Custom Design

I was looking at my handbag collection the other day and I realized that most of my handbags are very “safe”. There are typical shapes you would expect, typical colors, and typical materials. I can’t say that my collection is boring, but the day I was looking at my bags I felt the need for some spice and pizazz amongst my bags. I bought a new Marc Jacobs bag recently (reveal to come this week) that is so loud and edgy, it will surely bring an immediate burst of energy into my collection. But I am craving more.

After I saw the Louis Vuitton Spring 2010 handbag and accessories at the LV boutique in Bal Harbour, I ordered two items. One is the colored fox tail that continues to be seen adorning the Spring bags. The other item I will not reveal, as it is one of the four bags I am having you vote on. But I am second guessing my choice and want your help. Help me decide which Louis Vuitton bag from the Spring 2010 collection will add more spunk and character to my collection.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

The contenders are:

1) Monogram Cheche Bohemian – This line is named after a protective garment which is worn over the head and neck. This line of bags shows off contrasted fabric and texture, with black on beige Monogramed jacquard with lurex and fluorescent threads.
Price: $2410
Size: 16.9″ x 13.4″ x 10.2″
Colors: Bleu, Rouge

2) Monogram Underground Messenger – This collection uses supple Monogram-embossed goat leather with additional pompoms and headphone cords.
Price: $3730
Size: 9.4″ x 12.6″ x 4.7″
Colors: Crème, Mastic

3) Monogram Denim Sunrise – Denim is back. This time LV brings us colorful ombre denim bags with bright contrast straps.
Price: US$2640
Size: 17.3″ x 14.2″ x 10.6″
Colors: Orange, Bleu

4) Monogram Denim Sunburst PM – This large shoulder bag features a fading blue denim with a hot pink shoulder strap and accents.
Price: $2800
Size: 15″ x 7.5″ x 7.5″
Colors: Vert, Bleu

Please vote to help me choose which bag to buy. And if you do not like any of the options, tell me what bag you think I should consider. Looking forward to seeing what you all think!

[info via ILVOELV]

Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil

There’s a reason I was never the fan of the massively studded bag trend. Those stylish, seemingly innocent studs can be sharp. Sharp in the way that makes you wince a little bit if you have to grab on to a heavy clutch covered with the things. I’m speaking from experience, folks.

But that same reason is why I absolutely adore, not abhor, little clutches covered with conical studs, like this Be&D Studded Zip Around Clutch Wallet. I know, I know, the studs are still like pyramids, but they aren’t sharp. The dull end, my friends, is what matters to the hand.

Better yet, the clutch in question is also a sleek wallet, so stuffing it until it weighs more than three potatoes is, well, unrealistic. And because it has a removable wrist strap, that clutch can also be a wristlet. For me, that’s all the more reason to keep it light. Now, just look at the side for a moment. How edgy do all those signature Be&D studs look? And for me, they look even more wonderful now that I know I won’t have red marks all over my palms. Buy through Nordstrom for $395.

Original post by Anna Cooperberg Gonzalez

There’s a reason I was never the fan of the massively studded bag trend. Those stylish, seemingly innocent studs can be sharp. Sharp in the way that makes you wince a little bit if you have to grab on to a heavy clutch covered with the things. I’m speaking from experience, folks.

But that same reason is why I absolutely adore, not abhor, little clutches covered with conical studs, like this Be&D Studded Zip Around Clutch Wallet. I know, I know, the studs are still like pyramids, but they aren’t sharp. The dull end, my friends, is what matters to the hand.

Better yet, the clutch in question is also a sleek wallet, so stuffing it until it weighs more than three potatoes is, well, unrealistic. And because it has a removable wrist strap, that clutch can also be a wristlet. For me, that’s all the more reason to keep it light. Now, just look at the side for a moment. How edgy do all those signature Be&D studs look? And for me, they look even more wonderful now that I know I won’t have red marks all over my palms. Buy through Nordstrom for $395.

Original post by Anna Cooperberg Gonzalez

Lest we all had forgetten after seeing one too many soft, wonderful Valentino bags, Dolce & Gabbana has a stark reminder for us: ruffles aren’t easy, man. Not when leather is involved.

The key to successful leather ruffles is to make them so light and airy that you forget that what you’re looking at is a thick, hardy material out of which they also make car interiors. The illusion is what’s important, and if the designer can’t take the materials and make something greater than the sum of its parts, then the whole design doesn’t work. Sadly, that’s the situation we find ourselves in with the Dolce & Gabbana Miss Heather Shopper.

Dolce’s first mistake was their choice of leather. This bag’s material is pebbled and stiff, and in order to mimic the movement and fluidity of a softer, more ethereal fabric, they need to choose a softer, smoother leather. They were screwed from the beginning with this stuff.

And then there’s the shape of the ruffles themselves. They’re too straight and tight to be pleasing in a visual or tactile way, and the stiff and shiny finish makes them look cheap. The bag’s overall effect isn’t one of luxury or sumptuousness, and if they want to achieve that in the future, then perhaps they should take a page out of Valentino’s book (or hire a few of their accessories designers). Buy through Nordstrom for $1450.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Whether you like their bags or not, Valentino does the best detail work in the business. There’s not a major designer that can touch them when it comes to taking regular (albeit extremely supple and wonderful) leather and turning it into something that is far more than the sum of its parts. Behold: the Valentino Fleurs Couture Tote.

That the designers behind the brand managed to create such a beautiful menagerie of flowers from leather is, at the very least, impressive. The color combination my favorite, but that seems like a minor quibble when faced with this kind of leather work. Still, the contrast that the colors create is important to differentiate all of the texture and detail that is contained in the bag simple building this in black wouldn’t do it justice.

Just like all Valentino bags, this one comes with a hefty price tag. But if it wasn’t justified for something so intricate and made out of such fine materials, then for what exactly would it be justified? Buy through Nordstrom for $2690.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Last month, I wrote about the cash flow problems that Versace has and how better handbag design could potentially alleviate some of their woes. No other brand makes bags that are such a consistent running joke in high-end bag circles, and they have little to no rabid following when it comes to their accessories.

Sadly, the Versace Gree Shopper could not be a more apt example of why that is. Gaudy metallic? Check. Logos galore? Check. No leather to be found? Check. Astronomical price for a canvas tote? You better believe it.

Sadly, bags of this variety are the rule and not the exception at Versace. To me, they look like they’d best find an audience if they were sold in the juniors department at a mid-range department store for a drastically reduced price, but XOXO already has the corner on that market.

The stupid thing isn’t even attractive, and that irritates me. Versace could be a brand that makes fabulous, luxurious things, but instead they choose to make gold canvas totes and charge a stack and a half for them. Then they wonder why their business is in serious financial trouble, and bags like this make it difficult me to feel sorry for them. They do it to themselves. Buy through Nordstrom for $1425.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Is it just me, or does the Fendi Rose Zucca Chef Bag look like it really wishes it was born a Louis Vuitton instead?

When you’re dealing with a design element as obvious as graphic roses layered over logo canvas, it’s hard not to draw parallels between this and the Stephen Sprouse collection that garnered so much attention last season for Vuitton. I wonder if Fendi’s accessories designers would even be able to keep a straight face while they were claiming that this isn’t a ripoff.

And it’s not even a halfway attractive ripoff. The Vuitton bags were successful because not only did they feature the art of a widely respected pop artist, but they were also visually quite interesting. The roses were robust and colorful, and they overshadowed the traditional monogram on which they sat.

The Fendi, on the other hand, is just kind of sad. The roses are boring and small, and they do nothing to spruce up the zucca print fabric that we’re all used to seeing. Find your own gimmick, Fendi – Vuitton’s already got this one on lock. Buy through Nordstrom for $940.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Is it just me, or is Chloe not a brand that makes a whole lot of hobos? Well, that’s not entirely true – they usually manage to turn their popular bags into hobos at some point in order to capitalize on their popularity – but it seems like most of their bags don’t start life as hobos, right? But today is a new day, because the Chloe Marcie Hobo is a hobo from birth and it’s, eh, medium amounts of successful.

The stitched texturing on the front flap looked good upon initial examination, but now I’m not so sure. It gives the impression that the leather is layered, but in reality, it’s just a clever sewing trick. Which is cool, I admit, but it just kind of…stops. There’s not a seam there to mark a natural ending point, which means it rather looks like someone got tired of sewing. Which, I mean, I can understand that. Sewing looks hard.

Other than that point, and it’s a small one, the bag is quite pretty. Chloe uses some of the best leather of any designer, and the creamy beige color shows it off well. The wrapped handle is a nice touch to keep things from looking to under-designed, and I like the thickness of the dangling drawstrings. Chloe should really consider making hobos a larger part of their original repertoire. Buy through Nordstrom for $1595.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’ve got to say at least one nice thing about this bag: Dolce & Gabbana, I like your enthusiasm.

No, actually, I love it. Because the kind of chutzpah it takes to put together seven (that I can count) types of fuzzy animal print onto one bag is the kind of chutzpah that it takes to occasionally create a stinkin’ awesome bag. But at this point, ladies and gentlemen, I have but one caveat: the Dolce & Gabbana Miss Martini Flap Bag is not that bag.

Oddly enough, I think that what this bag suffers from the most is not that there are too many patterns, but that all of the patterns are too similar. Instead of creating contrast and visual interest, they all sort of meld together into one big tan animal print glob, and the result is decidedly “craft store.”

Not that it would have been any better had they added in, say, zebra print or snake print. This idea was more or less dead in the water from the get-go, but if it takes making a thousand ridiculous bags to finally get to one that’s genuinely great, then I’m okay with that. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Buy through Nordstrom for $1075.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Back in June, we found out that Jimmy Choo was going to be releasing a line this fall in conjunction with Elton John’s AIDS charity, and now the first vestiges of that limited edition line are making their way to market for pre-order. Everything from flip-flops to clutches will be available, but the centerpiece of the effort is the Jimmy Choo Project PEP Glazed Canvas Tote.

Just as they said it would, the bag’s pattern includes a mishmash of symbols from the Choo design lexicon – studding, eyelet, the British flag, animal print. The overall feeling is slightly punk but still high end, just like what they appear to be going for lately. It’d be a great bag for casual weekend use or for bad weather since the canvas is glazed.

The best part of the bag, though, is the big charitable contribution that it will make – 25% of the net sales from the Project PEP line will go to the Simelela Rape Center in South Africa, which provides anti-HIV medication and healthcare to rape victims. Nearly $250 will be donated for every one of these totes that is sold. Buy through Nordstrom for $995.

Original post by Amanda Mull