The Lauren Merkin Tatum Patent Croc Clutch is one lip-smacking purse. It comes in three colors, but you wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the brightest is our choice. In orange, this clutch almost resembles a slice of the fruit, the textured patent leather subtly emulating the skin of everyone’s favorite source of Vitamin C.  Wear it for the next three months with anything equally bright, such as a fuchsia maxi-dress or an emerald green tank. When the temperature drops, orange still shines with nubby textures and autumnal tones.

If we haven’t convinced you enough that this clutch is a great buy, you should check out that price. Lauren Merkin? On sale? Pour us a glass!

But for the gal that can rock it: she’s always looking fierce with her head held high, a handbag (you know?) swinging off her arm. Might her proud posture be related to a tulle, satin, and leotard twirling childhood? Supplier of baby ballerinas everywhere, the brand Danskin is known for its wee pink leotards that yours truly wore with a crown of silk roses and a tulle skit at the YMCA dance recital.

The Passchal Danskin Hobo, created with reused Dansko store banners and recycled tractor tires, is a grown-up statement option for every girl who ever dreamed of dancing. Luxe touches like polished Italian hardware and an adjustable shoulder strap keep it chic, while an inner LED light satisfies the light-bulb genius in all of us girls. Wear it proudly, and expect to feel as good as the first time you tied on your slippers and pliéd.

Grab a perennial Angel Handbag go-to with the AmyKathryn Gladiola Weekender Bag. We’ve stocked it in many colors and patterns, but this iteration is our hands-down favorite. Why? It comes in two color sets: black and eggshell, or terra and blue. We love both colors for their versatility, and of course, they hold everything a girl could need for a three day weekend. (It also doubles as a diaper bag – with a matching changing pad! Jury’s still out on what a child-less lady will do with that, but alas.) In animal friendly micro-suede with beautiful custom prints, it also features an adjustable shoulder strap that makes carrying it from the car easy.

Pack light and smart this weekend – fill your Gladiola with lightweight tissue tees, a jersey dress, a cozy cardigan, and your favorite denim shorts for a stylish and fun way to start your summer. Cheers!

Everything about this handbag is a beautiful nod to one of the world’s most precious resources – the ocean. Featuring custom printed fabric designed by the renowned marine artist, Wyland, sturdy braided handles, and oodles of organizational pockets, the Amykathryn Wyland Collection Marigold Fish Tote is sure to make a splash. We think, though, that what makes this tote oh-so-special are the subtle “fishy” details, like the fin shapes around the handle and whale-tail pocket closure. How adorable is that?

Structured enough for work or play, you can pair this tote with anything, really, in your closet. Try your hand at this season’s pattern mixing by pairing it with a similarly-toned striped shirt or polka-dot dress. Make waves. Repeat.

Lisa’s passion for her work was evident when we asked why she loves her job. “Most of these people [in Columbia] have nothing.” Her Limon Piel booth at handbag fairs is 10×10 feet because “that is the size of the houses where ten family members will live together. Yet they’re so happy to have that home, so thrilled that we’re there. These 90 year olds who are being seen by a physician for the first time, they’re so grateful and happy, yet they have nothing to their name. You fall in love with people like that.”

To own and love a Limon Piel bag is “magical,” because they’re more than just lovely totes. Lisa went to Colombia six years ago on her first medical mission trip ” with this whole big intent on changing the world, and instead I came back with my own life changed.” Recognizing that she could bring good to an area of the world she loved so dear, she now feels that Limon Piel “brings beauty in many ways to many people. To the medical mission work, to the women carrying the bags, to the Indians creating the beauty. It goes full circle.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

We’ve talked endlessly about the incredible woven details on Limon Piel bag. But for someone who hasn’t carried one of these incredible bags, the handcrafted straps are more than just an ethnic embellishment. “Because the straps and other details are woven,” Lisa says, “everyone of these bags is super lightweight.” The havoc a heavy purse can wreak on your back is well documented (at this blog and everywhere else!), so a stylish and easy to carry purse is a premium in our closet! “The jewel is in that strap,” she says. “The straps and the design.”

When asked where she finds inspiration for the Limon Piel brand, Lisa finds it “with the customers. We always draw new ideas from our clients who call us and say they love their Limon Piel bag, but could you make one that moves this strap or adds this detail?” With their own Limon Piel factory, “trying out a new idea is easy,” Lisa says. Readers and Limon Piel purse owners, this is directed at you! What would you love to see on a Limon Piel bag? Take some inspiration from the Shinye Collection Large Tote. Similar to yesterday’s pick, it can be carried for business and pleasure. We adore the off-kilter strap and the graphic punch of red against white. Stay tuned for tomorrow when we wrap our week of Limon Piel!

While Lisa holds down the Limon Piel fort stateside, there is a flurry of Limon Piel activity happening south of the border. Limon Piel’s designer, Liliana, is based in Colombia along with the Limon Piel factory. But before those gorgeous totes are constructed in said factory, the team must take weaving materials to the indigenous tribes who create the woven element on each purse.

“It takes a lot of hands to make a Limon Piel bag,” Lisa says. Liliana had found the handicrafts of the Wayuu and Camentsa Indian tribes as perfect foils to the  Colombian leathers, so, “production starts with making sure the tribes have all the colors to weave the orders in their own communities.” Once the artisans have finished the woven elements, they are brought back to the factory to be cut, pieced, stitched, grommetted, and generally transformed into the Limon Piel bags we’ve come to know and love. From the time the Wayuu and Camentsa begin weaving a strap to the Angel Handbag delivery box containing your new Limon Piel purse arriving at your door, “it takes six to eight weeks to make a bag.” Whew! We’re exhausted just thinking about it!

Lisa says that “each of tag tells the story of the tribe that helped make your bag,” like the tag on this Limon Piel Shinye Collection Small Tote. In a trim shape with comfortable straps to tuck under your shoulder, this tote works both in the boardroom and on the weekends. In the kiwi color,  it serves as a neutral, to be worn with most of your favorite clothes. With all the hard work put into the production of this bag, one would expect that it should work just as hard for you!

However, the relationship goes two ways. “Liliana loves to design,” Lisa says, “but she wants me to bring ideas of what the U.S. would love to see.” Today, the women talk on the phone every day, brainstorming new Limon Piel ideas (not just handbags!–more about that later), and closely monitoring the progress of their  Limon Piel factory, which is also based in Colombia. Because everything is made and designed in their own factory, “we can build quickly and come up with new designs quickly,” Lisa says. We say, keep ‘em coming! Beautifully constructed sacks, like this Tahali Collection Hobo, make us crave more of what that magical factory can produce. We love the tassels hanging off the strap of this purse, adding a flash of whimsy as it swings at your hip. Stay tuned for tomorrow, when we reveal some of the Limon Piel production secrets (or at least, what Lisa was willing to divulge!).

If you’re not already smitten with the Limon Piel line, the unbelievably hued leathers and hand-woven details make for utterly original and beautiful purses. Limon Piel (pronounced “lemon peel”), was founded by Lisa Garrett in 2009 after six years of medical missionary trips to Colombia. While in Colombia, Lisa met a local designer named Lilliana. With Lisa’s background in marketing and a goal to “bring uniqueness to the U.S. while giving back full circle,” Limon Piel was created as a brand that uses the handicraft of indigenous Colombian tribes while simultaneously giving back proceeds from each sale to medical mission work.

Check out our first Limon Piel bag of the week, the Raymi Collection Drawstring Satchel. In five versatile colors, it comes with a hand-woven over the shoulder strap and tasseled ring. We think it’d be great with cutoffs and your favorite rocker tee at an all-day music festival, or holding your passport and camera while touring through South America!

Of course, the look wouldn’t be complete without a purse. Our eenamaria All Night Clubber Satchel is a one-handled stunner with belt loop closure in the line’s signature bright patent leather. The simple, straightforward shape complements the refined and effortless approach to classic wardrobe choices exhibited above. Choose any color that suits your fancy, but we’re especially smitten with the Satchel in yellow. Against those denims, khakis, and nudes, the color is fresh and hopeful. Sort of like how all those 9-5 girls feel on a Friday morning in April… Watch out world! Here they come!