I used to buy approximately 75% of my wardrobe at H&M - partly because there was a store located about thirty inches away from my train stop on East 86th Street, and partly because you can occasionally find very cute pieces at very low prices. I don't stop into the store very often these days, though, mostly because I try to make my trips into the city as abbreviated as possible, and the only H&M near me is at the mall, and malls plus toddlers don't equal a whole lot of fun.

Last week I had half an hour to kill in Manhattan between appointments, so I stopped in and found the "K" sweater pictured above, which was just $25 and which I haven't wanted to take off since (can you tell I miss someone a little bit? More on that later).

Good news/sort of bad news (for the wallet): did you know H&M now offers online shopping? It does, and you can pick up this sweater here (also available in black).

When I was a senior in high school, I bought my very first "fancy" bag: a bamboo-handled black crocodile-print Dooney & Bourke that I found on sale at Woodbury Commons.

I loved that bag: it was just the right size for both daytime and nighttime, the bamboo handles gave the structured shape a more laid-back vibe, and it made virtually any outfit feel simultaneously up-to-date and classic. It also somehow survived a decade of constant wear by someone who is possibly the least precious bag-owner on the planet: I stuffed that thing into suitcases, carried it cross-country several times, tossed it onto countless bar and restaurant floors, and probably sat on it once or twice...and it always looked brand-new.

It was stolen during the Great Apartment Break-In Of 2010, and I still miss it. It was perfect.

When I saw photos in this week's US Weekly of various very stylish actresses carrying Gucci's updated Bamboo Shopper, I was both very excited (bamboo bag, yes!) and very sad (Gucci bag, no).