OTTD (with a Special Guest) and New Purchase

Hello my dear readers, are you feeling springy? We are still blessed with nice spring temperatures here, which makes choosing an outfit a real pleasure after all those months of wearing the same outfit again and again (even if I a lot of clothes to choose from, at the end of the winter it gest a little boring)! I feel like I have won an entire new wardrobe!

Yesterday was a very important day for a lot of families with preschoolers in NYC. It was the day when everybody received the acceptance letters for the next school year and I have to tell you that a big weight got off my shoulders! My daughter was accepted into the nursery school that is just around the corner from our place and this is going to change my life as I won't have to walk half an hour a day to school (and back) as I do now. On the other side I really like the school where she is currently going (she is so happy there), and if it weren't so far I wouldn't have applied to another school and went through all the preschool drama again. If you're not in NYC you probably won't understand, the nursery school admission process is very particular to the city, apparently.

Anyway, I didn't know yet yesterday morning when I was getting ready for my walk to school, but the day was announcing itself as a great one already. For starters, it was unusually warm, even in the early morning, and I had plans to meet with a fellow JCA who happens to live in the neighborhood for coffee and a little shopping (returns actually) at the Collection store. That was a
lot of fun and I'm happy that I got to meet her through this blog!
I wore the pleated-chiffon cardigan in putty from last year, the "can't remember the name" cami also from last year and black toothpick jeans:



As you could see, we have a special guest today: my daughter was playing in the background (as usual) and she was so cute in her Stella McCartney for Gap wool minidress that I wanted her to be in the spotlight (while I usually try to crop her out):



I couldn't resist (mommy's heart) and took some pics of her alone:



It was the perfect weather to break out my long-coveted-finally-mine ruffled-collar trench. I haven't pics of the entire outfit but I wore the trench the other day to take pics of my new purchase (just replace the chinos with the toothpick jeans).
My new purchase is a purse. I have been looking for a small and easy to carry purse for-e-ver. It had to be a cross-body, so in case we have to take a bus or the subway I can carry my daughter AND the stroller (folded on my shoulder). But mainly I needed one for all those summer afternoons when we go to the playground after nap and I just need to take with me my wallet, keys and phone. I bought the Jcrew charmed mini-bag before Xmas but returned it because it was too dressed up for my lifestyle and also too seasonal (you don't want to wear tweed in the summer). Not that I disliked it but it just wasn't what I was looking for. Also the colors where a little bit difficult to pair as I don't have a lot of black coats/jackets (I have more in the camel tones).

So when I quickly walked into a BR store last Saturday just to browse what they had and I saw this small cross-body bag in a cognac leather and with a chain (bonus), I knew that I had finally found my baby. Moreover, they were running a promo where each customer was given a coupon and inside you could get 25%, 30% or 50% off the ENTIRE PURCHASE. It was my lucky day and I got 50% off! So instead of $98 I paid less than $50 (and it's a leather bag, not plastic).
Here it is:



It's small (same size of the Jcrew one) but I can fit my wallet, keys and phone inside:



By the way, this is the "other" watercolor floral scarf that I bought at the Jcrew event, for the reader who asked. I bought it to wear specifically with this coat:



Now, the fun part. When my husband saw the bag, he asked me if I had found it at Goodwill. In other words, he thinks that it looks cheap and why would I buy something like that, instead of a nice bag by Chanel or Vuitton? Well, I said, that's what my budget allows me, BR, Gap and JCrew and you get upset already if I spend what you think it's too much at Jcrew, I can only imagine the reaction if you saw a $2000 Chanel purchase on the credit card statement. After thinking it over, he came up with a deal: if I return the BR bag he will offer me a Vuitton in a similar style (it has to be a Vuitton). I thought he was kidding, but he really meant it.

Now my dear readers, I really like my BR bag, I think that the color and size are perfect for me and that I will get a lot of wear out of. I am almost tempted to keep it and let the Vuitton go. Am I crazy? I have to say that I haven't looked at the Vuitton catalog in a very long time but what I don't like in Vuitton bags is what all the people like, the fact that they are too recognizable as Vuitton. I don't know, maybe I have seen too many fakes in Italy but I'm not thrilled by the idea.
Trickery (pretending that I have returned the BR bag and wearing it behind his back) is not an option here as I'm sure that I will get busted sooner or later: you can't possibly wear a bag everyday and hide it each time that you come home.

What should I do? What would you do?

By the way, BR is offering 40% off a single full price item every Wednesday in-store only. You must present a coupon to get the 40% but I'm sure that they still have them under the counter so if you are interested in any BR new arrivals, make sure to ask and go in a Wednesday. For those who liked my Theory safari jacket in this post, they have a very similar style (even if the color is a little bit lighter and it's not 100% linen) for $98. I saw it in the store and it's very pretty (definitively the same fitted style).

Wow, it was a long post, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Wednesday!