Moving from conspicuous to conscious consumption and doing reviews along the way. Find plenty of unsponsored reviews of Quince, Everlane, Grana, and Cuyana on the site! I'm working towards a minimal waste lifestyle, and oh yea I love bags >.<
It's a new season for fashion, Spring 2016 that is, and for the first time ever Mansur Gavriel has presented during NYFW (New York Fashion Week). Here are some pictures and articles of what they have in store for their customers.
There is also a mini Lady Bag coming up. I'm excited about that but I'm not sure if I'm really feeling their new bag designs and their upcoming shoe collection. What do you guys think?
Hi y'all! It's been awhile since my last post but I've been trying to catch up after almost a week in Louisiana. I was there for a friend's wedding and we decided to stick around some extra days to explore New Orleans since my husband and I have never been there before. I'm still working on putting up a recap post on the trip but in the meantime, here's another edition of "Where to Eat" though actually this time it's "What to Eat" since it's not so much about where you go but just enjoying the cuisine of Louisiana.
We got in late to New Orleans, so we decided to stay at a hotel near the airport the first night. And one of the few places still open late was Harbor Seafood & Oyster Bar in Kenner, Louisiana. This place was amazing and easily one of my favorite meals of the trip. I decided to dive right into the local cuisine and so I order the Swamp Platter pictured above. It included: fried alligator, fried crawfish tails, fried frog legs, turtle soup, crawfish étouffée, and cajun boiled alligator sausage. My favorites were fried alligator {tasted like a moist and tender chicken but less dense. They should call alligator meat "it's chicken, but better" or maybe "I can't believe it's not chicken"} and the crawfish étouffée. The frog legs were also like chicken, but alligator was way better. And I washed this all down with $2 pints of Abita draft beer. If I'm ever back in the area,I'm definitely coming back to this place.
Having filled my quota for exotic meats, the next day was a welcome dinner hosted by the bride's lovely family: a cajun crab boil with fresh crab caught out on the bayou. The crab had super hard shells and not a whole lot of meat. But it was still super tasty. And the locals here just use their butter knives to crack these suckers open. I got the hang of it and ate about 4 of these crustaceans.
When in Louisiana, don't forget to try the mint juleps. Here I have a "flight" of mint juleps: a lemon mint julep, the classic, and a blackberry frozen. To be honest, all of it just tasted really sweet.
I was tempted to buy some of these cans to eat some alligator at home but decided against it. Better to keep the memories of good alligator-eatin' in Louisiana instead of trying to recreate it at home.
Also, you can't miss out on Louisiana oysters. These guys were huge, but so fresh and delicious! And fairly cheap too.
For our last dinner in New Orleans, we decided to try fancy Cajun/Creole food and tried out a restaurant called R'evolution located in the French Quarter.
We ordered, a pasta, a steak, a bouillabaisse, and some crab beignets. The crab beignets were phenomenal, they were probably the best thing I ate during the whole trip. And I finished the meal with their "lemon ice box" cake. It was like lemon ice cream cake and the perfect end to the meal.
Finally, we stopped off to get some regular square beignets on the way to the airport. I forgot to take a picture of them, but here's an illustration below. They tasted a lot like malasadas, which are Hawaii's version of donuts. I guess fried dough is fried dough.
Anyways I hope you enjoyed this short recap and hope y'all have a great week!
What we know matters, but who we are matters more. Being rather than knowing requires showing up and letting ourselves be seen. It requires us to dare greatly, to be vulnerable. The first step of that journey is understanding where we are, what we’re up against, and where we need to go. I think we can best do that by examining our pervasive “Never Enough” culture.
I see the cultural messaging everywhere that says that an ordinary life is a meaningless life. And I see how kids that grow up on a steady diet of reality television, celebrity culture, and unsupervised social media can absorb this messaging and develop a completely skewed sense of the world. I am only as good as the number of “likes” I get on Facebook or Instagram. I know the yearning to believe that what I’m doing matters and how easy it is to confuse that with the drive to be extraordinary. I know how seductive it is to use the celebrity culture yardstick to measure the smallness of our lives.
What makes this constant assessing and comparing so self-defeating is that we are often comparing our lives, our marriages, our families, and our communities to unattainable, media-driven visions of perfection, or we’re holding up our reality against our own fictional account of how great someone else has it.
To grow a relationship or raise a family or create an organizational culture or run a school or nurture a faith community, all in a way that is fundamentally opposite to the cultural norms driven by scarcity, it takes awareness, commitment, and work… every single day. The counterapproach to living in scarcity is not about abundance. In fact, I think abundance and scarcity are two sides of the same coin. The opposite of “never enough” isn’t abundance or “more than you could ever imagine.” The opposite of scarcity is enough.
-Brene Brown
Since my first Balenciaga bag over 10 years ago, I've loved high quality leather bags. Like good wine and good people, good leather bags get better with age. But of course there's some upkeep involved. I used to condition my Balenciaga bags with Lovin my Bags, which was alright. I didn't actually love Lovin my Bags. So when I bought my Mansur Gavriel bags, I did some research on the type of leather conditioners and protectants out there. And since I couldn't find any in-depth reviews of these products, I ended up buying a few to test out.
[edit: These products are recommended for darker colored veg-tanned leather or calf-skin leather bags. These products can be used on cammello or brandy veg-tanned leathers but just be warned that it will darken the natural leather color. Read all about it here.]
I purchased the following conditioners and protectors:
This is a water-based leather conditioner (more FAQs about it here) and it was the most liquid of all the formulas. It smelled and looked a lot like almond oil. The Chamberlain's products all come with a terry-cloth like sponge, which is great. Put some of the leather milk on the sponge and buff it into the leather. The formula does go on a bit streaky so you have to be careful to use thin even layers. There is also some color transfer onto the sponge when using it on veg-tanned leather but no color transfer onto the sponge when I treated my navy calf-leather lady.
I didn't know what the difference between no. 1 and no. 3 were, and since both seemed like great leather conditioners, I wanted to try out both. No. 3 is a wax/oil-based leather conditioner and protector, while no. 1 is more of a leather conditioner/cleaner. I think if people purchase both, they usually treat with no. 1 first and then follow it up with no. 3, but for this review I just tested it out on the veg-tanned clutch that comes with the MG tote. No. 3 has a gel-like consistency and has no smell. There is also no color-transfer when used on the veg-tanned leather. This product, unlike no. 1 didn't go on streaky. I can't say how well it protects since I haven't taken it out in damp or rainy conditions yet, but I might do an update when I do just to let you all know how well it works.
The Leather Honey is super sticky, exactly what you would expect a product called leather honey to feel like. On the bottle it recommends using it in a warm room to help spread the product easier. So you can imagine a little goes a long way. They recommend using a lint-free cloth, so I tried it with a microfiber cloth I had lying around. It definitely was not the easiest to use but thankfully the product was not streaky so it didn't require perfect application. The smell was not great, but faded when you let the product dry.
The Blackrock cleaner/conditioner has a creamy texture with a bit of a chemical smell which went away when it was fully dried. When I applied it using the same cloth that I used for the leather honey, there was A LOT of color transfer from the leather to the cloth. When I was done with the sample spot, I was surprised there was any color left on the leather. The application was noticeable but not too streaky.
Finally the Apple Brand spray is just a protectant. It is meant to protect your leather against rain and salt {it's also great to spray on leather shoes}. I sprayed my veg-tanned tote and first the spray droplets were visible, but in several seconds it faded. I haven't encountered any rain yet so I won't know how it holds up, but after I treat both the tote {with the Apple Brand Garde} and my veg-tanned lady bag with Chamberlain's no. 3 I might try a small experiment with some water and let you know how the hold up.
Here are some of the test samples:
Chamberlain's no. 1 is on the left, untreated in the middle, and Blackrock on the right. The picture above is in full sunlight and the picture below is the same thing in indirect sunlight. You can see how you have to be careful of application and make sure you treat all areas of the bag.
In the picture above, you have Leather Honey on the left, untreated in the middle, and Chamberlain's no. 3 on the right. The picture above is in direct sunlight and the one below is in indirect sunlight. You can see the with these two products, the treatment itself is not so noticeable.
So my final conclusion? Chamberlain's no. 1, Chamberlain's no. 3, Blackrock, and Leather Honey all work well, even though they're all really different. But if I were to choose just one of these products it would be Chamberlain's Leather Milk no. 3 since it is both a conditioner and a protector. With the other products, once you condition and/or clean the leather you would still need a protector, like the Apple Brand Garde {which I don't have any pictures of, but really there's nothing to see since it dries invisible}. My second favorite is probably Blackrock since it was easy to work with and wasn't really streaky. The Leather Honey was hard to work with and Chamberlain's No. 1 was too streaky. However, I did use it to fully condition my calf-leather lady bag below and it helped lessen the smell immensely. It also got rid of some dirt marks and gave it a subtle shine {see the picture below of my fully treated lady bag}.
I used the Blackrock conditioner to buff out some of the scuff marks on my tote. Before picture on top and after picture below.
Well I hope you found this useful and not too long! And if I ever try out the bags in the rain, I'll update you all on how the the leather holds up {let's hope the products do their job!}.
Watching TV is my longest running addiction. I remember being glued to the TV for most of the 90's watching Nickelodeon and USA mostly. My favorite shows ranged from Doug and Rugrats to reruns of Wings, MacGyver, Charlie's Angels, and Golden Girls. What can I say, I've always had an eclectic taste when it comes to television. Now, I watch whatever I want on demand through Netflix, PBS, and HBO GO. Netflix is probably the best $8 I spend every month, and I pretty much watch everything from Korean TV series, Ken Burns documentaries and weird French films. I love them all. Now that I don't have a regular work schedule, I have to always be mindful to control my addiction. I admit, for several months when I was feeling especially lost in my career goals, I spent quite a few hours binge watching TV shows and movies. But you can only do that for so long before you start feeling like you're really wasting your time. Luckily, I'm better at it now though I still watch a lot of TV. But to make myself feel better for all those hours spent in front of the flat screen, I decided to write up this blog post so at least one good thing can come out of it. These are some of my top recommendations for binge-worthy TV shows {in no particular order}.
1) Sopranos {on HBO Go or HBO Now}: It was one of the best shows over 10 years ago, but it still stands the test of time. It was the first of it's kind {strong group casting, unpredictable and intense plot lines}, but it's still one of the best. It starts off slow, but I promise you'll be hooked if you give it a try.
2) The Wire {HBO}: Again, one of those classic binge-worthy TV shows. It starts off slow and there's also a lag around season 2-3, but stick with it. It gets better.
3) Mad Men {Netflix}: I was late to the game on this one because when it first came out, I had no patience for the slow pace of the character development. But once I started binge-watching it, I couldn't stop. And I caught up with the whole series about a month before the final season. I love love love this show.
4) Breaking Bad {Netflix}: I also caught up on this one about mid-way through the series. This is one of the few series my husband got hooked on, and he has no patience for TV so you know it must be good. The show keeps a great momentum throughout the whole series.
5) Boardwalk Empire {HBO}: In the same vein as Sopranos, but with the awesome 1920's period design. Definitely binge-worthy and one of the few times I really loved Steve Buscemi in a role.
6) Game of Thrones {HBO}: It was so good I read the books. And I have to say this is one of those rare occasions that the TV show is better than the books.
7) Downton Abbey {PBS}: Things have gone considerably downhill after Matthew died {and this can't possibly be a spoiler since this happened over a year ago}, but they've kind of limped along. The final season airs this year.
8) House of Cards {Netflix}: First 2 seasons were good, the third not so much. We'll see how the fourth one is.
9) Sherlock {Netlfix/PBS}: This is more a miniseries than an actual TV series, but no matter. It's good.
Honorable Mentions:
-Walking Dead {Netflix/AMC}: I was obsessed with this show for the first several seasons but I've lost interest in the current seasons. I'm sure I'll finish watching to see what happens but I'm no longer in its grip.
-Lost {Netflix}: I have to mention this show because it was the first TV series I ever binge-watched, but compared to some of the ones in the list above, it can be a bit slow and at times nonsensical. If you like logic, you probably won't like this show. But I'm also biased because it was filmed in my hometown, and I got a thrill whenever I recognized scenes from home.
-True Detective {HBO}: Season 1 was stellar. I haven't seen season 2 but I haven't heard any good things about it.
-The Newsroom {HBO}: Season 1 only. Some brilliant writing in the first season, but then things get weird and boring by season 2.
-Other favorite HBO shows: Veep, Girls
-Other favorite Netflix shows: Orange is the New Black, Parks and Rec, Modern Family, The Office, 30 Rock, United States of Tara, The Killing, The Fall, Chef's Table, Broadchurch, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries {current obsession}, Fleming the man who would be Bond, Bomb Girls
-Other favorite PBS shows: Poldark, The Crimson Field, Call the Midwives {Netflix too}, The Paradise {Netflix too}, FrontLine documentaries.
At this point you might be asking, what shows haven't I watched. Well these are some of the ones I've watched a couple episodes of and couldn't get into for one reason or another: Scandal, Revenge, Sons of Anarchy. Marco Polo, Peaky Blinders, West Wing, Parenthood, White Collar
In terms of TV, the really good options are running out {which is a very good thing}. Do you have any TV or movie recommendations?
There has been a noticeable difference in the quality of the calf leather before and after the summer restock. Any calf leather purchased before April, was a high quality smooth leather with a sheen to it. But calf leather bags purchased after April, mostly those made for the June restock is a seemingly lower quality leather that feels spongy/rubbery, is matte and smells a bit like chemicals/bleach {this was my major complaint with the navy lady bag from the first Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review}. The picture above are all my calf leather bags. The navy blue Lady Bag and sand Crossbody are from the recent restock while the royal blu bucket is from earlier in the year. You can't see the differences there, but the picture below shows the difference. The older, better calf leather is on the left while the newer and but lower quality calf leather is on the right. It's only a subtle difference, but in-person the differences are huge.
via from frankiextah
Another comparison shot with the older, better calf leather on top and the newer calf leather on bottom.
If you are new to the Mansur Gavriel market, stay away from the calf-leather and stick with the veg-tanned leather bags. The calf-leather is more expensive and at the current quality, it's not worth the money. Meanwhile the veg-tanned leather seems to be of the same quality and at a lower price point, it's just a smarter purchase. If you did end up already getting a calf-leather bag from the last restock, don't despair. The smell does go away after awhile. Also by using a leather conditioner, like Chamberlain's leather milk, Leather Honey, or Black Rock the smell fades much quicker {and it makes your bag look better}. If you're interested, I reviewed different leather conditioners and protectants for Mansur Gavriel bags.
MG calf-leather bag owners, is your leather like mine? Or I wonder if it was just a bad batch?
Feb 2018 update: I feel compelled to update my post even though this is several years old with this review I just found. It seems that MG leather quality isn't as good as I initially thought it was. Also I can attest to this because my calf-skin crossbody leather began disintegrating where the straps met the body of the bag.
"So what do I do? What do we do? How do we move forward when we are tired and afraid? What do we do when the voice in our head is yelling that WE ARE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT? How do we drag ourselves through the muck when our brain is telling us youaredumbandyouwillneverfinishandnoonecares? Well, the first thing we do is take our brain out and put it in a drawer. Stick it somewhere and let it tantrum until it wears itself out. You may still hear the brain and all the shitty things it is saying to you, but it will be muffled, and just the fact that it is not in your head anymore will make things seem clearer. And then you just do it. You just dig in and write it. You use your body. You leave over the computer and stretch and pace. You write and then cook something and write some more. You put your head on your heart and feel it beating and decide if what you wrote feels true. You do it because the doing it is the thing. The doing is the thing. The talking and worrying and thinking is not the thing."
I spent almost 4 years working at San Francisco General Hospital, which is at the end of 24th street in the Mission District, so I know this area pretty well, especially when it comes to food. And so it's of no surprise when I say that this street is one of my favorite in the Mission {and that's saying a lot because the Mission District in general is an amazing place to shop and eat}. I would tell tourists that if they want to get the true flavor of SF culture, they need to spend some time in the Mission in general. It's definitely hipster land, with expensive and well-curated shops, but you also get some amazing high-end food, some even more amazing cheap Mexican food, and lots of different kinds of people: hipsters, long time SF residents, a large Hispanic community, some crazy homeless people, and tourists.
But before I wax on endlessly about the Mission District, let me just focus on 24th street, 12 blocks of it to be exact, from Mission {where the 24th Street Mission Bart Station is located} down to Portrero Ave.
24th Street has a ton of murals and street art as well as a smattering of art galleries, mostly focusing on Hispanic art. If you love art, just walking down the street is a fun experience.
If you're coming from the 24th Street Mission Bart station, one of the first places I like to eat at is Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. Their pastrami sandwiches are good {well I've been to LA Jewish delis and I would say those are marginally better but this is the best I've ever had in SF.} It's almost always packed at lunch time so I would say go a little early if you want to get a seat.
My next favorite stop is Knead Bakery located inside Local Eatery. Local Eatery is a restaurant, which you can skip, and instead go straight to the back to the bakery. Their croissants are good, but the thing to get is the pommel d'amore which is basically creme brûlée combined with a kougin aman, or the creamier and flakier cousin to the Chinese egg custard tarts. I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say that this pastry is life changing. Here's a picture of it on yelp.
As you walk further down the street, you'll find the original Philz coffee shop. I find that all the new Philz coffee shops that are opening around SF to be so sterile in comparison to the original, which feels like your long-time neighborhood coffee joint. The coffee here is incredible and worth the wait. If it's hot, get a mint mojito ice coffee and if it's cold get a mocha tesora. And you're allowed to sip it and ask for more or less of something; they want to make your cup of coffee perfect for you.
My favorite ice cream shop in SF also happens to be located on 24th street. Humphry Slocombe makes the most interesting flavors around, but they are almost always amazing (except for Jesus Juice, don't get that one). They're known for Secret Breakfast {vanilla, cornflakes and bourbon} and Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee, but I also love Brown Butter, Eton Mess {strawberry cheesecake I think}, Oolong Tea, and Salted Watermelon sorbet. The pictures below are from 2 different times and you can see that their menu changes quite a bit. Next time I would love to try the Jasmine Lychee. And don't forget to sample flavors before you order!
There's a couple independent bookstores on 24th street. Alley Cat is my favorite.
And Tacqueria Vallarta is my favorite taco place on 24th street. They have a taco cart right at the entrance where they grill the meats. It always smells amazing. I usually get 2-3 tacos and it's the perfect amount. They recently raised their price to $2.50 per taco, but a $5 meal isn't a bad deal. The salsa condiments are all self-serve so you can get as much or as little as you want. Pictures below are my 2 favorite tacos: Lengua (beef tongue) and Buche (pork neck).
If I'm not in the mood for tacos, then I go to La Palma where I get either their Enchiladas Verde or a burrito {a friend told me that their chicharron burrito is delicious, but I haven't tried it yet.} I also love their guacamole and chips {I think the best in the city}. All salsas, guacamoles, and tortillas are made in house. Often times I see one of those walking food tours stopping by to watch the Mexican grannies make the tortillas in the back.
And near the end of 24th street, don't forget to stop by dynamo donuts for some Four Barrel coffee and gourmet donuts {they're famous for their maple bacon donut pictured above}.
That was just a quick run through of all my favorites but here is a comprehensive list below, in the order of Mission Street-->Portrero Ave
{BROWSE}
Mixcoatl Arts and Crafts: Mexican Day of the Dead art
Adobe Books
Mission Skateboards: newish skate boarding shop
Alley Cat Books
Foxglove: cute clothes and accessories
{EAT and DRINK}
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen
Knead Bakery
Philz Coffee {the original}
Sidewalk Juice: for fresh juiced juices
Haus Coffee: a hipster haven coffee shop with great lighting
Tacqueria Vallarta
Humphrey Slocombe
Tacquerias El Farolito: home of the super burrito, delicious but get ready for a major food coma after you eat it {even just half of it}
La Victoria: a great Mexican bakery
La Torta Gorda: another great Mexican restaurant. I love their Huitlacoche quesadilla {side note: I just had to look up how to spell huitlachoche and have just learned that it translates to "corn smut"--what! And it looks pretty gross too. It's a fungus that grows on corn. And this whole time I thought I was just eating a special corn. Well learn something new everyday. But it's delicious, no really it is}. Their tortas, which are like Mexican sandwiches, are pretty darn good too.
St. Francis: a very popular hipster diner. Food is so-so but the lines are not worth it {especially when there's so much good food around you}.
Pal's Takeaway: Inside Tony's liquor store, there's a sandwich counter that specializes in seasonal gourmet sandwiches. These are no ordinary sandwiches! They usually only have 2 options a day, which you can look up online.
Dynamo Donuts
Well that's it for one street, but the whole Mission District is incredible so go check it out if you have the chance!
It's becoming almost a regular Monday with Mansur Gavriel on the blog here. Here are past MG posts if you're interested: Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 and the Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bags Review. But since I have the large tote bag as well, I might as well review it here. I don't use totes very often, but I did occasionally use the Louis Vuitton Damier Neverfull GM {the largest size} for the times I traveled. But I found that the Longchamp Le Pilage was so much more useful {and light} for traveling and so I sold my LV {having a tote that can zip up at the top is pretty clutch for traveling}. Then when the MG tote came out, I decided to try it out as a work/school bag. I also have Everlane's Petra Tote, but that's quite narrow and doesn't work as well when you want to carry bulky things {it's perfect for laptops and textbooks}.
Pros:
-The veg-tanned leather is amazing! Smells great and feels super durable.
-The coated pink color on the inside is the perfect pop of color to a normally boring black tote. And since there is no closure at the top, the pink is really easy to see. I also learned that the coated interior gives the bag more structure so it won't become super slouchy with time {which is great for a tote}.
-It comes with an attachable wallet, perfect for the small things that might end up lost in a big tote.
-The large tote size is perfect as a work bag or even an overnight bag, since you can really pile things into it.
-Also the minimal hardware and the veg-tanned leather choice means this bag is super light!
The cons:
-Since there's no closure to the top of the bag, you not only can see the pink interior but also everything else that's in your bag. So I wouldn't recommend using this bag if you're going to be traveling or in crowds. It might be too tempting for sticky fingers.
Here are some other great reviews of the MG tote bag: a cammello/rosa tote bag, a black/flamma tote bag, and a review of the small tote bag.
This is by no means a comprehensive list but here are some of the things I did eat or wanted to eat in Chicago {and I even got a real-life Midwesterner foodie to weigh in on his favorites}. I recapped all the things we did on our Chicago trip here: Chicago City Guide. But if you're a foodie like me and just want to know all about the food {um, probably one of the best things about Chicago} then read on.
So if you read my other post, you know I went to the Goose Island Beer Garden. Their variety of beer was amazing and their seasonal selections were super tasty. We also got poutine {which we didn't picture because there's no way you can make poutine look good, sorry it usually looks like bark, but it tastes amazing}. And their poutine had Wisconsin cheese curds on top and those were so delicious!! I think I need to go to Wisconsin and eat more cheese!
For dinner on the first day, we went to Boeufhaus, a relatively new steakhouse away from the touristy Chicago spots {don't ask me the neighborhood, but it was a short uber ride away}. I found this restaurant and others on Chicago Eater, a great site to find amazing and new places to eat. Their recommendations were on point, no false advertising here. At Boeufhaus we had their 60-day aged steak and it was quite possibly the best steak I've had in the last 5 years.
We also found the Chicago Athletic Association on Chicago Eater. I talked about the view on my Chicago City Guide post, but the drinks from the Game Room or Cindy's was equally impressive.
We couldn't resist stopping by Dylan's Candy Bar located near the Magnificent Mile. We were literally, yes literally, {big} kids in a candy store.
On Sunday we headed to the West Loop for brunch at The Publican. Do you see that maple bacon on the pic above. Yes, it was as amazing as it looks. I also had some melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder under those eggs. The West Loop has a large cluster of a amazing restaurants so definitely head out there if you're visiting Chicago.
We went to Giordano's for deep dish pizza because it's "famous" for it, but here's a tip from me to you, you can definitely skip this spot. It's a {tourist} trap! For some of the best deep dish pizza go to Lou Malnati's or Pequod's {this is a recommendation from a midwesterner}. Well there's always next time for me.
And we capped our visit with some pizza from Eataly. If you are staying near the Magnificent Mile, you can't miss this place. It was 2 floors of impressive Italian goodies.
It's a restaurant+produce section+cheese sections+bakery+meat counter+seafood counter+wine store all in one. Their first US location was in NYC, but if you can't make it out there the Chicago one is just as amazing.
So here's the short list of recommendations, of places I've tried or places on my list for next time:
{EAT}
Goose Island Beer Garden
Boeufhaus
The Publican
{other West Loop restaurants: Girl & The Goat, Au Cheval, Avec, and Nellcote}
Lou Malnati's and Pequod's for deep dish pizza
Eataly
And don't forget to check Chicago Eater before your next Chicago trip for the best new restaurants.
Do you have a favorite Chicago restaurant I haven't listed? If so, please do share!
So if you've been following my Mansur Goldilocks problem with my Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag review and Mansur Gavriel Large Lady Bag review part 2, you know that I've purchased 2 different lady bags and still haven't found the right one. Well my search is finally over! Last week at the Mansur Gavriel shop relaunch I was able to pick up a regular veg tanned lady bag in black and oro {gold}. And this is it, no more lady bag purchases!
What I love about this bag:
- the veg-tanned leather: it smells amazing and it's super structured which works out perfectly for this bag style. I've been consistently using the calf-skin lady bag and I've been finding it too slouchy, which makes closing the bag through the loops much harder when carrying it from the top handle. But I find I don't have those minor inconveniences when using the veg-tanned version
-the size is perfect. I can even fit my dslr and extra lenses, which I did on my recent trip to Chicago. It was the perfect travel bag with the ability to carry it from the top handle or cross body.
-and that pop of gold whenever you open up the bag. Yes, it is kind of flashy but that's okay since it's just flashy on the inside.
One thing to be aware of for this bag:
-the gold interior is just a coating on the leather so from reading other people's experience with the metallic interiors in the bucket bags, I know that the coating can scratch and fade. So I'm taking precautions and putting my keys and any other sharp objects in pouches. Also, since there is only one pocket on the inside, it can't hold much {I just put my phone in there so it's easy to reach}. But you can always do a pro-bag lady trick and use purse organizers {which also makes it really easy if you're constantly switching which bags you use}.
{December 2020 Update: Since writing this post I’ve reviewed the Mansur Gavriel Mini Lady Bag (where I’ve compared this bag to the Mini) and I’ve reviewed the Mansur Gavriel Mini Mini Lady Bag.}
I purchased the Everlane street shoes in chalk a couple weeks ago and I've been wearing them around the house ever since to see how I like them.
Here's a quick review of these shoes:
-First of all, these run super narrow. I'm a 7.5 in TOMS but I needed to get an 8.5 in these (I also have Everlane's loafers, which I got in an 8, so these are even narrower than the loafers).
-These shoes are nubuck leather, which means they look great, but the get dirty really easily, especially the chalk color. But the material is so gorgeous, like velvet. But I also found that this shoe doesn't stretch out much so if they feel narrow, they'll stay narrow.
-The style: sometimes I look at these and think of Keds, but really they are more stylish than that, especially with the slightly pointed toe.
For my other Everlane reviews (on sweaters, shirts, and their Petra tote) the links are listed on the right if you're on a computer, or scroll to the bottom if you're on your phone (all reviews are done with items I've purchased for myself and are not sponsored, but if you'd like to help me purchase more items to review, please use my referral link here Thanks!).
{update: I ended up returning them after a spell because for the life of me they weren't comfortable. The front was way too narrow and stayed narrow. And because I had to get the larger size to fit my feet, they were a bit too long. And I apologize to all those who might have tried them out due to my original glowing review of this. Sometimes I fall in love with style of the shoe but then realize it doesn't fit my real life and I definitely wrote this when I was still in the honeymoon phase with these shoes.}
Last week I had the pleasure of doing something out of the ordinary: learning Shibori, Japanese indigo dyeing. This shibori workshop was held by an awesome team of creatives at Beyond Canvas. You know those painting and wine workshops that people do? Well it's sort of like that, but even more awesome.
For shibori, you use rubber bands, twine, poles, and wooden blocks to create interesting patterns on a white cloth. It's a lot like tie-dye without that 70's look. If you want to try this at home, I found a great Shibori tutorial here.
When the piece first comes out, it's a greenish color since the indigo needs to oxidize to become that beautiful blue color.
Once you let it oxidize, unwrap and just rinse in the sink (it's non-toxic, but can turn your hands into a smurfy-blue). Hang to dry and enjoy your artwork. It really is that simple, though it can be quite messy, so it's nice when the artists at Beyond Canvas do all the heavy lifting for you.
If you live in the Bay and are looking for something fun to do, I highly recommend checking out the various workshops at Beyond Canvas {they have some outdoor ones that look super fun too}.
I've already done a Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review Part 1 and a Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bags Review, but this is to introduce/review my newest addition, the large veg-tanned Lady Bag. If you read Part 1, you know my main gripe about the smaller calf-leather lady bag was the funky smell. {And an update on that, after a couple weeks it still smells if you put your nose close to it. But at least it doesn't smell up the whole room anymore--yea for the first week it was that bad. I had to "quarantine" my bag in an unused room in my house because the smell was so strong.}
I purchased the large lady bag from The Line, and it was an easy and painless transaction. The bag shipped the next day and I got it 2 days after that (and there was no tax!) so The Line might quite possibly be one of my new favorite online stores.
Without further ado, here's the review:
Pros:
-Smells perfectly fine. No strong smells, and in fact it has a good leather smell.
-The veg-tanned leather works really well for this bag. I would say the veg-tanned leather is way better for the shape of the lady bag than it is for the bucket bags. Since the bucket bags are so round, the stiff leather makes it too bulky. But the lady bag doesn't have any of that bulk. I even prefer the veg-tanned over the calf leather because for the veg-tanned the flap doesn't pucker like it does for the calf leather one {see pic above}.
-Cute contrasting interior. This one is Ballerina on the inside {though you can't really see it when it's closed.}
-The classic style and the ability to securely close the flap.
Cons:
-The size! This bag is so enormous! (I'm 5'4" for reference) It's 16.5 x 6.5 x 12.75 inches and it's just too large for me to carry. Plus I just don't have that many things I need to carry on daily basis.
-I don't think it's The Line (the shop I purchased this from) that did this, but my lovely MG bag came pre-scratched. I don't know how it already got so many scratches, but I've read else where that someone else had this problem. So I'm wondering if it's a problem somewhere along the distribution channel. For over $1000, you'd hope your bag wouldn't have large gouges all over the body.
So the final verdict on Mansur Gavriel Lady bags? Not to sound like Goldilocks here, but I'm still having trouble finding the right one. I think the one that will best suit my needs is the regular size, in veg-tanned leather. Will I be able to get one during this Tuesday's Mansur Gavriel relaunch? I have my fingers crossed!
{Some tips about the relaunch on the Mansur Gavriel website: it's on Tuesday 7/28 at 11AM EST, so that's 8AM for us Californians. And I would say get on the site around 7:45AM, already have the bag you want picked out and just keep clicking refresh from 7:55AM or so. And if you're lucky enough to snag the one that you want, go to checkout asap. You only have 5 minutes to complete the purchase once you get it into your cart. Also, they have a limit of one bag per customer. If you don't get your first choice, you probably won't be able to get your second unless it's a tote or backpack but it doesn't hurt to try. I predict the regular Lady Bags are going to go first followed by the bucket bags. So good luck y'all}
{9.24.15 update: if you're interested, I've decided to sell my MG tote. Details here on how to buy.}
Hi guys, I've just been in recovery mode since last weekend in Vegas (yea, I went again) and so there's not a regular Friday post today, but here's a sneak peek at some of next week's posts:
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Last week I did an impromptu Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag review, so this week I wanted to do a review on Mansur Gavriel's Bucket bag, which is their most well-known bag.
It comes in 3 sizes: The classic or large (which is the largest, and the one in cream canvas below), the mini (which is the royal blue one in the pictures), and a mini mini (which I don't have).
The measurements:
Classic Bucket bag: 12.25” H X 10” W X 6” D
Mini Bucket bag: 9.5” H X 8” W X 4.5” D
I've used the larger canvas bucket bag for traveling and though there's no way to fully close the bag, I felt my items were safe since the bag is so deep. Also it was really awesome to be able to open up the top and overload the bag with stuff when we went shopping. The mini bucket bag is not that much smaller and fits a lot of items as well. I used to have the veg tanned leather one, but it's very stiff and requires some breaking in. I don't really have the patience for that breaking in period so I rather like the calf leather version (the mini one) and the canvas one. Both are malleable and easy to carry from the get-go. However the veg tanned classic bag has fun interior colors and comes with a detachable pouch (these two versions of the bucket bag doesn't come with the pouch). The straps are adjustable so it's easy to carry it over the shoulder or as a cross-body.
I used the black canvas one here for traveling and it held up like a champ. The white canvas one got dirty after the first time I used it (some black scuff marks and color transfer from my jeans). Even though the cream canvas with natural leather is a cute combo, it's not worth the maintenance.
You can still find these bags sporadically at various small boutiques. I got the royal blue mini and the black canvas bucket bags at Mohawk General Store in LA, and the white one at ShopBazaar. If you want to buy one of your own, the Mansur Gavriel site is going to have a restock in August (but be ready for it, because bags sell out in less than a minute), or just sporadically check Google shopping for stores that might have it in stock.
Not everyone loves a bucket bag, but if you like the style, Mansur Gavriel is the new classic.
{update: I have also written up a new post on how to care for the leather of your Mansur Gavriel bags.}
Found a new online shop: The Line
An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature. But there is also purpose in that life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces...If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity--even under the most difficult circumstances--to add a deeper meaning to his life.
-Dr. Viktor E. Frankl
Did you know it's National Blueberry Month here in the US (and in August for my Canadian friends)? So here's a simple blueberry cocktail when you want something refreshing right now:
A handful of blueberries
One meyer lemon (I'm so lucky, I got these lemons from my friend Stuart's backyard, picked them myself). If you don't have a friend with a meyer lemon tree, a regular lemon from the supermarket is fine.
Some sprigs of mint
Gin
Simple syrup (1 cup of water boiled with 1 cup of sugar; I usually just keep this stocked in my fridge)
Soda water/tonic
Just muddle together the blueberries, lemon and mint together. Add a tablespoon or two of simple syrup and a shot (or 2 of gin). Top off with soda water. It's so easy I can't really call this a recipe.
For a non-alcoholic version I made simple syrup with a tablespoon of vanilla (add it after you take the syrup off the stove), and used that for a blueberry lemonade. The inspiration was Chef Ryan's cake (above) which he calls the Blueberry Boy Bait Cake.
Hope July has been treating you well and have a great weekend!
{edit: And if you're interested in some of the health benefits of blueberries, read this great piece from the Cooking Detective!}
Hi fellow purse fanatics! This post is for you! I usually try to keep my review posts to Wednesdays but I just got this bag and since they haven't been shipped in the US stores yet, as far as I know, I thought I would go ahead and give all the deets for those thinking of buying it.
So this is the Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review. I think the Lady Bag is their next hit after their bucket bags. I got this one online at the French shop Colette, and lucky for me the Euro is at a fairly low point so I got the bag for only $12 more than if I had waited to buy the Lady Bag at Barney's (which not only doesn't have this color but is also shipping out in October). $12 more is a small price to pay for next-week gratification.
This is the lady bag in the smaller size (only comes in the small or large size), and is the calf leather, not the veg tan leather. So that means it comes lined instead of the contrasted coated color inside and it also means the leather is softer and doesn't require a breaking-in period.
The measurements:
10" x 13"x 4.5"
The long strap is adjustable and goes from 18-20.5" and the short strap is about 6.75 inches (which is just enough to fit my arm in the summer, but definitely wouldn't fit under my arm in the winter when wearing a thick coat). The bag can be worn over the shoulder or cross body when using the longer strap.
Like I said, this one is lined on the inside with a beige canvas (kind of boring, it would have been cooler if they had gone with different colors). Inside there's two pockets on either side. The bag closes using their signature drawstring. The string can be passed through a loop on the flap and/or a loop on the front of the bag to secure the flap in place.
The pros:
-Love love love the style. I'm particularly partial to this style of bag with both a handle and a long cross-body strap (see the picture below of the lady bag and the Givenchy pandoras-they're quite similar). But the simplicity of the lady bag makes it look even more classic.
-Thick durable calf skin, with a canvas lining on the inside
-Ability to close the flap securely using the loops on the flap and on the bag. This is actually fairly well-designed so that even if you have something heavy that's pulling the flap forward, the flap stays in place when holding it by the short handle.
-Fits a lot of things inside! I was able to put in my 13" macbook, an old iPad with a bulky case, and still fit my essentials (phone, wallet, keys, sunglasses).
-The bag itself is not that heavy.
The con (wish I could say this bag is perfect, but unfortunately its not):
-My biggest gripe would be the quality of the leather. Mansur Gavriel is supposed to be all about quality so I'm kind of shocked that the leather on this is kind of funky. It smells. It kind of reminds me of the leather in car upholstery. So in a way it has that "new car smell" except I don't want my bags smelling of car interiors. Even my Everlane petra tote, which feels like it's made from a similarly thick durable leather, doesn't smell like this. If I didn't know any better I would think that Colette is selling a fake (especially since the MG stamp is also not perfect on this bag and it didn't come with the usual pink tag, just the white one). But it's a bit early to be making fakes of a bag that hasn't even been available yet (plus its Colette, a really reputable store). Also I read that the tumbled leather bucket bags also had a smell so maybe it's just a problem with some of their bags. I know MG is in a rush to capitalize on the MG craze but if they're not careful they might lose some support. I'm going to wait and see if the smell goes away, and if possible (and it's a big IF) get my hands on the veg tan one (which is the one I really wanted anyway). But if anyone has any tips on getting the car leather smell to go away I would really appreciate the help!
Knowing what I know now, would I have still purchased the bag? Yes, I really love the style of the bag and I'm willing to see what happens with the smell. I'll keep y'all posted. Below are various comparisons with other bags just so you get an idea of the size.
For other MG fans, if you were wondering about the measurements:
Classic Bucket bag: 12.25” H X 10” W X 6” D
Lady Bag: 10" H x 13" W x 4.5" D
Mini Bucket bag: 9.5” H X 8” W X 4.5” D
{08.13.15 update: So I've had the bag for about a month and a half now and the bag still slightly smells. It doesn't smell up the whole room but I can smell it when I put my nose to it. I also got an MG cross body in calf leather and that smells too, though not as strong. So I'm thinking it's an issue with their batch of calf leather in general. I used Chamberlain leather milk on the whole bag and it did help the smell some (I plan to write a whole review of that process soon). For now here is the rest of the story of my search for the perfect lady: Mansur Gavriel Lady Bag Review Part 2 (the large lady bag) and Part 3.}
{3.25.16 update: And now I have a Mansur Gavriel Mini Lady Bag Review up!}
I also now have a post up about how to condition and protect your Mansur Gavriel bag. And find all my other Mansur Gavriel reviews here.
{March 2019 update: Wow I can’t believe it’s already been almost 4 years since I wrote this early review and I’m glad to see the MG is still popular and their styles are still holding people’s attentions. Since the MG craze has died down a bit, you can find quite a few wonderful deals on secondhand MG lady bags. My favorite consignment sites for preowned bags are Fashionphile (find their selection of lady bags here) and TheRealReal (find their selection of lady bags here). If you can score this bag secondhand, you’ll get way more bang for your buck!}
