The Handbag!

Hello and welcome back to What Katy wore next. If this is the first time you are joining me, welcome! This is my third blog post, I have one on how to wear high top converse and one on small businesses, please check them out.

So this blog is about my new Vivienne Westwood handbag 😍. This is the first actual designer handbag I have owned and I love it! I mentioned to my boyfriend Graham a couple of weeks ago that I was going to have a break from spending money on clothes this month and use the money I have saved to treat myself to a nice handbag. (side note I didn’t actually make it through the month without buying any clothes, but what I bought was in the sale and I had just returned something so technically I was just respending that money right? 😂). Anyways I decided to have a look at the Vivienne Westwood website. I have always liked her style and I love the orb logo! Plus her handbags are not crazy £1000s! Graham was obviously paying close attention to this, as a few days later a Vivienne Westwood delivery arrived and he had surprised me with one of the handbags I liked! Serious boyfriend points there! There is a video on my unboxing of it over on my Instagram @whatkatyworenext_ if you want to check it out. The question is now what do I treat myself to for not buying clothes (ignore my earlier mention of clothes buying 🤫) maybe my new handbag needs a new purse? 🤔😬🤩

Just before we get to the styling I wanted to throw in some suggestions for similar handbags that you can pick up on the high street if you wanted to create the looks without spending as much. Firstly here is the link to the Vivienne Westwood handbag I went for Debbie Large Bag Multicolour Also a good idea to keep an eye on the preloved market for designer bags, I follow @blaiserubyloves on Instagram and she has a new drop every Friday of preloved designer handbags in great condition at good prices. Her website is http://www.blaiserubyloves.co.uk

Next have a good selection on handbags on their website at the moment from all different brands:

There is a Ralph Lauren one and a gorgeous Kurt Geiger one picture below

For an even more affordable option ASOS have this bargain for £22 from My Accessories London

Now on to the styling….

Outfit one

I have become a little bit obsessed with sweater vests I must say, so when I saw this dress version on H&M for the bargain price of £14.99 I had to get it. I have just seen they now have it in black as well.

A classic white shirt is a good one to have in your wardrobe, you will find yourself wearing it with so many different looks. I would advise getting a long one that you can wear as a dress or tuck in to wear just as a shirt. This one is from The Cameo Rose section of New Look. I have also found another similar one from New Look. H&M also always have a good selection of shirts but be careful on sizing, I brought an XS shirt the other day and it was massive, you could have got three of me in there, I know the oversized look is in but it was excessive!

My boyfriend tells me this belt looks like the hose from a shower! That’s probably all you are going to see now, but I can assure you it is not! Here is the link to prove it . To be honest belts is one thing I don’t have a lot of, but I think they make such a different to an outfit and are the perfect finishing touch. This one is also in my basket waiting for payday.

This look is simple and lets the bag stand out, it would be a great work outfit with some tights and loafers.

Outfit two

Ok I know I am a bit early with this full on summer inspired outfit-plus it may have started raining as we were taking this picture-but I couldn’t resist adding this one in! I’m thinking a day time holiday look when the sun is shining upon us! Again simple colours to let the bag do the talking.

The sunglasses are Stella McCartney and I got them from TKMaxx. Because of the nature of TKMaxx with most things being limited stock I can’t find my exact ones but have found an alternative. Still Stella McCartney but a silver aviator. If this one goes out of stock, it’s a good idea to be checking the TKMaxx new in section regularly as they have new stock in every day and you never know what you might stumble across.

My dress I got in the Zara sale for £5.99! It is sold out but I will add the link in case they bring them back. This dress is good as it is not see through like most white dresses and has super cute Pearl buttons.

Some alternatives for you:

This one is also Zara but is a long sleeved option for those breezier days! It is also lined so shouldn’t be see through. If this one is not to your taste, scroll to the bottom of the dress page and there is a good selection of other white dresses.

This one is from a brand I have never shopped with but I thought this dress was a cute option, not sure if it will pass the see through test though! Na-kd seem to have a good selection of white dresses to choose from aswell.

Ok let’s talk about this shoes, they are definitely an acquired taste! My boyfriend looked at them very suspiciously! I got them from Missguided a couple of years ago and whilst I wouldn’t wear them everyday, I think they level up a simple outfit. This exact ones are no longer in stock, so I think these would be good options to recreate the look:

These ones are from Accessorize and I think the nude colour would go with so much in your wardrobe.

These ones are oasis and they have them in black, sage green and light pink.

Outfit three

This outfit I think would be perfect for a day out shopping when we are allowed and the weather is brighter! I tried to get a full length picture in this outfit but I was pulling peculiar faces in all of them 😂 Anyways I teamed the dress and coat with plain white trainers to make this a super wearable look. The sunglasses are the Stella McCartney ones I mentioned earlier. The bodycon midi jersey dress is from Zara and I think the colour matches super well with the bag. This one was in the sale and has now sold out but I have found some similar ones. The one I have pictured below is from Topshop.

This New Look one is also a good option and is currently in the sale for £9.

Now I actually tried to return this duster coat but something must have gone wrong at the post office as it came back through the post to me! I took it as a sign I needed to keep it and I’m glad I did, as we get to spring/summer it’s the perfect lightweight coat. Unfortunately this was in the Zara sale as well and has also sold out but I have found you some good alternatives. This Monki one looks lovely in the dark green and this M and Co drape coat looked super similar to my Zara one and you guessed it, it’s on sale!

Not that you can see my trainers but they are just some plain white ones I have had for ages and I wanted to share this pair from Schuh as I think they are really nice.

Outfit four

This one I was going for a full night out look, not that I intend to take the precious handbag anywhere where there is a chance someone might spill a drink on her! Also I am more of a dinner and drinks girl these days rather then a night on the dance floor! both the bralet and cropped cardigan are from Zara so make a really good matching set I think. These trousers are the new contour ones from Lorna Luxe’s collection with In The Style. To be honest I don’t shop on ITS much but I follow her on Instagram and I think she is great and I always love her collections. I have the contour trousers in the original black, plus the cream leather style version and wear them all the time. ITS also have good regular discounts so if you hit its right you can get 50% off sometimes.

The heels are New Look from a couple of years ago, I actually struggled to get down the slope to the garden in them as I haven’t worn heels in so long! 🙈 These Lipsy ones on Next look like a good alternative.

Outfit five

I would say this is a good everyday classic look , everyone should have a trench coat in their lives! Speaking of the trench coat, I liked this one because it was a bit of an unusual colour and a step away from the usual beige trench coat. This one was from ASOS Petite but has sold out. The one I have linked is more of a blush pink colour which is a perfect spring pastel item, plus its 45% off! This one is a thicker material but a good colour match for my one.

Underneath I am wearing a little floral print T-shirt, that I got from Nasty Gal last year and have wore so much, particularly with jeans and a blazer. My one is not in stock anymore so these are a few alternatives I have found

This one is American Eagle and this one is from Next. Also found this one on Marks and Spencer.

My jeans are my favourite jeans from collusion, I wish they did them in all the colours! For me they are such a good fit and a real bargain price. They do petite, regular and tall. This is the link to the regular ones.

My grey loafers are from last year but there are so many loafers on the market at the moment, it’s not hard to find similar ones! Here are a couple. These ones are from Dune London and these ones are from Deichmann.

Outfit six

I wasn’t actually going to include this outfit as it is another casual one, similar to outfit five but I just think the green and the brown in the bag go so well together! Firstly I wanted to mention the necklace I am wearing in these pictures. It is from Orelia Jewellery and is a Pearl pineapple necklace, but it is not in stock anymore so here is a similar one.

The jeans are my ones from Collusion, linked above. This green jumper is from HM but is not available anymore, so there are some alternatives for you. This one is from Warehouse and this one is River Island.

That it for my ways to style “the handbag” I hope you have enjoyed reading. I would love it if you could like this post and give my page a follow, so you are notified when I post a new blog.

If you would like some more of my styling head over to my Instagram page @whatkatyworenext_ where I am posting daily outfit updates!

See you next week

Katy 💕