I’m going to level with you guys: it’s a slow news day. We’ve reached that mid point of July, which means that it feels as though we’re as far into summer as humanly possible, but still with no light at the end of the heat-and-humidity tunnel. As much as I love the season, my sandals and maxi dresses are starting to feel a bit boring.

Amanda and I were just discussing how it seems entirely crazy that we have talked about handbags for over seven years now. The funny thing is there is always something to say and it is rare that either she or I have a day when we literally are grasping at straws to find some great content. After all, accessories are the anchor to the fashion world and we know their importance.

Some accessories are a match made in heaven, and I have found a combo that’s beyond stunning. All I want to do right now is buy both of these items and wear them all summer long, with my crisp whites as well as casual boyfriend jeans and t-shirt. This pair and all of its possibilities are precisely why I love accessories; they’re outfit-changers.

The amazing sales just keep coming and I can’t think of a better way to kick off a dreary Monday morning than with a Proenza Schouler sale. Our friends at Proenza Schouler have marked select bags from their Spring 2012 collection 30% off. All you have to do is enter code PS12PREVIEW at checkout. I for one have my eyes set on the PS11 clutch (drool!!).

If there’s two things that all of us at PurseBlog love, it’s handbags and sweets. If you’re here, you already know about our handbag obsession, but if you follow PurseBlog on Instagram, that’s where you get a much deeper look into the collective psyche of our team. Spoiler alert: Our collective psyche is covered in frosting, much like this awesome Proenza Schouler PS1 Birthday Cake from Sweet Kat’s Creations in Chicago.

Ice cream cones, the ocean breeze, sun-kissed skin, fireflies, vacations, 4th of July, fireworks, BBQs, bikinis, maxi dresses, and non-stop fun all come to mind when I think of summer. Memorial Day is this weekend, and for many folks, this holiday means the official start of summer. Vlad and I are kicking off the season by heading out to the Hamptons before the weekend madness begins for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

Not long ago, I said that my feelings toward Thursday Friday’s line of bag-on-bag printed totes had “softened.” At that point, Balenciaga was the latest designer to have a photo of their work plastered on a canvas tote bag and sold for up to $90 apiece, and like Hermes and Chanel before it, Balenciaga is a huge brand with a huge corporate structure behind it to protect its work product.

Most of us don’t balk when designers use lizard skin (after all, lizards aren’t cuddly), but this is the first time I have seen a designer list the skin specifically as iguana. Growing up in Florida meant being surrounded by iguanas often. (When I say often, I mean we would see twenty or thirty around a pond in our neighborhood daily.) I prefer lizard skin over ostrich and the scales on this bag are really interesting because of the iguana skin.