I’m the type of person who needs to be eased into things. Whether it’s a new trend I’m unsure about or a color I would normally never wear, I always need to see a few solid examples of it done well before I’m fully on board. This was the case with the color navy, and let me tell you, this Simon Miller bag is done well. I’ve always had a “go black or go home” mentality when it comes to wearing dark colors, and even persistent persuasion from Tienlyn couldn’t get me to convert. But after laying eyes on this bag (which I scored on Black Friday as an early Christmas present for myself), it was game over. There’s just something about the shade splashed across rich, almost suede-like nubuck leather and combined with tortoiseshell that I instantly gravitated toward. It’s like the softer cousin of black I never knew I needed. So Tien, if you’re reading this — you were right. Took me long enough, but I’m finally wearing navy.

Happy Holidays!