If you shop NAS, do you ever feel like it sets off its own little series of shopping frenzies? Ever since I got home with the Liebeskind satchel I bought at NAS and tried it in front of my own mirror, I've been wondering about it. And browsing bag styles online, practically obsessively. NAS gets me thinking about fall and what I want. Then I have to scour other shops to ensure that I'm making wise choices about what to buy and what to pass up at NAS! Aack--such a lot of contemplating!

So I'm posting the Liebeskind bag again here (photo 1), in some comparison photos with the Hobo satchel (photo 2) I wanted it to replace (comparison photo 3). Vix suggested I might rehab my old bag, and I'm still working on that, but as she also suggested, I think I still want a new one, too. Even if I get the old one looking pretty good again, I don't think it will look or feel as fab to me as it once did. Maybe I'm wanting a change, as much as anything. But good bags are hard to find!

What I like about the Liebeskind bag: great color for me, great style. What makes me hesitate about it (and why I think I've just about settled on returning it): I think it's too boxy for me. It feels a little big, but I don't think it looks big, and in reality, it's about the same size as my current bag. So I think it's just the shape.

I now have three other bags on their way to me:
1) Photo 4: Rebecca Minkoff, Cupid, from NAS (more than I really want to spend, so it will kind of have to be the holy grail bag for me to keep it)
2) Photo 5: Emperia Quilted Faux Leather Mini Satchel, from NAS (online only) (I don't have high hopes, but it was so inexpensive, I had to give it a whirl)
3) Photos 6-7: Mrs. Teacake, by Aunts & Uncles, from Re-Soul, a local boutique (they're ordering it for me). These bags are so, so cool--loved Mrs. Teacake's sisters in the shop. I've ordered a charcoal that's not shown on the website but is close to photo 6. Photo 7 shows the strap options.

Will keep you posted, of course, and I may need some more opinions once they arrive. Not sure I'll be able to show the last one, since I'll look at it in the store when it arrives.

And, because NAS just keeps going. . . . I also ordered the Michael Michael Kors trench (photo 8), after seeing Angie's picks. The light kind of went off in my head--I could actually use a khaki trench! I have this Eddie Bauer putty-colored trench (photo 9) that I wore tons for two years. Last year I kept wearing it when I wanted a light neutral, but I didn't love it so much, as I'm trying to evolve my style to be a little less Eddie Bauer and a little more Eileen Fisher.
I tried on the MK trench, plus a London Fog that wasn't on sale. I didn't get to try on the Ellen Tracy trench (photo 10) that Angie picked, but I might go to a different store tomorrow and try it as well. I liked the lighter color and double-breasted styling of the London Fog a little better than the MK style, but the princess seams just did not fit me well in the bust. With the MK, the XS fit very nicely over what I had on, but I wanted enough room to layer a jacket underneath, so I got the S. Had to order it in the khaki color that I wanted. For reference, here is my Gallery green trench (photo 11), which I wear constantly for about 9 months of the year. I'm excited at the prospect of having a khaki coat alternative.

All of this (if you've read this far!) is just because who else am I gonna share this stuff with? I don't even know what my questions are at this point! Shopping can be such a process, kinda hard work even. Any thoughts are welcome! Thanks for listening/reading.

ETA: more pics farther down thread.