Monday, February 29, 2016

Orla Kiely SS16 Mainline: Square Flower Applique

Orla Kiely has returned this season with her appliqué handbags and accessories, this time featuring the Square Flower print. I must say, I love these so much more than last year's version, which was just a tad too 70s for my taste. This year's version seems more wearable - each style is available in either Black or Cream, with the former featuring white flowers with pink center on one side and yellow on the other. The Cream colorway has a pink flower with red center on one side and a yellow flower with green center on the other. While I love the pink and red flower on the Cream version, I'm not too crazy about the reverse side so I think overall I like the Black one better (I mean honestly, if I could combine the white and yellow flower on the black colorway with the pink and red flower on the cream colorway, that would be perfect).

One thing that I'm not too crazy about with these bags and accessories is that they are actually made of vinyl - only the flower portions and handles/straps are made of leather. I just feel at this price point, the entire exterior should be made of leather. I'm sure the craftsmanship is still great, but I would've preferred an all-leather bag.

Once again, I'm having difficulties choosing a favorite. For my lifestyle, I like to have bags that can be worn cross body so I think I'm leaning towards the Small Sling or the Square Poppy Bag. I do like how both of these styles feature a zip closure. I guess it just comes down to which size I'd want - the Small Sling is just slightly bigger and I like its more three-dimensional look so that might be my ultimate favorite out of the collection. The Square Zip Purses are also super adorable, and I wouldn't mind having the Card Holder either because I like carrying those in my smaller bags or just in my pocket when I don't really feel like carrying a purse (see what I mean? Can't pick a favorite). 

What do you think of these bags? Which one is your favorite?

£270
Also available in a Mini size (180)

£270

£200

£140

£90

£90
Square Flower Applique Card Holder in Black
£60

£60

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Orla Kiely SS16 Mainline: Textured Leather in Nude and Denim

This season's textured leather bags come in the colors Nude and Denim. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Nude colorway - a creamy shade with gorgeous pinky undertones. I want every single piece in this color, but of course I have to be realistic so I have my favorites narrowed down to the Jeanie and the Tillie Bag. The Denim is also an awesome color - so different from anything I've seen from Orla Kiely in a long time. I think this deep blue shade looks fantastic on the Mini Bay Bag.

£350
I love the Jeanie Bag for its structure and streamlined look. I have this style in the Scribble Sunflower print and I've enjoyed that bag so much that I'd like to add another to my collection.

£320
These large Tillie bags remind me of the Louis Vuitton Neverfull (which I someday hope to own!) - I like how spacious they are, which make them perfect for work. According to the website, the Nude colorway has a green resin coating on the inside. I wish they showed a picture of this because I'm quite curious what shade of green it is. It doesn't seem like any would pair well with the Nude, but then again, Orla Kiely is a genius at choosing colors and pairing them together so I'm sure it looks fantastic.

£290
This style is another favorite of mine - I have one in the Lemon colorway and it's such a great bag to wear for casual outings.

£340
Another style I don't own yet is this Rosemary Bag. Once again, I prefer the Nude colorway because I really like the orange enamel closures.

£180

£150

£60
Eek, more bag charms in more colors! You all know how much I've been loving mine in the Chalk colorway and I would love to have one in every color so I'm glad to see that Orla Kiely has kept this style as part of the collection.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Orla Kiely SS16 Accessories: Poppy Cat in Persimmon and Powder Blue

Here are the matching accessories to the Poppy Cat Print collection that was just released today. My favorite piece would definitely have to be the Medium Zip Wallet - I love these size wallets because they are large enough to hold everything you need, and small enough to fit in pretty much any bag. I also think this Poppy Cat Print is great for these accessories because of its smaller scale - oftentimes the prints can be too large that when transferred to the accessories, you can't really see what the pattern is anymore. But this Poppy Cat print fits perfectly :) 

£55

£29

£75

Orla Kiely SS16 Stem Bags: Poppy Cat in Persimmon and Powder Blue

It's finally here!!! The first of Orla Kiely's Spring/Summer 2016 Stem bag collection has made its official debut on the UK/Worldwide website. This latest print is called the Poppy Cat and it's available in the colorways Persimmon and Powder Blue. I am loving the latter of the two and hope to add a couple of these pieces to my collection - as always, though, it's difficult to choose which ones are my favorites!

£95
Let's start with the newest style addition to Orla Kiely's Stem bag collection - the Small Classic Zip Shoulder Bag which, as the name would suggest, is just a shrunken down version of the classic shown below. I think this is just beyond adorable, and I've been loving how designers have been adding smaller versions of their popular styles - Orla Kiely started last year with the Small Backpack, and now we have this small shoulder bag. I'm not even sure, though, that you could call it a shoulder bag because I'd imagine it would be quite difficult to wear it as such with its shorter shoulder drop - if I were to get this, I think I'd wear it more as a handheld bag or just in the crook of my arm. Still quite adorable, and I'd be interested in seeing it on a model so I can get a better idea of its size.

£125

£105

£115

£105

£135

£125

£39

Which styles are your favorite? Do you think the Persimmon or Powder Blue is better, or do you like both? :) Matching accessories are also available, and I'll be writing about those later on today.