Orla Kiely AW15 Mainline: Sixties Stem in Spruce and Black

This season's Sixties Stem Punched leather collection features the colorways Spruce and Black, the former being a gorgeous shade of green. I'd been waiting for Orla Kiely to release another set of green leather bags, and I'm so happy this collection is finally here. The Sixties Stem is such a great classic print, and Orla Kiely has added a few new styles to keep the collection fresh. However, there are a few elements from this line that I don't particularly like. For example, all the handbags are unlined, which you can see in the photo below.

I personally like the Jacquard Stem lining that's included in most of Orla Kiely's pieces because I think it adds a bit of structure to the bag and it's just a nice addition to help protect the leather.

Another thing to note - most of the handbags include a leather top handle, by why oh why did Orla Kiely choose cotton webbing for the shoulder straps?! 

Upon first seeing this collection, I thought how beautiful and luxurious these bags were, especially with their darker hues and rich leather. But then upon closer inspection, I found that the shoulder straps were just cotton webbing and I felt it made the overall look seem...cheaper. And I hate to say that about this otherwise beautiful collection, but just think how much nicer these bags would look with a leather shoulder strap.

Other than these two quibbles, I still think this collection looks great and the Spruce colorway is such a beautiful shade that will look fabulous in the fall/winter months ahead. What do you think of this collection? Do you like the changes that have been made?

Sixties Stem Punched Burdock Bag

Spruce and Black

£389

Let's start with one of the newer styles - the Burdock Bag, which to me combines the look of the Willow Bag and the Juniper Bag. There are two front pockets and the usual interior pocket with attached key ring.

Sixties Stem Punched Caraway Bag

Spruce and Black

£385

Another new style is the Caraway Bag, which looks reminiscent of the Peggy Bag. This is probably my favorite from the collection because I think I could easily switch out the cotton straps for some leather ones. Also, the leather top handles look large enough to possible carry over the shoulder, so I might just get rid of the cotton straps altogether and just wear it as a shoulder bag (although I do love the option of wearing it as a crossbody).

Sixties Stem Punched Mini Bay Backpack

Spruce and Black

£325

Another new style that debuted this season is the Mini Bay Backpack (see the Spot Square version here). I'm happy to see that all straps are made of leather on this bag, and they are also adjustable. I'm curious if they could be attached together to make one shoulder strap so you could have the option of wearing it as a crossbody bag as well. If so, then this bag is definitely at the top of my wish list!

Sixties Stem Punched Ivy Bag

Spruce

£385

Sixties Stem Punched Juniper Bag

Spruce

£389

The second picture is what the bag looks like unfolded. I have the Buttercup Stem Printed Nylon Foldover Tote (outfit here), and sometimes I do fold it over and wear it as a shoulder bag, but other times I unfold it and just carry it by the top handles. It's nice that this Juniper bag also has those options.

Sixties Stem Punched Poppy Bag

Spruce

£165

Sixties Stem Punched Big Zip Wallet

Spruce

£145

Haul + Review: Orla Kiely Egg Cups

I recently purchased these Orla Kiely egg cups from - where else - Burlington. Now, I didn't need them at all, but I couldn't resist how cute they were.

They were $2.99 each, which (if the compare at price is correct) is 70% off retail, but I still felt they were quite pricey. Considering many of the larger items I've scored from Burlington were under $3 and retail for much more, I was expecting these egg cups to only be about $1.

They are dishwasher and microwave safe, and made in Thailand.

I've had several people tell me that these are actually espresso cups, and while I'm sure they can perfectly serve as such, I'm pretty sure these are in fact egg cups as I've seen many photos such as the one above where they are used this way. I have even seen them listed on websites as egg cups. I myself will never use them for their intended purpose (maybe shot glasses, although I don't drink too much either), so for now they are just being used as decor in my kitchen.

I've only been able to find these two prints - the Linear Stem and Scribble Stem.

They have a greenish-brown print, and the background is white.

Super adorable and I'm sure I can find many uses for them, but I'm happy with them just sitting as decoration on my kitchen counter and shelves.

Orla Kiely Duvet Sets at Nordstrom Rack

A few Orla Kiely duvet sets have been added to Nordstrom Rack's website. The prints available are the Rhododendron in Cerulian and the Wallflower in Midnight, Mushroom, or Tomato. The Full/Queen sets are on sale for $109.97 (originally $217), while the King sets are $129.97 (originally $263).

Orla Outfit of the Day: My Uniform

OOOTD:

Anthropologie Sidebent Tank

Forever 21 Railroad Stripe A-Line Skirt

Orla Kiely for Clarks Blanche Sandals (review here)

LC Lauren Conrad Scalloped Necklace

Forever 21 Etched Feather Ring

Kate Spade Scalloped Metro Watch 

This has pretty much been my uniform all summer - midi skirt, crop top or tucked-in blouse, and sandals. It's just such an easy outfit to throw together and there are endless styling options. Plus, I think this look can be both dressy and casual, depending on how you accessorize it.

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you'll know why I love this necklace so much. The scalloped edges are just so great for pairing with simple tops, and the two-tone metal makes it quite versatile.

Nail polish color: Essie St. Lucia Lilac (one of my all-time favorite nail polish colors, and I'm also quite smitten by the name because it's where my husband and I went on our honeymoon).

I also love wearing this feather ring, which was a total steal from Forever 21 for just under $4.

And of course, my Orla Blanche sandals, which I love so much because they are so comfy and the pink floral print actually pairs quite well with many outfits.

Nail polish color: Butter London Ladybird

I pretty much only paint my toenails bright red or pink because I feel like these are the only colors that look good on me. This particular shade is probably another one of my favorites, for both manicures and pedicures. It's the perfect red/orange shade and it applies so smoothly and opaque.

And just because I find this picture so darn hilarious. I always try to be quick when I take my outfit photos, or my husband will try to distract him, but occasionally he'll sneak into one of my shots :)

Happy Monday, everyone!

Orla Outfit of the Day: Dots and Stripes

OOOTD:

Forever 21 Ribbed Stripe Crop Top

Maeve Groves of Palm Dress (worn as a skirt)

Orla Kiely for Clarks Blanche Sandals (review here)

J. Crew Factory necklace

Kate Spade Seaport Grand Watch

This dress is quite special to me because it was one of my first purchases from Anthropologie almost ten years ago. When I was in college, I'd often browse their website, ogling at all the wonderful pieces and wishing I could have an entire wardrobe of Anthro. When my hometown finally got its own store, I'd visit often and it was during one of my first trips there that I spotted and fell in love with this dress. It has such a fun and interesting pattern, and green is a color I love so much. 

For this particular outfit, though, I decided to fold down the top portion and tuck it underneath so I could wear it as a skirt. If you've been following me for awhile and have seen my last few outfit posts, you'll know I've been obsessed with midi skirts lately. I felt like turning this dress into a skirt gave me more styling options, and now I'm actually considering altering it permanently so I can always wear it as a skirt.

Here's what it looks like as a dress.

The hemline has such a fun blue scalloped edge, and the flowers are so pretty against the kelly green polka dot background. 

I decided to pair it with this black and white top to go with the black and white flowers on the bottom. And I paired it with this necklace to pull in more of the green color of the skirt.

These Orla Blanche sandals, by the way, are some of the comfiest shoes I've ever worn, which is saying quite a lot since they do have a heel. But it's thick enough to walk comfortably in, and I have been loving the way they look with my collection of midi skirts lately. 

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

Orla Kiely FW15 Collection Now Available in the US

Orla Kiely's Fall/Winter 2015 collection has now made its way to the US website. I am so excited for this release because it means fall is just around the corner, which is my favorite season, and this collection has some of the cutest pieces Orla Kiely has ever released. Check out my favorites below, and shop the new arrivals here.

Big Owl Small Backpack

$138

Little Owl Quilted Reversible Backpack

$128

Embossed Stem Leather Ella Bag

$439

Orla Kiely FW15 Mainline: Textured Leather in Cocoa and Lipstick

Here we have the classic Textured Leather bags in the new colorways Cocoa and Lipstick for Orla Kiely's Fall/Winter 2015 Mainline collection. As always, there are a few changes, so check them out below!

Textured Leather Mini Bay Bag

Cocoa and Lipstick

£289
I loved last season's Mini Bay Bag in the Lemon colorway, and I'm as equally in love with this season's Lipstick version, which I think makes the perfect shade of red for the holidays.

Textured Leather Tillie Bag

Cocoa and Lipstick

£319

Textured Leather Large Ella Bag

Cocoa and Lipstick

£339
These Ella bags have Orla Kiely's initials cleverly displayed on the front. I really like the Cocoa colorway in this bag.

Textured Leather Bay Bag

Cocoa and Lipstick

£339
Probably my least favorite out of the collection because I think the front pocket looks so awkward. I get the functionality, but I would've still preferred these bags without it.

Textured Leather Sweet Pea Bag

Cocoa and Lipstick

£179

Textured Leather Big Zip Wallet

Cocoa and Lipstick

£145
Always a classic, and they look fabulous in these rich colors!