Custom Design

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m craving winter so badly. Yesterday I wore jeggings (don’t judge me) to the mall in silent protest of the 95-degree temperatures we’ve been having since…May. It’s been a long summer.

I live in Atlanta, so I have about six more weeks of genuinely warm weather before I even get to think about breaking out any kind of long-sleeve options for daytime wear (and even then, that’s only if I’m lucky), but the sight of the Yves Saint Laurent Studded Suede Roady has me wanting winter even more.

Something about the combination of rich suede and the way that the studding is organized in a triangle pattern just screams “cold weather” to me. Perhaps it’s because the triangles are a bit reminiscent of the patterns on traditional sweaters, but whatever the reason, I imagine this bag being worn with a fluffy scarf and knit hat at all times. What I wouldn’t give to be in need of those items (and this bag, of course) right now…Buy through Saks for $2295.

Original post by Amanda Mull

On the one hand, fur bags are usually atrocious, not to mention dubiously ethical. On the other hand, they’ve certainly given me plenty of fodder for posts and given you guys lots of stuff to talk about (or, more accurately, to talk smack about), so maybe they’re not all bad.

The Dior Libertine Fur Hobo, though, is pretty awful. Not only is it pink, but it needs a good conditioning treatment and a blowout something fierce. Much like the Lanvin pumps I posted about recently on TalkShoes, I feel like I shouldn’t have to pay such an exorbitant amount of money for a bag that needs a salon appointment.

Not that the bag would have been any more attractive with a different kind of fur – it likely wouldn’t have been. Fur, as we’ve discussed before, is inherently a difficult material with which to create shape or structure, which really ignores the entire design purpose of bags to begin with. Almost every fur bag I’ve ever seen has been a hairy, messy, overpriced blob, which doesn’t even begin to touch the ethical issues that are involved in making such atrocious purses. If you love fur, stay away from the bags and stick to coats or vests. Better yet, invest in a few fun faux pieces – at least they won’t break the bank as much as this puffy, pink bag blasphemy will. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $4600.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Not everyone is in a torrid love affair with Louis Vuitton’s seemingly omnipresent monogram, but when the brand’s design minds really hit overdrive, occasionally they find a creative and appropriate use for it that I can’t help but like.

Already a celebrity favorite, the Louis Vuitton Antheia Hobo is clearly one of those occasions when the monogram mania feels oh so right. It doesn’t hurt that the monogram in question is embroidered on top of luscious lambskin, the kind of leather which could make any design fantastic. The choice of tonal thread instead of a contrasting color is the detail that puts this bag over the top for me.

The best part about the monogram embroidery is that it’s not obviously a logo at first glance. The pattern is so intricate and the color match between the thread and leather so close that the initial overall impression is just that of texture, not of obvious branding. Logos are always best when used sparingly and unobtrusively, and that’s exactly what Vuitton managed to do with the Antheia bags. As always, though, the price is somewhat beyond explanation. Buy through Louis Vuitton for $2970.

Original post by Amanda Mull

There are several brand sections that I never miss when I go to a department store – we all have our favorites, and I can’t leave without checking up on Balenciaga and Valentino because they make my favorite bags, but I also don’t miss an opportunity for Bottega Veneta leather-fondling. One touch is all you need to know why the brand’s bags are so pricey.

I usually prefer it when Bottega makes their bags out of solid pieces instead of their famed intrecciato because it makes the quality of the material that much easier to appreciate, and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the Bottega Veneta Crevo Flap Shoulder Bag. It still has the woven touches that make it unmistakably Bottega, but the subtly grained flat leather is the real star of the show.

This isn’t the super-buttery leather that most Bottega bags feature, but it looks pretty scrumptious in its own right. It’s made of deerskin, which isn’t super common but feels amazing, and there’s plenty of it. I like the woven details around the edges of the flap and the bag itself, but I particularly like the way that the combination of flat and woven leather shows of the subtle variations in the color – it’s not usually possible to say that about black bags. Buy through Saks for $1780.

Original post by Amanda Mull

There are several brand sections that I never miss when I go to a department store – we all have our favorites, and I can’t leave without checking up on Balenciaga and Valentino because they make my favorite bags, but I also don’t miss an opportunity for Bottega Veneta leather-fondling. One touch is all you need to know why the brand’s bags are so pricey.

I usually prefer it when Bottega makes their bags out of solid pieces instead of their famed intrecciato because it makes the quality of the material that much easier to appreciate, and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the Bottega Veneta Cervo Flap Shoulder Bag. It still has the woven touches that make it unmistakably Bottega, but the subtly grained flat leather is the real star of the show.

This isn’t the super-buttery leather that most Bottega bags feature, but it looks pretty scrumptious in its own right. It’s made of deerskin, which isn’t super common but feels amazing, and there’s plenty of it. I like the woven details around the edges of the flap and the bag itself, but I particularly like the way that the combination of flat and woven leather shows of the subtle variations in the color – it’s not usually possible to say that about black bags. Buy through Saks for $1780.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve done it! I’ve found a Versace bag that doesn’t make my eyes roll or my stomach turn or my brain hurt just from looking at it. It’s simple! And functional! And kind of attractive! I could wear this bag and not be embarrassed about what it says about my taste level and also, my level of common sense.

But none of those things are what’s best about the Versace Giselle Lock Hobo. No, in fact, the best thing is the price. Shocking, right? Versace will normally charge at least two grand for any old thing, so color me shocked that the price tag for this attractive, reasonably functional bag falls so far below that number. Could it be that their accessories designers are finally realizing just how lucrative the handbag market can be if they give us products that are beautiful and fairly priced?

Don’t get me wrong, this is not the bag that’s going to save Versace’s company. It’s not even all that great of a bag, period. But it is a marked departure from the overwrought, over-designed bags that we’ve seen from the bag in the past, and the price point indicates at least a partial recognition that their products have been, well, asking too much for what they are.

But on this one, the price is good and the navy leather works nicely with the gold hardware. There are enough buckles and flaps and extra doo-dads that the Versace aesthetic is still present, but it’s no longer shouting for everyone’s attention. Instead, it’s understated and merely one part of the bag, instead of the design’s whole point. Buy through Nordstrom for $1350.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’ve got a confession to make before we talk about this bag: My favorite bag from my personal collection is a purple hobo. Mine’s Balenciaga instead of Fendi, but it’s safe to assume that I have a bit of bias when it comes to bags that look like the Fendi Mia Chain Strap Hobo. I’ve found my purple hobo to be so useful and easy to wear that imagining how many different outfits this bag could go with isn’t particularly hard.

More than anything, however, I look at this bag as even further evidence that Fendi has finally hit their stride, after a few years of searching for the right tone. The materials are nice, the logo is there but it’s not the basis for the entire bag, and it looks like something a lot of different women would be proud to carry. Have we entered something of a Fendi renaissance?

We’ve mentioned this possible Fendi revival several times (including earlier this week with the Fendi Floral Baguette), and I think I might have finally seen enough to believe it. Fendi has managed to change its aesthetic from overworked and logo-ridden to classic and pretty with a little flash of the unexpected here and there, and I think it’s an enormous improvement.

This is obviously not one of their runway bags, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored – simplistic, solid-colored bags in beautiful leathers sell well for almost every brand, and I think that this hobo, in addition to the entire Mia line from which it comes, are a strong, classic foundation on which the brand’s handbag line can be built. Buy through Nordstrom for $1590.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Holy blast from the past, Batman! Or would it be Batgirl, in the world of accessories? Pressing questions, these.

Anyway, if you’ve been a fan of designer bags for a few years now, you’ve likely seen the Jimmy Choo Tulita Shoulder Bag before. For those of you who joined us recently, there was a point in the not-so-distant past at which Jimmy Choo was merely a shoe brand. In the mid-2000s, they branched out in to bags and never looked back.

Back in those heady days of their first non-shoe products, however, the Tulita was one of Jimmy Choo’s first bag designs (or possibly the very first – it’s difficult to pin these things down) – but is there still a market for it?

This isn’t the first time as of late that Saks has seen fit to reissue a seasons-old bag as an “exclusive,” despite the somewhat questionable demand for the bag’s revival (Chloé Silverado, anyone?), and it seem almost equally out of left field as the previous choices. Was anyone really dying to see the Tulita on store shelves again, after an absence of only a couple of years?

It’s a perfectly serviceable handbag option, for sure, but I’d rather see Saks stock itself with new, interesting options than accessories that we all thought were interesting five years ago. Just because the economy was better back then doesn’t mean that we want to dress exactly like we did during that time. Buy through Saks for $1350.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Every time I see a patent hobo that’s supposed to slouch a bit in order to be wearable, I die a little bit inside. Why do designers keep doing this to us? Patent doesn’t slouch. That’s one of it’s innate qualities – it’s a structured, polished material for structured, polished bags.

I really like the maybe-tacky (shut up, I like tacky) effect of the burgundy zebra print on the Jimmy Choo Zebra Patent Hobo, but I can’t help but imagine that the stiff-looking handle would probably perch itself on my shoulder instead of molding to my arm, just like the body of the bag below it. As much as I try to make myself use bags like that because I enjoy them aesthetically, I just can’t do it.

Again, the color is totally to-die-for, and I think that a big, simple bag is the only way to properly show off the variation in the material. I would have preferred, however, that the bag was rendered as a tote – longer handles would take care of the need for the shoulder strap to bend and the body of the bag to sag. I like the shape of the bag as it is, but the combination of the shape and the material seem to be a bad idea. Buy through Nordstrom for $1295.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I am extremely picky when it comes to exotic handbags. I’ve seen so many gorgeous bags yet, at the same time, I’ve seen so many horrible bags. You really cannot skimp on attention to detail when it involves exotic skins. As I am sure many of you already know, sloppy craftsmanship results in flaking scales which is perhaps one of the biggest handbag no-nos out there. Luckily there are several design houses who continue to hit home run after home run with exotics.

Leave it to Carlos Falchi to put together the most amazing hobo that I’ve been obsessing over all day.

The Carlos Falchi Sueded-Python Slouch Hobo is the perfect combination of fashion, functionality and amazing execution. Like hobos in general, if not careful, exotic hobos can look like they were constructed haphazardly. Not the case here. The bark (brown) sueded python skin hugs the shape and style of this bag perfectly. Gunmetal hardware and a leather top handle (12″ drop) offer a bit of contrast to this neutral bag. I love the zip top with the tonal tie but even better yet, light blue suede lining. What a gorgeous pairing of colors. The bag is slouchy, smooshy and one that would go from day to night without much effort. Bravo Mr. Falchi, bravo! Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $2875.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney