Holiday Gift Guide: For the Working Woman

Dec 3, 2015

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1. Lodis Brera Audrey Bag ($318) // 2. Graphic Image Notebook ($79) // 3. Kate Spade Shoe Bag ($18) // 4. Marisa Mason Keychain ($27) // 5. S’well Water Bottle ($45) and Starbucks Reusable Grande Cup ($11) // 6. Henri Bendel Stylus & Pen // 7. Mira Activity Bracelet ($118) // 8. Brushed Hair Tie ($15) //9. Python Case-Effect Case ($65) // 10. Cuyana Travel Case Set ($115)

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Today’s bag, for the working woman, contains essentials for those who need to look stylish on the go.  This is the bag for recent college grads, newly minted professionals, or ladies who are looking for a refresh.

1. A Work Bag. The Lodis Audrey Brera bag is half briefcase, half satchel.  It comes in brown, black, red and grey.  If you’d like something more casual, I like both the Lo & Sons OMG and the Dagne Dover Tote.

Just need a work satchel?  The Rebecca Minkoff MAB is still my favorite; I don’t know why they discontinued it.

2. Leather Notebook. I love these refillable leather notebooks.  They’re durable, and super-chic.  They’re also a great size–not too big, not too small.  I keep one in my purse at all times.

3. Shoe Bags. Need to carry your shoes to work?  Keep them from dirtying up your purse and belongings by using a shoe bag.  I adore this one from Kate Spade, or try this chevron-printed bag from Soulmates.

4. A Chic Keychain. A great gift for a friend, relative, or close colleague, a stylish keychain is a must.  I also like this gold tassel keychain from Bloomingdale’s and this simple brown leather key fob.

5. Drink Containers. Another great gift for a colleague or a White Elephant is a drink container.  These S’well water bottles are great.  I also like this Kate Spade glass water bottle with gold flecks.  For hot beverages, this Starbucks container and this double-insulated travel tumbler are both good choices.

6. A Writing Utensil. This Henri Bendel pen is also a stylus to use with all of your electronic devices.  I also found this pen and pencil set, and a less expensive pen from Target.

7. Activity Tracker. An activity monitor helps ensure that you get enough physical activity in a world where sitting at your desk is your job.  This Mira activity tracker might be the most stylish one on the market.  It looks more like jewelry than tech.  I own this Misfit Shine; it’s simple and unobtrusive.

8. A Chic Hair Tie. About 3:00PM, it’s time for the hair to go up so the real work can begin.  Instead of a black elastic, a decorated bands makes the basic pony a bit more chic.

I also like this spiked hair elastic from Folica.  This curved metal elastic is simple and sophisticated.  You could also pick up these metal bar elastics (white, gold, and rose gold) for just $8.

9. A Phone Case. A good quality phone case is a great gift because it’s not something most people will splurge on.  If you have a favorite brand for your phone, leave it in the comments.  I like snake print because it goes with everything.

10. A Pouch Set. To keep your bag organized, leather or canvas pouches are life savers.  These affordable Neiman Marcus nylon pouches are so good I snapped them up instantly.  This Furla envelope pouch set also caught my eye.

Gift Guide

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  1. Jenn says:

    For an activity tracker, I upgraded my Misfit Shine to a Jawbone UP2. It’s a sleeker design (the color “oat spectrum” is a nice gold color) and it has a vibration alarm to help me wake up to exercise without waking up my partner and an idle alert alarm that lets me know when I’ve been sitting too long. The app also has a hydration tracker that I’ve been using a lot. I also found changing the battery in the Shine fiddly and prefer charging my Jawbone once or twice a week while I shower or something. It’s almost as attractive as the one you linked, but less expensive, more functional, and with better reviews on Amazon (for the updated clasp design).

  2. Katie says:

    I have #5 and love it!!

  3. Anna says:

    I just can’t stand that all the cute phone cases are also really flimsy and don’t go all the way around the phone. I need something slim that provides some protection.

  4. Mel says:

    $45 for a water bottle? There’s luxe and then there’s just ridiculous…

  5. Sharon says:

    The Otterbox Symmetry is a really fantastic case.

    Currently, I’m using an iHome Reflex case (in hot pink!) for my iPhone 6. It wraps all the way around, feels great in my hand and is non-slip, and the colors all look fantastic.

  6. Cait says:

    I use a black otterbox commuter case for my black iphone. It’s not cute, but it’s not offensive or distracting either, so I think it’s fine for the office. I can’t have a case that won’t survive the abuse I put my phone through (I work in a normal office, I’m just pretty clumsy), so I chose durability over style and honestly, I’ve had a lot of friends tell me that they wish they had gone that route after accidentally ruining a phone in a flimsy case.
    That rant over, if anyone knows of a phone case that is as durable as the otterbox commuter (fortunately I don’t quite need the protection of the defender) AND cute, please pass along the info! I looked at the Symmetry line recently, but I wasn’t sold on the level of protection.

    • Anna says:

      I use a purple and black Speck case. It isn’t too bulky, has a raised rubber lip so the screen doesn’t touch the surface when laying face down, and rubber lines on the back for grippiness. It’s not offensive, but it’s definitely not cute.

    • LS says:

      I second Speck. It sounds like I have same case in white and black as the commenter above. I wouldn’t say I’m especially clumsy but I have dropped my iphone 6 a decent amount and it’s been totally fine.

      Here’s the name if you want to google it:
      CANDYSHELL GRIP IPHONE 6 CASE

  7. Clumsy Phone User says:

    The iPhone case issue had me flummoxed for a long time and deeply committed to various bulletproof Otterbox products. Perfectly fine and professional in my opinion, just not particularly beautiful).

    That changed when I took a chance on the Zero Gravity Strut case that Belle posted about earlier this year. I thought I would end up with deep regrets, but I’ve probably dropped my iPhone 10+ times on cement, bathroom tile, etc since purchasing, and my phone has come out totally unscathed. Bonus points: I get more compliments on my phone case than on any other item from my wardrobe. It is both awesome and possibly an indictment on everything else I own.

    Looks like it’s sold out on Nordstrom but available at an affordable price on Shopbop.

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