As of this past Friday I have been in full Christmas mode! We got our family tree on Friday (photos coming soon) and I decorated my house with my fake tree! Let the 24 hour Christmas music listening and movie watching commence! BUT first, I have to share my Thanksgiving outfits!

Originally I had planned on wearing two different pairs of pants for each of my Thanksgiving celebrations. But after outlet shopping with Lydia I wanted to wear one of my new purchases with the leather pants but didn't want to forgo the other outfit I had planned, since I've been waiting MONTHS to wear it, seriously.  So it turned into a one piece two ways situation!

So, here we go with outfit one featuring my Madewell leather pants! They were originally $598, but I bought them in one of Madewell's extra 40% off clearance items sales so I paid a little over $100 for them. Still a lot, but I've been wanting leather pants for quite some time.

You'll also see I wore my new Mulungi Collection clutch [learn more about it here]! It came the day before our gathering and went perfectly with my outfit, so I had to wear it right away! 

Leather Pants: Madewell, Top: Equipment (sample sale), Sweater: Ralph Lauren (Lord & Taylor), Belt: Kenneth Cole Reaction (Marshalls), Pumps: Coach 'Nacie' (Marshalls), Necklace: Marrin Costello (not available yet),  Clutch: Mulungi Collection c/o S.O.U.L. Foundation

As many of you know, I love supporting products/brands with a story who also help benefit the less fortunate. In the past, I've featured brands such as 31 Bits, Ricefield Collective and Sseko Designs. Today I'm sharing  S.O.U.L. Foundation, which based out of Bujagali Falls in Uganda.

The foundation was started in 2009 by Brooke Stern, who was visiting in the area with her father. S.O.U.L. serves Bujagali and surrounding villages, and just recently expanded into another district. Its main focuses are education, women's empowerment, food security and health. It really is a holistic "bottom-up" (for lack of a better term) organization, as all of its programs are based on needs within the community, and started with community discussion and involvement.

SOUL and the women they work with came together to create the Mulungi Collection.  "Mulungi" means "beautiful," in the local Lusoga dialect, and the program was started as a way for women in the village to earn an income. Many of the women are widowed or single mothers who were seeking ways to support their children's tuition.

The women gather together to make the bags, which also provides a forum for them to bond and confide in one another. The bags are made from locally-sourced materials, underscoring the importance of sustainability. The fashion line includes Mulungi beaded bags in a variety of sizes, beaded jewelry, headbands and African handmade baskets. Each piece is created with the intention of uniting sisterhood and feminine energy among women across the globe.

All Mulungi purchases directly support the dignified entrepreneurial efforts of Ugandan women, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty. How can you not get behind a company like this? It is so inspiring!

I was sent one of their beautiful clutches, which sell for $59 and come in a variety of colorways, to feature on the blog. The beads are hand-made from recycled magazines and posters and the bags are lined with traditional African fabric. Below are some photos of the clutch, check back later in the week for an outfit post featuring it!

Clutch: Mulungi Collection c/o S.O.U.L. Foundation