Purse On Us

KEEP IT SIMPLE: A DESK’S LIFE

A couple of month’s ago, I took a visit to RISD Works, a collection of books/art/music from Rhode Island School of Design alumni for sale in my home state of Rhode Island.  On this trip, I picked up a book entitled The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda, future president of RISD.  The book was a fairly dry read but the overall theme is incredibly intriguing to me given the success of technology meets simple design as demonstrated in the Apple iPod.

 
Law #1: REDUCE

The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.

 
This brings me to my most recent quest: searching for desk paraphernalia which serves a function and initiates rampant smiling.  Function meets design.  The standard 9 – 5 can get pretty monotonous.  How about a bubble-headed tape dispenser to liven things up?

 In my search for animated items for my home and office, I came across 3 sites devoted to offering unparalleled products.

 
The Winner’s Circle

 
Third Place

The tape dispenser above was purchased at a site called DailyPlanner.com.  I stumbled across this site in one of my weekend meanderings on the hunt for my favorite grid paper notebooks. 

 
Products for sale are categorized by the following themes:

 
Along with my favorite tape dispenser above, I have also purchased Miquelrius notebooks (for those of you who share my obsession with grid paper) and a Tiki tissue box (below).

This site is devoted to simple well-designed items intended to draw a smile from even the most serious among us.  One design-flaw to note on this tissue box.  Let’s just say, tissue flow needs to be improved on this item.  I have to re-thread the tissue after every pull.  On the function end of the scale, my tissue box is not sending a steady stream.

 
Second Place

 
Unlike the online store above, this store does not sell a collection of items but instead only one, in a variety of designs: the purse hook.  Yeah.  Yeah.  You’ve heard the story before.  They’ve been highlighted on all of he morning shows.  Etc.  Etc.  But there is indeed a difference between this:

And this:

 
Luxe Link is a Santa Monica-base company founded by former NYU roommates.  The difference between the boring functional item on top and the Luxe Link on the bottom is in the details. 

 
Design:

The Luxe Link comes in a variety of colors and patterns, all focused on providing an added design element to the already well-designed handbag.  For the egoist like myself, I chose one with my first initial on it.  Unlike the traditional purse hook on top, the Luxe Link can be attached to hang off of your purse handle offering easy access when entering a restaurant or bar.

 
First Place

Genius Things is a Portland, Oregon-based company focused pthe intersection of design/function/simplicity in its products.  The online store offers a collection of products but unlike DailyPlanner, our third place winner, the selection is much lighter.  Much like entering your favorite wine store with only a few bottles of meticulously hand-picked items, this online store only offers a few well-selected products.

 
Introducing my new office lamp that I haven’t set-up yet:

Designed by Artecnica, currently featured in the Rococo exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in NYC, this lamp can be molded to your own design aesthetic allowing for continuous shaping according to whim.

 
Offering three categories of products rather than several, Genius Things offers a few quality products rather than many.  This is the first and last time I have responded to direct marketing heading to the site after receiving a 4” x 6” postcard in the mail.  The title of the company drew this little genius-wannabe in. 

 
One con to point out in ordering: after three attempts at posting an order through the e-commerce site and receiving error after error … I had to [gasp] CALL.  Seriously?!?!?

a couple of years ago, i bought a purse hanger in the stocking stuffer section at the container store during the holiday season. it’s an item they carried every year only as a stocking stuffer, and i get compliments on it all the time. however, they didn’t restock them again this past year, and so we started to look for them online.

i was surprised to find that there’s actually a ton of sites that sell purse hooks, but pursejewelry.com is definitely my favorite. many of the other sites sell incredibly gawdy looking hooks, some are really expensive, and some are needlessly bulky. this site has lots of choices, from simple to ornate, and you can even order custom designs. the average price seems to be $10.. a little more for elaborate designs, and a little less for the simpler hangers. they even have a collapsible “s” hook that i have pictured above for $4.95 that’s perfect for hanging over a bathroom stall door that has no hook. i really like my purse hanger because of the little mirror that lets me check my teeth after a meal.

another great thing about the hanger is that it keeps your purse in plain view and off the floor. i don’t like hanging my bags on my chair because it’s so easy to steal them that way, and i don’t like putting my bags on the floor. when i carry a more expensive bag, i don’t want it to get dirty on the floor, plus even with a bag i don’t care about putting down, i don’t want it to pick up bacteria. each hook comes with a little pouch.

Jimmy Choo Mahala Shiny leather and suede handbag

Jimmy Choo  Shiny leather and suede bucket shape handbag which features wide straps clasping graphic brushed brass squares.

Dimensions: L33 x H25 x W25cm
L13 x H10 x W10″

Tamara partnered with Mr Jimmy Choo to start the ready to wear company and sourced factories in Italy to produce the shoes on a larger scale. Consequently, plans were made to open the first Jimmy Choo stand alone boutique and to develop the wholesale business throughout the fashion capitals of the world.

The Jimmy Choo philosophy is to create exclusive shoes and accessories that are both luxurious and practical for all occasions whilst creating a look instantaneously recognised as “Jimmy Choo”.   The understated distinctiveness of the brand, and its integrity, is controlled with the limited distribution of the products to a few select retailers

Jennifer Lynn Lopez popularly known as J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, fashion designer, and television producer. According to People en Español’s list of “100 Most Influential Hispanics” She is the richest of Latin American, and the most influential Hispanic entertainer in America.

Photos from celebrityarmcandy.com

left to right; Indy Tacel Gucci, Marc Jacobs Stam bag

celebrityarmcandy.com is dedicated to provide you everyday with new handbag gossip and trends, latest pictures of celebrities and their designer handbags, purses, clutches, hobos, satchels and not the latest guy they are dating.
The only thing this blog cares about are designer handbags who has the latest Jimmy Choo clutch in snake skin?How many Fendi Spybags does Jessica Simpson have?Is the Chloe Paddington still in vogue after two years?What handbags should I get for the upcoming fall season?Should I buy a clear handbag for the summer?

In my blog I will provide you everyday a new collection of photos for each celebrity including of course the thing they love the most their arm candy.

I have been using the purse hook for a couple of months now and find  that it is comforting to know that I will have a place to hang my bag anywhere. Ladies, how much do we spend on our purses only to drag them all over the floor at a restaurant?  It’s the one accessory that you must have. The Purse Hook holds up to 35 pounds and is also good for holding smaller things like umbrellas.  Price: $21.95 – $39.95

   Shop: http://www.pursehook.net

Seldom do I find myself head over heels in love with Angelina Jolie’s fashion (although she’s awesome). But the white bag that is Valentino she was sporting last year is… Love at First Sight. The retail price for the genuine Valentino Histoire bag is marked in the $1.8k dollars. I found a replica for $269 (pictured below). And even the $269 is still obscene to pay for a replica. But I found a similar bag that has the colouring and the braided goodness. The picture at the right below is marked on sale at metrostyle.com for $25. Now that’s what I call a bargain and it does look expensive.

(Above) Lust – Valentino $1,800

(left) Replica – $270 — (right) MUST – $25

This is the new spring bag coming out.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

Hey everyone.

I need your help! I have been looking for the perfect purse for weeks on end. I have a few purses, but they are SO old that they are literally falling apart, stained with dirt and just plain old looking. I went to Macy’s yesterday and fell in love with this purse. It’s simple, made of thick leather so its sturdy and very simple. I love the look of this because it’s not TOO but but can still hold all of my everyday things. I love it in the brown camel leather, but the black leather is more practical.

There are 2 left in the store and until Sunday, there’s at 15% discount then an additional 11% discount so it would be about 100 bucks off. It’s still expensive,  but its a classic look that it could last me for a lifetime. What do you think?

Ok- well not so much of a vacation, but a trip to LA. Yup I get to travel across the country again. And I need a new bag since I’ve been traveling with a HUGE backpacking – type luggage, which doesn’t make consolidating my things very easy. Anyway, here are 2 bags that I really like. Any ideas on which one I should get?

This one is  by Vera Bradly.

This one is by Jansport.

Both are cute and about the same price.. and wow..  I just noticed that both of them are blue and brown. I must be on a blue / brown color kick lately!