Spring is such a wonderful season — the annual in-depth cleaning is nearly done and the garage looks as tidy as my closet. Speaking of closet, here are some great picks for your wardrobe this season. While we realize that many are not traveling or moving around that much publicly right now, what a better time to pick up a few fresh looks so you have a wardrobe-lift ready and waiting for when the lock down ends.
Add More Snazz, Jazz & Grace to your Wardrobe
We love exploring new brands as well as revisiting familiar ones we trust and love to see their latest and greatest for a season. In the following picks, we have a mixture of both. Let’s start with one of our favorites: KiraGrace.
The Kathryn Duster in Leopard by KiraGrace
Leggings & Pants from KiraGrace
We’ve known about the KiraGrace brand for awhile and are huge fans. Whether you’re a yogi or not, we all wear leggings from time-to-time. And, who hasn’t gone through the less than stellar quality issue with leggings and yoga bottoms? They may be abundant — available on countless websites — but quality matters so they don’t overstretch or shrink too soon.
KiraGrace’s #1 yoga bottom comes in what they refer to as a Prince of Wales Plaid, classic Black and now brown. And, KiraGrace offers yoga pants that are tight for sporty (and yoga use), loose fitting and dressy as well – see below.
High Waist Wide Leg Pant (Prince of Wales Plaid)
Most leggings come in class black, white and some brands offer bright vibrant colors. Personally I think brown is underrated. What I love about brown is that you can use it as your ‘go-to’ like black, especially wen you travel, but you have so many more choices that will compliment your skin tone and overall look. Why?
Because it’s an Earth tone, you’ll be able to shine in softer colors on top, like greens, blues and grays. Don’t think that brown can work with gray? Think again — taupe is a great example of this and how you can ‘make’ it work.
KiraGrace’s rich coffee colored leg pants
These stunning brown yoga pants have a flattering waist-nipping high-rise and are made with our luxe moisture-wicking fabric which makes it ideal for avid travelers. The above Wide Leg Yoga Pant is the perfect fusion of workout-wear and street style — we couldn’t agree more.
The wide leg has a 32 1/2″ inseam and side pockets. The fabric? Supplex/spandex with a nice 4-way stretch. They don’t suggest putting their yoga pants in the dryer – line dry is recommended.
Now that Spring is here and summer is around the corner, we couldn’t resist getting this Amari x KiraGrace limited-edition piece in to review. They teamed up with Amari on this one, which is a women-owned brand (yay!) in San Diego.
We’ve had a few white zip ups and none of them are as comfy as this one. This mesh, sporty zip up hoodie is great for lounging around the house, as an added layering when on the road or as a cover–up to your favorite swimsuit.
We love that its so breathable, which makes it a great cover up when heading to your favorite yoga class as well. It comes with a drawstring hood and zips in the front.
Then, there’s KiraGrace’s wide-LegTerry Sweatpant — our favorite color? Their soft heather grey, which is designed with French terry fabric and is so so comfy. With a 32″ inseam, a leg-lengthening silhouette and a compressive waistband, it‘s a great piece for any body type. And, it comes with a matching sweatshirt, which is great for relaxation time.
While the leggings and yoga casual pants are what always bring us back to KiraGrace again and again, we were wowed by this newer addition, the KiraGrace x Kathryn Budig. Call it what you may, but this Kathryn Duster in Leopard can be worn for so many occasions.
Think: relaxing around the house, holidays — in your hotel room, the balcony of a resort, the beach or around the pool. Then there‘s after a hot bath OR you can simply wear it over a pair of KiraGrace leggings with the belted tie and wear it out.
This fabulous piece is designed with lightweight fabric and a belted tie at the waist for adjustable closure. It‘s super soft and comfortable and is made with Poly/Spandex blend.
It’s so comfortable – I LOVE IT!
For those of you who exercise regularly and/or are yogis, check out there fun colored assortment of yoga tops and they offer plenty more.
For more on KiraGrace including how to order, visit their website.
Totes from Coach
Coach has been around for years so chances are that you‘ve owned a Coach bag at some point in your life. A legacy brand in so many ways, I‘ve been impressed by some of the fun and vibrant colors and designs they‘ve been coming up with lately.
We love totes over here, so we fell in love with their Plaza Tote. Named for the iconic hotel on New York City’s 5th Avenue, the Plaza Tote is an unstructured, sophisticated design with plenty of room for the essentials–including a 13” laptop.
It is finished with a Signature charm and secure magnetic closure, and it’s ever so elegant. It is made from a polished pebble leather and has long, slender straps that sit comfortably on the shoulder. And, just look at this beautiful design?
Look at some of the fabulous colors of Coach’s Plaza Tote
We also love that you can so called ’embellish’ the tote — what do we mean? Consider adding a unique pin or add a monogram, the latter of which is free btw.
There’s an inside pocket with a magnetic snap closure, which is a must for travelers. The handles have a 10 1/2″ drop and includes four protective feet at the base. It’s a great feature because it protects your bag and keeps it in tip-top shape for longer.
As we mentioned above, it fits a 13″ laptop and measures about 15 inches long, by 13 3/4″ in height and about 4 1/4″ in width.
Coach also offers great backpacks that are oh so stylin’. For example, take a look at their Pacer backpack, which is streamlined and elegant with a contoured shape. The ideal shape for travelers, it’s perfect for comfortable all-day wear.
This sporty backpack is crafted of very light weight leather and finished off with their Coach retro patch. The organized interior has a secure tech sleeve with room for a 12″ laptop and multifunction pockets to hold a phone, notebooks, water bottle and other everyday essentials.
The leather is very smooth and an inside sleeve is ideal (with a secure tab) is ideal for a 12″ laptop or an iPad. There’s lovely fabric lining with a zip closure and there’s also an outside zip pocket which is particularly useful when you’re on the road. The top handle has a 1 1/4 inch drop and there are adjustable shoulder straps. Beautiful, right?
The last piece we wanted to highlight from Coach is the Hutton. Turning timeless on its head, the Hutton bag is a modern-day icon with a turnlock closure.
Detailed with our dimensional prairie-inspired Tea Rose appliqués, this canvas and leather shoulder bag has interior multifunction pockets for easy organization and an outside slip pocket for access to essentials. It’s finished with a long chain strap that easily converts to two short handles.
We just thought this bag was so unique with its tea roses – so beautiful and feminine yet is finished in a very down to earth style and color palette. Each Tea Rose is die-cut, edge-painted and placed by hand. Incredible right?
If flowers aren’t your thing, you’ll be happy to hear that this classic and ever so timeless Hutton comes in other styles and colors too — note below, with refined leather and genuine snakeskin details and the same beautiful interior multifunction pockets for easy organization.
They even offer plain colors for the Hutton — gorgeous purple above as well as more traditional and classic colors as well. Head on over to their website for more information including the ability to order.
Fashion from Sarah Liller
Truth be told, we hadn’t heard of Sarah Liller before earlier this Spring. We fell for their Amelie Pants which are made in the states btw — the material is 92% Rayon and 8% Lycra for breathability and comfort, making it an ideal choice for travelers, especially those who transition between different climates often.
Then there’s the easy, breezy cropped Aida pant which is available slightly shorter or full length. The full-length and loose silhouette come together to create an incredibly flattering fit for any body type.
The wide leg pant has a triple-stitched elastic waist, super comfy feel and pockets. And, what traveler doesn’t love (and need pockets)?
The other thing we really like about these pants as that they’re wrinkle-free. That’s right — travelers who travel light are loving this. They’re easy to pack (roll) and then when you get to your destination, you can quickly head off to a meeting, dinner or wherever you’re heading without having to spend time ironing.
And, because they’re so flowy, they are also super flexible making them an ideal choice for any trip. They come in light and dark gray, “washed black” and dark black.
Then there’s what they refer to as the Filomena pants which add a little drama to any wardrobe. These fabulous pants feature a wide leg silhouette, high rise, and pockets. The triple stitched elastic waist is comfortable and the elastic won’t shift around or get bunchy. Pair with an ankle boot or flat for a winter appropriate look or throw in your bag with some sandals for the winter beach getaway!
They’re made from 92% Rayon 8% Lycra which means that they breathe well. Then, there’s the Bella cardigan which comes in black and several fun colors. This cardigan has pockets, is super soft and comfortable.
This fun piece is elegant with its draped front, which makes it easy to dress up or down — a dressy pair of pants or even with jeans. It also comes in five different color options.
Head on over to their website for more information including how to order.
Bags from Rough & Tumble Design
We fell in love with the Seven Pocket Tote from Rough & Tumble Design. The bag was inspired by the need to get super organized so simply put: it’s a godsend for travelers. This tote is fully lined in waxed canvas pockets and comes in either large or small.
Here’s the other thing we absolutely love about what they offer: 7 POCKETS! I’ve been looking for a bag like this for years (and years!). There are two open side pockets and front zip pockets as well as a waxed canvas zip pocket and two side water bottle pockets. There’s also a small magnet closure.
As for the colors, there are tons of choices. Nope, not just your typical browns, blacks and tans, but they offer fun medium rich blues and purple as well. Colors include distressed espresso, rustic pecan, honed dark brown, butter brown, silver, mahogany, eggplant, premium saddle, classic black, weathered cigar, and double gilded mink. The colors are rich and the quality of the leather is top notch.
There’s also a removable corded leather key fob.
There’s so much functionality and versatility to this bag — we love everything about it.
Here’s the other beautiful thing about Rough and Tumble — each bag is unique and handmade in New England. In their words “they create a signature mix of smart utility, archival form and curated materials marks an enduring vision of authentic, resolved, and trend free design.”
Their vision is to combine a sense of rugged-ness with understated luxury — in other words, “a statement of visual balance, clean architecture, and high function.”
And, there’s a woman behind the helm — apparently the Rough & Tumble design outpost was first housed in Natasha Durham’s home, which at the time was a 1929 church on a mountain in Maine. Today, their designs are made in Brunswick and given that Maine is one of our favorite states, we had to give them a try. The designs and quality far surpassed our expectations.
For more information on their bags including how to order, visit their website.
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Disclosure: we receive items for product and fashion reviews but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
