In the Mood: Coach – Fall Handbags 2011

Hi ladies…I was just looking at the Coach website the other day and I was inspired to blog about it.  I’ve been obsessed with Coach since I was in my teens.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many Coach items I own right now.  My mom bought me my first Coach purse when I was in high school. Awesome - right? I thought I was pretty cool to have a beautiful tan leather duffle bag when many of my friends didn’t own one.  Ever since then I have acquired quite the collection of Coach items from purses and accessories to outerwear and shoes.  Do you have any Coach pieces or do you plan to purchase something soon?

This brand is doing everything right at this point.  Over the last 70 years, the character and the spirit of the Coach brand has been defined as “classic American style.”  Coach was founded in 1941 as a family run workshop in a Manhattan loft.   The company made its reputation selling sumptuous fine leather purses and accessories in traditional and classic styles, and it remains one of the best-known leather brands in the United States.  Now don’t get me wrong, the brand has had its share of hits and misses over the years.  However, the company continued to evolve and offer an expanding collection of merchandise from handbags, clothing, jewelry, luggage and beyond.   

The current collections are distinctly modern yet unmistakably classic.  All of the collections offer amazing rich colors, new silhouettes, and unique fabrications that play off each other perfectly. The Madison collection is sleek, chic and flawless.   It’s one of my favorites right now.  The company recently reissued 5 iconic Coach Classic styles for a limited time only.   The Classic collection is perfect for all ages because it offers simple and elegant styles.  Each piece can be considered a wardrobe staple.  Although the Poppy collection is not my favorite, the collection is playful, vibrant and whimsical and it’s a favorite among many women.  

Have you checked out the website lately? If you haven’t, you can check it out here.  This company has so many great handbags and accessories on the website right now.   I wanted to share some of my fall favorites with all of you.  Which ones are your favorites?  Check out my fall crushes from Coach and let me know what you think!

MADISON GATHERED LEATHER

ABIGAIL SHOULDER BAG

MADISON LEATHER LINDSEY SATCHEL

FLAGSHIP BUFFALO LEATHER TOTE

FLAGSHIP LEATHER DOWEL FLAP

KRISTIN ELEVATED PEBBLE GRAIN

LEATHER LARGE ZIP TOTE

CHELSEA LEATHER LARGE SHOPPER

Fresh Picks to Follow: The Schoolboy Blazer

I’m so sad that my week at home has ended. Even though it’s only Friday, I’m already dreading Monday morning.  I really have to make the best of the weekend.  I’m sure there is a ton of work waiting for me in the office along with hundreds of emails.  I don’t have much planned this weekend.  I’m running tomorrow morning in the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K.  Do you have any plans to run or walk your local Susan G. Komen Race?  If you have questions on how to get involved, I’ve posted some links to some great organizations dedicated to breast cancer research.  Check out my previous post here for more information.

I went into J. Crew on Wednesday and I was pretty impressed with some of the items in the store.  I always loved J. Crew, but I hadn’t visited the store in a while.  I grabbed the November 2011 catalog and I want everything…especially the Schoolboy Blazer and the Hacking Jacket.  I love these jackets because I can still wear them to work.  You can pair this blazer with jeans and boots for a casual look or wear over a neutral colored dress for work.  Combine this blazer with a button down top or a shirt for a look that is both trendy and timeless.  How do you wear your blazers?  Here are my top 10 schoolboy blazers for this week’s Fresh Picks to Follow.  Let me know what you think!

1. Anthropologie - Mainstay Blazer…$498.00

2. Banana Republic - Knit Herringbone Jacket…$150.00

3. Talbots - Kate Fit Velveteen Jacket…$129.00

4. Bird by Juicy Couture - Striped Blazer...$208.60

5. Ann Taylor - Country Check Jacket…$179.99

6. J. Crew - Hacking Jacket…$298.00

7. Rag & Bone - Merino Wool Knit Jacket…$450.00

8. Maison Scotch - Herring Blazer…$220.00

9. Smythe - Plaid Blazer…$695.00

10. J. Crew - Schoolboy Blazer in Velvet…$168.00

xoxo Natasha

Fitting Room Reviews: Falling for Dresses

I tried on a few dresses at Anthro the other day and I wanted to share some of my reviews with all of you.  I plan to go back to the store to try on a few other things that have caught my eye.   Do you have any suggestions or requests?  Have any of you tried on these dresses yet?  Let me know!

Anthropologie – Veiled Alder Dress…$298.00

Isn’t this dress stunning?  I love everything about it – the cut, the lace, and the fit.  I tried on the dress in the dark grey color, but to me it looks more like a light taupe color.  This dress comes in black too, but I haven’t seen it in the store yet.  I bet that one would be lovely too.  I tried on a size (4) and it fit true to size.  There is a light adjustable liner under the dress that compliments the dress.  I have nothing negative to say about this dress except that the price is a little high.  I would love for this dress to go home with me today, but I will have to wait until this one goes on sale.  I just hope that Anthro has plenty of these in stock.  Whenever I wait for an item, I usually miss out.  This dress gets a thumbs up. 

Anthropologie – Unconditional Osier Dress…$168.00

This dress was a perfect fit and it’s very comfortable.   I tried this dress on in the brown motif.  I didn’t see it in the blue in my store yet.  I tried on a size (4) and the fit was true to size.  The sheer floral design is just lovely.  This dress would look cute with a skinny belt and some boots.   This dress is also gets a thumbs up, but I will probably pass on this dress. 

Anthropologie – Test Pattern Sweater Dress…$148.00

I love this dress too.  I tried this dress on in a small and thought it was very flattering.  I also think that the dress complimented my hourglass figure. The color, the pattern and the weight of the sweater dress was perfect.  I would pair this dress with some tights, boots and a long sleeve t-shirt.  I plan on getting this dress too.  This dress also gets a thumbs up. 

Anthropologie – Glinting Persica Sweater Dress…$188.00

This dress is very romantic and beautiful.  The color of the dress includes a soft pink/peach color and light brown. The colors really compliment each other. The wool dress has gold metallic thread that shimmers all over.  I didn’t find that this dress was itchy, but I usually don’t have a problem with wool.  If you have sensitive skin this dress may bother you because there is no liner.  My favorite part of the dress is the cut out detail in the back of the dress.  It just adds a little something funky to a feminine dress.  This dress also gets a thumbs up.

xoxo Natasha

Moody Girl Eats: Soy-Dijon Flounder

I haven’t been cooking lately, because I have just been so busy with work and training for my half marathon.  Now that I’m on vacation, I was finally able to cook last night.  I didn’t look up any recipes because I wanted to be creative.  I wanted to use the ingredients that I had on hand.  My two main ingredients included Dijon mustard and soy sauce.  After I looked in my spice cabinet, I pulled brown sugar to sweeten the mixture and rice wine vinegar.  I really didn’t know how this was going to turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I used the mixture on a package of frozen founder.  I served the fish with jasmine rice and green beans.  I was pretty proud of myself…it turned out really good.  I tried to create a recipe below , if you want to try to make it at home.  I would adjust the ingredients to match your personal taste.  Bon Appétit!

Soy-Dijon Marinade

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of cooking white wine

2-3 dashes of hot sauce (optional)

Whisk all of the ingredients together and adjust to taste.  Use as a glaze or bake the fish in the entire mixture.  

miscellany monday

happy monday everyone – i’ve added my random ramblings to carissa’s miscellany monday party!  check out carissa’s blog here and join in on the fun. 

{one} gelato.  i’m a big fan of this gelato and sorbetto brand named talenti.  i never heard of this brand before and I certainly didn't see it in the store until it went on sale last week.  if you love ice cream and sherbet like i do, you’re going to love this brand.  check out their website here for more info and store locations.  my favorites so far are mediterranean mint gelato, cappuccino gelato, and blood orange sorbetto.  they are all so good - you won't be disappointed!

{two} running injury.  ever since my half marathon i haven’t been running as much because i pulled a muscle a week before my run.  i either strained or tore my medial collateral ligament on my knee.  this particular injury to the ligament is on the inner part of my knee. according to webmd, this ligament apparently keeps the shin bone (tibia) in place.  i'm pretty bummed that i injured my knee because it really hurts.  it also affects everything that I do…even sitting in a chair with my legs crossed.  i really hope that my leg heals soon, i miss running and my bootcamp classes at the gym. have any of you had running injury like this before?

{three} amc fear fest.  i don’t know about you all, but i love watching scary movies.  i know that there are plenty of people out there that don’t like to watch them.  i usually laugh at the super gory ones that look fake.  however, the movies that are full of suspense and have a realistic storyline, usually scare the crap out of me.   i’m currently watching the hills have eyes (2006) and i’ve jumped at least 20 times so far.   crazy  i know.  amc tv has a great line up of the classics like the omen and my personal childhood favorite, poltergeist.  the fear fest special is running from oct. 16 until oct. 31.

xoxo Natasha