Friday, April 22, 2011

My New Favorite Bag

So its no secret I have a thing for bags.  And I have a lot of them.  Its also no secret that I have a lot of different things going on in my life.  On any given day I may be with a client, doing marketing, speaking at a company, completing school work, and going for a run.  All of these activities require me to have a lot of stuff on my at any given time.  (keys, laptop, books, running sneakers, you name it!)  Thus far I haven't found a real solution to carrying all of the things I need to.  I usually have multiple bags with me.  A bag for my running stuff, a purse, and a laptop/school/reading materials bag.

I came across the Ellen Allen series of bags online one day and I was curious.  Could this bag do everything it said AND be cute?

I was sent the Eastport bag and the Oxford Clutch.  First, let me tell you about the Eastport bag.  Obviously, its cute.  You can buy it in a few different colors (green, yellow and navy).  The bag is much bigger than I had thought, but its still small enough to slip over your arm easily.

I was taken aback at how pretty the bag is.  The solid color parts are just the right about of shiny and the pattern is quite striking.  The material is not plastic feeling but clearly has a coating on it that makes this bag super durable.  If you spilled some water inside, it wouldn't be a big deal.

The details are really what sets this bag apart.  There are lots of interior pockets that are open so you can see the contents and grab them when you need to.  There is one large zippered compartment too.  There is even a smaller zippered compartment on one of the short sides of the bag.  (What haven't they thought of!?)  I love the clip on the interior designed to hold your keys.  Even with all of my organizational gadgets, I dig for my keys more often than I'd like to admit.


The metal on the bag is shiny and pretty, but not gaudy.  And the handles are easy to hold.  I loaded the bag up and it was still comfortable to carry.

I mentioned the interior pockets earlier.  Usually when a bag has pockets like this, once they are full, you can't fit anything else in the bag.  This bag allows you to fill the pockets and still have room for large items.  I love to put all of my small gadgets into the compartments, phone, headphones, pens, notebook, etc and still have lots of room for a laptop and running sneakers in the middle.  I will be using this bag to head to speaking engagements, consultations and of course all the appointments, etc I go to on a daily basis.  Its very quickly become my go to bag.



So, although I'm in love with the Eastport tote, my true love is the way it works with the Oxford Clutch.  The clutch is the size of a regular clutch.  However, instead of one large aimless compartment inside, its organized with pockets for cards, money, coins and anything else small and important you need a place for.
The clutch closes with a really cool clasp mechanism.  I have gotten a LOT of compliments on the clutch.  Again, the pattern is striking and the fact that it matches the Eastport bag is nice.  Again, its available in navy, green and yellow.

What I love about the Oxford/Eastport system is that I can carry EVERYTHING I need with the Eastport tote.  However, when I am running into a restaurant, or the grocery store, I simply grab the Oxford clutch and I'm ready to go.  I no longer have to be "that person" out to dinner with my friends, who has the giant bag full from the day's events.  I become streamline and stylish in a matter of seconds.  And, when I'm done with my meal, meeting or errand, I can quickly go back to the car and have access to everything I need.

These bags are going to be your go to bags.  You won't use, need or want your others anymore.  And with these patterns and colors, they go with just about everything you have and need in your closet.

Check out the full line of Ellen Allen products here:
http://www.ellenallen.com/

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