the zeitgeist of zoe

Last night I saw the cutest cross-body bag in one of my local shops.  Now, generally I am a purveyor of rather large, rather expensive bags (Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Channel, Gucci and Prada…you get the idea) but sometimes you just want a decent bag for everyday that won’t cause apoplexy if it gets wet or damaged or stepped on.

I have a tendency toward black bags too.  So if anything in the list above isn’t Louis Vuitton, assume it’s black.  Because it is.

Last weekend I was doing some power shopping.  It was hot out and schlepping my big, black, Marc Jacobs hobo was becoming cumbersome. A few hours in my shoulder was aching and my lower back was throbbing.

“What I need”, I thought to myself, “is a small, lightweight, cross-body bag I can carry at times like this”.

Fast forward to the Mall last night and the extraordinarily fortuitous sale I stumbled upon of Fossil bags.  The Fossil Hanover Cross-body seemed to fit the bill, had an abundance of pockets and compartments for its size and even looked reasonably cute on.

Sold!

Believe it or not I went for the Cognac color. Yes, they did have black, but I thought for summer (and since I am deeply committed to my aqua Filofax Finsbury…no matter which size I decide to use on a given day) I would give this natural saddle tan a try.

Here it is full of my stuff…

That is my beloved iPhone 4 sticking out of the perfectly sized cell phone pocket.

Now for the contents…

Can you believe all of this fits in such a compact bag?!  I couldn’t.  But I sure am pleased that it does.  For the record, this little number holds just about the same amount as the Coach tote bag I was carrying as a work bag. The only thing I could fit in the Coach tote that I can’t in here are file folders.  And since those don’t come shopping with me, I’m ok with that.

In the bag you will find:

My aqua Personal size Filofax Finsbury (obviously the Pocket fits even better and the A5 won’t fit at all)

iPhone 4 & earbuds

Hand sanitizer, Neosporin To Go (because I am a klutz and frequently injure myself), a couple hair elastics, Altoids

Bliss Problem Salved, Clinique Superbalm (in “Currant” if you care), Burts Bees lip balm, Boscia Blotting Papers, Sephora mirror

Fossil Key-per wallet (also on mega sale & I thought a cute, colorful, summery compliment to the bag)

Coach sunglasses

Looking at this photo it has just dawned on me I have lost my car keys, which are missing from the shot…but no matter…the blog must go on!

Anyway, not too shabby, eh?!  Considering the price point (hint – the Finsbury cost more on clearance) and the fact that it is all leather, and nice supple leather at that, I am quite happy with it.

And there you have it.  Handbag du jour,  a la Zoe : )