In our In Her Bag Feature, we gain different
insights into the secrets of celebrated and purpose driven women, as they give
us insights into their personal style sanctum: their handbags!
Our style
guest for this feature is the elegant WOW D.I.V.A, Hajara Pitan (EHP), of Hajel’s Musings, a Wife, Mother,
Legal Practitioner and Entrepreneur, best stirred by me for her gift of
inspiring others positively.
In her
words, this exceptional woman says; “she is
passionate about purpose! And wonders why she is here on earth! She is anxious
to live life to the fullest, to die empty, and give her all. She is a woman,
seeking to leave a positive imprint on earth… She is a lover of people, of
travel, of life, of the beauty of the human spirit! And never ceases to share
her thoughts, opinions and contributions”. – EHP (http://hajelpitan.com/about/ )
EHP is a true
woman of virtue and don’t I just love this WOW D.I.V.A, especially the manner in
which she genuinely has a passion for people. Truly inspiring! I was curious
to know more about her fashion blueprint and decided to probe into her personal
sanctum, her handbag!
EHP gladly
opened up her bag for us to peruse. Check out what or this Wow Diva has in her
style sanctum.
What is in your
bag?
Name: Hajara E. Pitan
Occupation: Legal Practitioner
What’s your
Personal Style? I generally do
what suits me above following trends. I am an African woman not a waif, so I
bear that in mind when I shop. I generally like clean, classic styles- so a
pencil skirt, dresses... I am not big on trousers (but that's just me) and I
only own two pairs of jeans but that’s because I like to have value for my money. I find that it’s
cheaper to buy one 30 to 40 pound dress than it is to buy one 25 to 40 pound
pair of jeans (the cost of an average pair) and pair it with a good t-shirt or shirt of
about the same price. So I stick to dresses and coincidentally, you then always
look "dressed-up" for a smaller amount of money.
I also adhere to a
lesson I learnt from my mum, she always used to ask me when we went shopping as
a teenager if the new item said 'wow' and so now, if I were buying a white
shirt, a black dress, whatever, I always look for that added something- a bow,
a flower, a different color of lining, anything that makes it above ordinary.
And I usually don’t buy what I don’t need, it has to match something I already
have or can be paired with something. I don’t have a really large wardrobe; I
would buy great accessories and nicely made but inexpensive dresses, since a woman has to have many of those. Finally, I
am all about quality, one great thing over many average ones.
The Bag: To be honest, I love this bag. I love its shape, color,
it’s made from a very soft leather so it’s very light weight, it has a long
arm, so can be worn as a cross-body when your hands are full or when you are
travelling and walking around a lot. It is very beautiful and adds a huge “wow”
to whatever outfit you are wearing. I also love the brand, I am not a big fan
of more popular brands like Louis Vuitton (not that there is anything wrong
with them, it is just a pet peeve that I have), but I love Ferragamo, Chanel,
Proenza Schouler and will one day own a Birkin (big smile in anticipation of
that thought).
The Purse/Wallet: Okay my wallet- it’s also purple but a little old. I
have had it for almost 4 years (covering my eyes). I like purple as a color and
love its symbolism with royalty, even the logo for my business is made up of
shades of purple. It is an "Aspinal of London" wallet and I like that
brand because they make great quality products (4 years on, my wallet is still
sturdy and beautiful and un-torn- quality over quantity) and as a brand, they pay attention
to detail without breaking the bank. I also love that it is monogrammed with my
initials- I like to personalize my things, it just makes them all the more
special.
The Gadgets: I am a gadget girl, maybe because I blog, so I like
to have my phone ready to take any odd photos I see that may be useful for a
post I write one-day (at least that's my excuse) and for that, I carry an
iPhone, I have my Blackberry because I must chat, and my iPad for the actual writing of
the post... that's also one of the reasons I like my bag- nice and roomy, it allows me keep it all in one place.
Beauty
Products: To be honest I am
not a big make-up person. I owe my entire make up to my sister, Aisha and my
friend Faith Arigbe. the only thing I've noticed is, since I started using MAC,
I find my make-up lasts longer both on my face and in terms
of how long I have them for. I really love my Body Shop shimmer though (picture above), any
time I feel a little dull, a light brushing of it over my face sets me “aglow”.
I like make-up, I love girly things, I'm just not great at application...
 |
| Essentials |
 |
| My beloved Pandora bracelet allows me wear my heart on my sleeves! |
 |
| Sunglasses! |
 |
| My keys, love the Frog shaped key-holder! |
 |
| MAC Oil Blotting Tissues- a must-have as they absorb oil without disturbing your make-up. |
Most Favorite Bag Item: hmm, I don’t know. Just that my bag is a mobile house.
It has everything I need and might need, sometimes I overdo it...
Final thoughts: Lol, I hope you enjoyed this interview but I feel compelled to
add that style is just a facet of who we are as women. It is an expression- the
same way our art, our work, our homes, the things we say and the things we
occupy ourselves with, are. You are beautiful and it is not about what you have
or don’t have. Your value comes from being a child of God and being
authentically you, you are a designer original and your path is uniquely yours.
So enjoy! Enjoy your femininity, celebrate it and add value to the
world by being your very best you. I wrote a post titled "Woman of a
different status" at http://wp.me/p3hdG5-cg , I think you will enjoy reading it.
Be awesome!
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