With the hectic lives we’ve lived in a pandemic these past two years, it's easy to feel as though 2022 will be a repeat of what preceded it. While I can't predict what the future holds, I can guarantee that there will be plenty of exciting moments filled with unforgettable looks ahead. As we press reset, one way to head into a new year is by making space in preparation for more to come in our lives, especially in our closets. When it comes to accessories, handbags are my weakness.
I’m always keeping an eye out for new styles to add to my overflowing collection. As someone who believes a woman can never have too many bags, I’m not shy about my love for a simple yet chic affordable one. Whether micro, mini, midi, or oversized. While maintaining a low-key obsession, there are a number of styles I can’t go without in 2022. Whether you love vintage, designer or somewhere in between, there's been a number of trends that left such an impression they’ll be right alongside us throughout the new year.
From everyday shoulder bags to oversized totes, there’s a style, color and silhouette that suits everyone.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
The Oversized Tote Bag Trend
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
This oversized shopping tote is the new statement bag perfect for a range of looks and occasions. What makes this carry-all stand out is its intricately weaved yet structured design that elevates this bag for more than just running errands around town. Paired with a sleek leather skirt and matching blazer jacket, this is the only drama I’m bringing into 2022.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
The Pencil Bag Trend
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Simple yet sophisticated, the pencil bag is a modern design that can be worn with anything. Big enough to fit our essential items yet small enough for a compact yet chic addition, this is one of my favorite purchases. For a mute classic, go for a neutral-colored structured shoulder bag that you’ll love wearing both day and night.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
The Handle Bag Trend
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
The handle bag made its mark in 2021 so it’s only right that we carry it with us into the new year. I’m loving this combined style with the quilted trend, making it great for dressing up or down in your winter's finest. Whether worn with leather on leather or a sporty but chic look, this is the perfect bag fit for almost any fashion-forward occasion.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Featured image by Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
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Maat Petrova, the founder and owner of the feminine care company FemMagic, teaches about feminine energy and helps to empower women through her social media posts, Instagram Live meditations, and products such as her Coocheewaa feminine wash and Vagelixir. In our conversation, she broke down this essential question.
“Femininity can be like wearing the red lipstick and having your nails done and, you know, the way you carry yourself. I see femininity as more so an external thing and an external derivative of feminine energy. Feminine energy is the source,” she tells xoNecole.
Maat PetrovaPhoto by @islandboiphotography
“Many women can look feminine or have femininity, display femininity but are completely tapped into their masculine [energy.] They got the look, they got the clothes, they got the hair, the nails, and they’ll even have the tone, but they are broken, in their masculine energy.”
When it comes to feminine energy versus masculine energy, Maat says everyone has both and describes it as yin and yang. As women, we should be feminine with a speck of masculine. However, due to circumstances such as our environments and careers, we often get so consumed by our masculine energy that we forget to be in our feminine energy. Maat experienced this growing up in NYC, and it took her moving to Atlanta to make changes.
“Sometimes you change from the inside out. Sometimes you change from the outside in. There’s no method or specific way that anyone’s journey is supposed to be. So for me, when I moved to Georgia, it was an outside-in journey, where my environment changed me,” she explains.
However, both energies work in harmony to manifest the life you want. “The characteristics with feminine and masculine energy is masculine is more assertive where feminine is just being, masculine is doing—feminine is more nurturing, masculine is more logical,” she says. For example, when it comes to accomplishing business goals, doing the physical work, such as networking or creating an LLC, is masculine, and the mental work, such as visualizing it and thinking of creative ideas, is feminine.
Manifestation is often described as the act of attracting something tangible into your life, whether that be a romantic partner, a new career opportunity, or meeting a financial goal. A popular manifestation method is the law of attraction, which according to thelawofattraction.com, means like attracting like. Another method that Maat has successfully used is meditation.
Maat PetrovaPhoto by @islandboiphotography
Maat shares that she had a goal of making a million dollars in a year, and so one of the first things she did was meditate every morning, specifically using visualization meditation. From there, she began meditating on Instagram Live at 6:45 a.m. each day, and she was joined by many others who had similar goals. Positive Psychology states that visualization meditation is a positive image or guided imagery visualized in the mind’s eye, and it can help “strengthen focus,” “enhance creativity,” and “improve self-image.”
“Manifesting is an extremely feminine energetic thing. The work you have to do to support the manifestation is the masculine,” shares Maat. “So again, feminine is being, and masculine is doing. So, when I manifested my first million dollars– when I say manifested... I was already making high six-figures with my company FemMagic, and I started a meditation called ‘Manifestation Meditation’ in Feb 2020.”
She continues explaining how a workshop inspired her to start daily meditation. “I went to a workshop. The workshop was like, do something every day. Commit to one thing and just do it every day, and I chose meditation. I’m like, I already have my diet on point, I’m already working out all the time, what else can I do to increase myself?”
According to Maat, more opportunities began coming her way, and she gradually began seeing a financial increase without having to do extra labor, such as filling more product orders. “I didn’t make more products. I wasn’t working physically. I was working mentally and spiritually,” she explains.
Meditation is a centuries-old spiritual technique that can help ground you and connect you with your feminine energy. But if meditation isn’t your thing, Goop listed a few more ways you can achieve similar results. This includes journaling, breathwork, yoga, and drinking tea.
If you don’t know where you fall on the scale of masculine energy and feminine energy, Maat has some suggestions.
“Look at the definition of feminine energy. Feminine energy is nurturing, it's patience, it's grace, it's being, it's allowing, it's receiving. Do a scale from 1-5 or 1-10 and rate yourself on each of that,” she says. “Look at the list of feminine characteristics and rate yourself. Then, get the list of masculine, assertive, aggressive, action-oriented, angry, doing, and rate yourself on that.”
For more information about Maat, check out her websites Femmagic.com and Maatpetrova.com. Maat is also having her third annual Feminine U Goddess conference on October 28, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Feature image by @islandboiphotography
