My current obsession is the hot pink Botkier Venice Hobo. Not only is it designed with supple lambskin, but it also rocks a pop of hot pink color. The Ad campaign photo is one of my favorites, simple yet striking.
Read the entire review of the Botkier Venice Hobo at PurseBlog Savvy
Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil
Spring is around the corner and we have a sneak peak at the Botkier Spring 2010 collection! In October we sat down with Monica to see what was in store for us from Botkier. On top of that, we were finalizing our amazing PurseBlog + Botkier Limited Edition Handbag.
Monica shares her a couple of her favorite bags from her Spring 2010 line. Our personal favorite from the Spring collection is the the Howard Street Bag, which comes in a great luscious pink or a blue multi-colored embossed python version.
At the end of the video, Monica talks a bit about our collaboration together. We are thrilled to be working with Botkier and know there will be many more partnerships in the future!
Make sure to vote for Phase II of the PurseBlog + Botkier Limited Edition Handbag.
Original post by Vlad Dusil
Before I say anything, I have to comment on how quickly this year has flown by. I cannot believe it is already November! However, the last few months of the year brings some of my favorite events, holidays and activities. Another one of my favorite things is that with all of the Holiday parties and gatherings I feel as though I have an excuse to beef up my evening bag collection and this makes me happy. So, it should be no surprise that I’ve been spending quite a bit of time trying to figure out which bags I should buy I can always figure out my outfit afterwords.
One of the bags on my evening bag list is the Yves Saint Laurent Small Satin Chain-Strap Bag. As soon as I saw it a few months ago, I knew it would look great with so many outfits. This dark gray satin bag is elegant and exquisite. Then add the chunky gold-tone chain and you have a bit of an edgy feel going as well. The 8″ handle drop isn’t long enough to throw over your shoulder, and in fact it might look a little silly, but that doesn’t change the fact that this bag would be gorgeous carried in your hand. Certainly it is nothing too flashy, but it certainly is a lovely and timeless bag. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1295.
Original post by Shannon Mahoney
Sometimes I forget how beautiful Gucci’s leather bags are. I spoke last week about how much I normally love their python creations (except for one recent exception), but it took seeing one of their bags on a fellow shopper’s arm while buying a Halloween costume yesterday to remind me that they usually do an obnoxiously good job with leather as well.
The Gucci Pelham Medium Hobo is an excellent example of Gucci’s signature style – textured, supple, and with a bit of color variation that makes all the difference.
The color variation and distressing on this bag are absolutely perfect. It doesn’t look worn or previously used, it simply looks like the leather is lush and high-quality, and that the people who designed it took care it treat it in such a way to bring out its inherent beauty.
And that’s just what they achieved. I doubt that this leather is super soft in person, but it does look like it would be incredibly durable. Combine that with a functional shape and a beautiful medium grey neutral color, this is the sort of bag that so many women would do well to add to their wardrobe. The signature braided handle is a telltale Gucci detail that doesn’t overpower the beautiful finish of the leather. Buy through Saks for $1550.
Original post by Amanda Mull
Just when temperatures begin their nosedive to frigidity in most areas of the northern hemisphere, we get a nice, fat reminder that none of us are going anywhere interesting for vacation this holiday season: Resort collections. And when I say that “none of us” are, I mean that I’m not. It’s sort of like the “royal we,” but with no people. It’s the “royal none of us.”
But for all those people that are taking the chillier weather as a sign to get the heck out of Dodge and down to the St. Barts, designers see fit to give you your very own between-collections collection of clothes and accessories that are appropriate for warm weather. These are often my favorite things of the year – it’s warm in my neck of the woods for such a huge proportion of time that I get a lot more use out of things suited for high temperatures than low ones. Still, seeing something like the Gucci Jackie Raffia Shoulder Bag at this time of year is more than a bit startling.
Despite the generally balmy climate here, I can’t help but look at this bag and think, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast.” I know that fashion is an industry that is constantly looking six months ahead, but I’d like to enjoy my cold weather and hot cocoa and bags made of thick leather for at least a little while before I have to think about picking out anything made of straw. I will say, though, that this is probably as luxe and subtle as a straw bag can get (but it’s also priced much higher than I’d pay for raffia). Buy through Saks for $2995.
Original post by Amanda Mull
I’ve had a particular proclivity for Gucci python for quite a while now; the skins that they use always seem to look more plump and luxurious than most other brands. I’m not sure if it’s because the skins themselves or better or because the way they treat them results in a better final product, but their snakeskin bags are almost always highly textured and soft-looking.
Which is why I’m kind of disappointed in the Gucci Jungle Large Tote. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an attractive bag, but I hold Gucci python to such a high standard that I’m having trouble getting excited.
Unlike most of their exotic bags, this one seems a bit rigid to me. It’s too flat, too shiny, and not nearly as texture-rich as I would hope (and expect for what they’re charging). The finish of the skin almost looks like it might be embossed rather than the real deal, and why wants a dubiously faux python tote when the price tag is so high? It’s a cute, functional bag, but we all know that Gucci can do better with an exotic. Buy through Saks for $3800.
Original post by Amanda Mull
In the immortal words of Carrie Bradshaw: “Hello, lover.”
I’m a complete sucker for the Alexander McQueen skull clutches. After years of handbag loving, it’s impossible to not find a line of little evening bags that find yourself drawn to over and over again. For Megs, it’s the Bottega Veneta Knot Clutches; for me, it’s McQueen’s macabre and lovely punk rock skulls.
Anglo references have always been a McQueen staple, and this isn’t the first Union Jack we’ve seen from him, but it might be the best. The red and black patent motif perfectly mixes the traditional flag with the brand’s goth-glam aesthetic and creates something distinctive – anyone else think that a industrially remixed British flag would be a really appropriate brand logo for the McQueen nation? I’d renounce my US citizenship and move there any day. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1650.
Original post by Amanda Mull
Finally: the Judith Leiber Sphere Clutch is a disco bag that really means it.
I’ve seen more than a few tiny, bling-y bags label themselves as “disco” in the past month or so, and none of them seem anywhere near as disco as this sparkly lil’ thing. This bag is Studio 54. It’s John Travolta in that white suit in Saturday Night Fever. This bag is really trying to make disco happen. And I just might let it.
I don’t think anything that I own, including my phone or my keys, would ever fit into this tiny orb, but I can wish, right? If I sailed around on a boat made of money, you best believe I’d buy it and give it a try, if only so I could hold it above my head and dance under it in public after four cocktails. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2495.
Original post by Amanda Mull
I think I’m in love.
The Alexander McQueen Red Skull Box Clutch has me in its grips and is showing no signs of relenting. The red Bottega Veneta Knot Clutch that Leighton Meester wore to the Emmys got me thinking about little scarlet bags, and it took me about an hour of Internet-wandering to find one that spoke to me. But this one doesn’t just speak – it whispers sweet nothings in my ear and tells me how nice my hair looks today (also important to note: this clutch is a liar, I’m in bad need of a shower).
With the advent of fall, Halloween isn’t far behind, and I feel more comfortable indulging the dark side of my personal style during that this time of year than in, say, April. The red-on-red beading on this clutch recalls (purposefully, I’m sure) artfully spattered blood (have I been watching too many Dexter reruns, or has McQueen?) and the signature skull clasp is the veritable cherry on top of this truly macabre clutch. If I get that long-awaited Oscars invite (it’s coming this year, I know it!), this little bag is absolutely what I’m carrying. Buy through Zappos for $1399.
Original post by Amanda Mull
So, how do we all feel about calf hair? Until I saw the Yves Saint Laurent Calf Hair Majorelle Bag, I hadn’t considered the material in quite a while, but now it has me thinking.
Despite my recent love affair with all things Yves Saint Laurent, this bag is coming off as quite clunky to me, and I think that the blame lies with the fuzzy material.
The bag itself is a charmingly simple 50s throwback, so I have little to complain about in that regard. Its lines could be a little sharper, but I’m pretty sure that that’s not what’s to blame for the effect that the calf hair is creating.
Because the real problem is that when I look at this bag, I get the distinct visual of crushed velvet. The combination of slick black and the fur simply does not create a high-end look, and the added embossed texture probably doesn’t help either. In the past, when I’ve seen calf hair, it’s often been used in conjunction with multicolored animal print, and the combination of textures usually conspires to mask some of the odd velveteen shine that we see here. On the whole, I think it’s better of on those kinds of bags. Buy through BlueFly for $1836.
Original post by Amanda Mull