IDs and Keys

At my college, Loyola University Chicago, our ID cards are basically our lives. We get into our library and dorm with it, buy food with it, board the shuttle to the downtown campus...basically, we need to have it on us at all times. So between the girls there's become an unwritten challenge to find the best way to keep our IDs close at hand while looking fashionable at the same time. Basically, we don't want to look like the freshman who wears their IDs on lanyards around their necks.

I will admit, my current setup isn't that stylish but it has some meaning to me and is functional at the same time.

The lanyard/ID badge holder is from Vera  Bradley in "Deco Daisy". I love the pattern of it, the whole 50s feel. The key to my dorm fits on the lanyard perfectly, as well as my USB drive. It's kind of funky, but it's from my dad and makes me smile whenever I see it. I fit the whole thing into my coat pocket whenever I leave the building.

The zippered section is like Hermione's bottomless purse. It carries my school ID, my U-pass (it lets me use the El and the CTA bus system around Chicago), my Barnes & Noble card, my driver's license, the Starbucks card that I never use but think it looks cool, my debit card and of course some cash I have lying around that usually goes towards Subway.

The bad thing about using the Vera Bradley lanyards and ID cases is that they only have lasted me about a full school year, so about nine months. As soon as this one falls apart, I'm looking at a few different options.

A lot of the girls at school have this Vera Bradley All in One Wristlet, which I'm assuming is basically the same functionality wise as my lanyard set up, except it has room for my cell phone to fit in.

Lily Pulitzer's Carded ID Wristlet Sateen is very similar, but I like the gold strap and zippers a little bit better. It's just so...preppy! They also have an iPhone case that has a spot in the back to carry cards, which is pretty smart in my opinion. If only I had an iPhone...

Finally we come to Kate Spade's Tudor City Holly wallet. It's so chic! I can just imagine myself putting it into my pocket and pulling it out when I need it, fashionably taking out my unfashionable CTA card and school ID. 

I don't know what I'm going to do for a replacement, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when it comes. For now, my Vera Bradley set up works good enough!

--Becky