What I Want NOW: Animal Prints

...particularly in the form of a Handbag...

Preferably a Mulberry one from their Fall 2010 collection.

This collection is one of my favorites for the season-animal prints done so right they've got me drooling!

(Now I'm not going to ignore the fact that where I work might have some persuasion when it comes to my tendancy to like animal prints-particularly leopard...I've not known a season yet where we didn't incorporate at least 3-4 animal prints of sorts into our lines.  So maybe I'm bias...but when Animal is HUGE for a particular season you best believe I'm all for the trend, and it makes me giddy to think I can wear it and be on key, not just wearing it like I think I'm punk rock or something).

Although Mulberry is extremely out of my price range...so I've settled on treating myself to a real nice bag, just at a slightly lower price point.  (my current everyday lug my life around bag has had it!  But its been sturdy, good, and well worth the money I threw down on it...so I'm telling myself to do the same again on a nice bag is A-OK as I'll use it for a few years.)

Enter my love for this Marc by Marc Jacobs bag!

(Ok honestly, this one might not even be at my price point, but this is more along the lines of what I consider a "splurge" but a well deserved treat that'll last for a while--I work hard so I easily justify things like this to myself.  I try to give myself little prizes for sticking to my midwestern go-get 'em don't stop at 6pm cause the job ain't done work ethics...Thanks mom and dad for raising me right.  So yeah, I deserve a real nice item once in a while.  And that's also the awesome part about having your own job and not living off your parents-you don't have to check in with anybody to see if its ok to put all that $$$ on your card.  

Try it sometime.)

I plan on swinging past Loehman's today after my hair appointment.  They have a rather large handbag dept. and sometimes, you never know, they have real designer stuff in there for a pretty decent price.  Not saying I expect this bag to be there, but I'm hoping something similar or some animal print is in there somewhere.  We shall see if I come back empty handed, or with some goodies in my arms.

If not Loehman's, well its high time I make my way out to the Jersey Gardens outlet mall anyhow, I know the Off 5th (the Saks outlet) usually has some pretty awesome bags too.  And I haven't been to that mall in a while (obviously, its in Jersey).

And if all else fails, I did come across this OK, so-so, use it and toss-it out after the season is up, Nine West bag.  It's on sale for $39.99 too, so really this wouldn't break the bank at all.  

I'm just worried that the black straps, and "leather" detail isn't real...and it will probably look super cheap.  I do have issues in my older age with fake leather on purses. (I think this comes at a certain point in your life when you realize you need to start looking a little more professional and put together, because at 30, sometimes you just can't pass for 22...and sometimes you gotta actually dress like you're 30, not 22.)

 I think man-made, synthetic leather is usually pretty horrid...unless its that really really good looking fake leather, but 99% of the time its not.

I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for this one at a store too so I can check out that leather factor myself firsthand.  I'd hate to order it online then be sorely dissappointed upon receiving.

But really...when it comes down to it, if I'm thinking I can justify a nice handbag of real caliber...shouldn't I be smart and stick to something more classic?  Skip the animal print, leave that to the lower end brands since this season its just a trend (although, face it, animal prints are in almost as soon as they're out...they never really go away).

I'm thinking if I could find something like this Mulberry oversized Alexa bag that would be good for my bag fix.  And then I could do Animal in other forms of accessories.

Am I right on this?  Bag-wise I should inveest in classic, not trendy???

(PS-Back to my love of Fall '10 Mulberry...did you know they're collaborating with Target on a handbag line, and supposedly they're going to have spin-offs of their classic silhouettes, like the Alexa Bag!  Yes Please!  Um wait, no....I'm always sooooooooooo outraged with dissappointment when I go to Target and see these collaborations firsthand.  Why do I always forget just how infuriating I find the cheapness of their goods when they work with these top designers?  Of course, I'll forget this again when I jaunt over to check out the Mulberry bags...but remember, 99% of the time fake leather looks horrid in my books...so why am I getting my hopes up?  Do I really think Target is going to have an awesome collab with Mulberry?  No...I'm just one for wishful thinking though).

So if I go the classic route with a bag, then I'm thinking (scratch that--I'm knowing)that I could really use an animal fix in the form of a bootie.  Who couldn't?

I'm so silly, I had a pair of pony skin leopard print booties back in college--but I threw them out after my first year in NYC.  I think I found them ridiculous or something at that point, or maybe too much of a reminder of me at 21.  I can't remember my rationale for tossing them, but what I wouldn't give to have those bad boys back RIGHT NOW!

Since I no longer have those college animal print booties, I think I'll go on a safari in search of knock-off versions of this:

(Again, way way wayyyyyyyyy to out of my price range with these right here).

Ah, love....love how animal can take a simple outfit and elevate it to about 10x cooler, no 100x cooler!

It really is the perfect accent to an otherwise laid back ensemble.  I could really use this "cool" factor in my life considering my clothes usually consist of black, black, more black, then some white...and mix those two together and you get Gray.  Yeah black, white, and gray.  So who's gonna tell me that some fancy leopard can't take that Black outfit to an out-of-this-world level of fun?

Case in Point:

This girl!

Ok, maybe I should just slow it down...I'm looking and talking about some big ticket items here.  Let me just hold myself back for a moment and give myself a little talking to.  I need to remind myself to keep my eyes peeled for similar items to those above, not necessarily THOSE ITEMS.  

(I need to think more along the lines of that Nine West bag)

The best way for me to get my animal fix, and get it fast, would be for me to start out with something like a scarf.  Something I could probably find at F21.

Ohhhhhhhh, but at cool as this Olsen looks here, and I know I could do this look too, I just soooooooo want to jump on board and get a handbag already!!!!

Restraint, restraint, restraint...unless I come across it at Loehmans today :)

Disclaimer: None of these pictures are mine!  Obviously...

Thanks for letting me use them, now get over it.