Found the suit! Opinions on this bag?

[darkeyesredshoes]

Yay! Based on everyone''s sage advice, I found a black two-button suit at Banana Republic (stretch wool, at an excellent sale price) and I got a turquoise knit top to go underneath. Just after buying it, I was invited to interview for a teaching position. Excellent timing!

I ended up purchasing a slightly spendy (for me, at least) leather bag at Cole Haan. I was thinking of getting something more structured in black, but this one had a bit more personality and the sales associate assured me that this rust/cognac-ish color would go with black as well as it would go with jeans.

Opinions? I think it''s a great size, and my laptop will fit inside, but I''m suffering from a serious lack of shopping buddies here in NYC. FI went from liking it, to being shocked at the price, to seeing what else was out there, to liking it again.

I really like it, but it''s just not what I expected to end up with. Feel free to be honest, because they have an excellent return policy!

Here''s me in my interview get-up with the bag, so that you can see how big it is and how the color looks against the black.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Here''s a close-up of the bag. I had taken the belt out in the picture above to see if I liked it better without it. I was informed that I could put a colored scarf in the belt loops instead, if I so desired. I am not much of a colored scarf kind of gal.

 

[monarch64]

It's on the big side, but I love the color. If you carry it by hand rather than in the crook of your elbow I think the whole ensemble will appear more balanced, knim? It is a beautiful bag, though, and your suit looks fantastic on you!

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

For the record, the color looks more like the second picture than the first in real life. Here''s the picture from their website.

 

[FrekeChild]

I'm personally not a fan of the bag, but I'm a totally non brown person. I can't wear it at all unless it's a very specific milk chocolate color. I think what it is, is that I don't like it with the bright blue of the shirt. I think that if you had like a tan/khaki/cream colored shirt underneath, I think the suit and the bag would go well together.

I think the suit and the shirt are lovely together. But it's my favorite color combo, so take that for what its worth.

I think for an interview you should go subdued with the shoes whichever way you go. Perhaps a coordinating cognac shoe with the bag/suit combo or a black or gray shoe with the suit/shirt combo. Unless, of course you could find a shoe that has that brown and blue together...but that might prove to be difficult...

ETA: if you put a blue/brown/black scarf through the loops in the bag-perfect way to coordinate it all together and give it some cohesiveness.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Thanks Monarch! The suit seemed like fate, because it was everything people told me to look for - on sale!

I like that the bag can fit over my shoulder, but I''ll carry it lower when I''m taking the tour of the school. I obsess over this as though the people who are interviewing me will judge my bag choice and placement. I guess you never know, though.

I''m happy that it''ll be big enough to use for a daily bag, because my current purse is teeny.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Thanks for the input, Freke! I''m not - and have never been - a brown person, but this one seemed to be an interesting off-brown that could go with lots of stuff. I got sucked in by the advice that it''ll go with black, because I figure a black bag can''t go with brown. But I''m secretly worried that they don''t actually go, because this is not what I''m good at.

I''ll start looking for the ultimate blue/brown/black scarf this week. You never know what you''re going to find...

I''m glad you chimed in on the shoe front! The ones in the picture are my default interview shoes. I just bought another pair of black shoes today that were pretty inexpensive, and I figured I could try them with the suit as well. DF and I are having a laaaate dinner, but then I''ll snap pictures of them to hear your opinions.

 

[FrekeChild]

Rock on. I''ll be back to check after a little bit.

 

[miraclesrule]

I love that suit. I have a similiar one in black from BR. I think the lines are very flattering. I also like the bag, but I''m with Freke on this one. I just don''t think the color of your shirt does the bag justice.

I do agree that the bag will ROCK with jeans too!

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Okay, I''m back!

Here is a rather ridiculous picture of the two shoe styles currently in consideration.

miracles, I''m glad to be in good suit company. Based on your commentary on the shirt, I''m going to try to find a cream top or something similar in my wardrobe. It''s too bad because I was excited about the turquoise, but I don''t want to look like I can''t dress myself.

 

[monarch64]

Oh, pointy toes, pointy toes!!!!

They make your legs look longer, and to me look more professional than the round toes (although they are nice too.)

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 5/5/2008 12:37:16 AM
Author: monarch64
Oh, pointy toes, pointy toes!!!!

They make your legs look longer, and to me look more professional than the round toes (although they are nice too.)

Ditto!

Ok, so what other shoes do you have? Feel free to add to the "Shoes..." Thread...

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Monnie, (and Freke, now that I see your comment) I appreciate your swift and enthusiastic decision-making! I was leaning towards pointy-toes anyway. By the way, the pointy toes are the shoes I''m wearing in the suit picture. The heel is the perfect height, which is a good thing because I don''t have time to get the pants tailored anyway.

Just because FI spent the past ten minutes making this little composite for me, I''m posting it anyway. He''s so sweet.




P.S. Freke, I was just checking out the shoe thread but feeling woefully undershod! My most expensive shoes are Campers, I think. Or my Ugg boots. I ogle the Manolos.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Thanks, SDL! By the way, your hair looks gorgeous in your avatar!

 

[monarch64]

Oh my .... a man who will make a composite of shoe pics for you is a total winner in my book...how very fortunate you are to have him!

Looking back on this thread as it has evolved, I still love the bag, love the pointy toe''d shoes, love the suit...but I agree with FC that the blouse needs to change to a cohesive color. I''m glad to hear you say you''ll go "shopping" in your closet for a more appropriate blouse/top. I''m terrible about not shopping my closet first and just going out to buy something. Not only is shopping your closet being "green," it''s obviously a money-saver as well. If you have anything simple in ivory or another neutral that will be great. Good luck!

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

FI actually took all the pics as well, the poor guy. He''s a long-suffering graphic designer working in fashion right now, so he''s starting to voice his opinions about what I wear. For the record, he voted for the pointy shoes as well. It''s unanimous!

I found one tan short-sleeved cashmere top from, again, Banana Republic in my closet. I''m a little worried that it could be too low cut. On a normal person, it probably wouldn''t be, but my cups runneth over and I don''t want to show anything off. Hmm.

I really shouldn''t buy anything else for this interview, though. Would any other colors match? I have a plain white button-down shirt, too.

 

[FrekeChild]

Bah! The most expensive shoes in my closet are my Dr. Martens from high school at $150 (my mom bought those) and my Kenneth Cole New Yorks that were originally around $200 and some, but I got on sale for $40

! I totally think you should post your shoe composite over there, not to mention any other shoes you have in your closet!

If I'm lucky I'll be able to afford one pair each of Manolos, Stuarts Weitzmans, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutins etc.

Don't be intimidated by the ladies over there who post their lovely designer goodies! I'm not, I rarely buy anything for full price, and I really can't afford a closet full of Prada and Gucci shoes...as much as I'd like to...

Hi, my name is Liz, and I am an addict. (And I still haven't posted my new Guess Carries ($3-

- I'm such a slacker!)

ETA: I know what you mean about cup runneth over. I just found out that Fredericks has DDs and Fs and was so excited! I think you could probably pull off the white shirt, but you'll have to accessorize carefully... somehow throw some brown in somewhere...

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

UPDATE: Woo hoo! I just found a cream colored shirt with a conservative, pleated neckline in the pile of clothes to be dry cleaned! Woo hoo!

 

[miraclesrule]

Definately the pointed shoes. Very classy and perfect for the suit.

You will never regret that suit purchase. I didn''t get my on sale like you did

, but it is still worth every penny...dollar...that I paid, because I always get compliments and questions as to where I got the suit. And the material blend they use is phenomenal. I have to tell you a quick story about my BR suit. I had it in my trunk to take to the cleaners. I was putting some things in my trunk and apparently the suit slipped a bit and I rushed to push it back but the trunk latch caught the upper left outside of the arm. I thought it was just a lubrication stain from the latch, but the dry cleaner noticed that it was actually two small holes in the black suit material and it had a white lining. I was devastated. She told me that she could do a patch that nobody would notice and I it would cost $150. I was skeptical, but considering the amount I paid for the suit, I told her to go ahead and do what they could to fix it. Apparently she was unable to make it work and sent it to Los Angeles for rethreading.

I was amazed at the results. You can only tell if I point it out and you look really close, but otherwise, it looks like it never happened. Which was a a huge relief. So, if you ever do something as stupid as I did, just know that seamstresses can perform miracles on those suits.

I think a nice ivory shirt would like really nice with that bag. I am more monochromatic and not very creative, but I love that you are willing to go bold. Good luck on your interview.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Freke, FI is putting together a little something for you right now. Hold that thought...

miracles, I totally agree about the quality of the suit! I''m psyched to have gotten it for as little as I did, because you can really tell that it''s worth what they were originally asking. I was so happy to find one that was light wool with a little stretch. My only disappointment was that the matching skirt didn''t fit me very well! I wanted to have another option along with the pants.

I''m so glad that she was able to fix it for you. I know the feeling of having something bad happen to something nice that you value - it''s the worst kind of dread! I die a little every time I whack my engagement ring on something.

 

[FrekeChild]

Wohoo Go darkeyesredshoes''s FI!!

I am so supposed to be writing a paper right now, and instead I''m waiting on pins and needles for pics...

 

[miraclesrule]

I really love the color of that bag. You are going to get a lot of use out of it. It was definately a great choice.

 

[monarch64]

I''m going to make everything terribly difficult for you here by saying I am not a fan of the pleated cream colored top and would rather see you in a crisp white button down vs. any of the other choices.

Sorry, just being honest! I feel like the above top you posted (pic with jeans and bag) just looks too casual. And when in doubt, I say overdress rather than underdress.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Freke, it''s in the "Shoes" thread. Hee!

miracles, thanks for the vote of approval! I''m usually more decisive when I find something I like, but this was a step outside of my usual comfort zone. I''m glad that you think it works!

Monnie, I definitely appreciate the honesty. Unfortunately, I tried on my white button down and it''s gapping between the buttons even though I bought it a size too large. I''ll see how it looks under the suit jacket tomorrow, and I''ll try to take a picture. I''m going to send this cream top and the tan one to be dry-cleaned, and we''ll see how everything turns out on Wednesday. At least the rest of the outfit is picked out!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 5/5/2008 1:52:44 AM
Author: darkeyesredshoes
Freke, it''s in the ''Shoes'' thread. Hee!

miracles, thanks for the vote of approval! I''m usually more decisive when I find something I like, but this was a step outside of my usual comfort zone. I''m glad that you think it works!

Monnie, I definitely appreciate the honesty. Unfortunately, I tried on my white button down and it''s gapping between the buttons even though I bought it a size too large. I''ll see how it looks under the suit jacket tomorrow, and I''ll try to take a picture. I''m going to send this cream top and the tan one to be dry-cleaned, and we''ll see how everything turns out on Wednesday. At least the rest of the outfit is picked out!

Completely understandable. I hate it when button downs do the whole "gap" thing...sometimes in a pinch though, I will wear a white cami underneath so it isn''t as obvious if I have a very slight gap. Not trying to persuade you into wearing your button down, just commiserating. Hee hee. Good luck!

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Well, it would definitely be cheaper to buy a white cami than to get another cashmere or silk top! That is now the official plan B.

Hey, did you have that all-day interview? If so, how did it go?

 

[monarch64]

LOL, I respectfully declined the all-day, UNPAID interview, and am happy I did. Thanks for asking, though! I have two more interviews set up for this Tuesday which I am very excited about. I will definitely let you know how they go.

Oh, also, you can always either sew yourself or have sewn in, clear snaps in between the buttons of an otherwise well-fitted button down shirt so you don''t get those gaps if you don''t want to wear a cami. Snaps are pretty easy to sew in and once in place, imo, they don''t show. Just a thought.

 

[darkeyesredshoes]

Yeah, that did seem to raise a few flags, huh? I''m psyched for your Tuesday interviews, though! I hope something excellent comes of them!

I''m hoping that some more principals respond to my applications this week. This interview looks promising, but I want to check out a couple of schools before I commit for the next five years. Since there are over a thousand public schools in NYC, I ought to be able to swing getting more than one interview.

I''ll take the button-down with me to the dry-cleaners tomorrow and see if they have any snap sewing abilities. Gapping is a constant problem for me with this type of shirt, so it''s time to start exploring my options. My only worry about the button-down itself is that it''s got a sort of dramatic neckline of its own. The first button below the collar is about six or seven inches down, you know?

Maybe I can get a conservative cami and wear it underneath either way. Too bad I probably won''t be able to find one in brown to match the bag...that might be a tall order.

 

[rainydaze]

darkeyes, i am a little late to this thread but i wanted to say great suit, and great bag! i admire your boldness with the teal shirt and if it weren''t for the contrast with the bag, i would say it works. i like a cream or white better as well, if you are going to carry the bag... which, btw, i LOVE with the buckle in place (or a scarf. great feature that you can mix it up. but with the belt it definitely gives it a tailored, finished look that i think pulls it together with a suit). if you could find a collared blouse that doesn''t gap on you, i think it would look spectacular with that suit and the bag!! the pleated top will work in a pinch, but i agree with monarch that it appears more casual and isn''t the best pairing if you can find a more tailored undershirt.

best wishes for your interview, and i hope one of your shirts works out!

 

[Miscka]

I love the bag! I like the buckle a lot. The color is really unique, which I think is good. I also like the teal, just maybe not with that bag. I like a bold color, I think it makes you look confident. The white is nice, more conservative and maybe a better match with the purse. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!!