Custom Design

Texture might be the most underrated way to make a handbag special and interesting. Regular leather can only be dyed so many colors and sewn into so many shapes – after a certain point, a plain leather bag, no matter how nice the leather, can feel boring and repetitive.

Jimmy Choo has been trying for the past season or two to find ways to add texture in just the right way, and the results have been (to be blunt) mixed. Some of it has been great, some of it has been pretty terrible, but I appreciate that they’re trying to find a way to make their offerings really unique. Which brings us to the Jimmy Choo Cristina Pleated Leather Bag – are you feeling it, or is this another unfortunate sacrifice in the battle for good design? We’ve got an up-close shot of the bag’s texture after the jump.

For what it’s worth, I think it’s kind of fab. I hated it on initial inspection, but the pleated, somewhat rigid ruffles of textured leather are growing on me. The mix of multicolor, brights and neutrals in a variety of embossed textures might feel like overkill to some people, but I tend to wear a lot of black, and this kind of handbag looks totally fab against a dark color.

I’m also fond of the design because the folks at Choo didn’t allow fashion to get in the way of function. The texture only adds to the look – the bag is not any harder to use because of the design elements, and that’s an area in which a lot of designers tend to get in their own way. Jimmy Choo hasn’t created a bag that will appeal to everyone, but the best fashion statements rarely will. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2995.

Original post by Amanda Mull

You guys, it is the most beautiful day in the history of forever right now. A week ago it was snowing in Georgia, and now it’s 70 degrees and perfect, without a cloud in the sky. Come lunch time, I am going to be violating many a fashion rule by wearing white and flip flops long before Easter while I sit on a blanket at the University of Georgia’s leafy campus and eat a packed lunch. I will have a picnic with myself and my laptop, so it will be like all of you are joining me, right?

Ok, so, the weirdness of working at home aside, this is the weather that makes me want to put on my best spring purchases thus far and find some grass. I generally hate the outdoors, but for a few precious weeks before Georgia’s heat gets oppressive and insufferable, I can’t help but enjoy the gleaming promise of a new season. The only thing that could make it better would be having the Jimmy Choo Cecile Woven Bag by my side.

img src=”http://www.purseblog.com/images/2010/03/Jimmy-Choo-Cecile-Woven-Bag.jpg” alt=”” title=”Jimmy Choo Cecile Woven Bag” width=”527″ height=”339″ class=”aligncenter wp-image-21502″ /&gt

Bringing this bag to a picnic is probably not the wisest decision unless you’re very careful to keep it on the blanket and far from the food, but I’ve never been that good of a decision-maker (or particularly careful), so I’d probably do it in an instant. And with the basket-mimicking white woven leather and preponderance of shiny gold hardware, this bag is screaming for its turn in the sun – direct lighting is where this bag is going to look its best.

Don’t get me wrong, this bag would also be a champ under artificial light, but when a bag makes such a clear bid to be paired with the bright colors of spring and summer, I can’t help but hope that it gets at least a few moments outside with a fastidious owner that will make sure that the bag remains unsullied by the unpleasant realities of outdoor living. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my picnic blanket. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1495.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I was looking back at some of the bags I’ve been covering lately and it seems like most of them are rather structured and classic in nature. So, no wonder I’ve spent much of my day thus far drooling over bags that have more of an edgy feel to them. Case in point, this Jimmy Choo Bag.

As soon as I started looking at this bag, I was taken back to the last time I was in a Jimmy Choo store and how many fabulous edgy bags they have. It is always great to find a bag that makes a name for itself before you even know what name is on the label.

Again, coming across this bag I had to tip my hat to Jimmy Choo. Starting with the color scheme, the Jimmy Choo Embossed Rikki Shoulder Bag would really add a great hint of color and style to even the most basic outfit. While the bag comes in either purple or brown snake-embossed leather they both serve a purpose. For that splash of color go for the purple and for that go-to bag, go for the brown.

I know there are plenty of you out there who are very anti-embossing, but Jimmy Choo has perfected this technique. This being the case, no matter what side you are on, I’d encourage you to think twice. Along with the embossed leather, this bag has watersnake trim, silver hardware, a flap top with push-lock closure and belted detail. The camel suede lining will look good with either the purple or brown leather and the size is great (9″H x 13 3/4″W, 8 1/2″ shoulder straps drop). Bottom line, this bag is great and I’d love it to be mine! Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $1850.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

I’ve heard that turquoise is the color of spring this year. Ok, well, I heard it from something that Megs said on Twitter, so maybe I can’t claim any original research in the “color of the season” category, but turquoise sounds just about as likely as anything else. I have seen a lot of hot pink bags for spring, though, so I’d like to nominate that for second place.

Anyway, turquoise: perfectly lovely, glad to hear that it’s going to be big in the next few months. I much prefer it to orange or an alternative that looks equally terrible next to my skin. So, time to find a good turquoise handbag, I suppose, and the Jimmy Choo Rahmyn Snake-Embossed Hobo is one of the strongest contenders that I’ve found.

Most of the Jimmy Choo bags that I’ve seen recently have been trying way too hard to be special and interesting, and the thing that I find refreshing about this one is that it isn’t striving to be cooler than it is. Instead of being covered with a ton of unnecessary embellishment and hardware, Choo’s designers chose to do expertly dyed leather in a seriously drool-worthy color and simple shape, and it works so much butter than trying to make an average bag spectacular with glitter and fringe.

Embossed leather is not my favorite option, but it looks like they did a fairly unoffensive job of turning this bag into faux snake, so I’ll let it slide this time. The contrasting snake trim is a nice touch, and the texture works to make the bag less boring than it would have been in regular leather. I can already imagine how lovely this will look against white linen when the weather turns warm. Buy through Nordstrom for $1495.

Original post by Amanda Mull

First and foremost, I wish I had better pictures of this bag. Since I don’t I will make the best of it. I came across this Alexander Wang Diego Suede Bucket Bag and had to stop and look into it more. First of all, let me say, this bag is not something I’d probably rock, but I can think of countless friends who would love to have this bag slung over their shoulders. There is something edgy, funky and completely original about this bag.

This navy suede bag as those traditional silver tone stud details along the bottom. The stud detailing very much reminds me of the Alexander Wang Coco Bag that we’ve covered both here and over on Bag That Style. This one is much smaller, more compact and other than the stud detailing is completely different. The adjustable shoulder strap will let you use this as a cross body bag as well as a simple shoulder bag. One of the other things I love about this bag is that you can completely wear it during the day with a casual outfit and you can also dress it up for a night out on the town. Buy through Brown’s for £710.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

Prada, take note: if you insist on producing bags comprised mainly of perforated leather, then you might want to take some notes from Jimmy Choo on how you do it correctly.

We witnessed one of Prada’s perforated failings last week, so now I think that it’s only fair that we feature something like the Jimmy Choo Martha Perforated Clutch, which uses perforation tastefully. Well…maybe “tastefully” isn’t the word. Maybe it would best be described as “stylishly.”

The key to this clutch’s success over the perforated Prada bag is that this one uses perforations artfully and as a single element, not the full show. The pink diamond-shaped cutouts remind me more of fishnet stalkings than basketball jerseys, and I much prefer to be aesthetically transported to the 80s than to a sporting event.

It also works better because the clutch is designed better as a whole – perforations that might not work otherwise are elevated by their surroundings. I love that the entire bag is a single, beautiful color but that it has elements done in three different textures. Instead of being one-note like the Prada bag, it’s visually interesting and incredibly stylish (if you dig the 80s thing that’s going on in fashion right now, which I happen to). Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1175.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Today, Vlad and I took a trip to Jungle Island off of Miami Beach. There we mingled with our friends; the colorful, loud, and beautiful parrots. Our friend, Sky the Macaw, was chatting with me about my Gerard Darel Midday Midnight Hobo.

Truth is, Sky was more concerned with how to hop off her beam to gnaw at the wood on the pole next to her.

I was a long time lover of Gerard Darel bags and finally nabbed my first a couple months ago. The Midday Midnight Hobo is an excellent bag. The shape of the hobo is roomy, yet not oversized and the leather is thick and smooshy. The stunning purple hue pops out but will match practically anything. The only problem I ever have with this bag is getting the chunky top zipper to open when I have the bag on my arm. This is an inconvenience as it is always nice to have an easy opening zip. Buy through Delcina in other color options.

Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil

I know that Valextra is much-lauded as a brand of staid and classic bags that are extremely well-made out of the finest leathers, but…I just don’t get it. I can’t wrap my head around it.

It seems like I’ve seen the Valextra Babila Top Handle everywhere – on celebrities, as one of Barneys.com’s much-lauded “obsessions,” at the finest stores. But I can’t help but find them unbearably plain and dull – the emperor appears to have no clothes.

I don’t get it. Sure, it’s a bag. It’s functional and unobtrusive. Its lines are clean. It serves the essential functions of a handbag, and I’m sure it’s made with very fine leather. For those prices, I would hope that it’s hand-made. Out of unicorn hide. And gold thread. We certainly see bags everyday that are more expensive, but to assign a price upwards of $2000 to a bag that seems to be hardly more complex in design or construction than your average canvas tote? I think they’re pressing the bounds of sanity there.

So, like I said, I think the emperor has no clothes. An insider-y, esoteric brand makes it, the fashion establishment tells us it’s fabulous, fashionable stars like Angelina Jolie are photographed wearing it….so it MUST be great, right? And worth two grand? I just don’t think so. Even if it’s the best-constructed version of itself that it could possibly be, out of the finest leather, I just don’t think it warrants the price tag. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $2114.

Original post by Amanda Mull

We’ve had some harsh words to say over the past month or so about Prada’s fall handbag collection. Some of them are covered in fur, some of them are unfortunate combinations of velvet and nylon, and a lot of them look a little “grandma.”

As a result, I’m not sure if I’m being more charitable to the Prada Craquele Tote than I would be otherwise. It’s easy to argue that it’s a pretty decent bag when compared to the line’s other fall offerings, though.

To me, Prada bags always seem to be at one end of the spectrum – either they bore me to tears are they’re so far off in WTFland that I can’t conceive of how I would incorporate them in to my everyday life. This bag is somewhere in the middle, though, and I think that’s why I kind of like it. It’s not completely plain, but it’s also not completely over-the-top.

The gold studs on the contrast leather that runs along the seams and handles are a well-edited response to the studded trend, and the textured leather is interesting without looking too processed. It’s not knocking my socks off, but it’s easily my favorite bag of theirs that I’ve seen in a few months.

cite: http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446231645&ampFOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=282574492709740&ampASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395222441&ampbmUID=1252424844786&ampe⸫=2:25

Original post by Amanda Mull

There are a lot of things that I love. I love Alexander McQueen. I love black and white patterns. I love challenging design. I love it when function and art collide and something interesting results.

But I don’t love the Alexander McQueen Houndstooth Tote.

I understand the intent behind this bag, and it’s brave of designers to try and play with pattern and proportion in avant garde ways. Just because it’s brave doesn’t mean it works, though, and this particular creation just doesn’t.

The houndstooth pattern appears in different sizes and runs in different directions in the uneven patchwork sections that make up the body of this bag, and the entire thing is capped and dotted with high-shine black leather at the edges and in flaps strewn about the bag’s body.

In the all-leather version, the continuity of the black material allows the asymmetry of the stitching and paneling to take center stage. When it’s combined with a graphic pattern that can be notoriously hard to work with, the charm of the bag is lost, unfortunately. I applaud the effort, but the finished product isn’t everything I had dreamed it would be. Buy through Saks for $1995.

Original post by Amanda Mull