Do you wear J. Crew shorts? What inseam works best for your summer or shape?

xxKatie

FavoREDs

I've always been a big red fan, but having a shade of red has made my collection expand a good bit! Here are a few of my favoREDs:

My red Longchamp from our New York trip!

Red Starbursts! I do love pink too, so it's a tie, but I figured it would make a fun feautre!

The song AND the cups!

Helly Hansen, obviously!

OPI's Big Apple Red

Are you a red fan? What's your favorite red item?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Traveling North

August 1 by letsbepreppy featuring tote hand bags

This was my traveling outfit for my flight up North on Monday! I hate traveling sloppily and I wanted to be warm in the morning when it was still dark out! Dad and I left SUPER early Monday morning and it's always chilly in the morning and on airplanes so I wanted to be prepared!

I wore Jacks because I'm most comfortable in them. They're easy to take on and off at different security checkpoints and look better than regular flip flops! I donned my gold ones because they match the little bits of lurex in the Karen top and it really pops!

In an attempt to travel light, I'm not checking a bag, but instead carrying on a big duffle and my purse tucked into a medium duffle. I'm a HUGE packrat and I like to have options so I always always always over pack!

Anyone else out there a heavy packer? ...Hopefully this trip I did better!!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Pink & Black

Typically whenever I think of pink and black together, visions of teenage girls in punk rock outfits comes right to mind. Claire's baubles, shiny plastic and ripped jeans--all of which should be left in the stores--flood my outfit making mind, anyone else?

I rarely pair pink and black together in the summer. Heck, I rarely wear black in the summer (minus swimwear) because it gets so hot! A few days ago though, I wore a new J. Crew outlet skirt that I got awhile back (see here) with my Lilly Wynne top! I typically will wear my Wynne the one-shoulder way (Tip: in your Wynne, slip your arm through the smaller side, the ruffles fall just so as to "shut" over the arm hole!! Voila, a new one-shoulder top!!).

July 24 by letsbepreppy featuring a folding tote bag

I toned down the pink and black with fun pink McKims and my white top!

I would totally wear this skirt in the fall and winter with tights and a different warmer top! I really like it and when I initially bought it I wasn't positive how to wear it! I'm glad I've found at least one alternative way to tone down the colors!

Do you ever get confused with some of your purchases? Do you ever find them downright hard to match things with?

I sure hope I'm not alone!!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Shagging Class Choices

January 24 by letsbepreppy featuring handcrafted jewelry

This was the outfit I wore to shagging! My shirt was a little different, but the color and sleeveless style from J. Crew was spot on! My shirt had a big rosette instead of the ruffles, but you get the idea. Our room was so warm that I can't imagine ever wearing anything besides sleeveless or MAYBE a cardigan. Anyway, it was super functional and the dress "code" was a pretty big range. A few of the sorority girls came in like 80's workout gear which looked a little out of place, but their leggings and t-shirts were comfortable for our "workout" type parts of class. Boys had all kinds of clothes on, but the most popular outfit of choice was a t-shirt and khakis with legal shoes (which ended up being, for most of us, socks). I had SO much fun and I can't wait to go back! I'm really looking forward to starting some of the harder moves and one of my close friends is pretty much a shag expert who even teaches at a local Jillian's! Depending on the weather and other variables Monday, I'll probably end up in a similar outfit!

xxKatie

Sidebags/Crossbodies

So another "all the rage" item on campus that I'm seeing is the sidebag. Or that's what I'm calling it. I think the proper name is the "Crossbody" bag. Anyway, they seem to be everywhere. I've seen them going out and at football games, both of which seem like great places to be able to be hands-free. I'm thinking they're the new version of wristlets. Here are a few popular styles:

I love this Dooney and Bourke one! This pink shade is actually on sale for $32.25. I may have to treat myself to this after payday next week! The pink is too much fun and I know I would use it often!

This khaki shade is super versatile! I may try this instead since it's also on sale!

D&B but not on sale! Too bad!

I've seen the Garnet choice a lot too! It's cute too, but I think I'd only use this at football games and it wouldn't match too many of my outfits if I was going out.

This is a Kate Spade version of the Crossbody. It's very cute, but MUCH more glamorous! Maybe for a special event!

Marc Jacobs...oh so luxe! Look at that quilted leather and the fabulous pink color!!

How do we feel about the Crossbody? Is it the new Le Pliage? Should I snatch up a D&B one for myself while the fun color is still on sale??

xxKatie

Summer Tote Choices

So there are tons of occasions during the summer for travel: Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends, beach trips, the Fourth of July, going out at night, and just bags to have! Here are my "go-to" bags for summer time:

Longchamp:

The "Tote bag" Longchamp Le Pliage bag is great for everyday stuff. I use my Rosalie one all the time and it goes with most everything I own. I also have this same bag in khaki and that one has gotten its fair wear and tear (nice rhyme!) so I prefer the pink one. They are surprisingly roomy and this one has even fit my MacBook Pro laptop in the past!

Vineyard Vines:

The VV bag is great for extended days, you know the days when you know you can't go home after running errands so you tuck everything you could need during the day in your purse. I used mine as a schoolbag that also fit my laptop easily as well as my HUGE 1000 page anatomy textbook. I also love all the pockets that this one has to store pens/pencils/hair accessories/snacks or whatever you want.

Victoria's Secret:

This is THE BEST beach bag that I have! It is a heavy canvas material that is covered in plastic on the outside so that it is virtually waterproof. It has a more canvas-y inside that you can easily shake the sand out of. I used this all during our trip to Turks and Caicos and the best part was: it was super packable! I could fold it up and stick it inside another bag so that I wasn't using massive amounts of space! Also great, I didn't pay for it since it came free if you used the right coupon code!

Eddie Bauer/LL Bean:

I just picked up this HUGE tote a few weeks ago with a gift card that I had from Christmas! I can't wait to slap a big garnet monogram on the side of it and use it for whatever I need! I took it to a friend's house early last week and was able to just toss in all the different things that I was bringing. These big, durable totes are great for taking to the beach or putting towels in to take to the pool.

Vera Bradley:

I really tend to shy away from Vera Bradley these days since I feel like I've grown out of the brand. I do admit though, that my Large Duffel gets a lot of use. It is currently packed full of my winter boots from school. It is a great size to take for 3 or 4 days on a little trip when you don't need too much stuff. I often take mine to the beach when we head there and end up needing lots more space by the time we head home!!

Target:

I totally rock this Hobo knockoff from Target and it's a great wallet. It's big enough to hold all my customer loyalty cards, important cards, and change and money as well. It also has a great slot that has easy access for a license or college campus card.

Do you have any go-to bags? What do you use as a purse everyday?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Work for Memorial Day Weekend

Hi all! Today I'm working a bit later at the store since it's Memorial Day weekend! I am super excited, except it looks very stormy and we had SO much rain last night. Here's my outfit for work:

May 28 by letsbepreppy featuring Longchamp bags

I'm not a big believer in "the rules" as far as clothing goes, but even if I was I'd be breaking the white pants rule about 24 hours early! (Big deal...) I've already worn these pants at school and it was fine! I'm loving my Murfee Scarf and my Fornash earrings. How great are they!? I love that they're pink and silver too! I was kind of surprised when I got them and they were as big as they are, but they're such a fun addition to any outfit! (I would definitely pick up a pair!) These are the ones I have:

I'm a major fan of the white and crystal combo:

Look at the new styles they have too:

Pink and green, always a hit!

Green and blue are such a good beachy combo! These also come in gold versions too. And at first I thought they were a different shape, but if you look at them to the side (tilt your head) they're just turned!!

Enjoy Memorial Day weekend everyone!!

xxKatie

Birthday Wrap-Up

So I had a wonderful birthday with my family and we celebrated last night! I had a lot of fun being home with them for my big day and I'm glad that my break worked out this way! I got a bunch of fun stuff for the big 1-9 yesterday:

I had picked this out when we were roaming through our local Nordy's, except my Longchamp is the next size up--Medium. I now have this pretty new pristine one to go with my (kind of gross) khaki one!

A Murfee!! This was a surprise that I was extremely excited about! Just about everyone I work with has one of these babies, and so I was thrilled to open up this surprise!

Glee Volume 1: Road to Sectionals

YES I DID GET THIS! I had no idea it was even out on DVD and I am SO EXCITED. My roommate and I made a point of clearing our Wednesday night schedules to watch Glee, and now I've got all 13 episodes plus backstage footage, music videos, and Dance Boot Camp!! Score one for Katie!

I also got a fab sweater from J. Crew that I can't find online along with this amazing black necklace from J. Crew too. I saw it at one J. Crew and decided that $65 was too much to pay, and ended up having MAJOR buyer's remorse. Then as my mom and I were shopping, we ran into it for $30 with an extra 30% off! I couldn't pass it up--not to mention, it was the only one left in the store--that is meant to be if you ask me!

For the rest of the day I'll be packing up all my stuff (which seems to have doubled since I got home...) and saying my goodbyes and then departing promptly tomorrow morning with a friend who lives kinda close to where I live to drive back to school with. I'm partly excited to go back, but I'm partly sad because I always get a little misty when I go back to school (my mom could tell you about it). However, I'm coming back in a few weeks for my sister's school play and then I'll be back a few weeks after that for Spring break. I can't believe I'm even talking about spring break right now!!!

xxKatie

"It's Better When You Win It"

I agree! I bid on my first few eBay items this week and won something! Who'd thought, on my first bid EVER that I won!
This Longchamp le Pliage bag (14x9) was $38 and $4 shipping! Woo hoo! I can't believe it! It's a little damaged here and there but I'm pretty excited, if you couldn't tell. I literally refreshed the page 20 times after I saw the time was less than 58 seconds. My mom kept warning me, "You'll lose it at the last minute! You'll lose it then!". I won though! I have 2 more working bids right now, one on a Lilly and another Longchamp khaki colored bag but it is way smaller than this one-its the purse size. I'll let you all know on how it goes.

Any eBay pointers? Not for selling, just bidding!

xxKatie