Gotta love the maxi skirt, especially for the winter! I can still wear a skirt and keep my legs relatively warm. I recently got this one at the juniors department at Nordstrom and it was on sale for like $20. It’s not online though, so if you like it, check out the stores, it might still be there! I’m getting a little lazy with getting dressed up these days. I think the jewelry line is taking over my creative brain so I’m just putting together simple outfits but loading up on the jewelry. I can’t help it, it’s my life now! Not complaining as I love what I do. 🙂 I spent this weekend doing a lot of baking. I baked 2 loaves of rosemary garlic bread, that were so yummy. (Can you tell I’m in a rosemary phase right now?) Baking bread is annoying, getting the water and the milk to the right temperature, all that waiting for the dough to rise, kneading it juuuust right (or else your texture turns out all wrong), but man oh man, all of that is so worth it! I also baked a delicious Lemon Pound Cake which I even consider a bit “healthier” as I substituted a non fat yogurt for the majority of the butter and it turned out amazing! You can tell when I’m most stressed when I start baking a lot. It’s a crazy stress reliever but it makes me happy and hubs likes it better than me just yelling at him all the time. LOL! 😉
If you didn’t know we are doing weekly Style Steal deals and this week all of our Luxe Link necklaces are marked down over 30% off. They’ll only be at this price until Friday 11/18 so pick one up for yourself or gifts for your friends! My favorites are the Delicate Link necklace that I’m wearing below and the Pearl and Rhinestone necklace, which is the perfect complement to a LBD. Check out the rest of the styles on sale here!
I’m currently reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, which I didn’t even read the description or Goodreads it which I usually do before I read a book, because it came so highly recommended from so many people. I didn’t know what to expect except that it was written from the perspective of a dog which I thought I’d really enjoy. Well turns out, I love the book but I can barely get through a few chapters without crying! I have to put the book down and walk away even though I love reading it but I’m continuously crying! I really try hard not to but next thing I know I’m bawling. Hubs can hear me sniffling away and he doesn’t even have to look, he knows I’m reading the book. haha! On another note, I found out that I could borrow e-books from the library to read on my iPad which has saved me tons of money! I never was one to borrow actual books from the library and I switched to e-books when I got my Nook 2 years ago (which I still love) so I never looked into borrowing from the library until a few months ago when I stumbled upon the fact that my library had tons of e-books to lend out. They don’t have as much as a selection as Barnes and Noble and you do have to get on a waiting list for more popular books, I think I had to be waitlisted for a month for The Art of Racing, but it doesn’t bother me to wait. I love it and the best part is, it’s free, even the app! My library uses the Overdrive app to read books on iPad and Nook. I’m not sure how other libraries do it, but if you have an iPad/e-reader, it’s worth checking out how your library lends out e-books!
First of all, I’m back from my trip and I’ve missed blogging so much! I was in Taiwan and China and while I was in China I couldn’t access blogspot, twitter or facebook so inadvertently, I really stayed away from it all on vacay. I seem to have caught a bug or something at the end of my trip so I’m not feeling well and going to try and get as much rest as I can. Just wanted to put up a quick post that I had prepped before I left and hopefully will be back to regular blogging next week. Hope you all are well and will be answering the emails that I got while on vacation later this week!
Finally! My handbag collection video is up! I didn’t do the whole collection, just my spring bags. And I know that it’s summer now but I shot this when it was spring, just didn’t have the chance to put it up until now. Nonetheless I think it’s still relevant 🙂 I like the video better because you can see size wise how the bags look but here are some pictures for those of you that won’t be watching the video. As you can see I really like pink! 🙂
Pattern on pattern is such a fun trend to play with. I never would have thought to wear these two prints together before but I looked through my closet to mix patterns on purpose and just thought “why not?” with these two and it worked! The dress is really cute but it’s a tank dress which Seattle weather is not quite ready for so layering the blouse over the dress was very weather appropriate. I just took the belt from the dress and belted it over the blouse so it all matched. The dress has ruffles in front so it’s cute to see the ruffles poking out the bottom of the blouse. And you’ll be seeing a lot of my yellow shoes because sunny days require sunny shoes!
**Did you guess that the title is from one of my favorite childhood shows? Please tell me you watched Reading Rainbow too! 🙂 **
Forever 21 has some great printed blouses now to easily try out this trend. I love tops like this with the big print and the lace texture mixed in. Or a smaller print like this Rosy Chiffon Top or even a striped top would be cute over a floral print dress.
Contrast your prints with a different size print but in the same color scheme. My black and white top was easier to mix with any other colors but the light blue top paired over this brighter blue dress would be a fantastic mix. Or you could do a dress with a smaller print pattern or bright floral print. The possibilities are endless but the key is to stay with matching colors.
Thank you guys so much for all the nice comments about the new format of my lookbook photos! I’m glad you guys like them and the change was good for me. It’s funny, when I first started documenting my outfits 2+ years ago, the other style bloggers (there was way less of us back then!) were like me. No fancy backgrounds, no fancy shots. It was just purely about the outfit. Along the way, sites like lookbook.nu and Chictopia started up (which I’ve never joined, I have mixed feelings about them) which I think sparked the model like poses and editorial like shots. The no smile, eyes down, really moody kind of poses against a grungy background/empty field/brick wall. Well, that’s certainly not me so I went on my merry way with my non model-like outfit shots and was fine with them. I resisted the change because I liked my plain jane, no frills lookbook shots but as my blog grows, I’ve gone through some changes (this is my 3rd blog design I’m on!) so I thought about it and thought that it was time to get with the times. Hang out with the “in crowd” 🙂 So I requested a different way to shoot my lookbooks and my ever so patient husband, obliged my every request on what needed to be shot and how to shoot it until we were happy with the style that was shot. I also owe my husband a big thank you for he’s the one that came up with the idea of adding “What I’m Wearing” to the photos and I got a lot of feedback that you guys love it. (Hubs also came up with the silly title of this post. lol!) Being a blogger for as long as I have, it’s only natural to go through some changes and I feel as I’ve been stuck in a rut for a bit so I’m ready to change it up. I’m not sure what else I’ll be changing, I think I’ll just be adding a variety to the type of posts I write (not just style/fashion related) so if you have any suggestions of what else you’d like to see, feel free to let me know!
Onto the outfit! I searched high and low for pink pants and my first stop in San Francisco was Zara where I had a suspicion that they would have them and they did! They had 2 pairs that I really wanted but I ended up just taking these home as I thought 2 pairs of pink pants may be a bit excessive (but now I want the other pair. haha) My outfit was inspired by an outfit I saw in a magazine as I loved how they styled the pink pants with the ribbon belt so that’s exactly what I did! It’s just a fun twist to the usual belt and I’m loving it. Just go to the fabric store and buy a ribbon that’s long enough to fit your waist! Super easy and cheap too!
Have you joined my ebates giveaway yet? Read here for the details and if you click here to join ebates, you’ll automatically be entered in my $100 Giveaway!
I like the pleated detailing in the front of the shirt. The tuxedo henley is similar but a bit more casual and it’s on sale for $19.99 with 30% off all sale items. (use code LOVEIT, expires on Wed.) and don’t forget to ebates it to get cashback as well. Or just get the boy shirt for the same look without the pleats
These are a more loose fitting trouser in the same fun pink color or these ASOS skinny jeans are super similar to mine (but limited sizes). Delia’s also has a cute pair, for a whopping $9.99!
I mentioned on a previous lookbook how much I love these pumps and I still do! If you are a size 6.5 you are so lucky as Bluefly.com has the same pair for 20% off! I’m also dying for these two tone peep-toe pumps. So pretty!! The Cole Haan Air Talia pumps are great for a “designer” pump but at a better price point.
“What Goes Around Come Around Vintage” bags are always in fantastic shape but they are all still really expensive. Still, I do love looking at their selection of bags and jewelry. And if you haven’t read my post on my tips of where/how to buy vintage Chanel, click here!
Just re-posting this post that blogger lost. Thank you to Latte Love for the tip on grabbing it from my reader! So glad it wasn’t lost forever! All the comments from the post are lost though so if you had a question that you left last time, please feel free to leave it again and I’ll get back to you right away. Thanks! 🙂
What I’m Wearing
Blazer: Bird by Juicy Couture
Sweater: Vince
Jeans: Madewell
Shoes: Miu Miu
Bag: vintage Chanel
This week has gone by so fast it’s one of those weeks where I’ve packed so much stuff in one week that I can’t even believe it’s just been 3 days.
We finally got our new car. It took us 3 weeks of going to dealerships and seeing what cars we liked to finally decide what car to get and then it took 4 hours for all the negotiating and signing papers. I’m SO glad it’s over.
I flew to the Bay Area for meetings and it was so beautiful there but my allergies were TERRIBLE there so I was super congested and had to blow my nose every 3 seconds. Not fun.
On the flight back, I thought my allergies were just getting super worse as my throat closed up and eyes swelled up until I found out that the lady sitting in front of me brought her cat onboard and I’m super allergic to cats! I quickly got my seat changed but I was a hot mess when I got home.
I still wasn’t feeling great the next day but I forced myself to go to bootcamp and I think I deserve a gold star for that 🙂
Oh did I tell you guys I was doing bootcamp 3 days a week for the past few weeks? It kicks my butt but I love it. I haven’t weighed myself since I started so I don’t know how much weight I’ve lost but it doesn’t even matter because I can tell you that I feel FANTASTIC and fit and toned. I am so proud of myself of what I accomplish at bootcamp which is an amazing feeling knowing that I’m a small girl but I can still keep up with the big boys. 🙂 I highly recommend joining a bootcamp!
I haven’t been on twitter or blog reading/commenting because of said trip/meetings/allergies. Hopefully will feel better next week because I know you’re dying to hear from me. or NOT. haahahaaa! Oh and facebook is being a b*tch and not letting me post links from my blog. I kinda hate it right now.
I rarely watch TV and when I do, it’s only on DVR so I never see commericals but last night hubs told me to stop the DVR to watch this commerical and it was so heart warming I burst into tears. Best commercial ever.
One favor please? Anita, a lovely reader of mine is recently engaged and is in the running to win a wedding gown (which would help her out a lot since she and her fiance are paying for the wedding themselves) and I would love to help her win! Please click here and click vote! That’s it! Contest ends on Friday so any votes you guys can give would be super appreciated!
Or this Theory Lanai linen-blend blazer is great for the summer and would look great over dresses. But I also love this seersucker blazer. I can’t wait for it to be sunnier here so I can actually pull out my summer blazers!
I love these lightweight sweaters that don’t make you feel too bulky but also keeps you warm. I’m loving this Vince String Knit Sweater even though it’s for fall, our current weather is still acting like fall so I’ve still been shopping for sweaters lately! This cashmere wrap front tunic sweater is the perfect slouchiness. Doesn’t it look so comfy?
As most of you know, I love vintage bags as much as I love new and I get a lot of questions on buying vintage Chanel bags and authenticity. Â My most recent vintage Chanel bags were purchases from a resale shop in Japan.Â
Japan and many parts of Asia have these really nice resale shops where they sell authentic, pre-owned bags in really great condition for less than retail. Mind you, they are not “cheap” as bags are still only about 10%-30% under retail (my guess at least) but still some savings.
The best places to buy Vintage Chanel bags online
It can be hard to find vintage or pre-owned Chanel bags as I find that Designer consignment shops do carry some, but the selection is not great and it always changes so you would need to stop in pretty frequently.
After doing some research of where to buy pre-owned and vintage Chanel bags online, I pulled together this list of the best places to buy Vintage Chanel Bags online. A lot of these sites do sell other designer brands but since I’m mainly interested in Chanel, that’s where I focused on.
THE PURSE FORUM – INVALUABLE RESOURCE FOR BUYING DESIGNER PURSES ONLINE
First a few things: I did most of my research through The Purse Forum which is a fantastic resource for anyone that is interested in designer handbags. The ladies on there are super knowledgeable and I totally trust their opinions and guarantees about authenticity. All of the below have been confirmed authentic resellers from The Purse Forum and either I’ve had experience with them or I’ve had friends that have had good experiences with them.
VINTAGE CHANEL PRICING
I think that my experience so far when telling people that my handbags are vintage, they automatically think “cheap” or “affordable”. While they are more affordable than new bags, vintage Chanel bags will still run you over $1,000+.Â
Some of the bags are still pretty much the price of retail depending on how popular or rare the style/color/size is. So buying vintage does not necessarily mean that you are going to save a lot of money but it does mean that you’ll often get a bag that not a whole lot of people are carrying which is why I love my vintage bags.
Fashionphile is one of the first online retailers for vintage Chanel bags that I found and I have purchased from them quite a few times. All of my experiences have been great and I feel that they offer very fair prices for their pieces. They give great descriptions of each peices as well as what the condition is so you are well aware of the flaws before buying. Other perks that they have is a 30 day return policy as well sell your bag (or any bag you may have) to them.
I have shopped at Gilt for so many years and have always had a great experience. They offer great prices on tons of designers but they have a great selection of Vintage Chanel bags. Their selection changes pretty frequently so I check back on the site pretty often just to see what they have.
SHOP VINTAGE AND PRE-OWNED CHANEL
BEFORE YOU BUY
Before you buy here are a few things to do:
Shop around at a few other sites to find similar type bags and note the prices. Most bags should be in or around the same price point. If you find one that is $100-$200 lower than other similar bags, you may have just found one for a great price! If you find one that is $500+ lower than other similar ones, well you might just want to step away or get it authenticated before you buy as the price difference even between used/vintage is not going to be that big. (Unless, the bag is damaged which that might account for the big difference.)
Note what the bag comes with. All Chanel bags should come with the authenticity card and have the hologram sticker and both should have matching numbers. (Unless it’s an older bag, which correct me if I’m wrong here but I’ve heard that the Chanel bags before the early-mid 80’s did not have holograms in the bag.) Some come with the dust bags, some may come with the boxes. Obviously it depends on what the previous owner kept but the price may be affected higher/lower depending on if it comes with these items and if they are important for you to have than make sure to ask the seller if it’s not stated on the product page. It’s pretty hard to get the dustbag and the box with vintage bags but the authenticity card should always be included.
Ask for clearer pictures if needed. If you care if the stitches on the corner are coming apart or if the straps have any markings/loose stitches, ask for better pictures of each section and be specific as to what you want to see. A lot of sellers will state where there are loose stitches or marks on the leather but some may just forget and if you don’t ask, they won’t tell you either. A good seller will be happy to send you closer photos because they will understand about buying a pre-owned bag.
Don’t be afraid to buy a damaged bag if you know for sure it’s authentic. You will be able to take your bag to the “Chanel Spa” and they will do everything from re-dyeing your bag to restitching or even adding new hardware. Just go to any Chanel boutique, even the ones in Nordstrom and they will send it off for you to get fixed. Of course it’s going to cost you but from some of the results I’ve seen, they do an amazing job. It’s a long process (I’ve heard it can take up to 3 months to get your bag back from the spa) so if you just have a loose stitch or maybe a small mark on the leather, a lot of shoe repair shops also do handbag repairs and they can take care of the smaller less Chanel specific fixes (like dyeing the bag or adding new hardware).
Serial number: Fake bags do have hologram stickers and authenticity cards but one trick is to google the serial number that is given (all good sellers will have a picture of the serial number within the bag). A lot of the counterfeit bags use the same number and the search results will pretty much tell you it’s fake as there are many well known fake serial numbers that are being used. If even just one other bag shows up in your search with that same number, you will know it’s fake. (just do a google search of “Chanel bag 7244764” and see what pops up.)
I hope my shopping tips have helped! I really think vintage and pre-owned bags are just as fabulous as new and you can find different styles that you may never have seen. I bought my vintage classic flap because I wanted a flap but didn’t want the one that everyone and their mom has so I found the unusual size of a 10″ flap that was more square than rectangle.Â
It was exactly what I wanted and for a bag that’s 20+ years old, it’s in great shape! And it just goes to show that buying Chanel really does keep it’s value as I’ve seen many bags that my mom owns that she bought in the 90’s go for about the same as what she paid for. Kind of crazy that a handbag can hold that kind of value!Â
Would love to hear any other tips from experienced vintage/resale shoppers. Please share in the comments!
SELLING YOUR CHANEL BAG
For those of you are looking at selling many of the sites above share their process of selling bags through them. They usually take a percentage but you know that you will get quality buyers through them. You can also look into a designer resale shop in your area or to do a bit of research on the Purse Forum and ask the girls there, they all seem very knowledgeable!
SHOP VINTAGE AND PRE-OWNED CHANEL BAGS
BUYING NEW CHANEL AND OTHER DESIGNER BAGS
I get a lot of emails from readers who stumble upon sites that sell new designer items for great prices and they ask me if I’ve heard of them. I don’t buy my designer shoes and handbags from any place other than well known stores – Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks, Barneys and Net-a-porter or on the actual designers website (like miumiu.com or ysl.com).Â
Since this post is for vintage or resale so the sites mentioned above are the only ones that I have experience with. Any other ones I have not heard of and my best suggestion for you is to just google the name of the website and add “fake” or “authentic” to the end of the search term and usually you’ll get search results which will give you the answer.
