Thank goodness September is over because it’s probably my least favorite month. It’s not only the month when the most alarming, gigantic spiders come out to terrify and bring my nightmares to life, but it’s also when Southern California gets the most oppressive of sweltering heat waves. Getting dressed in that heat was a chore, so I didn’t really do it, and I didn’t want to waste any of your precious blog-reading time with endless posts of me in cuff-offs and cotton tees, so I stayed off the internets for a bit.
But one bright spot is I think all that lazy dressing brought me to my latest style obsession…going handbag-less.
It all started with an evening spent at Dave and Busters, which if you don’t know, is a restaurant/sports bar/adult arcade. The new lazy dresser in me really didn’t feel like lugging a handbag around, juggling it on my shoulder while I lay out some mad air hockey skills. Instead, I tossed on a blazer, filled the pockets with only the essentials, and headed out the door. And you know what? It was glorious! I felt so light and unencumbered the entire night, and also keenly aware of just how annoying it is to carry a handbag around as I watched other ladies shifting weighty bags from shoulder to shoulder, and searching for safe, beer-free places to rest them while they got their Pac-Man on.
So now, I’ve been adopting a much more handbag-less lifestyle, and it’s been great! My current essentials include a small card wallet with only my ID, a little cash, and my most used credit cards, my keys, my phone, and a small external battery pack because my phone battery has been acting a fool lately. It’s amazing how much junk I lugged around on a daily basis, that I rarely or never used. Of course, I still carry a handbag when I feel like it, but I’m very much enjoying just tossing my stuff into some blazer pockets and traveling light.
My favorite blazers to wear for going bagless, you ask? J.Crew of course! All those hidden inside pockets make nifty work of storing your stuff.
PSA: Shopbop has a promo going on right now where you can get 25% off a purchase up to $500, and 30% off a purchase of $500 or more with code MAINEVENT16. My picks include this great dark green suede moto jacket I’ve been wearing non-stop, my favorite Rag & Bone ankle booties, and the cutest stripe tee “with a twist”.
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Blazer J.Crew (similar & similar)
Tee J.Crew
Jeans Banana Republic (old)
Shoes Giuseppe Zanotti
Bracelet Frye
Watch Larsson and Jennings (similar)
Belt Linea Pelle
Jewelry Downtown LA, vintage, Catbird
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nothing =)
That is such an interesting post and I couldn’t agree with you more. I do find myself carrying smaller handbags in recent years. All that extra room in a mid-sized handbag seems a bit silly. Would love to see what type of small card wallet you use though.
Love it! Pockets (more and better) would solve SO many of our problems with carrying bags around. I still need a bag for most treks but a quick run to the store or other errands is great when you can go bag-free.
Thank you for sharing the Shopbop discount and the reviews on the blank denim suede Moto jacket! You look so good in that olive colored jacket, I can’t wait to receive mine! One unrelated question, I really like how you wear your gold chain necklace and the lion pendant. The size and proportion of the combo look perfect on you. Would you mind to tell me what’s the size of the pendant and the size of the chain section of the necklace? My size is very close to yours. This will be a good future reference for me. Thank you!
Hi Carol! Apologies for the late reply! The pendant is about 1 inch in diameter, and the chain I wear it on is 24 inches long. Hope that helps!
Oh yes, I have tried this too – a handbag can be a struggle when you go shopping. You don’t really need anything else but just what you said, a credit card, ID, a mobile phone, some money. Does your nice grey blazer have pockets maching with a bigger mobile phone like IPhone 6plus or Lumia? Kelly, nice combination again <3 Best wishes from Finland –Anu
I did it exactly once in my life and I must have panicked at least half a dozen times when I realized nothing was hanging from my left shoulder and I’d lost all my money and id! Lol. It took a few seconds to calm myself down and realize all those things were in my pockets. I’d like to try bagless again but after decades of lugging around a bag it feels like it’s a body part at this point!
Great look!
what’ do you think about brooks brothers blazers?
Hi Lydia! Apologies for the late reply! I don’t have much experience with Brooks Brothers blazers. I have a hard time finding petite styles I like in the sizes I need, and usually don’t end up finding what I’m looking for. From what I understand, the quality is quite nice.
Oh man I am 100% with you on the going bagless thing. Lately I’ve just been throwing my phone in a pocket and heading out (especially when I have the convenience of Ben carrying his wallet and card around). But my favorite thing when I must wear a bag is a small backpack. Granted, now that we take Aria with us we usually need to bring her diaper bag but it’s easy enough to toss into the stroller and still be hands-free. :)
You look tall in your photos, from your longer limbs and fingers. And of course very well dressed. Thanks for all the tips. My one criticism is, you should look upwards more, less towards the ground. Own it, girl! You look great!
Thanks Mia! In response to that last part, low camera angles help to make me look taller than I am, but unfortunately are not flattering to much else. That’s why we all take selfies by holding the camera up high and looking up into it, right? Looking down helps avoid some pretty gnarly camera angle issues.