The Bag I Never Knew I Wanted

 

When specific holidays and milestones are approaching, I don't hint at the items I'm interested in. Instead, I make sure to give very strong suggestions, complete with photos, reviews, and links. Leading up to this past Christmas and my January  6th birthday, I sent my husbae photos of many many crossbody/camera bags. The top two on my list were the Gucci "GG Marmont" small  shoulder bag and the Saint Laurent round "Vinyle Matelassé " leather crossbody bag.  

     

Christmas and my birthday came and went and neither of these beauties had been gifted to me. Which was fine! I received some amazing Christmas and birthdays gifts so I was completely satisfied. 

As red balloons, pink hearts, and roses filled display windows and store shelves, I focused my attention on what I would get my valentine for his birthday, which is on February 14th.  I make it appoint to make the 14th about him, because we can celebrate our love on any day.

To my surprise Damien decided he wanted to give me a big gift on valentines day. He handed me a huge bag, with a huge box inside. When I had gotten through the beautifully wrapped gift, I discovered a white, black, and beige  "Rive Gauche" Saint Laurent tote. I gasped! I am a crossbody bag girl all day, but when I saw this lovely piece in linen and leather I was- gone! 

Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Tote

I screamed "Babe this is a summer vacation bag, Saint-Tropez me, please!!! He laughed and said "You can either get a trip or a bag, but you can't have both!" Dame went into to explain that he knew the tote was outside of my norm, but he wanted me to try something different. He also said he looked forward to seeing me style it, which I thought was very cute. 

Here are some photos from my first time wearing, The bag I never knew I wanted.

It's so chic! I can't wait to take her out on the town or maybe to the beach.  I'm thinking cream or tan flowy or draped oversized summer dress with huge black sunglasses. Sounds so yummy! If you love the bag as much as I do, and want to snag one for yourself, here's the link. How would you style it? Let me know in the comments. 

Kima and the Leopard Spotted Dream Coat!

I’ve been obsessed with Norma Kamali sleeping bag coats since the first time eyeing André Leon Talley draped in his infamous red cloak years ago.

The style maven, Solange cinched in the same fire red coat on the cover of Elles’ March 2017 issue. 

Then the street style stunner, Rihanna slaying in camouflage. 

Because these puffers can retail $800-$1400, I started searching eBay to see if I could find a vintage or previously owned one in my budget, to no avail. 

My search became even more vigorous after reading The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir by André Leon Talley mid March of 2020.

In late June, as I was searching for various items on Shopstyle.com, I came across this leopard beauty.

Available for $475 Here

Originally $940, it was on sale from $376 at MatchesFashion.com. I immediately saved the image and texted it to my best friend. “I feel like I need this coat, but can I justify spending $400 dollars?” She then gave me many many reasons as to why I needed this coat, because that’s what friends are for! 

I ultimately decided not to buy it. We were still in pandemic quarantine with no end in sight. Making an extravagant purchase just didn’t feel right. 

It still didn’t stop me from sharing the photo and the deal of a price with anyone who would listen. 

Everyone who knows me knows, leopard is my favorite color! So naturally everyone was telling me to invest in the coat. I just couldn’t pull the trigger. 

I was still checking the site almost everyday to make sure my size, M/L was still available. Eventually, there was a low stock warning posted. At the same time I noticed Matches Fashion was offering an additional 20% off  already reduced prices. 

I immediately plugged in the promo code, because the coat was already in my cart, and watched the price go down to $300.80. I went to checkout and received an error message because my size was no logger available. I was crushed. 

Early July,  because I was still very disappointed about the coat, my mother sent a nice “Christmas in July” gift to my cashapp to cheer me up. This gift, prompted me to check to see if the coat was back in stock,  and to my surprise it was.  It was still on sale, and the 20% off promo was stilling going on. I placed my order right away!

I was so hype, I decided to share my good news with my friends who appreciate a good fashion find. Next thing I know, one friend cashapps me and says "I’m going to pay for half of the coat!" Coupled with my moms gift, the coat was almost fully paid for, when my little brother decides to cashapp me as well. Now the coat was completely paid for and I was overjoyed! 

Not only is this my dream coat, in my favorite pattern, but I didn’t pay a single red cent for it. Wow! 

I’m so happy with this piece, it’s a show stopper! 

The Miracle on Saks

Twas the night before Christmas Eve, sale alerts all a buzz.

 Preview notifications popping up showing what the sale was!

 To my delight and to my surprise, 

Balenciaga Triple S sneakers 60% off in just the right size. 

To top it all off, I could not believe 

12% cash back in my app -Oh, Yes Please! 

So without haste to my cart they did go.

 How this sale came to be, I may never know

And I dear not ask, 

But will henceforth be known as The Miracle on Saks.

Seriously though, I had been eyeing the chunky dad sneakers for a while in various colorways. I was never going to pay $975 for a pair though. Never! I had been tracking the Triple S style where I do most of my online retail browsing, on www.shopstyle.com or the shopstyle app. I love that the app not only shows the price of items you search for, but it displays multiple retailers, and allows you to set sale alerts.

As mentioned in my homage to, “The Night Before Christmas.” I started receiving email alerts on December 23rd. Each alert came from Saks Fifth Avenue showing various colors of the hypebeast staple, on sale for $390.  I headed over to the Saks website to find that multiple colorways had already sold out in my size or sold out completely. I finally found a pair that I liked and that were in my size. 

Before making my purchase I decided to check the Rakuten app to see if Saks had a cash back promotion listed. I was excited to see 12% cash back for Saks Fifth Avenue purchases. 

I went back to Saks site by way of the Rakuten app, in order to get the sale and the cash back as advertised. 

Immediately after completing my purchase, I texted Damien to let him know about the crazy deal I had just gotten. My amazing husbae decided to reimburse me the money I spent on the shoes, as a Christmas gift. 

I’ve honestly never seen those sneakers below $599, before or after that sale. I have a theory though. I believe they were part of Barney's going out of business sale inventory, because on Dec 26th all of Barney’s remaining online items were listed in a special section on Saks’ website. Whatever the case, mystery sale or fluke, it was indeed a Christmas miracle, The Miracle on Saks!    

 

The Last Hurrah

Like many of you, my spring 2020 was to be very eventful. To start the hubster, Damien’s awards gala for work was the first weekend in March. My job’s Teacher of the Year (T.O.Y.) gala was scheduled for the end of March. At the top of May, I was looking forward  to attending opening weekend of the opera, Porgy and Bess at the Kennedy Center with box seats. 

I went back and forth about what I would wear to each event. In a two week timespan I had been to the malls at least 6 times.I wasn’t finding anything I liked that was reasonably priced.  Initially for my work gala I wanted to wear a dress I already owned, a beautiful cosmic pink Adrianna Papell high low gown that draped a mannequin in my dressing room. I purchased the dress on clearance last summer for under $75 at Macy’s. But that dress needed alterations,  and I was concerned the alterations would cost more than I paid for the dress. 

I tried on other gowns in my closet but wasn’t feeling anything. Seeing how frustrated I was getting, Dame offered to buy me a new dress to wear as his date. He gave me a budget of $130. Eventually, I decided to use the money to get my dress altered for $80. I used the rest of the money to buy these blue sequin Betsy Johnson evening shoes that complimented  Dame’s blue suit.  

After the alterations were completed I knew I wanted  to wear this dress to each event, with different hair and different styling. The color was magnificent on my skin. The ruffle shoulder was just the amount of drama I needed.  

When I stepped into the foyer of MGM I was so pleased with my selection. My dress went perfectly with the cherry blossom display, I was determined  to get photos before the night was out. I received so many compliments at the gala. Dame was proud to have me as his arm candy, as he took home 3 awards that night. 

I flooded my stories celebrating my babe, refraining from posting photos of myself the entire night. I intended to wait to post comparative photos after attending the opera.

The following week social distancing practices started to be enforced and within two weeks the other events had been canceled. 

This was my last hurrah before being quarantined. I’m so glad I didn’t save that dress for the later  events.  

I know sometimes we might buy a piece and say, I’m going to save this look for a special occasion, well tomorrow’s not promised, wear your clothes sis. I’ll be sure to heed my own advice. 

  

  

Blue Block Heel Sandal

Budget Bae

Feb 14th, is a special day I get to shower my Husbster with love. Not just because it’s Valentine’s Day, but because it is also his birthday. This year he turned 40, and wanted to celebrate that milestone with a couple of friends at The Capital Grille. 

After reservations were made at the top of the year, I started thinking about what I would wear. Considering the cost of this fine dining experience, I wanted something new, but budget friendly. The first place I looked on my quest to becoming budget bae was Eloquii.com. Eloquii has quickly become one of my go to shops for fun and unique plus size pieces. I vary rarely pay full price because of the great promotions they have online and in store. 

I purchased the top and skirt online for a total of $36. The boots were an in store purchase from the Pentagon City Mall location. My out of pocket cost was a little over $17 after using a gift card.  

I’m very pleased with how this look came together for under $55 bucks. I even got the eloquii stamp of approval with a like and comment on my Instagram post.These pieces are so strong individually, I can’t wait to style each differently, and show you what fun looks I come up with.

Eloquii Buffalo Check Bodice Tie Tee

Similar Red Print Skirt 

 Similar Red Snakeskin Boot

Sew much Swag.

Since my last post, a few years ago 😬,( I know, I must do better!) I put my sewing machine to work! I surprised myself with some of the pieces I was able to make. Here are some of my favorite pieces.

Puff sleeve swings dress with pockets
  for an “Aftopolitan” themed birthday party.  

Fully lined faux fur coat, made by watching a YouTube tutorial! 

Mustard ruffle top, can also be worn off shoulder.

I loved the mustard color so much I made this top again in denim.
This version is a peplum.

I made this salmon skirt to complete this monochromatic look. 

I created this plaid ruffle hemmed top,
wearing it over a buffalo check button up to complement
my Anna Wintour Vogue x Air Jordan 3s.

Ankara print top for a “Wakanda Forever ” inspired birthday celebration.  

Faith +Fashion, any Given Sunday!

             
I am unapologetically a church girl, any given Sunday you'll find me rejoicing with thanks, praise, and of course a little fashion. Check out some of my most inspired Sunday looks!

Lets start with this bedazzled look of the first Sunday of 2017.  I paired a dark denim ruffle shirt with a $10 gold sequin skirt I scored from Target's clearance last spring! My current bag of choice is a lovely anniversary gift from the hubster,  a red Michael Kors "Carine"  quilted snake-embossed leather shoulder bag. He replaced my red suede Michael Kors 'Sloan" bag that was stolen last year.

 

I sing with the young adult ministry singers (YAMS) at my church, Spirit of Faith Christian Center.  I was given the opportunity choose our color scheme for one of our monthly presentations. Green (navy & white) was the theme! I loved everything about my outfit choice for Sunday's service. I wore a faux fur vest I found at target last season for $11, with a 3yr old blue and white striped button down tunic from Lane Bryant. The tartan pants are Old Navy and the nude Jyssika block heel pumps are Enzo Angiolini.

Smooth & Slim Harper Plus-Size Pants

   What I love even more than my own outfit, is how great the YAMS looked collectively! 

I found this fabulous blush, off the shoulder neoprene number tucked in the back of a seemingly "straight size"boutique. It was the perfect color choice for one of the last YAMS weekend's of summer 16.

Easter Sunday, mixing prints is one of my most favorite things to do when dressing. I paired a white and black striped tee shirt with an african print skirt and zebra print calf hair Michael Kors flats.

 

This was one of the last Sundays of 2015 right before my husband and I moved in to our new home!

I mean faux leather jumper dress, denim shirt, and burgundy faux fur scarf. What's not to love?