If you ever run into me on the street, you can pretty much guarantee that I’ll be carrying my Ivanka Trump Soho Tote. I’ve featured my navy one in many posts previously, but to recap, it’s basically the best bag to ever hit the market. It’s spacious, has a plethora of pockets and compartments, and matches just about everything I wear. I snagged my first Soho Tote as a gift after attending Ivanka Trump’s holiday party last year, but an updated version recently hit stores and I knew I needed it for my bag collection.

The updated Soho Tote is a lot more structured than my navy one, so it stands upright by itself, and it also comes with a branded external charger that fits perfectly in one of the interior pockets. The other major change is its exterior design. My new bag has gorgeous braided tassels down the front and back. I don’t want to say that the black tote has replaced my navy one, but I can tell you it’s gotten a LOT of use already in its two weeks with me.

My other recent Ivanka addition are these beyond perfect black Klover Sandals. I already have a pair in chambray, but when I saw how much of a staple shoe they are, I requested a pair in black too. They are so comfortable and are the perfect height for running around the office, which I do pretty often.

In other blog news, I think I unknowingly just became a mentor to a bunch of newbie bloggers, which is beyond flattering. I mentioned in my last post how I was asked to speak to a group of students at LIM college last week. Side note, I hate public speaking, but it went surprisingly well and all my stories and advice seemed to flow together really well. I’ve gotten such sweet follow up notes from students (and even a blog write-up), but I think the craziest part is that as much as I inspired the girls with my stories of spending the day with Kendall Jenner and collaborating with Ivanka Trump on the reg, they inspired me 10x more. Recapping how I started and going through the process of how I built my brand forced me to recognize just how far I’ve come. Sometimes I get frustrated because I want to be further in my career, but then I think about how when I started, I was one of those eager students myself who would kill to be in my position right now. I saw this quote on Ivanka’s site and I don’t think there’s a more appropriate time to use it: “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” - Jon Acuff

Dream big, live big, and always always give back.

OUTFIT BREAKDOWN:
Black Slip Dress: The Fashion Foundation (c/o)
White Tee: Onno T-Shirts (c/o)
Black Soho Tote: Ivanka Trump (c/o)
Gold Bracelets: Banana Republic + Lydell NYC (c/o)
Black Klover Sandals: Ivanka Trump (c/o)

Photo Credit: Ingrid Hong

xx Esther