Thank you so much everyone!
Sal, YES - the pool's been a blessing as we've had such a heat wave this month!
Viva - the first time I wore the taupe boots, the dye from my jeans rubbed off of them. I chanced a magic eraser with a light touch, and it took most of it out; it's not really noticeable. These are Blondos which wear like teflon, so I guess they could withstand the scrubbing.
The first wear of the beige purse, the dye from my t-shirt rubbed of on it (*facepalm*) - thank God I noticed straight away and was able to wipe it off with a damp cloth. So all that to say, yes, I can't say the lighter colours are low maintenance, but they do seem to have come good so far!