weathered leather

Hey, remember when Dooney & Bourke made classy, durable leather bags instead of overpriced bullshit like this?

Yeah, me either, but before Lindsay Lohan was even born, they totally made gorgeous stuff. Lately I’ve been seeing some awesome old bags on Etsy that are way cheaper (and less likely to be passé after one season) than this initial-encrusted bullshit. Some examples:

Personally, I prefer the bags without the duck logo, because I hate big logos, but the leather duck is still way better than the all-over initial print.

I’m not the type to have any kind of brand loyalty, with the possible exceptions of L.L. Bean and Doc Martens, but I am dismayed that brands that initially became popular due to craftsmanship and timeless style are now popular just for being popular. The bags I posted above would be covetable even if all the logos were removed. The same cannot be said for most of Dooney & Bourke’s recent bags.

if you removed the logos from this bag, you'd be left with just handles

Coach has had the same problem in recent years. Can you believe that the people who brought you these multicolored monstrosities:

…also created these gorgeous, buttery soft purses?

 

Everything I’ve posted here is less than a hundred dollars, some of it way less, and that’s just for these two brands. There’s so many more awesome vintage and handmade handbags on Etsy alone, not to mention stores like Find, Material Objects, Good Cause Thrift Shop, Ferdinand, and Goodwill.

So let's give shit like this a rest, okay?

I am the worst at doing anything in December.

Last night, I dreamt that Find had an amazing sale and I shopped there for hours. I have also had this dream about Ferdinand, and a vintage store that only exists in my dreams. I should not have recurring fashion dreams, but I do.

This week, I got a gorgeous gold fishscale belt at Material Objects to replace my old one that disintegrated. Now I must wear belted dresses forever so I have an excuse for this belt.

Sena’s Outfit

My friend Sena was wearing an adorable outfit, so I tried to take her picture as she danced around her apartment.

She put on some boots and a sweet feathered hat.

I love how she’s dressed for cold weather, but looks like a lady, not a marshmallow. It’s hard to see her scarf in the pictures, but it’s got thin blue stripes and it’s the softest thing in the world. She got it for four bucks at Material Objects! I was jealous so I bought an orange one (mine was more expensive because I didn’t score a used one).

UPDATE: Derek took this picture of me dancing in my orange scarf.

You can see one of Sena’s lanky black cats lurking in the background. Eeeek!