Someone asked me the other day how in the world I keep track of all of my dresses and handbags and even remember what I have (and where in the world I store them all). I always smile a secret smile when this comes up and admit I have an amazing husband who not only let me commandeer a spare room to turn into a boudoir, but also designed me an app a la Cher Horowitz to organized it all…
Thanks to Dressedapp and some pretty intense organizational skills prior to its inception, I’m fairly good at keeping track of what I have and rotating through everything on the regular. But, the question prompted me to do a bit of an inventory – which naturally lead me towards discovering a few bags I even forgot I had. But I did notice one distinct trend: there are two categories that are tied for first in The Great Kara Handbag Collection: vintage and Vendula London. I guess when you find something you love, you stick with it…
A few months ago, Vendula got in touch to see if I was interested in testing out their Regency Gardens range – as a gal who loves to combine vintage with her everyday, I immediately fell in love with the bloom of wisteria that called me to a bygone era.
And sometimes there is a bag so sensational, so whimsical, it inspires the creation of an entirely new dress…
Anyone who’s been a reader of this blog for a beat needs no introduction to the brand, but for those who are new: Vendula London is a UK-based handbag company that makes whimsical, cruelty-free bags that often mimic shopfronts, stacks of books, disco balls – you name it, I have a particular penchant for the boutique ranges, which are truly exquisite in their detail of items in the window for sale.
I broke out of my own mold a bit this time, and found myself completely enamored with the Regency Gardens Cassie Bag. Although not a shopfront, it was no less whimsical it its detail. Dripping in wisteria, it looks as though you’re staring into a photograph of two foxy lovers within. I particularly love the turn lock shaped like a flower (unique closures just get me) and the golden, gilded details beckoning you to the world inside.
The bag is a great small to mid size – 18.0 cm high × 24.0 cm wide × 3.0 cm deep. Inside, it has a main compartment, in addition to an addition inner and outer open pocket. I also appreciate it comes with a detachable shoulder strap or a short handle, depending on your mood. The details are no less than you expect – embroidered wisteria on top of the print, lace trimmed edges, and even a mini-framed charm. It reminds me of why I love vintage so much: made to last with impeccable construction, and also seems to come with a story of someone who came before me…
As soon as it arrived, I went through that vast closet to find a dress that was worthy and nothing seemed quite right. There is something amazing about wisteria – and any plant – that climbs and curls and takes over spaces. Even when we cut down trees and build new architecture, I have to smirk when nature tries (and often succeeds) to take it back.
In that vein, a dress moved right to the forefront of my mind that was this bag’s perfect dance partner. Ages back, the incredible Sewrena had made the most whimsical white dress with climbing ivy (if you aren’t following her, I cannot recommend her feed enough for swoon worthy vintage garments, sewing projects, and homewares). It consumed my thoughts – that this dress did not exist in my closet felt wrong (okay, I was spilling over with envy of the green variety). Having just gotten (and fallen in love) with my own new Bernina 500E embroidery machine, I decided to try my hand at making my own version.
I snagged 5 yards of white eyelet (G009) from Kira Fashion Fabrics, and purchased the ivy leaves embroidery file from Embroidery Time UA. Using a mix of green threads, I set to work to embroider my fabric and construct what shall henceforth be known in my house as the Sewrena Dress.
And as soon as she came off my sewing machine, I knew she and the Regency Gardens Cassie Bag were meant to be paired together. Both a bit subtle. A bit wistful. Imbued with the knowledge that, given enough time, they will flourish and take back the world.
Even though my schedule is filling to the brim, I’m doing my best to squirrel away time for myself – to sew, meet friends for drinks, twirl in my backyard to pose for photos while the neighbors walk by and gawk. You know, what normal people do. Walk on the whimsical side….
If you’re like me and like a break from ‘normal’ pretty much every day, then this unique bag has almost certainly caught your eye too. The Regency Gardens Cassie Bag retails for $235 USD and is available on the Vendula London website. Buuuut if that price tag is just a little steep at the moment, I’m excited to announce that Vendula London and I have partnered up again to sponsor a special giveaway (!) – we were bowled over with the response to the first (congrats to our winner @alwaysadarlin!), and wanted to continue to share the handbag love and offer the chance for one of my followers to snag their own Regency Garden’s Cassie Bag, courtesy of Vendula London & The Dressed Aesthetic!
RULES: To enter, head over to the dedicated post on my Instagram (@dressedapp). To be eligible to win, you must be following Vendula (@VendulaLondon) and The Dressed Aesthetic (@dressedapp) on Instagram. Like and comment on the Giveaway post and tag a friend to enter – share the post in your stories for an extra entry. The contest will run for 1 week and will end on September 22nd at 11:59pm EST – the winner will be selected at random and announced on IG the following week.
If you just can’t wait (for this or any other bag), you can also use my coupon code DRESSEDAPP26 for 15% off on the Vendula London website.
A HUGE thanks to Vendula London for sponsoring another giveaway – and to you all for following along and walking on the whimsical side with me!
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Made by Me! (fabric here; embroidery file here)
Necklace: Firefly from Rainbow Bridge Jewelers
Belt: from another dress (similar)
Handbag: Vendula Heritage – Regency Gardens Cassie Bag c/o Vendula London
Shoes: Steve Madden
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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review and/or feature on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.