30DC21: What's In My Purse

My purse and its contents - the only thing not pictured is my phone (iPhone4), which I used to take this picture!

A gay man once proclaimed that I have "THE most boring purse, like, ever" after rifling through mine, and he proceeded to ask if I really were born female, because how could any woman leave the house so unprepared?!

"What if

One of A Kind: Karen Wilson Hand Bags

Hello, friends! Please pardon my week-long hiatus – it’s been a tough one. A friend in my program just received some very bad news from the doctor and has to go home. I hope she gets well soon – and that she drinks a ton of Second Cup Green Tea Chillers (or Lattes) for me when she gets home. The last time I hung out with her, she was telling me how excited she was to read my One of A Kind series because she loves going to the show with her stepmom every season, so the following series of posts is dedicated to her. XOXOXO, girl!

You know how there was this air of finality when Anna Karenina threw her beloved red velvet handbag into the railroad tracks? A woman who throws away her favourite purse and banishes it to the dirty ground evidently has lost the will to live. This perfectly describes the sacred relationship between a woman and her handbag.

Unlike Anna, however, I don’t subscribe to the idea that there is The One. I’ve long since decided that a harem full of gorgeousness is much more suited to my depraved appetite for prettiness. And the bag I have my eye on for the next addition to my bag harem is a Karen Wilson original.

Every year, Fashion Girl and I make at least one trip over to Karen’s booth at the One of A Kind to stare admiringly at the newest collection. I can’t be there in person this year, but I’ve checked it out online, and let me tell you, Fall/Winter 2008 looks divine. Each season, Karen Wilson Hand Bags releases a new collection of beautiful purses in the 10 styles she’s known for, including functional market totes, elegant gathered frames, fun evening bags, and more. Her pieces are especially well-made and every design is made in limited edition, to keep them special and exclusive.

Go check out Karen’s work at Booth J-25 at the One of A Kind, opening next Thursday, November 27!

Addition to Bag Harem - Laptop Bag

Hello! Begging your collective pardon - I totally meant to post earlier today, but I've literally been hopping from farewell party to farewell party tonight, and this is the first time I've been at my comptuer today.

I have four parties lined up in total (two more left - my goodness, I love all the people who love me!), plus some birthday parties and other get-togethers before I leave next Friday. Saying "Goodbye for now" is a little sad, but I'm always up for a reason to have fun!

I am christening my new laptop by blogging on it for the very first time - yay! I finally have it all organized and ready to go, you see: my awesome brother set it up for me with all the programs/security I wanted, and I finally transferred all my files from my old computer to this one.

And now I can tell you guys all about the new addition to my Bag Harem that I've been referring to. Those of you who've been following TSH since day one may remember that my very first post was about my bag crush, the Susan Komen collection version of the Milano laptop bag by Mobile Edge.

After I bought my new laptop, I just had to get a hot bag to put it in, of course, but I was struggling between the original Milano, which is black, and the special edition pink one, which I was also head-over-heels for, but was more expensive (albeit for a good cause). I finally decided on the black because it's more timeless (always superimportant to me) so I won't outgrow it so quickly, if ever, and so I could save some money.

It came really quickly and I am so, so happy I went with the black! It's really classy and besides, I think the pink would look really fake. It's not exactly the same as the pictures online, but I'm really happy with it nonetheless. It came with a dust bag, which is key for storage (although I'll be using it practically every day next year) and I love that it has feet - not that I'd ever banish it to the floor.

The red velvet lining is also very sexy and reminds me of Anna Karenina - remember how she had a red velvet handbag? It was such a defining moment when she tossed it out onto the railroad tracks before throwing herself in front of the oncoming train. But I digress.

So, I love this bag, because nearly everyone who's seen it so far exclaimed, "It doesn't look like a laptop bag at all!" I've always thought that traditional laptop bags are really ugly and clunky. To my delight, my brother even remarked that it looks like a bag a high-powered executive businesswoman would carry - score! Plus it's faux-croc, so it satisfies my skin fetish without sacrificing the life of an animal.

I also think that it was wonderfully designed and perfectly meets the needs of a woman on-the-go. There are all kinds of useful compartments (including one that will prevent your PDA/iPhone from getting hacked into or receiving viruses!) and it even comes with a detachable wristlet for makeup and such.

I love.

It also comes in two sizes - the regular can carry laptops up to 15.4" in width and the large can hold laptops up to 17". If you live in the States, you can get it at a discount at sites like BeachCamera.com (lucky you!), but if you live in Canada, Dell.ca is really efficient, even if it costs a little more.

I highly recommend it, or at least checking out other cute, non-traditional bags to carry your laptops around in. After all, there are so many choices out there now!

Bag Crush

I love pink. I love owning pink things. I think the right shades of pink can make a woman really powerful. Pink things just get me right there. So you'd probably be able to imagine my impassioned squeal when I saw this:

It's the Komen Collection version of the Milano laptop tote by Mobile Edge ($130USD).

You see, the Enter key of my 3-year-old laptop has fallen out (after I'd already had to replace the keyboard last year when the first two letters of my name fell out), and it's the last straw - so it looks like I will very likely be getting a new laptop. A much smaller version, which I've been wanting for a really long time now, probably a Dell Vostro with a 13.3" in screen.

So naturally, I'll need a superchic tote to carry it around in.

I adore skins, and this is a beautiful faux-croc pattern - awesome, because I won't have to sacrifice my conscience for style. It's lined in a buttery-soft tan suede, and it features a super secure laptop compartment, a removable wristlet, cell phone and pen/lipstick compartments, and - can you believe it? - a wireless security pocket that will prevent hackers from getting into your BlackBerry/PDA.

Plus it comes with a lifetime warranty and 10% of the proceeds go to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

LOVE

If only I didn't have to save up for travelling in Europe next year...