currently coveting: totes

With summertime fast approaching, the idea of lugging my oversized black and brown wool doctor-style bag around is terribly unappealing.  I've found myself lusting after pretty printed tote bags--from simple canvas to pricier, reworked feed sacks.

(I like "Beards are Sexy" mostly because I think it would be funny to walk around town with my bearded boyfriend on one arm and that bag on the other...)

All bags can be found on Etsy: (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11)

russian dolls

The blizzard here is so severe that half my office decided not to show up today. I say: they are wimps. This is Vermont! We scoff at two feet of snow--that's why we all drive Subarus with studded snow tires. Pansies. While the rest of my colleagues were snuggled all warm in their beds, I was flouncing around in my shirtsleeves like a true Northeast Kingdom Queen. That said, I am brave in the face of the blizzard, but do not enjoy these frigid temperatures.

(tshirt: old navy; blazer: vintage; jeans: pacsun; boots: seychelles; bow/necklace: forever 21)

This is the sort of outfit that comes together when I am very lazy indeed. My motto is, if you're going to wear something utterly snore-worthy, at least make it colorful! This vibrant red tee shirt is my go-to for wow-factor in an otherwise unimpressive outfit (and the primary accents in the accessories add a little bit of fun).

Tonight:

Treadmill

Chili

Ally McBeal

Zucchini bread baking

Research

I like my new shoes.

Today I opted for super-casual because it's Tuesday (and honestly, I think Tuesday is even harder than Monday...) and because I bought so many many great BASICS this weekend (and in the past I have been severely basics-impaired).

Since the beginning of time (it seems), I have been on the hunt for 1) a nice heather gray vneeck tee shirt that isn't too a) clingy, b) transparent, c) large and 2) the perfect pair of skinny jeans. The primary reason that I wanted skinny jeans was for boot-tucking, but I couldn't resist trying out my new Minnetonka moccasins (even if I did have to change into snow boots for the commute to work--it's blizzarding here!)

Maybe the skinny jeans aren't perfect, but I've looked high and low and I'm not sure if it's possible for them to fit me exactly right. I'm pretty short and I have skinny legs so they always bunch at the ankles&knees (and I don't necessarily want them to look like leggings). I got this particular pair (and the same in gray because it was buy-one-get-one-free!) at PacSun, which I have been hesitant to go in to, if not downright intimidated, because the kids working there look like they should be playing bass for obnoxiously emo teen skater-punk bands (or whatever it is the kids are calling it these days).

To top it off, the perfectly-plaid scarf that I found stuffed in my stocking :) I've been wearing it constantly since it appeared on Christmas morning.

Speaking of shoes (sort of), I would most definitely classify myself as a "shoe person" (also, a "dog person" and a "wine person"). While some girls will go out and buy gaggles of bags, I will a) steal bags, or b) receive bags as gifts. The only bag I have ever bought myself is my awesome straw purse, which hardly counts--it's not big enough to hold much of anything. I literally can not hold on to clutches (I put them down, they disappear... usually with valuables inside), so I don't buy them. My mother gave me a red leather bag a few years ago, and although it makes a great, classy carry-on, it's not terribly practical for daily use because it doesn't have any pockets.

For the purpose of practicality, I was ultimately forced to resort to theft (from my mother). Behold my beautifully-battered boho bag:

Don't get me wrong, I love my saggy bag (stains and all), but it isn't appropriate when I want to look... well, nice. And although I know I should invest in something basic and prac*YAWN*tical (and probably black)...

...I keep getting sidetracked by bags that are so much more interesting. Bags that have so much more character:

And then I moan and groan for so long that they sell out... and then I'm a little bit sad and I maybe curse myself just once or twice. There may be a "fun" in "functional" but I don't see it. Basics, Caitlin, basics...

But ooh, I kind of like this one: