Behind every successful woman is a fabulous bag…… A meme worthy fashion quote if ever there was one.
I was turned on to Cataleya London by friends at a media company and I was instantly smitten with the product and the mission. I had to share this from their website (and reiterated by Cataleya London’s lovely co-founder, Gracey) because it sums up the brand perfectly:
We chose to name our brand Cataleya, as it known as the queen of orchids and for us it represents boldness, femininity, strength and grace. We believe all women are queens and deserve great opportunities. Cataleya London brings you elegant, beautifully crafted Italian leather handbags. We value traditional handbag making methods where craftsmanship is key.
Now, that is a sentiment I can get behind.
True to their story, these bags are the perfect mix of form and function, stunning and elegant with the utmost attention to detail. No chintzy, bland, mass produced bags here. These are beautifully made Italian leather handbags. And Cataleya London’s prices are very reasonable, especially given the quality. These bags are an investment piece, but their classic style and superb craftmanship will ensure many years of use. We also love that they support Dress for Success too.
You can see where I used their namesake handbag, The Cataleya, here (side note – all of their handbags are named after different flowers, which I love). It is the perfect size. I tend to carry A LOT of stuff around with me on a daily basis (kids and careers and just generally having a life will do that to you) and I was surprised how much it held for such a sleek bag. There is padding to protect my laptop and it is divided into three sections with middle being a zippered pouch – so handy! The Cataleya also has the perfect number of pockets to keep you organized throughout the day.
The quality of the patent leather is luxe, the gold hardware looks and feels expensive (solid with some good weight to it) and it comes with a detachable leather strap. What can I say, the Cataleya is just a fantastic black work bag.
This post features my #OOTD on a day that I decided to use my new Daisy handbag in brown for a day that included two post work events – a networking event on how technology will shape the future of Austin and then a preview of an exhibit at a major museum (arts and tech are my jam).
Once again, I am wearing an all eBay outfit. The pants are Sea by New York, the shirt is DVF and the Prada loafers are a recent score I already shared in a sneak peek on Instagram. As a DVF devotee, I had never seen anything like this shirt from her before, but it could just be because I collect vintage DVF wrap dresses like a hoarder and don’t pay attention to much else. This shirt will change all that for sure. I got a lot of compliments on my outfit, especially my purse.
The best thing about this purse is that it is small while big enough to hold a smart phone with an external battery (THANK YOU!). In today’s day and age, I understand the small bags are cute and all, but I do not see the point of one that can’t hold a smart phone! Same quality of leather and hardware, that last one being especially important since the strap is made of gold chain (which is long enough to wear over the shoulder or crossbody). Like the Cataleya, the Daisy comes in many different colors and patterns.
Cataleya London makes seven handbags of different shapes and sizes and one adorable makeup bag/zipper pouch. If you are looking for reasonably priced, genuine leather, high quality bag with plenty of style but is still practical for work? Visit cataleyalondon.com
The lovely ladies* of Cataleya London have generously offered all AFL followers 15% the purchase of one handbag from now until the end of June. Just use the code AFL15 at checkout.
*We are proud to support another woman owned business. Cataleya London is also semi local, with one founder located here in Austin and the other in London.
We hope you will check out Cataleya London and if you do purchase one of their handbags, please let us know in the comments!
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Photography by http://Breezyritter.com