I’m BAAAAAAACK! It feels like it’s been a lifetime away, when really it’s been a week. But, I had a battle to win with a certain commenting platform, which was only resolved after appealing to one of my beautiful tech-savvy girlfriends. So there’s that. Thank you to everyone who bore with me as the glitches got worked out! In other news…
I don’t “hate” things. But I hate Halloween. And so does the boyfriend. So, in the spirit of better things to come, we boycotted the cheesy black and orange décor and opted for Michael Buble’s absolute must-have Christmas album and a drive around town.
Because we all know that the last trick-or-treater of the night signals one thing: Christmas is coming.
You know what else indicates the fast track to December 25th? CVS ditched the clearance Halloween candy section and opted to go red and green with bell-shaped peanut butter cups and sparkly tinsel ALREADY. I’m sorry, but the one thing that I do enjoy about Halloween is clearance candy. C’mon, CVS.
But, I digress.
In the spirit of the holidays, it’s time to start making a list and checking it twice. That, and prepping for final examinations, papers, projects, and everything else that currently stands in the way of topping the tree and baking Santa’s cookies. So, I’m knocking out two birds with one stone, as the saying goes, with Dagne Dover.
Now, anytime I have a product on the blog, you know it’s gotta be one from the top of my list. As a young professional and aspiring businesswoman, I’m constantly on the hunt for those staples that will seemingly revitalize my business casual/business professional wardrobe. I mean, you’ve got LOFT and J.Crew for all things biz-casual. Ann Taylor has got your suit covered. Business separates are a safe bet at a multiplicity of retailers, but a great bag? That’s a whole new story.
I love bags. I love really great, classy, pop-of-color bags with sophistication and swagger. Power bags are like power pumps and power ponies…you need to find your perfectly powerful match.
Bags are tricky, though, since they’re at the forefront of your game. If you walk into an interview and pull out a padfolio with your resume, your interviewer isn’t going to notice your perfectly manicured fingertips or your lipstick that brings out those pearly whites.
When you’re running late for work one morning (or me for class, every morning), you don’t have time to be rummaging inside your jam-packed purse for your keys or lip balm. You can’t deal with keys scratching your laptop or your water bottle exploding all over your phone and tablet. It needs to be go-go-go to fit your busy lifestyle, and that’s what Dagne Dover is all about – serving you, as a tech-enabled, smart, practical girl with a taste for luxury. You’re too busy to have to worry about what’s in, not in, or on your handbag, and you shouldn’t have to drop absurd amounts of hard-earned pay on one that’s sub-par. So, Dagne prides itself on smart interiors, giving you pockets (and removeable pockets) to separate your tech from your drinks, and to have your ID, money, and favorite lip balm ready for easy access always. The transformation for me went as follows:
Anyone who has known me since high school knows I’ve been the “bag lady” for far too long. I got so sick of lugging around armfuls of stuff (although my biceps didn’t mind), and I felt clumsy and unorganized. On the left is the bag I’d been carrying around Penn at the beginning of this semester – an open canvas carry-all. And for clarification purposes, my keychain says “Some chicks got it.” My clunky laptop didn’t even FIT in my bag, and Lord knows I’ve spilled countless things in there. The other day I found a rotting banana in its depths (can we say #gross?). It was far beyond time for a change, so Melissa and the Dagne team came along at the perfect time. My laptop is in there, and you can’t even tell. So is my iPad, pouch of beauty and girlie products, water tumbler, planner, three notebooks, gum, lotion, and three lip sticks and balms. #loaded.
And in the spirit of this week’s midterm elections, bags are political. It’s allllllllllll about the bag, baby. Having a big metallic tote might be nice, but some just scream I’m-a-designer-label. When your carry-all has a too-recognizable print or logo plastered along the side, it could serve as a status symbol that doesn’t work as well in your favor as you might’ve hoped. It’s flashy and too expensive, and everyone else knows that, too. Dagne Dover doesn’t want you to have to put energy into re-gaining attention; it’s on you from the start.
And to make the whole thing even sweeter, Melissa, the CEO of Dagne, is hands down one of the most down to earth and genuinely cool businesswomen I’ve met thus far. Regardless of whether you quit shaving your face this month (jokes…we all know leggings are our saving grace, ladies), November means Black Friday and Cyber Monday and new DD styles coming soon. You could be on the inside right in time to give grandma your wishlist.
Time to get on board with Dagne Dover, because Santa (and grandma) are already ahead of Black Friday. And PLEASE VOTE here for me to win a Dagne Dover for one of YOU. I’ve entered a Dagne contest (ending on Hump day, so vote now!), and if my cobalt beaut wins, that means I’ll have another Dagne Dover on my hands to give away to one lucky Coming Up Roses reader. So exercise your right and VOTE, people!
Do you have a tote, mini-tote, or wallet clutch from Dagne Dover yet? What color bag is on your wish list?
Shout-out to my friend Neely of A Complete Waste of Makeup…offering a fabulous fabulous fabulous blog course this time next month! Sign up here and tell her I said hello. And shout-out to my mom, who’s just been helping me maintain sanity throughout this week. Remember to vote. thankyoukindly.
The weekend is almost here…get your coffee and get happy!
