Coquette

Cyber Monday: Erin Condren Sale Picks + Stocking Stuffers

Today's Cyber Monday at Erin Condren is huge! Get 30% off sitewide. Today's special Lightening Deal #3 is 50% off all A5 Ring Agendas. Get free shipping + free gift pack with $100+ purchase. There's also a huge sale section where you can get 74% off lots of amazing items!

 

Shop Erin Condren's Cyber Monday sale now! Here are some of my picks from Erin Condren for holiday gift giving for your family, friends and for you!

Metallic 2024 LifePlanner ($45.84, was $65.50)

Choose your coil, layout - vertical, hourly, horizonal and choose from 3 different designs: Inspire, Wildflowers and Canvas.

 

Mauve Asterisks Softbound LifePlanner Hourly ($26.95, was $38.50)

 

Swell Water Bottles, choose from Mid-Century Modern or Watercolor Blooms ($8.88 each, was $35.50)

 

Lilac Small Organizer Caddy ($25.55, was $36.50)

Wisteria Bag Organizer Insert ($22.75, was $32.50)

Perfect for laptop, iPad or notebook, planner essentials!

Mauve Canvas Work Bag ($52.85, was $75.50)

Also in Black Canvas or Camel Vegan Leather ($73.85, was $105.50)

Clear Hanging Travel Organizer Bag ($25.55, was $36.50)

 

Black Large Quilted Weekender Bag ($87.15, was $124.50)

Wildflower Sherpa Throw ($40.95, was $58.50)

 

Stocking Stuffer Ideas:

Mid Centruy Circles Packing Cube Set of 3 ($6.13, was $24.50)

Large Flora Accordion Zipper Pouch ($5.63, was $22.50)

Colorful Fine Tip Markers 24 Pack ($7.63, was $35)

Flora Lunch Tote ($4.63, was $18.50)

Brushstrokes Round Notepad Set ($2.13, was $8.50)

 

Shop the Erin Condren Cyber Monday Sale now!

Sign up to be an EC Insider using my link to get all the latest info and special early sales -- just for EC Insiders! Also, if you're a new customer to EC, you'll get $10 off your first purchase. Thank you for shopping with my affiliate links.

 

Erin Condren Holiday Gifts 2020: Perfect Gifts for Stationery Lovers + Life in Quarantine

The 2020 Erin Condren Holiday Collection is the best shopping stop for planner/stationer lovers as well as for all of us dealing with life in quarantine. There are puzzles, playing cards and hoodies right next to Life Planners and notebooks. As a part of the EC Squad, I was so lucky to receive a big box of the new Holiday Collection to share with all of you. This season more than any other, you'll probably find some amazing gifts for even the non-planners on your list. 

And for you Hello Kitty lovers, there are some new things on the site too! I already purchased a new Hello Kitty X Erin Condren Holiday Sweater Cover for my monthly planner last week for the 20% off sale. It's adorable and you can choose any color for the cover. (I chose peacock and turquoise.) Will show you mine when I get my order. 

 

Here are some of the products from the new Erin Condren Holiday Collection: 

Metallic Round Honeycomb Decoration Set of 3 ($12)

There are a variety of paper decorations that are so easy to use. Also as a former crafts editor, I can't stand glitter but this glitter is so subtle on the ornaments it gives just the right amount of sparkle. Also I didn't see a bunch of glitter fallout either. These would look so amazing grouped together and hung in your entry way or anywhere really to make your home a little more festive during the holidays.

You can see the rest of the Holiday Decor with variety in shapes and all kinds of colors from brights to neutral.

 

Flower Power 500 Piece Puzzle ($25)

Who else is having family puzzle time? My daughter and I can't wait to start this Flower Power puzzle over the long Thanksgiving weekend. You can also get the puzzle in other EC patterns such as the Layers Colorful, Layers Neutral and the Mid Century Circles. I love that the puzzle is stored in this stylish canister!

 

Colorful Playing Cards ($10)

We have also been doing a lot of card games during quarantine and we are all trying to learn how to play poker, specifically Texas Hold Em. I was so excited to see this pack of Mid-Century circles (love that design) but totally did a gasp when I opened the deck and saw how colorful each card was! So beautiful and gorgeous.

 

Colorful Wooden Tangram Puzzle ($24)

This cute wooden tangram puzzle is a cute addition for your desk and is a great toy for kids! The pieces can be arranged into a variety of forms featuring numerical and geometric concepts. 

 

Colorful Acrylic Perpetual Calendar ($24)

This is one of my favorite new desk decor gifts. It reminds me of a wooden one my dad had in the 70s but this is much more sleek and modern. Someone who works at EC on our EC Squad call said she also used the number cubes to teach her toddler numbers. Also comes in just gold type for the Focused version.

 

Metallic Party Colorful Life Planner ($60)

One of the best gifts you can give is a classic EC Life Planner. I am so excited to have the hourly. I miss the lines! This new Metallic Party cover design is gorgeous! I am ready to use this for 2021 to organize all my social media and blogs. I think it will help me to organize it all to have all that separated into one planner. My monthly planner is currently my STEM Chat Editorial Planner and I really am a huge fan of the Mohawk paper used in EC planners and notebooks. You can also just purchase the Metallic Party covers ($13) on it's own. There are 4 different colorways, including a beautiful neutral one with blush and mauve tones.

 

Interchangeable Covers ($8)

I love EC's interchangeable covers and this one in the neural layers so beautiful. I change my covers all the time and it makes it feel fresh and new. Always a fun little extra gift to give a second cover that someone can change out. Most of the covers are $8 and metallic covers are $13.

Believe Metal Bookmark ($12)

I was blown away by this beautiful large metal silver-colored bookmark with the word, "believe." There are also two other bookmarks, "plan" in gold and "create" in rose gold.  I have a photo here showing how it looks inside the Life Planner and you can see how pretty it looks on the monthly page or to mark the week where you are.

 

Planner Bag in Peacock ($48)

I saved the best for last! Teal is one of my favorite colors and this Planner bag in the new Peacock color is so gorgeous. I will have a video in my stories (bookmarked on my main IG page) where I'll be showing you what fits inside the bag. It's such the perfect size! I have had the larger metallic gold planner tote when it first launched and actually love this size so much better. I think it fits better crossbody. I'm so in love with the Layers colorful strap! One strap comes with your planner bag which you can choose which one you want. They are just the right thickness for comfort to wear over your shoulder or crossbody. You can buy extra straps which are $12 each or 2 for $20. EC was nice to also send me the matching Sapphire and Pool strap.

 

My dog Lulu watched me film the whole thing for IG so head on over to my stories to see me talk about the new holiday goodies. There are so many things that are great quarantine gifts. I'm ready to buy myself the Mid Century Circles Air Pod case and the Neutral Layers hoodie and joggers for Christmas.  I'll do another post soon for the new products I wasn't sent for review. There are also new stationery and coiled A5 journals!

 

Shop the Erin Condren Holiday Gift Guide

 

Disclaimer: I received these products from Erin Condren to review. All opinions are my own.

 

Disclaimer: I received these products from Erin Condren to review. All opinions are my own.

Updated Bag Review: Goyard Artois Tote PM - Wear and Tear

Remember this beauty I got in Paris over Christmas? (See my Coquette review here from January). It's one of my most popular posts and one of the posts that I get the most comments from readers. I have been using this bag for almost 10 months now so I thought it would be great to do an updated check in review.

First off, the Goyard Artois bag is now available at all Goyard boutiques in the U.S. (Previously it was only available in NYC and France.) There are two sizes now the MM and the PM, which is what I have. I actually just spotted a woman with the tote in San Francisco a few weeks ago. You still definitely don't see it as often as the Goyard St. Louis. What's great is that this tote bag includes monograming. It used to be you were forced to which turned me off, but when I emailed with the Goyard Paris boutique she informed me that it was no longer mandatory. (I chose not to get monogramming.) According to the Goyard website, currently monograming is available only on the day of purchase. You can get 2-3 letters without shading, only one font and one size and there are only two places you can get the monogram: either on the front or inside the bag, near the zipper.

The price I paid for the bag was 1420 Euros for a "color" and the PM size. Anything that is not black is deemed a "color" and is more expensive. It was significantly cheaper than getting it in the U.S. since I believe the bag is $2120. If you get it in Europe, you can also get the VAT tax back so it is even a little more cheaper.

One of the reasons I went for the Artois was for the zipper and the reinforced leather for the corners. I had heard of many horror stories of the corners getting holes in St. Louis totes and I knew that I would be using this bag a lot. I have used this bag so much this year. It's been the best investment I've made in a bag because it's functional and stylish. I liked the gray color because it worked well year round and matched everything I wear.

The leather corners are great because they help protect the canvas but it also gives the bag a shape so you can rest on anything without it flopping over. I also have found the canvas for this tote to be thicker than the St. Louis tote. So here's the bad news, I tend to be careful with my bags but with normal wear, the leather corners at the bottom got scuffed within a week of use. I think this is inevitable. I have really loved and used the bag that now I don't really mind it. As you can see from the picture at top, you can't really tell when the back is resting on a surface. But if this bothers you --- just wanted you to be aware of it.

Similarly, there is also wear around the leather border that frames the top of the bag. I'm sure part of this is from me wearing it over my shoulders. On the straps, it's minor but it is happening. Again, to me it feels fine. It makes my bag feel lived in and used. The straps are really durable and I think they are thicker than the St. Louis tote.

The canvas on the other hand is doing spectacular. The color hasn't rubbed off. It's really durable. I usually don't carry much but when I do carry a laptop or files, magazines, the canvas (and the straps) handle it all so well. The canvas inside is a cream color so to not get it dirty I decided to get a purse organizer that was recommend by a woman on PurseForum. This was the best money I ever spent. Not only does it keep my bag clean, I didn't realize how much I loved having everything organized. My phone, pens, Kleenex, chewing gum, keys, etc are all organized that I know where to get it. It makes it so much easier and also lighter because I don't have to carry additional pouches. The Purse To Go insert that works is the Jumbo Size (Price is $24.38-$32.95 depending on what color you get, the tan color is here). It's a tiny bit smaller but it gives you room to also put documents, laptop or magazines between the organizer and the bag like the picture above.

I recently went into the new Goyard boutique at 118 Grant Street in San Francisco to ask how much it would cost to replace the leather bits on the bag.

Here is some info that I received from the sales associate:

$420 to replace the bottom corners
$250 to replace the handles
$200 to replace the trim
$395 to replace both the handles and the trim

As an aside, if you have a St. Louis if you want to fix your corners its $225 and you can get it stitched or have tiny leather caps put on. (I got this info back in April 2016.)

Hope this helps everyone in deciding whether or not to get this bag. I personally have no regrets. I'm really glad I got it. I don't know if I'll ever spend $815 to replace the leather bits of the bag but after a few years I may decide to see if the shoe repair guy I go to can fix the scuffing on the bottom or to a luxury handbag leather specialist. Right now, it's got a nice lived in look.

I get so many compliments on this bag. I love it because it is so functional, stylish and also super light! Even if I stick my water bottle in the bag, I'm not weighed down by it all. Hope this review has been helpful to you. Please feel free to comment, if you have any questions.

Related Posts:

Bag Review: Goyard Artois Tote

Bag Review: Goyard Artois Tote

While in Paris, I picked up a new handbag as a Christmas/Birthday gift from my husband. Goyard is an old French brand (a bit older than Louis Vuitton). I don't have anything Goyard in my handbag collection and I had been eying the St. Louis PM tote for a few years now. Earlier this year, I found out about the Goyard Artois from watching these two You Tube videos (The World According to Lisa and Belle at Heart). What I loved about this tote was that there was a zipper and the corners were also reinforced with leather. I had heard of many St. Louis Totes with worn out corners and the Goyard boutique in San Francisco told me as of last summer 2016 that it costs $225 to repair the corners, either by stitching or by adding leather caps.

The Goyard Artois tote is currently available now at most Goyard boutiques. Previously, this bag required mandatory monograming but that is no longer the case which worked out great for me since I was only in Paris for 2 1/2 days. If you live in the U.S. and won't be going to Paris anytime soon, you can order it by phone and have it sent to you. It currently comes in a range of colors (white, navy, green, purple, red -- this is from memory from the bags I saw on display) and like other Goyard bags, the black with black handles or black with black trim costs less than the color range. They call this the "classic colors". There is only one size for the Goyard Artois Tote while the St. Louis Tote has 2 sizes PM and GM.

Here are the prices:

Classic Colors €1,090.00 $1,635.00
Special Colors €1,420.00 $2,120.00

Measurements: Width 15.5 inches, Height 9.5 inches, Depth 5.5 inches

If you buy this in Paris and live outside of France or E.U., you can get the VAT tax refund. It would have been around $200 for me but since we flew back home the day after the new year, the airport was crazy busy and we didn't want to miss our flight.

I already have a Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM that is about 5 years old. I love it but the one thing I don't like is that there isn't a zipper. Having the Goyard Artois is fantastic because I never have to worry about my things falling out. The canvas also feels more sturdy and stronger than the St. Louis totes. The interior is the linen canvas and because it's a light color, I didn't want to get it dirty so I purchased a Purse To Go Organizer ($20.99-$29.99 depending on colors) in the Jumbo size. I ordered it while I was in France and timed it so I could have it arrive home by the time I came back to the states. I ordered from Amazon and chose the light pink color which is a nice contrast to the gray. The organizer fits perfectly with a bit of room to spare. I can zip the bag without any problem.

Here are some pictures of the Goyard Artois Tote:

I love the reinforced leather corners that spans the sides of the bottom of the bag.

There is one interior pocket inside that can close with a button tab.

The Goyard Paris Made in France is embossed on the leather for the button tab.

Here's the pocket open. It's very roomy and can fit your mobile phone, no matter what size.

The stitching for this bag is impeccable. The straps are really sturdy too.

I don't plan on carrying my laptop around in this bag a lot but if I do, it's nice to know that my Mac Book Air fits inside. I have an older 12 inch model.

My laptop also fits well with the purse organizer inside.

If you have any questions on the Goyard Artois Tote, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Bag Review: Chloe Mini Marcie Bag

I haven't done a bag post in a long time and it's definitely one of my favorites posts to do. These days, I've pared down what I need to the essentials and am usually carrying a mini bag crossbody. I picked up the Chloe Mini Marcie Bag ($795 at Neiman Marcus) in late July and it's been such a carefree summer staple. It is small but if you need to, you can definitely stuff it. I used it all around San Diego this summer and had it stuffed while going to the Zoo, Legoland and Sea World. I wore sunscreen all over and I could easily wipe it off the leather strap. I've noticed that the leather is getting softer which makes me love using the bag even more. I stuffed it a lot when I was on vacation and it fit everything I needed: paper tickets, a map, small wallet, sunglasses (w/o case), iPhone, lipstick, lip balm, mints and a pack of kleenex. I kept a hair tie in the front slip pocket and sometimes receipts. I will say one thing is that the opening of the bag is smaller than the bottom. Make sure you are careful when you take out your items so things don't fall out. I actually lost my keys a couple of weeks ago when I was taking out my iPhone while walking my dog. Since I have my house key on an LV key holder and it's only 1 key and 1 fob, I didn't hear any jangling noise from it falling on the ground. What I love about the Tan color is that it works perfectly year round and looks equally stylish for summer and fall.

If you are looking to save a couple hundred dollars like I did, you can easily purchase this bag (or other luxury bags) online from Europe! Our exchange rate is so good now and some of these larger department store sites have great shipping and also return policies (please check each one carefully). Of course, if you are set on a particular color you may find yourself checking the site frequently for any updates to their selection. It took me about two months but I did finally get the Tan color in the Chloe Mini Marcie that I really wanted from the French Monnier Freres site. I ended up paying $665 total which included tax and duties. This bag retails for $795-$890 (Nordstrom has raised their prices for this bag to $890 this fall) before tax here in the U.S. so all things considered I saved a significant amount of money without leaving the country! The bag also came within a week of my order and it was packaged so nicely in a beautiful big box with ribbon and inside was a Chloe dust bag with my beautiful bag inside. I check the Chloe page on Monnier Freres often and the prices do change from time to time. I'm not sure if this is because of exchange rates or whatnot but sometimes things go down (and up). I got this tip from the blogger Allyson in Wonderland and can't thank her enough for this!

Currently, this bag is really a deal at Harrods and is available in Intense Green or Black. Make sure you choose the USD $ currency from the top right menu and then add your selection to your cart. The Chloe Mini Marcie bag is $653.82 but if you choose guest checkout you can see that they minus out the VAT so the total amount comes to $578.55 including delivery. This is a huge savings! Selfridges has the black and nut color available for $550. I'm not completely sure if they minus out the VAT already but it seems like they have and will just add some of the import duties after but you don't know the final price until checkout (and you have to add in all your info to do so).

So there you have it. My beautiful Chloe Mini Marcie bag and a few more options to online shop and browse to find the best luxury handbag deals!

Snag J.Crew's Mini Bucket Bag for Under $100

Spring is coming just around the corner and the bucket bag is totally on trend for the warm weather season. This J.Crew Mini Bucket Bag is so on trend with the minimalistic simplicity that has made Mansur Gavriel a popular new handbag line. Yet this bucket bag is waaaay more friendly to your wallet. It's a total steal for $98! Yes $98! It comes in Natural Vachetta (above) and Brilliant Peri below. There's even a metallic gold version! I like the small slip pocket inside that can easily hold your mobile phone. The tassel drawstring closure that gives this simple bag a fabulous pop of style!

Purchase the Mini Bucket Bag at J.Crew.

I <3 Denim: Update Your Wardrobe with these Denim Fashions + Accessories

Denim is like the little black dress – it never goes out of style. In fact, as time goes by, denim just keeps getting cooler. I'm loving the new looser look of denim fashions lately, boxier jackets and loose boyfriend jeans. I'm coveting this 7 For All Mankind Trucker Duster Jacket ($298 at Shopbop). Denim hasn't been lost on accessories either as I love the Splendid Grand Suede Wedges ($98 at Shopbop) and the perfect little crossbody bag, the Kate Spade Emerson Place Quilted Denim Mini Vivenna ($278 at Kate Spade).

Here are more of my denim picks:

Women's Hudson Jeans Emmet Denim Jacket ($250 at Nordstrom)

Women's Topshop Moto Tilda Denim Jacket ($75 at Nordstrom)

Mid-Length Frayed Denim Skirt ($49.90 at Zara)

Vigoss 'Tomboy Destroyed Skinny Jeans ($59 at Nordstrom)

Lyocell Shirt Dress ($39.99 at H&M)

Stylish Mini Bags for Fall

Check out Stylish Mini Bags for Fall

by Coquette at Mode

Stylish Bucket Bags Under $500

Bucket bags have been trending for a couple of seasons now and this spring, they are going even stronger. I'm loving the modern take with soft leather and cool adornments like tassels or cool hardware. This Elizabeth And James Cynnie Mini Bucket Bag ($495 at Shopbop) is definitely calling my name. It comes in the most striking clementine red (also in black). I like this version in soft quilted lambskin leather which feels divine. There's lots of options on carrying the bag with the short handle or shoulder/crossbody with the long strap. This is definitely a show stopper for spring!

Here are more of my favorite bucket bags:

Madewell Bucket Bag ($198 at Shopbop)

Rebecca Minkoff Mini Lexi Bucket Bag ($275 at Shopbop)
Also comes in this beautiful pale pink

Halston Heritage Drawstring Bucket Bag ($395 at Shopbop)

Tory Burch Thea Bucket Bag ($495 at Shopbop)

October Favorites: Celine, Aerin + Burberry Beauty

1. AERIN Beauty Rose Balm Lipstick in 07 Geranium ($30 at Nordstrom)
I love my new Aerin lipstick that I've been wearing most of the month. The color Geranium looks darker in the photo than it really is. The color is a universally flattering mauve color that brings in a lot of pink. It brightens up my face and the rose balm has a soft rose sent that is very soothing. The gold case is also very luxe and it doubles as a mirror for me to apply my lipstick.

2. Celine Trio, Size small in Black (650€ in Europe, $1050 in U.S.)
I picked this up in August at Brown Thomas in Dublin, Ireland. It was something I had been lusting after for a couple of years and with the whole exchange rate and VAT tax back in Europe, it was a no brainer for me to get! Also, the store had 1 small black in stock. Kismet, right?! Even as I was about to go to Paris, I didn't want to risk it being out of stock. I've been using it everyday (minus a few here and there when I needed a big tote) since I've gotten it and it can hold a lot of daily essentials. I will do a full review on it soon. In the U.S., you can get Celine at Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Saks and Bergdorf Goodman as well as Celine boutiques.

3. Eve Lom Muslin Cloths ($20.50 for pack of 3 at Amazon)
I really wasn't a fan of the Eve Lom Cleansing Balm but I loved the muslin cloth that it came with so much that I ended up buying more. I gently pat my face clean after washing and it helps exfoliate your skin by removing dead skin cells.

4. Burberry Beauty Nude Glow Complete Eye Palette ($60 at Nordstrom)
I just rediscovered my love for Burberry Beauty with this eyeshadow quad. I always remembered that their eyeshadows were very finely milled and wanted to invest in a basic brown palette that was easily portable. I love how light this looks on my eyelids and that it's also very buildable too. You can use the shadows wet or dry and the pigmentation is just want I want. Light color that is perfect for everyday. I just love how soft it looks on my eyes, really creating a natural nude look. I plan on doing a full review on my recent Burberry Beauty purchases complete with swatches. Look for that soon!

5. Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange ($16.92 on Amazon)
Former Chanel mode and muse, Ines de la Fressange brings Parisian style to the masses in this wonderful style book. It also reads like a great Paris travel guide with tips on where to shop and eat. You can read my post about her recent collaboration with Uniqlo here.