Willow Boutique

I met a handbag last week that I fell in love with.

I know you have heard it from me before, but this is serious stuff.

The problem is that I am all set for spring and summer with purses, so it's a hard purchase to justify.

I met this fabulous bag and found many other beautiful accessory pieces at Willow Boutique, a chic city-style boutique in the suburbs, tucked away near the Hubbard Woods Park at 1060 Gage Street in Winnetka Illinois.

Willow Boutique is a hot stylish accessory boutique that carries handbags, jewelry and belts, many by local designers  They have a great selection with a wide range of prices, perfect for gift-giving or treating yourself.  While some pieces are priced around $30, most pieces range between $100-$300.

The owners, Davi Berk and Paula Zacharia, actually happen to be former classmates of mine from elementary and junior high school.  They sought to bring in some of the unique pieces they had shopped for in the city to the suburbs of Chicago.  Interestingly enough, Davi was a neighbor of mine growing up and went on to practice law like myself.  And now, we both find ourselves in the world of fashion.  Kind of weird where life winds up taking you, huh?  Which brings me to reflect on the biggest lesson motherhood has taught me: "Never say never".

Here is a short list of the top ten things I said I would never do and which I am guilty of doing:

1.  Park my child in front of the TV for more than an hour of Barney
2.  Let my child watch Teletubbies (I know this one shows my age)
3.  Let my kids play with toy guns
4.  Let my kids drink Diet Coke
5.  Let my kids watch the same episodes of old sitcoms repeatedly (You know I loved "Good Luck Charlie" and also enjoyed "iCarly")
6.  Let my kids drink Starbucks
7.  Give my elementary school child an iPhone
8.  Let my kids play with electronics before bed
9.  Let my kids watch reality TV
10. Publish my everyday doings on Facebook (so instead, I have a blog)

Enough digressing…

Back to my potential handbag affair…

Love this bag:

This bag above is by David Galan, a California designer.  The leather is so soft and supple, and the colors are magnificent.  It is a layered geometric color blocking design with a cross body or handle style.  Look how cool the handle is with the chain and leather.  The best thing about it, for me, is its uniqueness.   You do not see David Galan bags at every department store or even every boutique.  This bag is super cool…but the summer is short and my bag collection is well stocked.

What's more, Willow Boutique has other styles of David Galan bags that are just as amazing:

Perhaps a David Galen bag in the fall?

At Willow Boutique I saw other great bags by Linea Pelle and Liebeskind.  Check out these pictures:

You know, for me, I always get drawn in by the handbags, but this store has exquisite jewelry pieces.

Here is a small sampling...

These are some of my favorite bracelets:

Last summer I blogged about Tai bracelets, Willow Boutique has a fabulous selection of Tai bracelets which are so easy to stack and mix and match:

Below is a Tai bracelet that is fabulous on its own:

There is practically one whole wall dedicated to necklaces.  Here are some that caught my eye:

Willow Boutique is a growing business.  They will be adding online shopping in the next few months, and they have a fabulous Facebook page.  Take a look at their Facebook page for more great items.  Just yesterday, I saw some great necklaces by Teru Amaro and Rebel Designs.  I see another trip to Willow Boutique in my near future!