with the opening day of the city market this past saturday (and with a new shipment of our apolis x scarpa market bags set to arrive any day!), we thought it was the perfect opportunity to catch the bag in action.  sarah cramer and andrea hubbell, local photographers and tastemakers extraordinaire behind our local commons, were gracious enough to let us follow them around the market on a blustery and bustling -- but nevertheless bright and festive -- morning.  

sarah shares market finds with her little guy, albert.  

the charlottesville market bag, fashioned from natural golden jute fibers, features a lined interior and vegetable tanned leather straps.

andrea and her son clyde enjoy time at the market. 

pre-order your market bag online here. (our next shipment is due to arrive any day!)

this week, amy has been in paris to see spring collections from our favorite european designers.  last spring when she traveled to the city of lights, she returned with a fantastic selection of goods, and we welcomed some new designers to the scarpa shelves for fall including Henry Beguelin, Stephane Verdino, and Beatriz Furest.  we wanted to know how her trip was going this time around, so she sent this update featured below.  this voyage was particularly special because amy was accompanied not only by her boyfriend jeff, but her son ben came along, as well!  

"back of a cute dress from rachel comey. fun new line of shoes and clothes for spring."

"shoes from henry beguelin. I’m not brave enough to do them in turquoise though. I picked a neutral."

"on the streets of paris, ben found a friend he’d like to bring home to momo." 

"excited to welcome back sigerson morrison. let’s all give a cheer for the pretty mid-heel!"

"pink tie-dyed suede tote from beguelin. hello color!"

"the salted caramel ice cream at berthillon is ok by ben."

so it's the middle of january, and you might've already given some thought as to what your new year's resolutions may be -- lose this, do more of that, eat less of this -- and surely some of these resolutions will be met with success, yet I've always thought it a bit hard to visualize change in the middle of winter.  here at scarpa, i think we may be able to help by looking ahead -- to the promise of spring.  behold below:  new year's resolutions, or a four-part preview of just some of the goods making their way to scarpa's shelves for spring. . . 

I will . . . rethink sandals.  Certainly a necessity for the warmer months, here are some smart, cool options coming by way of plomo (top two), and a subtle yet chic pair from pedro garcia.  

I will . . . mix it up.  Been contemplating adding a bit of edge to your look?  This will be the year.  How about these serpentine earrings or statement ring from zoe & morgan?  Or this divine leather cuff from kendall conrad?  

I will . . . wear rose colored shades.  As much an outlook on life as an accessory, brighten up your view this spring with these fun & lightly tinted shades from dita.  

I will . . . Jerome Dreyfuss.  Not, in fact, a dance move.  I've taken the liberty of making the namesake of this brand a verb here because if it were a dance move, i'd recommend dancing the jerome dreyfuss all spring -- dazzling, unexpected, utterly modern -- as are the bags from this super luxe parisian brand.  This bag is called "mondrian caviar."  who doesn't love de stijl with the suggestion of a culinary delicacy?!

it’s finally (almost!) may, which means one sure activity: wine tasting. or, as my mother calls it, “wine tasting.” it’s the one activity for which i’ll drop almost anything (and everything), hop in a car, and drive out into the country. there are just over 6,000 wineries in the united states, and a couple dozen in and around charlottesville.

before you learn to distinguish between viogner and chardonnay, it’s critical that you’re ready for a day outdoors in winding countryside. jeans, a simple t-shirt or light sweater, comfortable flats, and a small tote for picnic supplies are all you need for a day of educational exploration—learning to taste the subtle differences between two different merlots is almost definitely necessary skill. add a small satchel for an id, cards, and a small notebook (notes about pinot noir!), and you’re ready to explore our local vineyards.

shown in the photos: an herve chapelier tote bag, serpui marie green wicker cross-body bag (a miniature & chic picnic basket), colleen cordero belt, cath necklace, brochu walker rugby popover, enza costa loose striped sweater, baker + fiorentini sandals, vince pull-ons, pedro garcia pull-ons, pedro garia yaki lace-ups, vince flats, virginia peanuts (yum), and king’s family vineyard  croset rose (yum).

chic women + mz wallace bags = awesome street style 

 i spent the better half of last week in new york, shuffling between meetings on the subway. it's fairly easy to tell what people are wearing after a ten-minute subway ride, so i made a little list of the things that seem to be trending:

• knee-length (or ankle-length, for the snowsuit lover) puffy coats -- the north face & the more luxurious moncler are the brands to sport. 
• boots of all varieties. like the ones we sell here. exactly, in fact, like the ones on our shelves!
• tights -- black, opaque, sheer, textured, patterned, purple. you should be wearing a pair right now.
• seasonal confusion. like charlottesville's unpredictable weatherscape, new york is suffering from a prolonged winter as well. 
• dog sweaters.

i tried to discreetly take photographs of women carrying mz wallace bags (they are everywhere), but my pictures turned out blurry. mz wallace’s lovely website, however, has a street style page, where they’ve posted much more beautiful photos of the backs of women toting their mz wallace purses. i’ve gathered my favorites, and they’re shown above.

below, you can see a few pictures i took of the trip. please note how on-trend i am on the brooklyn bridge with my knee-length north face coat. 

   a beautiful cousin at the penrose             a view of downtown brooklyn                     

             diptyque candles                           a postcard from riverside drive

     the author & her godmother                 literally embracing amtrak