SUMMER shopping pieces to pair with your HARDWARE

Instead of shopping for that perfect handbag to go with your outfit, why not shop for styles that go with your handbag? Here are some easy-to-wear pieces I'm coveting for summer to couple with my HARDWARE bags:

Dresses:

These Jersey-knit dresses from J.Crew are so versatile and easy to wear. The slinky drape is due to the lightweight rayon/spandex. The empire waists flatter just about any figure. On the left: the Pavilion Dress; on the right: Bungalow Halter Dress.

I adore this sassy little baby-doll jumper from J. Crew. The Sconset Patchwork Madras Dress is perfect in J. Crew’s preppy, signature madras patchwork.

Tops:

I love this Penny V Neck Top by Ella Moss. The crochet top with jersey banding is perfectly sweet. The white color way is my favorite (and the model's haircut is pretty cute too). It's available at ShopBop

I love-love-love this Pleated Blouse by Castle Starr! It looks so vintage Jackie O. don't you think?! This can be dressed up or down depending on the shoes and jewelry you wear. The elbow-length puff sleeves add a touch of femininity. Available at: RonHerman

I love the oversized flowing style of this Karen Zambos Vintage Couture Cyia Top
This color is perfect in the sunflower yellow/brown/tan combo. Available exclusively at ShopBop


J.Crew's Nora Cami is nautical and modern in the vintage inspired Midnight Circle print in cotton poplin.

I'm not done shopping yet. I'll need some bottoms to go with these adorable tops. The three below found at ScoopNYC are all I'll need:

7 for all mankind Indigo Wide Leg Jean



7 for all mankind Dojo Wide Leg Jean




Joe’s Jean's Julian Cuff Cigarette Cropped Jean



(images by J. Crew, Ron Herman, ShopBop & Scoop NYC)

Modern Jewelry: My Favorite Everyday Pieces

I love jewelry but I'm a total minimalist when it comes to wearing it. If I'm wearing a necklace I generally don't wear earrings and vice versa. I also have an irrational fear of wearing a matching earrings and necklace set! With that said, I wanted to share with you my favorite everyday jewelry pieces that I adore:

I love my Alex Woo rings! I have two, one each in gold and silver from her Sienna Collection. I sometimes wear them in place of my wedding bands if I’m having one of my ‘minimal modern’ days:

My favorite ‘everyday cocktail ring’ (is that an oxymoron?) is from Kris Nations. It’s modern and simple and I love the wood/silver combo. I know wood jewelry has been ‘in’ for awhile, but I consider this a classic:
I’m also grooving on her vintage inspired flower ring along with many of the others.

As far as earrings go I think my donut earrings by Smersch Design are very industrial chic. The inside is actually tinted concrete. Mine are in espresso:

Smersch also has some fun new pieces in cork that I may have to treat myself to:

That’s it for now. When I discover more pieces I’ll let you know….

(images by Alex Woo, Kris Nations & Smersch Design)

Reusable grocery bag = HARDWARE handbag

This isn't a new idea but it certainly is a good one, so take your HARDWARE shopping....grocery shopping that is.

If you don’t have a HARDWARE bag just take any empty tote or large handbag on your next 'mini' shopping trip! With all the gargantuan handbags out there I know you have at least one you can fill with more than a loaf of bread.

With two little kids and a busy schedule I find myself at the grocery store.....a lot! I take my HARDWARE Shopper (below) and put my wallet and few essentials in one of the extra large pockets. Since the stainless steel handles are connected with cable (the kind tow-trunks use to tow cars) the handles will never break free from the body of the bag, unlike a paper bag. Our nylon canvas handbags also have a lot of body so the bag will stand upright and open without collapsing. I just stuff it to the brim with groceries and bypass the paper, plastic and guilt.

So pat yourself on the back the next time you go to the store and bring your own handbag in lieu of paper or plastic...there's nothing wrong with being stylish and eco-friendly at the same time.

P.S. For those big grocery trips I use the re-usable bags from my favorite specialty grocer, Trader Joe’s. You gotta love Trader Joe's!

(images by HARDWARE & Trader Joes)

HARDWARE inspiration: Denyse Schmidt Quilts

When I was racking my brain trying to figure out a way to make nylon canvas (aka backpack fabric) look modern and fashion-forward for our Nylon Canvas Collection, I turned to color blocking, better known as the age-old tradition of quilting. At the time I had no idea that the heirloom quilts found in my Grandma’s house could be modern. Well thank goodness for the internet and search engine's because I probably would have never found Denyse Schmidt Quilts. She took the art of quilt making into the new millenium by making insanely creative modern quilts. Check out her Couture/Signature line. With pieces titled “Drunk Love in a Log Cabin” and "There Goes the Neighborhood” aren’t you a little curious?

P.S. She also has a fabric line (Flea Market Fancy) under the FreeSpirit label that unbeknownst to me were fabrics I bought at my local fabric store and made into head scarves.

(images by Denyse Schmidt Quilts, FreeSpirit & HARDWARE)

Eco-Friendly Stainless Steel Handles

HARDWARE‘S trademark stainless steel handlesTM are not only responsible for our signature look but they’re 100% recyclable. New stainless steel in today’s market contains 50% - 70% recycled scrap stainless steel. So it’s a good chance that our eco-friendly stainless steel handles had a past life as silverware, a sink or a beer keg.

Care instructions: Our handles are easy to clean, just wash with soap or mild dish liquid and warm water followed by a clean water rinse.

P.S. We are working towards integrating fabrics that are eco-friendly, sustainable and durable for our HARDWARE line. When we find the right fit you will be the first to know.

(images by HARDWARE)

Nylon Canvas Handbags: Fabric 101

I think that fabric is one of the most important features of a handbag, or better put a lifestyle bag. A lifestyle bag needs to stand up to all the craziness that it comes into contact with. Like sticky margarita spills on your bag crazy, or baby spit up all over your shoulder and down your bag crazy, and tantrum throwing toddler throws your bag down a bank covered in blackberry bushes...crazy! These scenarios have seriously happened to me and I'm sure some of you have similar tales to tell. That's why we created a nylon canvas handbag line to stand up to life's little mishaps while looking modern, clean and urban.

So, in order to design a line that could stand up to your lifestyle the fabric had to be tough-as-nails, period. Nylon canvas is used by all the big active sport companies like Patagonia and The North Face in their backpack lines. These quality backpacks have to be extremely abrasion resistant (blackberries), repel rain (or cocktails) and stand up to general hiking, school or camping mishaps (or spit up).

So, to sum up it all up, Nylon Canvas is designed for maximum durability and is made to look newer longer. It's lightweight, resists tears and scuffs and is 10x more durable than a heavy duty cotton canvas tote. That's why our nylon canvas handbags are called lifestyle bags, because they WEAR HARD or better put HARD WARE!

(images by HARDWARE)

Label Lover or Indie Girl?

Do you consider yourself a label lover? Are you one who doesn't leave the house in the morning without at least one label emblazoned on your behind, your handbag or around your neck? Do the words Gucci, Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton or Juicy make you salivate? Then www.eluxury.com is the site for you. All your favorite luxury accessories can be found on one posh site.

So here's the million dollar question (literally): Would you buy a designer piece if the logo or name was nowhere to be found on the outside of your handbag or fanny? If the answer is a resounding NO then I don't think you can be converted, but if the answer is yes, you may want take a walk on the indie side. Check out www.trunkt.org Trunkt is an innovative art and design collective made up of talented painters, graphic designers, fashion accessories, apparel and home accents designers. They also have a storefront in Greenwich Village, NY to compliment their website. I'm flattered that our HARDWARE handbags line was asked to be a part of this unique design community.

Here's a few more indie, designers you should check out at Trunkt:

Amy Bengtson

Etcetera Media

Little Jules

Stamp Jewelry Design

(images from trunkt)

HARDWARE inspiration...people, places & things

This sticky little creature happens to be my daughter Harper. She along with her big brother Jack were my very first inspiration behind the HARDWARE concept. I didn't want my vintage designer bags to get pummeled by my very active and adorably, dirty toddlers. That's why I use nylon canvas (a.k.a backpack fabric) in my line along with our trademark stainless steel handles that can take the abuse of an active and busy lifestyle.

I love the clean, simple lines and organic shapes of mid century modern design. This vintage 1970 glass and chrome dining set was given to me by my stepmom Dana and is one of my favorite pieces. The hourglass shape on the front panels of the HARDWARE Shorty, Shopper and Weekender mimic the curve of the chrome chair legs.


I grew up on a small island just west of Seattle and I've since moved back there with my family. The island culture still has the same laid back, preppy and nautical aesthetic today that it did when I was a kid. Our spring/summer line uses classic nautical colors (khaki, red) with a modern twist (sky, black).

This shot was taken down the road from my grandma's house on Point White dock. Pictured is our nylon canvas Weekender in khaki/sky/black.

It all started here at Winslow Hardware & Mercantile, our friendly, small town hardware store where 'the coffee's always on'. I was in there weekly with my kids looking for industrial design ideas for our house which lead to the HARDWARE handle concept. This store has been an island institution since 1948 and has recently closed, but I'm forever grateful for their generosity and support.

Watercolor by: Mor Mor / Grethe Herlin

(images from Winslow Hardware & HARDWARE)