Aug
4
Lately, for no apparent reason, I’ve been feeling down. Nothing is really wrong; I just can’t seem to escape the dark cloud I’m under. (Truthfully, I think I’m coming down from a big adrenaline kick in trying to deal with too much all at once.) All I know is, it feels like I’m having a delayed February reaction in the middle of summer and that just doesn’t seem right.
Believe it or not, colour is usually what cures it for me. Actually, I think that’s why I can’t handle the grey of overcast days (even though it’s the BEST for taking photographs). I think it’s because grey skies tint the landscape into a dullness where life once was; buried, blanketed, and bed-ridden. (B.C., are you reading this?) Just a little bit of poppy pink, flecked-hosta green, and candy-orange tiger lily are the exact things that perk me up when I’m down and dumpy, rabbit hole and all, and what feels like light years away (and then too close) to planet earth, the hearth, and all of it.
Since the weather has been acting funny in them these parts, the summer blooms have been coming and going at an alarming rate, rarely in sync with other flora, and so the palette I’m hunting for hasn’t really happened as expected. I’ve been cheating however. I’ve been spending time at Sephora ogling at all the pretty eye shadows set in sleek, black display cases. I’ve been zig-zagging my way through the accessories section at H+M and looking at what hit of “pop” can make the old feel new again. Oh, and I’ve been hanging around Williams-Sonoma; looking at the Emile Henry sets that are on sale, patting down orange-and-green striped dish towels, reading the ingredients on the back of the Sprinkles pre-made cupcake mix containers, and foolishly bringing up scented liquid soaps–completely sealed in plastic containers–right up to my nose, thinking that I’ll get a whiff of Meyer lemon and lavender amazingness if I just inhale hard enough.
So, I’ve been shopping, but on a leash. I call it RRT: Restricted Retail Therapy. (I’m trademarking that too!)
Sounds so medical doesn’t it! That’s because it is!
I haven’t bought anything yet (except for a lot of books, though many are gifts, so I’m excusing myself from that one), but I’m definitely scouting. And I figure because I’ve been “carrying” a lot of things lately (concerns about friends and fam) perhaps a handbag of some kind is in order. Or of necessity. Something not too big, not too small, a little flash but more a lot of interest and something to match my mood: deep, deep purple.
Ordning & Reda have made a bag to end all day bags (on left). It’s big, it’s got the perfect reinforced trim, and it’s slouchy enough without being Michael Kors, but cozy-looking to become an instant pillow (for when the going gets tough or gets on the TTC). It’s like camping in a bag: first aid, tent, carryall, in one. I’m convinced it would protect me from black flies if I wore it on my head. (It’s OK. I’m going for Hussein Chalayan does Algonquin.) This bag is a must!
Next up is the cute little clutch from Treesje (top right). A pleated skirt for a purse. Totally adorable. Not too small to be superfluous, but not too big to be a very expensive lunch bag. To me, it’s the kind of little sack, that so screams non-designer, it would be featured on The Hills; only to have MTV’s phone lines plugged the very next day with girls wanting to know who made the purse, and where they could get it. (No ladies, this time it’s not Philip Lim, but nice try anyway.)
The Hills cameo ruins it for me a bit, but not enough to stop swooning over it. (I don’t back down that easy!)
Last is a lovely expandable bag from marimekko. It’s got an asymmetrical zip on top which allows the bag to open up nearly double in size than what is depicted. (It’s all that Finnish engineering.) Plus, it’s made from a limited edition print! This is history in the making–or investing–depending on how you look at it!
Plus, nothing, no thing, is as joy inducing as a marimekko print. Prozac, Zoloft, Trazodone, Celexa, Effexor have nothing on a marimekko poppy. Not a thing. It’s just potent stuff!
As I dawdle my way through my thoughts, concerns, and what is left of the rest of the summer, my ultimate goal is to shed the excess baggage and no longer be a bag lady. Until then, I’ve got my work cut out for me, and that work is me. And well, if it is a rough road for the next while, I can, in the very least, be stylish about it. It’s obvious my friends and fam need someone to look up to and I know from past experience, I make a pretty darn good (role) model. Bag it on!
Comments
Where can I get Ordning & Reda in NYC??
Unfortunately, Ordning & Reda closed up all their NYC shops around 2002, 2003. (The two bigger locations were on either side of the Park, around 81st and Madison, and 73rd and Amsterdam, roughly). So far now, you may have to get your fix online, or find out a really good Bodum supplier near you. Bodum (coffee, tea machines and accessories) owns Ordning & Reda, and perhaps the NYC distributor can bring in an order of Ordning, direct. Good luck, and keep me posted; I’ll do the same if I learn of anything.
Thank you for the response. It doesn’t look like you can order online. Am I missing something? Do you know of a good Bodum supplier in the city?
Sorry Barbra. You’re right. Ordning & Reda doesn’t have an online shop. I was under the impression that other suppliers may carry their line, online, (like Shopbop or Intermix) but it seems that their products are exclusive to Ordning only.
Check in with maybe the Sales or Ordering department at the Ordning website.
Or, ask Intercompany (Bodum USA) in New York if their license extends to a coveted carryall.
This might be one of those times where you call in a favour from a friend who lives in one of the locales where Ordning has set up shop.
I’ll continue hunting; hope that helps.
Thanks. I will let you know if I figure anything out. I was just in Sweden and bought the bag you mention. There were a few other things I wanted, but figured I could get them here. Oh well.
That’s amazing that you got the bag, but sad that there’s no option in New York.
Ordning was really popular when it first opened on the Upper West and East sides but because they never changed their colour stock paper ephemera, it seemed that interest waned as nothing new came in (outside of the calendars, and seasonal cards). I think the concept got a bit lost as the world of paper goods got more decorative (not minimalist). It’s a shame. I miss the shop (and the convenience of buying on North American turf) a lot.
Congrats on your bag, and again, will let you know if anything surfaces.