Fashion from the left field: 40 top picks for the bag lady and the shoe-gal

I am forever trying to crack the code to looking cool. And now by the watch it’s been more than 36 hours of shoe and bag patrolling on possibly all existing fashion websites.

You can bet that a handbag needs to suit your somewhat, well, exceptional lifestyle whether you live one of a stylist, writer, buyer, financer or just enjoy the occasional indulgence. We also know that a girl can never have too many shoes. And the combination of the two essentials is oh-so-crucial to ones style statement. Nothing is more turning on than someone who knows just the right formula. And in our eyes the right bag paired with right shoes is seen to be beautifully lethal.

After years of beautiful-bag and shoes research, product trial-and-error and a whole lot of styling I’ve come to the conclusion that there is way to crack this. The perfect accessories do exist. Comic prints; heavy-metal trims; chain detailing; sharply bolted; studded details; peculiar cuts; leather fringes are virtues that we stalk in every handbag. These codes have never failed us. (other than the faux fur and snake skins of course). Jeremy Scott for Moschino has taken my heart away and Celine shapes are still sharp, classic and evergreen. The love story clutch by Olympia Le Tan is one find I cannot wait to get my hands on and Charlotte Olympia’s quirky prints seem to flirt with every fashion lover. For fashion's biggest fans and by biggest we mean number of zeros in their bank accounts and height on the magazine masthead, shoes are not just for walking. A few of our favourites include; the thigh-high-pretty-woman-boots, strappy boho-gladiators, work-mules (not just for work anymore), chunky platforms (for the I-am-taller-than-my-boyfriend height) and silver metal shoes that just never seem to go out of style.

It turns out that nothing really rivals great style. And I along with a million other girls have a slight thing for the sometime admittedly crazy fashion aesthetic which makes it all worth it. We all use the cliché on how style is personal and not something you learn but know. It is said for a reason. So we’re kicking off July with our top 20 shoes and bags that we know are individual statements but also make us drool when put together.

Scroll through our best picks of bags and shoes for a tad bit of accessory inspiration you need before you really indulge!