Quest for the perfect work bag

I have a job now. Somehow, my bag collection sensed this. In quick succession, the gorgeous leather hobo bag that I received for my 21st birthday developed a hole in a seam (I really need to find a leather worker/cobbler in SF if anybody knows of any good ones), my backpack finally hit its last gasp, and my suitcase quickly followed suit. The only usable bags I have left are a leather tote bag and a small leather purse, both of which I stole from my mother.

Now, given that I am no longer strictly a poor graduate student, and actually am working, I feel like the bag I carry needs to be somewhat professional. At the same time, I am a software developer, and as such, my workplace is reasonably casual. My style is somewhere between loving a more minimalist and classic look, and having a love for boho chic (I'm not sure that its boho chic if you are actually of Indian origin, since I feel that often the pieces I pick up there and love remind me of my time and family members there). As such, I tend to like it when the leather pieces I have have a little bit of slouch to them.

So, a list of the bags I would like to own, and their functions:

In a perfect world, I would own:

1, 2 (3, 4) [$685/$1370]. A minimalist leather tote bag that I could carry around for errands, or work on a sunny and dry day, paired with a smaller crossbody that could be tucked into it. My wardrobe seems to shift towards lighter warmer colors in the spring and summer, and warm but very dark colors in the fall and winter, and as such, in a perfect world, I'd own two pairs of a small crossbody and large tote that matched. In this case, the pairing I like the most is the annabel ingall jojo crossbody paired with the petra tote, as such:

Annabel Ingall Jojo Crossbody: $320

The Jojo is a crossbody that seems to be a very well made and attractive knockoff of the Celine Trio Bag - I also like that since there are three compartments, i can keep my various essentials organized, and toss the pouches into my larger bags at will, but have a bag that encases them that I can just grab and carry around as needed. I want this in both black and saddle or acorn. The Jojo actually comes in a ton of different colors which are tempting, but I can only spend so much money on bags here, and it is probably ridiculous to want a black AND brown set of bags, even if I do expect to use them about 6 months at a time as daily workhorse bags. 

The tote I plan to pair it with is the Market Petra from Everlane ($365), probably in the Market size since I feel like the Magazine is a little small to fit all my essentials, but at just under 5' 4'', the Portfolio size would overpower my frame. Got to wait till Friday for the restock on that, but looking forward to ordering it! I think for now I'll just purchase the black ones, and then as summer approaches if I love the pairing, I'll consider purchasing a lighter brown pair. I know that the lighter brown is in limited edition for Everlane, so I'll probably decide within the month. 

Everlane Petra Market in Cognac: $365

3/5 [$295 or 275]. A smaller travel bag for short/weekend trips: I currently have a massive tote from Thailand that is utterly gorgeous, but I constantly worry about the safety of the straps on it. I might snag a weekender from Everlane, but I might also go for a Lo and Son's OG Bag (my current favorite), which, at 17"x15"x 6.5" seems roomy enough to fit everything I'd need while looking quite chic, but naturally is a bit pricey. I think I also favor it because it's proportions would lend itself to actually not completely overpowering my frame the way a duffel bag would. 

The O.G. by Lo and Sons: $295

The O.M.G is slightly smaller (16" x 13.5" x 6") but could potentially also fit my needs (the ability to hold 1-2 macbook pros, my ipad, three days of clothing, toiletries, pens, etc) and would definitely fit my frame better, but I am dubious that this would work out unless I became way more minimal about my packing, which while I'm working on, is not a skill I have mastered. The O.M.G could however be a good candidate for the next category, the Work Satchel.

6 [$600]. A work satchel - A laptop bag that I can carry to work, that will also hold my odds and ends for the day, protect my laptop(s) from water on rainy days, be easy to carry, and not necessarily obviously look like a laptop bag. My dream work satchel is the PS1, but at 1.6 to 2k, buying one will take a bit of planning, and in the meantime, it might do me good to buy something in a more mid-price range. I'm currently maintaining a pinterest board of the running candidates on this front, here

My favorites so far are:

Marc Jacobs Too Hot to Handle Tote: $528

I actually saw a smaller version of this bag on someone at a coffee shop today and loved the smaller version. This tote zips up, which currently makes it my far and away favorite at the moment, since it is otherwise unassuming and professional, but large enough to hold all my belongings. 

Another option:

Tory Burch Robinson Double Zip Tote: $575

This bag is also pretty minimal, with a zip at the top, and a nice shoulder strap.

I can also go the other direction and get a leather satchel a la the cambridge satchel company, or something from Frye, but I personally would rather save up for a PS1 which is what I actually want, and get a professional leather black work bag that can serve more conservative interests in the meantime.

I've also got to swing by nordstrom rack, marshall's, and ross to make sure that I'm not missing any cheaper finds (thus allowing me to save up). 

In the meantime, I'm going to order the totes from Everlane with their crossbodies (or ok, ok, just the black ones for starters, like I said before, and make do with this seemingly awesome bag from modcloth that is in the 50-100 dollar range, allowing me to potentially save up for the PS1 instead of settling for anything else, or even just save up for a Prada tote instead of one of these (though these seem fine for what they are):

Geologist Bag: $68

I thought over this bag a lot, since I am mostly trying to invest in pieces that will last me a long time, but realized that I want the time to save up for those pieces, and right now I have 0 bags I can use. I know that if I rush the choice, I might not be excited. This bag was a good addition to my wardrobe since its a nice neutral brownish color, is reasonably priced, won't overlap with the final black work satchel or the suede PS1 Satchel style I'm saving up for, and is also plain enough to not overshadow my suede hobo bag. Its gotten pretty great reviews overall on modcloth as well, and is being used my students, so it seems like it can take a beating, which is a quality I value in bags. I'll update with reviews on how various things turn out/fare on my purse hunt after a month or two. 

Ok, better get back to work for a while. 

Pulling it Together: Madewell Silk Shirred Dress Review, Madewell Terrace Dress Review, and Everlane Tee Review

Starting any weight loss journey is tough. I don't plan on discussing my journey terribly often, it could happen, but it seems unlikely.

The first thing I've done is realize that in order to lose weight, I must come to terms with the weight I am now. I decided to purchase a suite of clothing that would fit me at my current body. My favorites have been as follows:

Everlane T's: I own 2 black ones (one v neck, one round neck), a navy, slate, and beige color, all in Large. I wear a 34H cup and am 5' 4'' for reference, and they fit me well, loosely actually, and have room for my chubster belly. They're comfortable, hold up in the wash, and are reasonably priced at 15 dollars each. I adore them and wear one almost everyday.

Everlane Tee in White with a Round Neck

If you're interested in them, here's a link to sign up and get some of your own if you're in the market for awesome t shirts and want me to get a free shirt the next time I hit a lower size during my weight loss journey: https://www.everlane.com/n/n5abzg

Madewell Shirred Silk Dress:

This dress is amazing. I'm busty, petite, and have a very short torso. This dress makes me look like I have an awesome hourglass figure, which is hard to achieve when I'm 180lbs+. I currently seem to fit well into size 10's (I'm pretty sure Madewell has some pretty spectacular vanity sizing) and adore this dress in black, red, and beige dot. Its comfortable, and it looks fantastic under a v neck sweater to boot, allowing me to use it as a really awesome skirt as well.

Don't be fooled, if you're busty or have an hourglass,
this dress really accentuates it.  You will not look like a small
child in your pinafore a la this model. 

How could I resist a cute red dress? Seriously. 

I think red can occasionally be difficult to pull off because it screams sex if you don't wear it correctly, particularly as a busty petite. These dresses also have the plus point that they have this vertical line running down the middle. Its a subtle detail, but it ended up being surprisingly slimming. All in all, I adore this dress. It's currently on sale at madewell.com, go get it before its gone, its amazing.

Madewell Terrace Dress:

Once again, if you're a petite busty hourglass like myself, particularly with a short torso, this dress looks phenomenal. It somehow manages to make my skin look creamy and flawless, accentuates my hourglass figure, and makes my chest look proportional and smaller. The skirt is long enough to be appropriate for most occasions, and the fabric is soft, stretchy, and incredibly warm and comfortable. I can't recommend this dress highly enough.

Now, the advantage of most of these dresses is that they can easily be altered down to a smaller size, and they make me look good right now. I have tried to get myself to lose weight via self hatred many, many times, and its never worked. This time around, my plan is to see whether in the process of getting to know my body better and paying more attention to it, I can get healthier via liking it more. We'll see how things go.