Wednesday Cravings: Fanny pack/Bum Bag...just wait!

I admit it. Back in the early 90s I was a fanny pack/bum bag toting fashionista [cough]. I had one. Only one. A black nylon, nondescript, mid-sized, zippered bag of miracle. I mostly wore it when I traveled, which I did heaps in the 90s. Ok and when I went to amusement parks and the likes. Never lost nothing on a roller coaster. If I ever did sport it as casual gear, I have blocked that out of my mind and I'm going with that.

C'mon, it was the perfect place to keep your gear close, safe and attached. Hands free action, no prob. Have shoulders that can't keep a bag strap (or bra strap for that matter) on to save your life? Strap across the chest, à la messenger style, emphasize stuff a little too much? Backpack waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much? You paranoid? Fanny pack is here to save your day. Carry your wallet, passport, makeup, camera, snacks and English to [insert current local language] phrase book. A miracle.

Time ticked on. I didn't travel as much anymore. When I did, I started keeping my moola and passport um, much closer and very hidden, let's leave it at that. Whilst traveling I developed a bag fetish to match my already extreme shoe fetish. France, Italy and Spain will do that to a girl. I was soon buying bags to bring back bags (and shoes). Plus, the fanny pack was, postmortem, somewhat shredded at the zipper from overloading and riddled with thin shiny spots from hard metal objects trying to escape the squeeze inside. Not presentable at all.

Then my career took over. You become a massive bag lady when you're an interior designer. You basically haul rocks for a living.  All those tile, stone, carpet, wood, paint, laminate, metal and cool new thingy you just discovered samples have to get to the presentation.  In San Francisco, my office was located in the South of Market (SOMA) district (around the corner from the MOMA, lol) so you were hauling while walking to the clients. Drive? It's just a few 4 or 8 or 10 city blocks and you would have to park 11 blocks away after circling for an hour and the meeting's in 30.  All this in heels mind you.  That's another story for another day.

Once I left San Francisco and my career took on another life, I found myself liberated.  Liberated from the need to haul anything around.  Just my slick metal wallet, cell phone and keys. No makeup, as 1. I have discovered how to keep my makeup on all day pretty much without any need of touch up and 2. I now live in Seattle where natural is king, errr, queen. It's true, pigs fly. I go outside without makeup, in public, only sunscreen and yes, I allow people to see me like this. Well, strangers mainly. Mostly at the post office and Whole Foods.

But what about those rare occasions when I do have to carry something else? Or having my phone and wallet in my hands is not conducive to the occasion and cumbersome within my jeans' pockets? I'll usually ask Y to cart some of my stuff for me in his pockets if he's there (hey, at least I don't ask him to hold my purse) or if I have the polar fleece on, I just stuff those pockets.  Seattle is a super casual town.  I'm still getting used to that aspect.  I'm always thinking I have to dress up for stuff, told I don't and then am relieved I listened and am wearing the Seattle uniform: jeans, groovy comfy shoes, something cozy up top and maybe a hoodie. To varying degrees that's the uniform. I refuse to deal with an ever falling shoulder strap anymore and a bag in my hand is too much at times. So whatever.

Then I saw this:

and this:

 

OMG! It's too perfect and so dang cute!!!!

Kinies Ruffled Waist Purses! All different kinds!

 

in black

and even chiffon!

I really, really, really want one! I can't decide between the three variants I have shown here. The black corduroy would be my normal move, black chiffon way fun but the blue gray corduroy is so dang cute with the jeans! They have other colors and plaid as well. I'm slightly leaning towards the blue at the mo but black would definitely go with my wardrobe hands down. Now I just have to figure out why I need it. Just gimme some time to think on that and maybe there will be more fabric choices. I could use the 'I just had surgery' [pouty face-saucer eyes-bats lashes] ploy with Y but I just had surgery and it wasn't cheap. So, I wait.

You don't! Go take a gander and check out Kinies other awesome bags and scarves. If I still had that bag fetish I would be in big trouble in that shop. These days my fashion fetish is limited to socks.

xoxo,