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Where will you take your Danielle?

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Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a complete Europhile. And travel addict. And I'm fashion obsessed. So when my husband said he wanted to go to Italy (one of the fashion Meccas of the world!) for his birthday, I surely said, "Andiamo! Let's go!!"

The first decisions to be made are where and when and how will we get around with our three year old son. Who am I kidding? We've got those covered in the first few minutes. The BIG question is what shoes will I be wearing? Ya know… so I'm comfortable while touring around this wonderful land but also so I look stylish among all these gorgeous people. Followed by, which of my fabulous orYANY handbags shall I carry? Do I choose two to bring? One larger one for toting what the family needs and one smaller for dinners? I have such a beautiful collection, it's hard to choose only one of my babies to join me on this latest Italian adventure. I mean, will the other bags left at home feel slighted, jealous, neglected?

Then it hits me like a glorious choir of angels singing "hallelujah." I'll bring the new Danielle! She is midsize so I can fit the usual’s like my wallet, cosmetics for touch ups, sunglasses and of course a few snacks for...Um, the kid. Yeah, for my son. That's right. There's even enough room for extras like his matchbox cars, silly putty, hand sanitizer and maps. Plus the outside pockets can carry my phone and other quick-grab essentials like the camera, tissues, a few spare Euros, metro card. The convertibility will be perfect. She can be carried as a shoulder bag, crossbody or long shoulder. Plus her Italian grain leather will be right at home and the minimal chain detail elevates the look without trying too hard.

So that solved that! Danielle was the lucky girl to join us. She did great by the way! I felt uber chic! The misty rose was the perfect neutral color without being too blah or too wow.

I was able to pop her on as a crossbody when pushing the stroller or lugging suitcases and it was the perfect size bag to carry on vacation. Enough room for extras but not too heavy to break my back. We had a wonderful trip, too. My husband had never been to Rome so we started there and he was amazed at the Coliseum.

It is pretty awesome, I must say. Then we headed to Florence and drooled over all the jewelry on the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio.

Our son at three years old continues to amaze us at his flexibility and appreciation for great travel. I'm sure it's the concentrated family time he loves most, but the daily gelato didn't hurt matters either.