Custom Design

With cold weather approaching (it’ll get here eventually, I know it will, even if it doesn’t seem that way right now), most of us have started planning our winter wardrobes and maybe even amassing our favorite fall pieces to make sure we get our hands on them before they sell out. Almost all of the stuff I’ve acquired is black or dark grey, which reminds me: I need some winter white.

Winter white (which is just a warm tone of ivory, but we’ll go with the season-appropriate name) came around as a trend a couple of years ago and never really went away, and it’s a nice alternative to not only the dark colors of fall dressing, but also the outdated rule that one shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day. If any of the people who still subscribe to that notion can look at the Burberry Quilted Patent Tote and tell me truthfully that it wouldn’t be beautiful with a charcoal sweater and dark denim, I’ll be very surprised.

I might normally regard this bag as too simple for me, but the shiny gunmetal hardware has totally won me over. Instead of skewing traditional, as most people probably expect of Burberry, the clean-lined buckle takes on a modern military look that’s as cool as it is unexpected. The bag’s shape is classic, the color is lush and the details are trendy, which is a formula that almost always equals a great bag. Buy through Nordstrom for $1395.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Things from Jimmy Choo have been a bit “blah” lately. They’ve continued to make a lot of popular styles from previous seasons in new materials and finishes, which should make the brand’s devotees happy, but I always prefer to see something new alongside old favorites.

The Jimmy Choo Rosa Satchel maybe not seem all that striking or innovative to the casual observer, but for Choo, it’s something a bit different. Many of the brand’s bags have been a bit over-designed in recent seasons, and with that in mind, the restraint and editing that went into this design are admirable, not to mention very attractive.

Many brands have been looking to pare down their offerings into sleeker, more subdued shapes that will appeal to today’s recession-addled consumers, and this is the right way to do it. This bag doesn’t lack in glamour or sophistication, but its lines are a bit less aggressive than what we might have seen in 2006, for example. The embossed lizard gives the bag texture on top of the already shiny leather, and the way the light hits the finish of the bag creates a sophisticated shine that you just can’t get by dunking a bag in a vat of sequins or glitter. Well played, Tamara Mellon. Buy through Nordstrom for $1750.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Despite any fun that I might have had at Versace’s expense in the past, I really, really want the brand to get through its growing pains and come out the other side making beautiful accessories. Few labels have the kind of global name recognition that Versace enjoys, and it would make the accessories market as a whole much richer for Versace to find its voice and become a real player in the handbag game. If it keeps making bags like the Versace Hilary Satchel, there’s hope for the brand yet.

Instead of the over-the-top, mismatched styling that we’ve seen from the brand in the past, this bag’s design has been edited down to just the parts necessary to keep some of the Versace attitude. Most of that comes by way of the round hardware motif that dots the front of the bag, but it doesn’t distract at all from the beautifully textured and glazed purple leather underneath. Instead of having multiple colors, patterns and types of hardware compete with each other, this bag’s elements all work work together.

It’s not often that I see a Versace bag and think, wow, I would totally be able to work that in to my wardrobe, but that’s exactly the reaction I had to this bag. Medium-to-dark purple is a rich color that looks great against black and grey for winter, and it provides a bit of color to an outfit without looking season-inappropriate during colder weather. The abundance of hardware is typical of the Versace aesthetic, but in this iteration it doesn’t take away from the beauty of the leather or compete with the overall design. It fits.

The bag also seems to be at least reasonably functional. I wish it was a tad deeper, but as it is the design should still offer plenty of interior room for your everyday stuff without getting too bulky or heavy. The only problem, of course, is the price. If Versace wants to spark renewed interest from skeptical bag buyers, they need to consider a significantly different price point. There’s no way that this bag costs over a thousand dollars more to manufacture or market than your average Chloé bag, and most buyers know it. Buy through Nordstrom for $3250.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Most of the shock value of Coach releasing a bag with a four-figure price tag wore off years ago, but the disparity between the prices of the Coach Madison Calf Hair Brynne Satchel and the Coach Madison Ocelot Sabrina Satchel truly caught be off guard.

The Brynne, left, is made of printed calf hair with leather trim and is 14 inches wide. The Sabrina, on the right, is nylon with leather trim and measures 12 inches across. If you had shown me the bags and asked me to guess, I would have pegged the Brynne at about $700 – one of Coach’s pricier offerings, but not out of the brand’s normal range these days. The Sabrina would have been much lower, probably about $300. On one count, I would have been remarkably close (not much of an accomplishment, considering that this is my job); on the other, not so much.

The nylon Sabrina, as I had guessed, is priced at $298. On the other hand, the slightly larger Brynne, rendered in calf hair, rings up at a whopping $1400. Surely there’s a large difference between the wholesale prices for calf hair and nylon, and likely increased difficulties in processing, dying and sewing calf hair, but an $1100 difference for a brand whose bags normally cost far less than a thousand dollars is a bit quizzical.

Coach has many, many loyal fans who love the brand’s bags (not to mention the many other products it now offers), and I can’t help but think that those enthusiastic Coach customers have to be the primary audience for such an expensive bag. For $1400, I’m running straight to Balenciaga. Then again, that’s my favorite brand, so I can understand the why Coach fans feel the way they do about their label. For that amount of money, though, I’d suggest they buy the Sabrina (which would even be useful in the rain!) and save the other $1100 for two or more other future Coach purchases.

$1400 via Nordstrom.

$298 via Nordstrom.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Marc Jacobs’s bag line is so big that it’s hard to ensure that you get a glimpse of all the different styles every season. His designs generally range from whimsical to tailored in a single collection, but as logic would dictate, the furry, sequined and tassel’d offerings sometimes overshadow those on the other end of the spectrum.

The Marc Jacobs Camille Satchel, in all of its chocolate-brown glory, is here to remind us that Jacobs hasn’t forgotten the women who actually buy his clothes – urbane, sophisticated and desirous of high-end, high-style objets for use in everyday life. And that’s exactly what this bag is: a beautiful piece for a woman whose bag needs to function in the real world.

First let’s talk about structure – the utilitarian nature of this bag only makes it more beautiful. From the front, the design looks to be that of a flap-top satchel which would require some maneuvering to use, but in reality, the bag has a zip closure all the way across. The design cleverly hides the closure in order to retain the ladylike form of a more traditional bag, but on inspection, it’s totally pragmatic.

The other major design element on this simple satchel is, of course, the weathered brown leather. I’m not a big fan of brown accessories or clothing in general, but for this bag, I’d gladly make an exception. The wonderful textures lends itself to a decidedly vintage vibe without allowing the bag to actually look old, putting it perfectly in tune with this season’s trends. I knew you had it in you, Marc. Buy through Nordstrom for $1850.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’ve never had much of a problem forming an opinion, but for some reason I have yet to make up my mind about the Valentino Aphrodite Satchel. Is it great, or is it ever-so-slightly off? Do all of the elements work together, or does it look like two disparate bags joined into one?

After the jump, I’ve listed the design’s pros and cons and also provided a convenient poll for your voting pleasure.

Pros:

1. Color and pattern: Lovely! The origin of the print is somewhat indeterminate (although it’s clearly some sort of cat), but the cream and black combination makes the overall effect a bit more ladylike than leopard. For the shape and design of this bag, it was the perfect choice.
2. Scale: The size of the pattern relative to the size of the bag is bold and graphic, just as modern animal print should be.
3. Shape: “Lady scale” bags are the new ish, apparently, and this bag fits fall’s 60s trends perfectly.
4. The Bow: It adds an unexpected twist to the bag and makes the design distinctively Valentino.

Cons:

1. The Bow: Is it a pro or a con? I can’t decide. This entire poll is really just a referendum on the bow. The color doesn’t appear elsewhere in the design, which is what gives me pause. Does the bow throw you off as well, or does the contrast add something?

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

Buy through Nordstrom for $2795.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I don’t mean to be glib, but it’s been a while since I can remember seeing an interesting Dolce & Gabbana bag that wasn’t a Miss Sicily Satchel. That particular model has seen a lot of success for the brand, but it seems as though the various Miss Sicily satchels have cannibalized most of Dolce’s bag line for the past couple of seasons. They Italian label has released other bags, of course, but I’d be hard-pressed to name any of them off the top of my head.

Finally, it looks like they’ve come up with another design worthy of our focused attention: the Dolce & Gabbana Miss Charlotte Satchel. I don’t remember seeing this one in the past, so if it is indeed new, then I’d like to offer it a hardy welcome and express my sincere hope that it sticks around for a while.

The beautiful elephant grey that the designers chose is a perfect way to launch this shape: it’s a well-liked neutral that a lot of women could incorporate into their wardrobes, but it’s not so boring that no one notices the color. The details of the bag are also great: gold hardware and tassels make the bag a little bit special without diminishing the design’s functionality, which should be paramount for any bag of this size. Given the opportunity, I’d love to make the Miss Charlotte my new everyday bag. Buy through Nordstrom for $2225.

Original post by Amanda Mull

We got a peek at Fendi’s Fall 2010 runway handbags in March, but now that they’ve started to trickle out for retail pre-order, the details of the collection are becoming even more clear. What’s perhaps most striking, however, is how much the collection, now dubbed “Classico,” hasn’t changed.

Accessories are often altered somewhere in the runway-to-retail journey, but the clean lines and clear midcentury influence that we saw on Fendi’s runway are here in almost completely unadulterated form. Even the little tags remain, although these are embossed with the brand’s name instead of the custom initials that each model sported on the catwalk. I continue to hope that personalization will be available through Fendi boutiques, although I have yet to be able to confirm it. Larger pictures and price information, after the jump.

Fendi Classico No. 2 in embossed calfskin, $1540 via Luisa Via Roma.

Fendi Classico No. 2 in zucca, $1400 via Luisa Via Roma.

Fendi Classico No. 3, $1995 via Nordstrom.

Fendi Classico No. 4, $1640 via Nordstrom.

No word yet on what the Classico No. 1 might look like, although there is a Classico baguette that hasn’t been associated with a number thus far.

Original post by Amanda Mull

If you think that drawstring bags are too trendy and youth-focused to be relevant to your day-to-day style, the Donna Karan Metro Bags is here to prove you wrong. It’s current and stylish without being too obviously trend-driven, which is the perfect combination for an everyday bag.

I used to be totally opposed to bags with two carrying options, but I’ve since become a converted believer. This design uses them really well, and the sleek, modern hardware provides a beautiful touch of detail to both the shoulder strap and the short handle. The gunmetal grey is my personal favorite, but the bag looks pretty nice in black as well. Buy through Nordstrom for $1495.

Original post by Amanda Mull

There are times when I think I’ve missed my calling as a stylist. Ya, ok, maybe not. But, I have to say, as much time as I spend looking at and loving handbags, I spend almost as much time imagining which friend or celeb would be best suited for a particular bag.

But today, when I came across this beyond fabulous Jimmy Choo clutch I thought of so many different people who would look beyond fabulous with this clutch in their hand. In fact, I can see some of my friends who tend to go for an edgy look carry this as often as my friends who are a bit more feminine. I love when a bag can do that!

I think the best way to describe this clutch is by quoting a real life stylist, Rachel Zoe, when she sees something she likes: I DIE! This clutch is nothing short of edgy, chic and fabulous.

Yes, the Jimmy Choo Metallic Perforated Nappa Leather Clutch is very distinct and the hardware is in your face, but I don’t see anything wrong with it at all. I love the buckle detailing and removable chain shoulder strap. The leather is textured and works with the buckle detailing and shoulder strap nicely. While I usually don’t use shoulder straps with my clutches, this is an instance in where I just might. Shocker, right?! And I can’t help but notice how this bag could be carried all year around – always a plus in my book. Buy through Nordstrom for $1150.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney