Well, I did it. I got my Prada Cahier bag! Well....almost. Read the story here! Since the bag money came out of a savings account I've been adding to for a few years I'm not counting it in my main 2021 spending total, but I did add a line at the bottom of the post including it in my yearly spending.
I also finally got Teva sandals after spending a couple months mulling it over. I went with a crazy printed pair since they'll be more fun for beach trips, camping and rainy Disney days! I also bought a new bathing suit from Target for a beach trip (that ended up being canceled.)
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- mīere the label Women’s Cotton Knit Sweater in Terracotta ($68.87 including shipping)
Basics:
- FRAME Denim Le Skinny de Jeanne Crop in Sunnyside ($30 via Poshmark, retail $189, $18.67 after ad money)
Shoes:
- Splendid Harvest Mules in Tiger/Cheetah Print - also here ($25.80 via eBay, retail $118, used ad money)
- *NEW!* Teva Original Universal Sandals in Boomerang Pink Lemonade ($42.50 via Shopbop, used partnership money)
Handbags:
- *NEW!* Prada Cahier in 'Viola' purple via Vestiaire Collective ($1488, used bag savings account)
- None yet
Activewear/Swimwear:
Gifted from Brands:
- Vintage Emerald Cut Ring - London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate ($50 after gifted amount)
Spent in June: $34.99
Spent in 2021: $209.66
Spent in 2021 Counting Prada bag: $1,697.66
I planned a different first outfit post for the Prada Cahier, but we were lazy last weekend and didn't take any photos, so this look will have to do. Worn for a family gathering a couple weekends ago. I love how the little bits of purple in the camisole pop with the color of the purple Prada Cahier.
These IRO jeans are one of my favorite pairs for Summer because they're loose and the fabric is much more breathable than my skinny pairs. I will never give up my skinny jeans but I do embrace more styles. I've had them for 4 years now and they get more and more wears as the years go on.
Floral Camisole: eight sixty
Jeans: IRO "Faxy Cropped Jean" (Gilt c/o Wikibuy)
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine (bought in Athens)
Amethyst Necklace: BubuRuby
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Plus, here's a fun Reel I did with the Prada Cahier!
It’s story time again! I always seem to do these with my splurge items. But I love a good shopping tale. Welcome my new purple Prada Cahier bag in “Viola.”
The Prada Cahier was introduced in Fall 2016 and the purple/viola “Astrology” or “Constellation” version I coveted is from a couple of years later, according to my research. Cahier is French for notebook, which explains closure and golden edges. Turn it to the side and it magically turns into an old-style book!
Inspired by valuable ancient books, the Prada Cahier bag is made of soft calf leather. The metal hardware gives it an unmistakable look, & it comes with a removable shoulder strap.
I was a little late to the Prada Cahier bag game, probably because I was focused on finding my Chloe Faye for so long. When I saw the Cahier came in a celestial-themed style in early 2018 I had to have it. Originally, I wanted the black velvet version and started saving up in my usual way – a Capital One 360 savings account. I kept my eye out on secondhand stores in case I saw, one but they were always out of my price range.
When we went on our honeymoon to Italy and Greece, I thought I might splurge and buy another bag I had wanted – a turquoise velvet Gucci Marmont bag. We went to some Gucci stores and I found the one I wanted but wasn’t sure I was ready to spend the money yet. Christian wasn’t the biggest fan (this is important later.) We also went into some Prada stores even though I didn’t think I would find the Cahier.
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| Prada store in Florence | Prada store in Venice |
At a Prada store in Florence, I tried on the plain black Cahier for size and asked if they happened to have any constellation ones left. They didn’t. In Venice I asked if there were any black leather or velvet versions. The sales associate said no, just wallet-sized ones but they did have another color in the larger version - smaller than the black one I tried, though. She went to get it and IT.WAS.PURPLE!!! For those of you that aren’t aware – purple is my favorite color. This was the bag for me. Christian also loved it. We told her I would have to think about it because I definitely hadn’t budgeted for this. She gave us her card and off we went.
Christian
thought I should have gotten the bag, but I was being dumb and said, “I don’t have enough saved yet, I’ll have to steal from my other savings accounts” (for travel.) I agonized over the decision for the remaining 2 days of our stay in Venice but ultimately decided I would “behave” and that I could just find the purple version pre-owned later for less. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
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| My bookmarks toolbar with all the stores I've been checking |
Since we got home (September 2019) I’ve been on the hunt almost every day. I had found some in the first couple months that were all over 2K and I didn’t want to spend/hadn’t saved up that much. In February 2020, I thought I found one on Poshmark, bought it and it failed their authenticity checks. In August 2020 I found another on Vestiaire Collective, got the girls over at The Purse Forum to say they thought it was authentic, and bought it. I had to rob my travel funds because I wasn’t going to let it get away this time! A few days later VC emailed me to say that it actually wasn’t available and refunded me. GAH!! I even had personal shopper Gabriel Waller on the case (after a recommendation from Jamie!) starting in May 2020.
You’ll obviously notice that it doesn't have the moon and stars. I found this plain purple Prada Cahier for a really great price (considering) and just had to take advantage of a lower-than-market price. Most of the plain ones I’ve been seeing are over 2K and this one was listed at $1770 on Rebag. Rebag was also selling it on Vestiaire Collective and, for some reason, they lowered the price to $1488 on there. SOLD! After checking with the Purse Forum, of course. And again after it arrived with my own photos to be doubly sure.
There are 2 things I prefer about this version of the Prada Cahier bag – it’s slightly bigger/wider and I really love the thicker strap. It has so much more weight to it, literally and figuratively! The biggest size of the Prada Cahier astrology only comes with a thin metal chain strap. I actually looked to see if Prada sold the wide strap separately, but they only sell a thin leather strap.
This doesn’t mean I gave up on my embellished version. I will still be searching and will most likely resell this one if I find it. Unless I decide that I don't want to go any smaller than this. I still have money leftover in my bag savings account since this was lower than I expected to spend. Who knows, I may finally get that Gucci Marmont with that and stick with the plain Cahier bag!
All this rambling to say, I probably should have bought the bag in Venice because 1) I would have saved two years of searching and 2) It would be a forever reminder of our honeymoon. I guess next time I’ll know better and buy the holy grail item when I see it!
Retail when released in 2018: $2,950
Current retail price for same size bag: $3,150
My cost: $1,488
As the weather gets warmer, I'm all about less is more when it comes to clothes, and jewelry. That doesn't have to mean fewer pieces thanks to thin stackable rings from Aurate! I'm excited to finally be breaking out all my Summer pieces like denim shorts and lightweight dresses. And the clothes I bought last year and didn't get to wear much.
Mostly I'm excited to start cycling through my collection of Ancient Greek Sandals. We all know my obsession for the brand runs deep. I now own 11 pairs, we'll see if I can resist adding a new style this Summer. I intended to wear a pair with this outfit but Christian persuaded me to switch to another favorite pair of sandals - my Lanvin studded sandals! I wore the black version instead of my multicolor suede pair.
If I had more places to go this Summer I would finally try out Rent The Runway's subscription service to go all out on the fashion front. It would be a nice change after rarely getting dressed this past year and a half. But we all know I'm still a homebody at heart, so it won't be worth it for me, ha ha! At least I can take advantage of their clearance section with items that have been retired from renting.
How dreamy are these photos? The day we took the photos, cottonwood was in full force making it look like it was snowing. The wind aided in their spread across our favorite park. Have you ever experienced these seeds blowing off their trees in the wind where you live?
Dress: Edun Fuchsia printed silk dress (eBay)
Sandals: Lanvin studded leather 'City' sandal (The RealReal)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Perfect Purse ostrich-effect PVC' (Net-a-Porter sale)
Stackable Rings, Simple Pearl Necklace & Pearl Earrings c/o AUrate
More baking adventures to enjoy! This round involves some sort-of fails because nothing ever comes out perfect all the time. Gotta keep it real, right?
Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These were delicious but they came out super flat. I'll have to try it again and see if I can improve on them. I assume I didn't let the butter cool enough after browning. Next time I may chill the dough overnight to see if that helps!
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
I made these on a whim during our trip to visit Christian's family in Missouri. We had a small cookout and wanted a dessert so I whipped them up before everyone arrived! They were REALLY good and look how nice and fat they baked! Will definitely be making these again.
Gooey Chocolate Pizza Cookie from Handle The Heat's The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
This recipe was only a fail because we tried to grill it rather than cooking it in the oven. It's supposed to be kind of like a lava cake. The grill didn’t get to 400° so we left it on a little longer which was a mistake. The bottom and edges burned and it wasn't “gooey” like it was supposed to be. BUT the 3/4 that was edible was still good! (The foil we put on it to protect it from charcoal smell somehow stuck to the top resulting in a beautiful “design,” haha!) Next time we'll make it in the oven.
5 Minute Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Toast
Not sure if this counts as baking, but it's a dessert/breakfast and was delicious so I have to share! I was afraid to add too much chocolate when we made them,might add some more next time!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Used one of my recipe books so I don't have a link. I don't usually do lemon so this was a Christian only dessert. He loved it so I'd say it was a hit. Pretty sure it was similar to most other lemon meringue pie recipes so anything you choose will be delicious!
Not exactly baked, but another dessert. I needed to use leftover sweetened condensed milk so I halved the recipe. (After making it I bought a couple more cans so we can make it again!) It was so delicious and we both loved the texture! I can't wait to make it again. I feel like we should try something other than chocolate chip, so maybe I'll throw in some Oreos or something else to make it more fun!
No new purchases this month, although I almost bought a pair of Tevas for the beach/camping this Summer. What do we think, should I splurge on some with my Shopbop gift card? (Can't decide on a color though!)
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- mīere the label Women’s Cotton Knit Sweater in Terracotta ($68.87 including shipping)
Basics:
- FRAME Denim Le Skinny de Jeanne Crop in Sunnyside ($30 via Poshmark, retail $189, $18.67 after ad money)
Shoes:
- Splendid Harvest Mules in Tiger/Cheetah Print - also here ($25.80 via eBay, retail $118, used ad money)
Handbags:
- None yet
Accessories:
- None yet
Activewear:
- None yet
Gifted from Brands:
- Vintage Emerald Cut Ring - London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate ($50 after gifted amount)
Spent in May: $0
