Custom Design

By all accounts, the Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2010 runway show was very moving – it began with a video dedicated to the technical skill that goes in to creating the brand’s clothing and ended with an enormous herd of models taking the runway in all manner of black blazers. I can’t think of more fitting bookends to a fashion show in these uncertain times – celebrating craftsmanship and classics seems to be just the note to hit right now.

But what we’re here to talk about is handbags, and those struck a similar chord. Two basic shapes made an appearance: first, the Miss Sicily shape to which the brand has strapped their wagon for the past few season. It came in all manner of textures – leather, python, knit, lace, fur. Those materials were often combined into textural puzzles, but the feeling was mostly a little too similar to last season’s offerings to get me excited. What caught me by surprise, however, was the second shape – tiny coin purse/iPhone case hybrids worn across the body on long chains. They seemed supremely functional and current, while still being exquisitely detailed and luxurious. Modern functionality is something I wish I’d seen a bit more of during recent collections.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Hey MCM, Donna Karan called. She wants her bag back.

I’m a firm believer that there is nothing really new under the sun, and that well-worn Biblical adage is doubly true when applied to the fashion world. Everything is recycled, reinterpreted, or deconstructed, if not outright ripped off. The best designers manage to borrow from the past and create something new and interesting from their influences. The worst? Well, we might have an example of one of them here in the MCM Leather Crossbody Hobo. When I saw it, I couldn’t help but assume it was one of Donna Karan’s bags – her brand used EXACTLY the same dying technique on several bags last season. Obviously, I was mistaken.

Take a look at this bag. Also, this one. Now look at that bag up there. Those Donna Karan bags were released in the fall, which means that they had been in the industry pipelines for about six months after their initial presentation for buyers and editors. So, knowledge of those bags has been around for about a year, long before this bag was probably conceived.

Fashion’s timeline is wonky, and this could be an unfortunate case of the company sourcing the same leather in ignorance, but that’s just not passing the truth sniff test for me. In a competitive industry that values exclusivity so highly and where lead times are so long, you’d have to think that the Powers That Be at MCM were probably aware that someone else had used the exact same leather with the exact same effect in the exact same color scheme. Karan’s bags were all over the internet and on the websites of several of the industry’s largest retailers at the time that these bags were probably being designed, and if MCM wasn’t aware of them, then someone was seriously not doing his or her job.

Don’t get me wrong – I love this effect. I just loved it more when it felt original. Buy through Saks for $1195.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’m so utterly pleased to see the bags from the Fendi Spring 2010 catwalk starting to land in stores. This bag collection is my favorite from Fendi in…well, almost forever. It had a bohemian grace and ease to it that is difficult to capture, and they did a fine job.

The Fendi Wood-Frame Leather Clutch is a great example of the slightly boho vibe that the collection had, and unlike the emerging clog trend (no no no, I cannot live in a world where clogs are ok), the wooden touches on this leather handbag are totally acceptable. They might even be pretty.

I was slightly more unsure of the wood when the collection first walked than I am now. It was featured on several different styles of bags, and I didn’t know if its use on these clutches would fly once I got a better look at them. Well, as it turns out, my concerns were completely unfounded.

The walnut handles are totally chic and feel really modern, despite their retro roots. The juxtaposition of such a hard material with the soft black leather brings out the best in both, and the small gold studs that dot the confluence of the leather and wood are like little cherries on top. Buy through Saks for $1450.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’m too young to remember when MCM was a big deal the first time around, but I have been assured that it was and I have no reason not to believe it. I’ve seen those bags, though, and I have a hard time imagining them being widely popular, but, you know, the 80s were a weird time.

I’m thankful that their logo bags haven’t returned in the 80s nostalgia wave (a wave that I’m ok with, in general – I just bought another pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers, after all), but if they keep making bags like the MCM North/South Leather Hobo, I wouldn’t mind at all if the brand became a trend all over again.

Since this bag is completely empty and not hanging on a shoulder, I think that the uber-slouchy, uber-soft leather would look a bit more tailored when worn. If it does, the bag would be nearly perfect for people that like a casual, easy sensibility to their personal style (or really, just about anyone that like wonderful leather in a neutral shade).

The knotting, tassel, and minimal use of hardware are enough to vary the texture and visual appeal of the bag. If tassels aren’t your thing, then it’s removable, but I’d recommend leaving it on – it lends a nice vertical line, not to mention a little bit of motion, to this beautiful, modern bag. There’s not a note of 80s tiredness anywhere near this one. Buy through Saks for $995.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’M BA-ACK! I’m minus two tonsils, five post-surgery pounds, and a week of my life, but I have returned triumphant to do one of my absolute favorite things: make fun of a truly horrific Versace bag.

It’s almost as though the universe placed the galacticly awful Versace Scream Shopper on Nordstrom’s website to welcome me back to the land of the living – It’s been quite a while since Donatella & Co. have provided us with a bag so thoroughly worthy of ridicule. When pitched such a softball, I can only hope to hit it out of the park. Won’t you join me?

Can someone call Donatella and tell her that putting out crap like this is why her company is failing? Does she not realize that? How could it not be obvious? Am I taking crazy pills?

That a company could put out a bag made of mismatched patterned leather, acid yellow trim and baseball stitching and expect people to spend well north of three grand on it absolutely boggles the mind. The people that made this bag live on a different planet from the rest of us, and it’s not a place that I hope to visit. Ever. It probably smells like Axe body spray mixed with fake tan. I’d say that this bag looked like a Junior’s Department nightmare, but really, it might be uglier than that.

On the other hand…has ever a bag been so aptly named? Buy through Nordstrom for $3395.

Original post by Amanda Mull

As I mentioned last week, finally, oh finally, the retail stores are stocking their shelves with all sorts of amazing new handbags. My must-have bag of the day has to be the Michael Kors Skorpios Pleated Crescent Hobo. I’d like to even say that it could be my bag pick of the week, but seeing as though it is Monday, I don’t want to jump the gun yet.

All I do know is that this bag is a staple, a must-have, a classic.

For being a girl who loves simple, understated elegance it might seem a little odd that I only own one black handbag. To me, black handbags are like little black dresses, you might have one you use more than another, but you can never have enough.

I’ve been in the market for a new black bag for quite some time now and I’ve already put this bag on my list. It was the pleated body that initially caught my attention. But, it was the single braided shoulder strap and goldtone hardware that locked me in. The dimensions are pretty nice too: 16″W X 11″H X 3½”D and 11″ drop. Of course, there is plenty of room, but at the same time, the bag isn’t overwhelming. In fact, even if you are a petite woman, this bag won’t overwhelm you. Buy through Saks for $795.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

Get ready to be surprised and astounded, you guys: I’ve found a Valentino bag about which I am totally and utterly ambivalent. I know this doesn’t happen often, so if you feel like you need to take a moment to let that sink in, please go ahead and take one. We’ll wait.

You back? Great.

In fact, I’m having trouble rustling up any thoughts about it at all. However, one continues to reoccur: for two grand, not only can you get a better bag in general, you can get a far more interesting Valentino bag.

The ruffles are suitably rich and textured, I suppose, and the graduated size from top to bottom is ok. Something about it is just not impressive to me at all, however, and maybe it’s because I’ve seen the brand do ruffles in so many more interesting and intricate ways. Perhaps the problem is that they do such an out-of-the-ballpark job with designs that are much more complex, and in comparison, it’s hard to celebrate their ability to pull off something so comparatively simple. Buy through Saks for $1995.

Original post by Amanda Mull

The biggest release from YSL in the past few years was the Roady, which launched last September. The Roady is an utterly simple design that brings in an added touch which bumps up the aesthetic. I know many of you did not like just how simple the original Roady was, so this post will bring you nothing more than the first. But if you loved the Roady and you love having a spring bag in your collection, the Yves Saint Laurent Linen Roady may be for you.

If you clicked on the more tag and are reading this entire post and you like this bag, you might be disappointed. It is just not cutting it for me. Keep in mind I like the leather version, quite a lot actually! The linen Roady is just not cutting it. The body is made of a coated linen, which has both a positive and negative. On the plus side, coating the linen will make it much easier to keep this bag clean. On the downside, I really dislike coated linen (just a personal thing).

The rest of the bag is just like the other versions that followed before it. The single shoulder strap with hook hardware is the signature piece for this YSL bag. The drop is 12″, which is ample when it comes to flinging this bag over you shoulder. There is a snap closure, which makes getting in and out of the bag easy. And YSL finishes off the inside with suede lining and two open pockets.

Why I love this bag: If you like to have a spring bag in the mix, the natural (beige) version which is offset with brown piping and a brown handle has a very spring look to it. Linen is synonymous with the warm seasons and I can see this bag looking gorgeous with white jeans and a flowing top. There is also a red version, again would look great against spring and summer whites. Buy through Saks for $1,295.

Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Ahh, the eternal handbag questions: how much should we, as consumers, be willing to pay for bags that aren’t made out of leather? How about one made out of canvas? How about a really SIMPLE bag made out of canvas? Should it vary by brand? If it does, does that mean we’ve all fallen victim to someone’s marketing scheme? For me, the Yves Saint Laurent Safety Pins Tote brings up all of those questions and more.

For what it is, I quite like this bag. But is the bag that it is worthy of the price that Yves Saint Laurent is asking? I suppose that depends on who you are and how much extra money is sitting in your bank account.

If I disregard the price tag, I kind of enjoy the form factor of this bag by itself. Sure, it’s just a canvas tote, and it’s probably just like the canvas totes that the natural-foods grocery store I go to gives away. There are precious few ways to make something like this “high quality” – at a certain point, it just is what it is. Taking that into consideration, the graphic safety pins are still not only an appreciated visual departure for this bag line, but they remind me of the pins I used to put in the canvas messenger bag that I carried as a scenester and punk music obsessive in high school. So, it’s possible that I’m a bit biased, since this seems to be a post-modern rendering of the look I spent years of my youth trying to achieve.

But then I have the unfortunate duty of considering the price. If I had a bunch of extra money, I’d probably buy it just because it makes me smile, even though I think that $195 is too much for untreated canvas in such a simple, common tote form. As I stand right now, I’m a fairly recent college graduate that hopes to maybe buy a new car (Audi A3, come to me) in the next couple of years and upgrade my apartment furnishings, and a $200 canvas tote just seems like the last thing I need to be buying. Then again, I guess “need” isn’t really the point here.

So if “need” isn’t what we should be considering here, what about “want?” Do I want to pay $200 for a canvas tote of any kind? No, I want to spend $200 on a dress and sweater at Anthropologie. This tote may not be quite as egregiously priced as some that I’ve seen in the past few years, but I think I’ve answered my own question. Buy through Saks for $195.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’m normally something of a YSL fangirl, but despite the brand’s history of sleek, classic bags, even they make a misstep every once in a while. It’s a forgivable thing to do, for sure, but that has never stopped me from calling a spade a spade, so to speak.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Yves Saint Laurent Shopping Tote is a spade. Which is to say, of course, that it’s a misstep, as are all the bags with this weird raised logo thing that YSL insists on doing. I don’t like it and no one shall convince me otherwise. Probably because it reminds me of something…

You know those weird, raised tattoos that some athletes, often football or basketball players, have on their arms? They’re usually a Greek letter of some sort. Sports fans out there might know what I’m talking about, but the rest of you are probably confused. Sorry, but I just ate and I’m not about to start Google Imaging stuff like that for you guys. Just play along.

I don’t know what they mean, but I do know that it looks like someone did that to this YSL bag, and that’s not a good thing. They look fairly “prison yard” as it is on live people, and somehow I doubt that that was the sort of idea that YSL was trying to evoke by doing a similar thing to a bunch of their bags. Unfortunately, that’s more or less all that I can see when I look at this.

Not only that, but a logo like this completely forgoes the subtlety that I’ve grown to love from the brand. They always manage to incorporate their Y logo into the lines of their bags, and this flies directly in the face of that aesthetic. It’s just a boring brown tote with an unattractive prison tattoo. Buy through Saks for $945.

Original post by Amanda Mull