Mix it up

Wherever I look lately, I see mismatched patterns put together and working. If you've picked up a magazine recently, or watched nighttime soaps like Gossip Girl, or Cashmere Mafia you've definitely seen the sort of style trends that just never quite work for the real girl as well as they do for say, Carrie Bradshaw (just 9 days to the S&TC premier!!!!).
While you or I might look ridiculous in striped pants with a floral blouse, and checked jacket over it, there is one great way to grab onto the idea and not wonder if you look like a trend slave...with a great bag.

One of my favorites, is the Seven For All Mankind Mixed media Tote in red and gold. I saw this bag, the last one, I might add, in a store and could not resist. The 2 patterns work together fabulously, and are caught somewhere between tribal and retro. The bag has bronze trim which matches up with the chevron print and perfectly offsets the red geometric. There are 2 outer pockets, both very flat, so they're only useful for papers or a slim phone. The handles are on the shorter side, but long enough to toss the bag over your shoulder (though the size and shape look best in hand).
My only real complaint is that it's kind of heavy for a fabric bag, and very deep, which can make reaching things a bit more cumbersome (don't you just envy those women who seem to blindly reach into their bag and pull out whatever they need in seconds?...oh wait, maybe they're on TV too). On the plus side, it can easily hold everything, and I mean everything you need...but you'll have to carry it.
At $230, it is also very well priced for how good it looks...I was surprised that it was from Seven, and not a company more known for handbags. You can get the Seven Mixed Media Tote from Chickdowntown where it comes in 3 colors, but none mix the patterns with as much flair as the red.