Purse Pixie
Now that it’s finally gotten cold in Asheville, I really want to go somewhere warm. It was almost a year ago that we were lucky enough to go on a Disney Cruise, and every winter day has me dreaming of cruising to the Caribbean once again. Because of that, I instantly loved the Kate Spade All Aboard Ship Clutch. If you love it too, it’s available from Kate Spade for $358. Or you can get the All Aboard Mini Boat Studs for $48 and put the extra money towards a real cruise.
If you love the look of the Foley & Corinna Mid-City Tote, available from Foley & Corinna for $395…
This month’s giveaway is sponsored by the wonderful people at Alicia Klein. Designer Alicia Klein, who is well-known for her Taxi Wallets, also makes beautiful handbags and is offering an Alicia Klein Lindsey Bag to one lucky Purse Pixie reader!
The Lindsey Bag is everything you’d want in a handbag. It’s big enough to hold what you need but not so big that it weighs you down. It has a short chain strap and a longer leather strap so you can use it as a shoulder bag or cross-body bag and it’s made of soft pebbled leather in a rich plum that will add an eye-catching pop of color to any outfit. The Lindsey measures 10″W x 7″H x 1.5″D, comes with a protective bag and retails for $150.
So, you want this lovely plum-colored beauty on your arm? Here’s how to enter: (more…)
Now that you’ve purged your purse collection we can think about how to store your purses in a way that you can see what you have and get to it easily. Everyone’s space is different but luckily there are lots of options for purse storage. Click on any picture for more information.
If you don’t have much space, hanging bags on the back of a door is a good option. These can usually hold 8-10 bags and can handle a substantial amount of weight.
If you have some space on your clothes rack, either of these could work for you. They don’t hold larger purses but can hold several small to medium sized ones.
If you have shelf space to spare, you just need some structure to keep things together. Consider one of these small, lightweight shelving units where you can stack purses or line them up side-by-side.
If these pre-made options don’t fit your space or budget, get creative! I’ve heard of someone mounting hooks all over her bedroom wall and hanging a purse from each, which makes your purses easy to get to and also displays them as art. Or use a coat rack or wall-mounted coat hook to hang your purses. Whatever you decide, organizing and storing your purses helps to protect them so you can enjoy them for years.
Jason Wu is one of those designers who doesn’t get as much attention as he should (including from me!) and I am really excited that he is the latest designer collaborating with Target. Based on The Budget Babe’s sneak peaks, which you can see here, here, here and here, the Jason Wu for Target collection seems to have several handbags and girly dresses, two of my favorite things. I am hoping that since Wu is not as well-known, we’ll be able to avoid the whole Missoni for Target disaster and I’ll be able to pick up some great items without the chaos. The collection will be in Target stores on February 5.
How about you? Are you excited about Jason Wu?
Have you heard of the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama? This very interesting store located not far from my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee buys unclaimed or lost luggage from major airlines and then sorts and sells whatever they find. Much of the store is what you’d expect: clothes, books, i-pods, cameras, and things that people normally travel with, but there are also a few surprises.
Just after Christmas I found an Alexander Wang Rocco bag at Unclaimed Baggage. This “It bag” of the last few years was new with tags. If you’re familiar with the Rocco, you know that the bottom is covered in metal studs so the empty purse weighs about 10 pounds. The Gray Velvet Rocco in question retailed for $925 and Unclaimed Baggage was selling it for $425. I thought about buying it to sell but decided it’s too hard to authenticate bags on Ebay. So I thought about buying it to keep, but was afraid I would just be buying it because it was a deal, not because I particularly loved it and would probably never carry it because of the weight. It was hard to let a deal like that pass me by. What would you have done?
If you’re interested you can contact Unclaimed Baggage to see if the Alexander Wang Rocco is still available. And if you’re ever in the Fort Payne or Chattanooga areas, it’s definitely worth the trip because you never know what you’ll find. I’d also like to offer my condolences to the poor person who bought this bag and never got it home.
A new year equals new beginnings which for me usually includes cleaning out the house. This time of year I try to clear out the unwanted or no-longer-needed stuff I’ve accumulated over the past year and I usually start in my closet. Most of us don’t have unlimited closet space and if you’re assessing your collection of purses, here are some simple guidelines to help you decide what to keep, what to sell, what to give and what to toss.
What to Keep-The bags you use most often or that are especially distinctive. Most ladies have a few everyday bags and evening bags they rotate throughout the year. Be honest about which ones you always reach for and which you haven’t used in years. If you have a bag or two you love that only comes out on special occasions, keep it, but don’t keep a purse you don’t love based solely on it’s value. If it’s a nice bag, you can probably sell it and make room for one you do love.
What to Sell-Designer or nice leather bags in good condition that you no longer use. Almost every designer bag is worth something. Especially if you have authentic Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Bottega Venetta, Fendi, Gucci and the like. Contemporary designers like Michael Kors, Rebecca Minkoff, Botkier, and leather bags from stores like J.Crew and Banana Republic also have resale value if the purse is in good condition. If you spent a couple hundred dollars or more on a purse, odds are you can sell it for something.
What to Give-Any bag you’ve decided to get rid of that may not be worth much money or the hassle of selling it. Without getting too much into my feelings about replicas (which we’ll save for another day), I put them in this category. Get rid of them-no one is fooled and it’s illegal to sell them. Offer any purses you’ve decided to give away to a friend or relative you think might like them or take them to Goodwill and get your tax deduction.
What to Toss-Anything torn, stained or unusable. I am not an advocate of waste but even Goodwill has standards. Toss anything that is gross or beyond repair.
Follow these guidelines and not only will you have the feeling of freedom that comes with de-cluttering and organizing, you’ll be making room for new purses and may make some cash!
It’s really hard to believe that 2012 is here. 2011 was a big year for Purse Pixie and I couldn’t have done it without you, my wonderful readers!
We want to make 2012 even better and I would love to hear your thoughts about what you really like or maybe don’t like about Purse Pixie. We are nothing without our readers and want to make sure we are providing content that is interesting and helpful to you. We’re also about to start a series of Purse Pixie Q & A posts and would love to have your purse-related questions. You can get in touch with me by email: Nanci(at)PursePixie(dot)com or by using our Contact Us page.
P.S. I am so excited about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, less so about the Presidential election. Anything in 2012 you are super-psyched about?
