Custom Design

I’M BA-ACK! I’m minus two tonsils, five post-surgery pounds, and a week of my life, but I have returned triumphant to do one of my absolute favorite things: make fun of a truly horrific Versace bag.

It’s almost as though the universe placed the galacticly awful Versace Scream Shopper on Nordstrom’s website to welcome me back to the land of the living – It’s been quite a while since Donatella & Co. have provided us with a bag so thoroughly worthy of ridicule. When pitched such a softball, I can only hope to hit it out of the park. Won’t you join me?

Can someone call Donatella and tell her that putting out crap like this is why her company is failing? Does she not realize that? How could it not be obvious? Am I taking crazy pills?

That a company could put out a bag made of mismatched patterned leather, acid yellow trim and baseball stitching and expect people to spend well north of three grand on it absolutely boggles the mind. The people that made this bag live on a different planet from the rest of us, and it’s not a place that I hope to visit. Ever. It probably smells like Axe body spray mixed with fake tan. I’d say that this bag looked like a Junior’s Department nightmare, but really, it might be uglier than that.

On the other hand…has ever a bag been so aptly named? Buy through Nordstrom for $3395.

Original post by Amanda Mull

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, I’d like to say that I’m so incredibly happy that Chanel Haute Couture chose to do something more interesting for their show this season than they did for their show last season. Although, if you find silver and white boring, this may be another loser for you.

It was a winner for me, however. For the first time in his lengthy career, Karl Lagerfeld created a collection that completely eschewed black and navy – in fact, it eschewed color of any sort, save for a few traditional Chanel suits with a culotte twist (I just dry heaved a little bit there), which were rendered in various pastels. The collection was beautifully draped, beaded and rendered in the most unforgiving color palette you can imagine for the construction of clothing, but it all worked exactly as it should have. Of course it did; it’s couture.

Lagerfeld has said that the collection came to him in a 5 a.m. dream-like flash, and he referred to it as “neon rococo.” It wasn’t exactly neon, but it did have a great deal of glitzy intricacy, which more or less fulfills the “rococo” part of that proclamation. While the beading motifs may have reflected an old-world sensibility and craftsmanship, some of the elements – foiled stripes on a white dress, the high-gloss silver booties that every model wore, Baptiste Giabiconi’s metallic suit as he escorted the traditional end-of-collection couture bride – were at least a bit reminiscent of the most fashionable sci-fi movie you’ve never seen. If the people that made those movies dressed their actors in Chanel couture, I might reconsider my hatred of the genre.

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Photos via Fashionologie.com

Original post by Amanda Mull

Before we go any further, does Chanel’s website make anyone else sort of dizzy and motion sick, or am I just way too sensitive to that sort of thing? Websites where brands make their bags run frantically from side to side make my head spin, and that website structure makes me find something else to look at almost immediately.

In this case, however, I persevered in order to find the Chanel Rubber Effect Python Signature Tote. Was my nausea worth it? I think it was, but then again, I do have an unnatural affinity for everything black.

There’s just something so thoroughly Chanel about an exotic black bag. They use the color to greater effect than probably any other major designer, and the python gives the bag a thoroughly luxurious appeal that the brand’s customers expect.

I haven’t seen the bag in person, so I can’t comment with full knowledge about the rubberized finish, but the matte effect is a welcome change from the python that I normally see, which is almost always glossy. Flat black has an edgy, modern quality to it that the brand’s bags have lacked over the past season or two (at least in my estimation), and the finish might have done a bit to make the delicate scales more durable as well. Now that is killing two birds with one stone. More information available via Chanel.com, price available upon request.

Original post by Amanda Mull

My family spends Christmas Eve with family friends who throw an amazing party every year. It is now a staple of our holidays and an event that we look forward to. This year Shannon and I put down our bags for a moment and Vlad took the opportunity to capture a shot.

My bag, a 2004 navy blue and white Chanel bag is a little treat I love to bring out. Small, light-weight, feminine, and still very Chanel. Shannon added a bit of glitz to her outfit carrying a gift from Katherine Kwei herself, a Donna Clutch in metallic water snake.

Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil

ShopBop continues to bring us a small, eclectic group of vintage handbags. What are we digging the most? The Chanel bags. Chanel vintage handbags show us that the brand is not only timeless but also that their designs continue to be relevant. The newest addition to the vintage collection at ShopBop is a Chanel Vinyl Bag which features signature chain straps with a clear vinyl body and interlocking black letter Cs at the front and back.

The reason this bag doesn’t do much for me is because I have never loved vinyl bags. If I wanted to own a vinyl bag, this could be it. I can picture pairing this bag with large oversized sunglasses and a casual outfit of jeans and a tee. In my mind it looks good. The other thing about a clear bag is to make sure whatever is showing through is not entirely awful. I would opt for oversized colorful pouches to be the innards which will show through with a little pop of color. Dimensions are 12.5″H x 16.5″L x 4.5″D. Buy through ShopBop for $2,860.

Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil

I am going to go ahead and speak for the entire Purse Blog team when I say, this is a great Tuesday. I’ve said it before, but collaborations are the best! And today, I get to share with you yet another amazing, I mean, super amazing collaboration we’ve started. This time, we are working with the oh so posh and glamorous Beverly Hills Lifestyle Magazine!

I was beyond trilled to hear about the opportunity to partner with this fashion forward magazine. Anything and everything related to fashion can be found in this magazine. You don’t have to be a resident of the Beverly Hills area to appreciate the magazine. In fact, this is the kind of magazine that will set trends, set the tone and show you everything you need to know about fashion. As you can imagine, we are in love! Head over to Beverly Hills Magazine to check out not only what they have to offer but also how we are involved (pay attention to pages 12, 58-59). We hope you enjoy this partnership as much as you do!

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

There are few more joyous occasions in fashion than Paris Couture Week, although this year’s flamboyant celebration of clothing and artistry has been somewhat hampered by the depressed economy and the impending departure of one of the genre’s greatest voices, Christian Lacroix. The fact that he was able to put on a show at all is the big story of the week suppliers and industry friends helped the designer piece together a last-minute collection and presentation for what could be his last couture show if his brand doesn’t find a backer quickly. It demonstrates an odd sort of collegiality among fashion industry workers that many on the outside looking in might overlook in the midst of so much glitz and fabulousness - it takes an army of people to make this happen for us a few times a year, and they work extremely long hours for really modest pay. That so many of them donated their time, skills and goods to Lacroix to put together what may be his final show is kind of touching, particularly in an industry known for ego and elitism. He’s not the only one to put on a show for fashion editors and couture customers this week, though - we’ve got a rundown of the best looks from the best shows, after the jump.

Christian Lacroix

Since this may be Lacroix’s last appearance, I thought it was only fitting that he went first. His collection was based mostly on fabrics and other materials that he already had in his atelier, which mostly resulted in looks far more restrained and widely understandable than average for the haute couture master. Perhaps the more accessible looks will help Lacroix’s label find investors; one can only hope. The bright spot of hope was the small collection’s final look - an intricate wedding dress worthy of the Virgin Mary rendered in stained glass. It was so thoroughly and classically Lacroix that it almost reasserted that the man intended to soldier on and make beautiful clothing.

          

Chanel

I suspect that I may have been the only one that felt this way, but I just wasn’t feeling the majority of Chanel’s collection. Sure, the 60+ look presentation was chock full of beautiful clothes some of them were even breathtaking. And I know it’s a Chanel staple and part of the brand’s history, but I just don’t care to see more than a dozen versions of a wool skirt suit when I tune in to see Haute Couture. I want drama, I want a challenge, I want something I can’t wear to the office. As the presentation went on, things picked up nicely, but front-loading the suits made me feel like I had to wait quite a while before anything dramatic came along. And when it did, it was standard Chanel couture - lots of white, ivory, black and silver in looks that were thoroughly French and thoroughly intricate. Lace and beading abounded; I only wish that we could have skipped the suits and gone straight from the fabulous.

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Valentino

I don’t associate Valentino with haute couture in the same way that I do Lacroix or Gaultier, but I was immensely impressed by their collection. It was full of enough black lace, darkly beautiful silk roses, and jet beading to choke a goth, but despite the somber palette, the mood of the show was surprisingly youthful. Lace mini dresses and black rose-themed cocktail attire are on my fantasy list of night-out options, and Valentino’s stable of master couturiers realizes those options masterfully, in a way that is both young and extravagant. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s really pretty.

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Christian Dior

Another couturier choosing to not reinvent the wheel for this season was John Galliano at Christian Dior. Which is not to say that it wasn’t totally sublime - oh, it definitely was. The collection was a throwback to New Look Dior, simultaneously intricate and deconstructed in its use of corsetry and underpinnings as important elements of each ensemble. The colors were vibrant and cheerful, contrasting beautifully with the ivory and black base garments. This collection was a reminder of what couture is all about - extravagance, intricacy of construction, and clothing that can legitimately considered an art form. From the brilliantly enormous hats to the masterfully tailored coats and corsets, no collection reminded me more that couture is a single piece of clothing made for a single customer.

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Jean Paul Gaultier

Ahh, I saved the best for last. From Brigitte Bardot to Barbarella, Jean Paul Gaultier gave us a collection loosely based on the screen sirens of yesterday and today. And the clothes were full of film fantasy - alligator overalls, floor-length fur, mini dresses that appear to be made of liquid metal. Gaultier is a master of the outrageous and fantastic, and he makes the clothes that I wish I could wear, if I had an endless budget and the self-confidence necessary to pull off something like a sequin-covered sailor shirt. Anyone that can conceive of such amazing garments not only wins at couture week, but wins at life.

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Original post by Amanda Mull

Doesn’t it seem like a million years since we saw the last season of Project Runway? Anyone remember who won that season? It was Leanne Marshall, the the mousy Pacific Northwesterner that made clothes with lots and lots of wave-like ruffles. Part of her prize for winning the competition was that she would make a collection to be distributed through BlueFly.com, and apparently she finally got around to doing that!

The collection hit BlueFly yesterday and it’s a rather limited line of skirts, tops, and dresses, some of which include Leanne’s signature wave motif. Prices for the items range from under $100 for t-shirts to almost a thousand for the evening gown that we have pictured here. I don’t mean to be a hater, but for how long it too Leanne to get this stuff released, it’s not all that exciting. Most of the pieces are perfectly serviceable and wearable, which is nice, but the limited range of colors and styles is disappointing, considering Leanne’s considerable talent. One nice aspect of the line, though, is that it’s eco-friendly; it looks like her speech about sustainable design practices on the season finale wasn’t just a lot of hot air. Buy through Bluefly for $98-$990.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Last night some members of the Purse Blog team (Megs, Vlad, Intern Joe and myself) had the opportunity to attend an exclusive launch party at the Louis Vuitton store in the Bal Harbor Shops. The event was a little different than what we are used to since the party was for sneakers and not handbags. As many of you know, Kanye West has teamed with Louis Vuitton to create high end designer sneakers. While Megs and I did try and convince Vlad and Joe to snag a pair, I think it is fair to say the sneaks aren’t really our cup-o-tea.

True, these shoes are rather unique (although, do they remind any of you of the old school Reebok high-tops?), but I don’t think I will be rushing out to buy them any time soon. However, there were plenty of others at the event last night that were walking away with boxes and boxes of these shoes. It may or may not come as a shock to you, but a lot of these shoes are close to sold out! Head over to your local LV store and grab some… if it’s your kind of thing.

Image via LA MJC

Original post by Shannon Mahoney