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 : )
the zeitgeist of zoe 
snarling
Jun 07, 2011 @ 23:37:02
yay! i love new handbags! i like fossil too. my cheaper gotos in my searches are fossil and lucky brand. and, uh, i also got 2 (yeah you read it right) new bags been a good bad girl – yet another thing i need to write about… just started reading THE HELP and can’t put the damn thing down – should be finished soon think i’m gonna write about that too shit as per usual to much on my mind that i want to do. plus i’m feeling extra especially GIRLIE this week and have cramps like a MOTHER…
Ro
Jun 08, 2011 @ 01:19:11
I didn’t know you were another Bag Whore, or that you liked the labels like moi! What is it about bags and Filos??? My thing also extends to the wallets. Right now I’m coveting an Hermes, of all things. I don’t know if I’ll spring for it (I have the money saved already), but I can want!!! 🙂
Caribbean Princess
Jun 08, 2011 @ 04:56:39
Yay for bag posts. Your bag is lovely and an absolute tardis! I can’t get over how much stuff is in what appears to be a small bag. I don’t know if we have the fossil brand in the UK but it looks good quality and we can’t always afford to buy Prada! Haha.
kanalt
Jun 08, 2011 @ 15:12:23
Excellent bag. I bought the Timbuk2 Eula messenger for the same purpose – cross-body use. It’s a tad smaller than what I sometimes use it for, but that makes me take only what I truly need, which is good. I love, love, love that perfect size cell phone pocket!
SNARLing – I assume you know that The Help will be a movie in August? I listened to it – it was sooo good, on audio especially because there are different readers.
Ro – Bags and Filos do seem to go together since there are several of us with both addictions.
CP – Hi! 😉
Erin Dale
Jun 08, 2011 @ 16:19:16
LOVE the bag Zoe! Fossil is one of my favorite brands and the Aqua finsbury should look lovely with it!
Rori Lieurance
Jun 08, 2011 @ 16:19:22
Such a pretty bag! I love the leather on Fossil products. As a matter of fact, I have a brown Fossil wallet in the gooest leather ever.
That bag sure holds a lot!
What a gorgeous Filofax! I love brown and aqua together.
thezeitgeistofzoe
Jul 06, 2011 @ 14:48:47
oh, i’m a bag whore alright! i think my absolute fave is LV. i will go without groceries to purchase a new bag : ) who needs food anyway, right?!