What I ordered from The Bali Tailor

Two weeks ago the inevitable happened. I finally checked out the order that had been sitting in my Bali Tailor cart for a month.

My original order was a pair of Luca Slides in Cocoa Suede and the Stella Fringe Bag in Stone. This is a prime example of me gravitating towards two trends I love, but realistically, won't wear daily.

As gorgeous as the Stella Fringe bag is, I did some deeper research and found out it would only hold my phone, wallet, keys and a few other small essentials. I was really wanting to find an everyday bag that could hold both the essentials, and extra ‘never know when you might need them’ items. As a mum of two small kids, I was also hoping to find something I could fit a nappy and/or bottle in for quick trips out of the house. Enter: The Jones Mini… and what I actually ordered.

After making a list of things I wanted to be able to fit in my bag, I moved onto fabric and shape. I almost NEVER make a purchase this considered, so it was a process. I live in regional Queensland by the beach, so I wanted to avoid a structured leather bag. As easy as it was to find ones I loved, I knew I wouldn’t use it daily. The soft suede shape of the Jones Mini is perfect. It feels casual and styled at the same time. Since refining my (now) capsule wardrobe, I looked at the colours I wear a lot and wanted to choose something fun that would go with it all. While I was gravitating towards the brown, I knew I’d love the pop of colour when choosing a (mostly) neutral outfit. The Jones Mini is 23cm High x 32cm wide x 12cm deep. For me, its the perfect size. The Jones bag is much bigger, but I know my tendency to fill bags, and didn’t want to end up with a giant bag that would eventually hurt my shoulder to carry! 

I then moved on to figuring out what slides I actually wanted. I have worn the same pair of black leather, double buckle Birkenstocks religiously for the last year and a half. They still have plenty of life left in them, however they’ve aged enough that I need a new pair of good, black slides. I initially thought I wanted the Luca slides, until I started to imagine wearing them everyday. I’ve got about two weeks left of winter where I live, and once Spring arrives, the Queensland sun comes back. While the heat of the day is only in the middle of the day in Spring (instead of 24/7 in Summer) the bite of the sun is just as bad. All I could imagine was having very hot, very sweaty toes and decided I needed to look for an open toe option. Once I saw The Watson Slide, I knew they were the ones. Love at first sight you might say. The toe straps, the extra strap across the top of the foot, the solid sole. My sister had bought a pair of Coach sandals in Europe over the summer that have sold out everywhere, and the style of The Watson Slide is the perfect summer take on those shoes.

I wear my Watson Slides almost everyday when I leave the house, Jones Mini holding everything I need for the day. The Bali Tailor has a great range of slide styles and bag colours and shapes this season. I’ve wanted to order from them for so long, but always hesitated not knowing how the shoes would fit or what the bags would feel like. Safe to say there’s no buyers regret here!