Current Obsession: Dareen Hakim Collection

When it comes to day bags, I am the ultimate loyalist.  Always oversized, always pebbled leather, always black, always gold hardware.  I don't buy a new day bag often, and when I do, it's usually a dead ringer for its predecessor. 

Clutches and evening bags, however, are where I get more creative.  Preferential treatment goes to anything animal textured - croc, alligator, bonus points for ostrich- and I tend to experiment more with color and detailing. 

On a trip to Beirut last year, I discovered the Dareen Hakim Collection.  For me, the Middle East's balance of modern glamour and tradition is an inspiration, and I was totally enamored with the way each bag in her line struck this balance perfectly.   Rich colors, vibrant gold details, unique inscriptions in Arabic calligraphy.

After much deliberation, I chose Dareen's Le Monaco to reward myself for a recent win at work, and it immediately became a focal point of my wardrobe; an accessory I build outfits around.  The gold chain strap lets the bag hang at the most perfectly elegant length, and the superslim width forces me to pare down the contents of my bag into the bare essentials.  The leather is a glamorous nude; the gold embossed inscription, reading "smile and the world smiles at you" in Arabic is such a fresh touch.

Devoted fan that I am, I've already queued up the next addition to my collection: Le Icon in Dune, pictured here.  This stunning clutch is available in a number of colors, materials, and arrives engraved with one of four phrases.  A sunny yellow bag that literally says "happiness?"   Want it, need it, have to have it.