Summer Shopping, Part 1

I always seem to be running behind when it comes to shopping for the current season. And the reason for that is, of course, that you can't really shop for the current season anymore. By the beginning of summer, there's nothing summery left in the shops -- all the retailers are stocking up on sweaters and wooly scarves and snow boots. You really need to do your shopping several months in advance. Which requires planning and forethought and organization. All those things I don't do very well. I don't want to think about swimsuits in February or overcoats in July. I want to be able to run out and pick up a couple of tank tops when the weather is hot enough to wear those tank tops. I am soooo out of step with the modern world of commerce.

But I have been doing a little shopping lately, and managed to find a couple of items I'll be able to use before the leaves start changing color. To wit:

Etienne Aigner "Annalise East/West" tote in Natural, Clarks "Pear" slides in Birch. I'm pretty sure these items are last year's models, since I got great bargain prices on them. But last year's designs are usually more to my liking than this year's. Well, actually, last decade's designs are generally what I find myself searching for. But that's another story -- and maybe a subject for another blog post.

This bag is amazing -- I can stuff apparently endless amounts of stuff in and it just swallows it all up. I wanted something different from the Vera Bradley bags I've used during the summer for years now, and this caught my eye because it reminded me of the straw handbags I loved back in the '60s and '70s. The shoes are very light weight, and I love the color -- haven't really worn them enough to know how much I like them. I generally have trouble with backless shoes (I walk right out of them), but these do seem to stay on my feet pretty well.

Even though I've put away my Vera Bradley bags for the moment, I'm still a VB junkie. So I had to hit the outlet store when we visited Leesburg recently. Bought this set (above) specifically to use with the Aigner bag -- its lining has most of these same colors. This pattern is called Poppy Fields -- medium and small cosmetic cases plus a "Double Kiss" coin purse.

Also picked up another Vera set, to use with another handbag. This group is in the Totally Turq pattern -- medium cosmetic case, another coin purse, double eyeglass case, and a wristlet. Below is a shot of the inside of the "Double Kiss" purse, showing the center section and inner lining. It also has a little pocket for bills, that doesn't really show in this photo. I think it's adorable.