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In the Bag: Very Special Guest Edition

Moms love and support us no matter what we do. If I do say so myself, I'm blessed to have one of the best. Even if she doesn't always love the decisions I make, (see also: everything I've ever written) she's always been there for me 100%. This includes her devoted following of the atticusshop blog. So when she composed and sent me her very own In the Bag post, I was delighted and proud of her hard work. Without further ado, for your viewing enjoyment:
Name: Barb
Location: Green Bay, WI
Occupation: Retired school teacher
Bag: Golden honey, handmade bag from Altai Leather in Jerome, AZ
In her bag: Nine West wallet, turquoise leather (also Altai) zippered pouch for those miscellaneous goodies, toothpicks, emery boards, lip balm, mini screwdriver for glasses, nostalgic gum flavors, glasses case for those handy clip on lenses, cleaning fabric, car keys, trac phone, fabric swatches, pens and fruit snacks and a hand knit Peruvian finger puppet to keep her favorite granddaughter happy.
Favorite place on earth: Oak Creek Canyon hike, Sedona AZ
Favorite place to shop: any quilt shop; for clothing: Steppes in Sedona, AZ
Guilty Pleasure: Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Bar
Can't live without: Books
Favorite cocktail: Tequila Sunrise (editor's note: yeah barb!)

Deep Thoughts: Inspiration

A visit to my parent's house always includes a nostalgic trip down memory lane. When my sister and I found this picture recently, we couldn't stop laughing. I'm hamming it up for the camera in my matching ice-cream cone shirt and pink pants, while she's rocking some high-waisted jeans and practicing her petulance for junior high. Aside from the unsettling fact that every boy we've ever dated has worn a slight variation of my father's outfit, I'm finding myself unable to look away from this photo. I'm wistful for that unbridled enthusiasm that only being seven years old can bring. I also remember how much I adored that outfit and hope to translate that excitement into my current uninspired, apathetic state of mind.

Forget about December 31st, the changing leaves and crisp chill in the air has always felt more like the start of a new year to me. And normally, the excitement of reinventing my look and starting fresh each fall carries me through the long, cold winter months, but this year I've seemed to hit a wall and it's only October! I'm having a hard time finding those pieces that I can't live without, the ones that stimulate and revive and remind me why I love fashion in the first place. Luckily most of my friends work in the industry in some form or another, so inspiration is within my reach. I can pull on my vintage rubber riding boots, brave the rain and stroll into Atticus. Or if I'm feeling lazy, which let's face it, I always am, I can peruse online lookbooks and get click-happy on style.com and my girl-crush favorite fashionista.com.

Am I forgetting anything? Where do you go for inspiration?

Cheap Thrills

Loeffler Randall Gathered Paint Dress

Regular Price $295

Sale Price $206.50

Everyone loves a good deal, and deals are just that much sweeter when you don't have to search for them. Leave the sifting through sale racks and digging through discount bins to us. We'll tell you when we find a steal that's simply too good to pass up.

Notes On: Dressing for the Occasion

Holidays exist to remind us of the things we sometimes forget. For instance, Thanksgiving reminds us that we should be grateful for what we have each day, Valentine’s Day reminds us to say I love you to our favorites on a regular basis and most importantly, Halloween reminds us that what to wear should always be a conscious decision. When choosing a Halloween costume, there are three very important factors:

1. Weather

2. Appropriate footwear

3. Looking sexy, not slutty

A good dresser takes these factors into account daily, which is probably the actual reason that Halloween was created. So, in the name of fashion, you can forget about Satan, witches and above all candy. (Just kidding about the last one.) Those who forget about the three factors never cease to look like fools. Think about the girl who manages to dress up as some variation of a playboy bunny year after year. She always ends up getting frost nip on her midriff, having to carry her sky-high porn star heels home and I don’t need to spell out factor #3 for you. I think we can all agree that this does not equal sexy. You’ll be much better off if you dress for the frigid temps (i.e. choose a costume that requires a cape or hat), always choose appropriate footwear and go for something that leans more toward coquette rather than blatant whore (like Dorothy instead of Little Bo Peep). Now, good readers, remember to keep these factors in mind every day that you get dressed. Do not wear a strapless white dress when it’s 55 degrees just because it’s after Memorial Day. Do not wear strappy heels ever when it’s below freezing outside unless you’re wearing tights. Do not wear shorty shorts to your bf’s parent’s house for dinner even if his brother is super hot. Happy Halloween!

What Are You Wearing?

It doesn't really matter what I'm wearing today because I definitely spilled half my delicious Bradbury's Flat White all over it. But I'm happy to share it with you anyway:

-LNA Zipper Leggings in Flat Black

-Current/Elliott Square Dance Skirt

-an old tank top from Banana Republic

-Acne Spinal Denim Jacket

-a Marc Jacobs scarf (a gift from my boss in NYC)

-black riding boots

What are you wearing? Let's hope it's not splattered with coffee stains!

The Justification: Pretty Dress Edition

Charlotte Ronson Embroidered Jersey Tunic

Now that we're finally at that perfect fall temperature in Wisconsin, I'm planning every dress and pair of booties around finally getting to wear tights...I'm currently spending way too much time thinking about these two looks!

Justification #1: Hop on the eco-friendly wagon with this recycled cotton number

Justification #2: Obsess with me over the back of this dress, please!

M by Margaret Barber Kaleidoscope Dress

Justification #1: This dress contains just enough black to keep those of us who covet mostly dark apparel happy!

Justification #2: This is your chance to support a local designer with amazing talent! Seriously...look at these details!

Said in Context

“Sometimes you feel like you have to be in the fashion world to do good fashion. Today, I think it is the opposite. You have to be local.”

–Jonny Johansson, the founder of ACNE.