Not Just For Travel…
I just wanted to give a quick shout-out for this Lo & Sons “Pearl” crossbody bag. It’s been my favorite travel bag for some years now, and I’ve increasingly been using one as an everyday bag. It’s a simple, chic crossbody bag with excellent organization, and carries everything I need. The Pearl can also be worn as a shoulder bag, carried with a wristlet or as a clutch.
Sweater | Bag | Pants | Shoes
I’ve acquired a few different colors over the years, but a few weeks ago when I saw they’d added this Ivory in the Saffiano leather, I jumped on it. I love how a white or ivory bag really pops, and looks fresh. The durable Saffiano leather means less worry about stains or scuffs.
Above: here’s everything that I’m carrying in mine (plus the iPhone I used to take the photo). Room to spare!
Lo & Sons makes one of my favorite “Personal Item” carry-on bags, the O.G. 2. I also really like the Hanover 2 backpack.
All of their bags are currently 40% off, so if you’ve had your eye on anything…now’s the time. You’ll also be supporting a small business that makes excellent products. 👍
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Based on an earlier post, I have purchased two pair of these Chico’s pants. I love them – so comfortable and more put together than yoga pants! Thank you for that suggestion and for all of the work you put into these cheerful and helpful posts!
Thanks, Lori! I’m glad you like the pants and find the posts helpful.
Wow, Susan! I’ve been looking for a cognac bag for at least three years. When I saw this post, I thought I’d just check to see what other colors were available. And there was my unicorn bag, which Lo & Sons insists is Sienna, but which I know is actually cognac. (And did you purposely dress to match your bedding?!)
I have the Sienna bag – purchased a year ago after seeing Susan’s recommendation. It is indeed a beautiful, rich cognac, and it’s perfect. It still looks brand new after almost daily use.
Susan, thanks again for this recommendation!
I have that color too and love it.
No, I didn’t purposely match the bedding, but find I have a natural affinity for many of the colors in my palette! 😉
I’ve been using my Pearl crossbody and medium O.G. bag for years. Both have more than paid for themselves in durability, function, and style.
That orange sweater looks wonderful on you!
Thanks, Mary!
What are all those smaller zipped items and such. What do they contain? I assume one is for a change, one might be for credit cards, what else?
My bag has lipsticks’etc.in small zip pocket. 2 smaller pockets have no zip. Hold automatic car start “key”; when I could leave home! and iPhone. Very easy to use and deeper than I expected. Love mine.
Hi Jo, I keep credit cards in the red zippered wallet. The small LV pouch has my business cards, and the coffee pouch has a few individually wrapped hand sanitizers, dental picks, and a couple of wrapped mints. The little brown wallet on the upper right has my color palette swatches.
Love this bag. But can we talk about hair color soon? I have a sizable swath of silver working it’s way from my part. Yikes! Don’t know where to begin with Do it yourself color that covers grey and is auburn and is available while food shopping. Stay well!
If it is a defined line of grey, try the spray on color. It works really well. Oribe and Style Edit both work nicely.
Thanks!
The spray-on stuff doesn’t work great for me, but I’ve done well with Joan Rivers Great Hair Day Fill-In Powder. (You can get it on Amazon or on the Soft Surroundings website). It’s meant more to conceal thin spots (and the brush it comes with works great for that), but if you take a rough paper towel and get a good amount of powder on it, you can blot it onto your part. It covers my very-resistant grey really well. And unlike the sprays I’ve tried, it doesn’t run or come off on my clothes!
Thank you so much for you column, you have helped me pack for many a trip. I purchased the “Lo & Sons” pearl bag over a year ago. I just love it, it is light , beautiful, and holds everything. I am someone who really does not like to change handbags, so, it is my everyday go to!
Thanks, Candace, so glad to hear you love it!
Too bad Li & Sons don’t ship to Canada. I would have bought the Pearl in the silver. I have a black one I bought off eBay. Amazing how much it fits for a streamlined bag.
Agreed. I emailed them this morning after reading this post. Apparently Canada is “international”. So few US companies take this stance. It’s really just amounts to laziness.
It can also be quite expensive to ship outside the US, especially with tracking. A friend who has a small skincare/beauty line says it can cost more than the products themselves.
I don’t know if this code will still work — or if it will work for you in Canada — but Honey showed FRIENDSOFKARA when I was checking out, and I saved a further 15% (I think — math and I are never comfortable with each other in the best of circumstances, but the discount on my Pearl was $22.32).
What a lovely outfit from head to toe!
Thanks, Peggy!
Just want to endorse the matching wallet which zippers tightly and holds all my credit cards. Perfect size. I love the Pearl handbag as well. Great quality! I recently realized how many brands and products you’ve introduced to me. So helpful and of course, fun!
Thanks, Chris, so glad you find it helpful!
Tell us about those “Birdies” shoes- slippers? They look very cute in your picture today!
Thanks, yes! This is one of the pairs of “house shoes” I’ve recently purchased. I’ll be writing more about these (and other closed styles) next week.
Love Lo and sons, my initial purchase several years ago was a briefcase bag, which was so practical. I know also own the Pearl and the Waverley bag. It is a smaller bag that I use crossbody when I will be walking a lot and don’t want to be weighed down. It hold more than you think it will 🙂
Quality is great.
You look really good in those colors! It’s amazing how flattering that orange is on you. I recently started carrying an off white bag for everyday. It really does provide a nice bit of color and seems to go with everything since I’m not too dedicated to changing purses frequently.
Thanks, Rondi!
Fun post! Please tell me about the bottom right rectangle “coffee – the last cheap drug’ – is it a notepad, mirror, etc???? love it!!
Thanks! It’s a small coated canvas pouch. I’ve had it for several years. I’m not sure where I found it, might have been at Kitson.
😉 Thanks – it made me giggle when I saw it – and we all need a little giggle – especially now….
I really liked this bag and checked out their website. Only to find out I have something very similar in my wardrobe haha.
Greetje
I look forward to seeing what you wear it with!
This outfit looks great on you! I need to investigate those pants.
Thanks, Jeanne!
I bought the Pearl handbag on your recommendation, and I love it. So well made, and the perfect size. I’ve give one as a present to my daughter-in-law, and she loves it too.
That’s great to hear, thanks so much!
Love the orange on you. May I ask what that purple dino logo bottle contains?
Thanks! It’s a bottle of hand sanitizer.
When did a “purse” become a “handbag?” An article about “language that makes you sound old” made me think about this. I’ve always called it a purse, which probably dates me — I don’t think my daughters use the word. I never used the term “pocketbook,” which somehow struck me as rather fussy. Maybe it’s regional. I grew up in the Northeast. (We sat on a “davenport” with our feet up on a “hassock.”) (How old does THAT sound?)
I grew up in a Middle Atlantic state and didn’t realize how regional some words were until I went to college in the Midwest. When I was home over school breaks and during the summer, I carried a “pocketbook,” drank “soda,” and stored my luggage in the “cellar,” but back at school, I carried a “purse,” drank “pop,” and stored my trunk in the dorm’s “basement.” I’m still in the middle of the country, where my “hassock” is now an “ottoman,” according to my *very* knowledgeable two- and four-year-old granddaughters. To my amusement, they refer to their stuffed animals as “stuffies.” Variations in language are endlessly fascinating!
Growing up in California, we sat on a “couch.” I was so confused as a kid when we visited relatives in Ohio and were told to have a seat on the “davenport.” 🙂
I love these variations in language. In fact, I refer to myself as a word nerd! Growing up, we sat on a chesterfield, but now I have a couch. We used serviettes at the table, but now I use napkins. These are often regional differences. I had to learn a few new words when I started reading blogs written in the UK where a sweater is a jumper!
Love today’s photo — your hair looks great — length and color both very flattering.
I’m especially enjoying your posts these days; have been working at home for 3 weeks now (following self-quarantine after a trip to Italy just as the virus there was exploding and then mandatory company shut-down). I miss having the kind of casual conversations with others at work about new clothes, new shows, good book recommendations, etc. Your posts often hit that spot for me. Keep ’em coming.
Also — how can we avoid being stressed out by all the news and information overload, concerns about family/friends, etc? How to recharge and re-focus? Any tips welcomed.
My husband says that keeping busy makes him focus on something other than the virus and increasing worry over a wife who is considered an ‘essential worker’ of a large hospital. He’s retired now and finds the temptation to keep the TV on with ‘the news of doom’ is very real.
Stay informed, stay positive, wash your hands, practice social distancing and use this ‘lock down time’ to achieve something you’ve always wanted to do like learn a new language, play an instrument, paint or organize the junk drawer, lose weight, exercise…but also plan for the future. Day dream about travel or a decorating redo or make a list of all the great restos you want to try. Studies have shown that those of us who are future oriented are able to handle stress and depression.Avoid constant perseveration and media exposure to the situation and above all…be kind to each other and to yourself.
Thanks so much, Cinzia! I find that limiting my time on news, twitter or other social media that’s news-focused helps. Getting outside, listening to music, doing some relaxing yoga poses.
Based on your recommendation I also purchased this handbag. It is very well made and I love it. Only comment I have is I wish the bag was just slightly deeper. When I put my IPhone 10xr in the pocket it fits but is slightly tight when zipping.
Susan,
Thanks for a great post with tried and true items. I love your bedding. Would you share details about the comforter and pillow shams? I’m on the hunt to refresh my bedroom.
Thanks in advance!
Hi LindaR, thanks! These are from Williams-Sonoma, link: https://bit.ly/3dDn96w
Please don’t take offense, but your outfit colors remind me of an orange creamsicle, in a good way, of course. : ) I haven’t had one of those in eons.
Damn, now you have me craving one… 😉
I bought the Pearl in “Sand” Saffiano during a warehouse sale last summer, based on your recommendation, and I absolutely love it. I do wish it were a smidge bigger, as I have a hard time fitting in the hard case for my prescription glasses when I need to wear sunglasses – nothing a good pair of Transitions Sunglasses wouldn’t fix, I guess! I just adore that white bag, though. Noticed it as soon as they added it to the line. I really don’t need another bag (already have a cute Coach bag in that color, but it’s very small), so I have my eye on that Pearl. I also bought the old model larger OG last summer after reading about it here but still haven’t had an occasion to use it. I guess it’s going to be a little while longer now. 🙁
P.S. Love the “Dreamsicle” PopSocket on your iPhone!
Thanks, Lee! The Sand is also a nice, versatile color. I picked up a couple of small fabric glasses cases when we were in Japan a few years ago, and they fit nicely in the Pearl (wish I’d bought a few more for gifts!).
Maybe I’ll try something like that. I broke my good frames when they got crushed in a too tight leather bag last year, and I swore I’d only carry them on my face or in the hard case in the future. If you have any “domestic” models you can recommend, I would love to read about them. Maybe you can do a post about small, efficient cases for various “goodies” and necessities? Yours all look so pretty AND functional! Stay well, Susan!
Hi Susan, Thank you for your posts. I Iie the outfit, casual but polished. Would you mind sharing the fabric percentages for the pants? I checked at the company’s website but it doesn’t say how much each of the cotton, rayon and spandex. Thank you.
Thanks, Estie. The ones I have (camel) are 77% cotton, 18% Rayon, 5% Spandex.
Susan, I have the exact same Monoprix foldable tote, same pattern, and I carry it with me everywhere. We must have visited Paris at the same time. It’s several years old!
Hi Alison, what a fun coincidence. Yes, I always pick up a few of these Monoprix bags whenever I’m in Paris. They make great small gifts, and do last forever!