Custom Design

I am in love. Valentino continues to make me a happy handbag fan. Yes, in the past, I’ve snubbed Valentino and thought that some bags were less than impressive. Today is not that kind of day. I am highly impressed with this Valentino Glam Tote. In fact, if I had some cash saved up, I would have bought it on the spot.

Before I get started, I must say, I really wish that Bergdorf Goodman would have larger images of products they carry available. However, luckily, they do have a zoom function. This zoom function has allowed me to fall in love with this bag. If it wasn’t for that function, I probably would have passed the bag by. But instead, I was able to look at the bag a bit closer and completely admire the exquisite and intricate bead work.

This tote is comprised of nude napa leather and has double top handles. With the tote being as large as it is, I do wonder if slightly larger handles would do the bag a bit more justice, but it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me. I wasn’t really interested in the drawstring sides, but I can let that go too. See, this bag, it is just downright gorgeous. The stripes of mini-studs and crystals intertwine splendidly. And since some of the studs and crystals happen to be on the two-layer ruffles along the front of the bag, there is a bit of movement. I can picture myself carrying this bag as I walk through a restaurant and the the light being reflected off of the studs and crystals – amazing. It typical Valentino fashion, this bag doesn’t come cheap, but like I said earlier, if I had money saved up, this bag would be mine! Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $2690.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

If you love the Valentino aesthetic but can’t justify shelling out two grand (or far more) for one of their plush, ladylike bags full of bows, ruffles and flowers, I may have a viable alternative for you.

The Villador Carpetto Bow Bag has a couple of Valentino’s most obvious signatures – drool-worthy leather and an oversized bow placed proudly for all to see – without being a ripoff. It’ll also run you about half of what Valentino’s most basic bags usually cost, and who can’t get behind that?

I don’t love the seaming around the edges of the leather “ribbon” (I think it looks a bit cheap, in fact), but I’m willing to overlook it because the leather itself, which is goatskin, looks so soft and touchable.

Other than the bow and the texture, the structure and color remind me a lot of another designer – Chloe. It has a boho feel and attitude to it, and the slouchy look is perfect to wear with boyfriend jeans or a flowing sundress. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1054.

Original post by Amanda Mull

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

For those of you who think that Alexander McQueen handbags might be a little too out there for your taste, I may have found a bag for you.

Looking at the name of the bag, I was wondering what was really meant by the word camouflage. Did it have to do with the colors, the design, some hidden meaning? It is not that McQueen camouflaged his genius or his innate ability to take design to the next level. Perhaps the word surrounds the idea that the bag is a bit more understated than most of us might be used to.

The Alexander McQueen Camouflage Skull & Rose Tote has understated beauty and edge written all over it. In fact, at first glance I barely noticed the skulls intertwined with the rose print design. The combination of rose and skull print on the canvas provides a great way to introduce femininity and edginess at the same time. Since the skulls aren’t as prominent as the roses, they do require a double take in order to be noticed. The canvas has wonderful brown leather trip and a great chain strap with 7″ drop. Everything works together in perfect harmony for a fabulous tote that would look good on the shoulder of so many women no matter what your taste may be! Buy through Saks for $930.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

After viewing Prada’s Spring 2010 runway show, I couldn’t help but think to myself, maybe the handbags were a joke after all. Maybe they won’t produce them. Perhaps, if we’re lucky, they’ll ship the REAL bags to retail and we’ll all be left with the daffy memory of those silly-looking bags that Prada so irreverently sent down the Milan runway.

Well, my wishful thinking was all for naut – the plasticky, rhinestoned monstrosities have landed. The Prada Spazzolato Tote might be the best of the bunch, and to say that’s faint praise would be the understatement of the season.

I’m not sure why anyone thought that it would be a good idea to take patent leather (yes, at least this one is real leather) and make it look sort of like a cheap pleather imitation of carrera marble, but that appears to be exactly what they’ve done here, and they’d like you to pay upwards of two grand for it. In order to entice you more, they’ve taken a fistful of rhinestones and bunched them indifferently at the bag’s closure, for reasons that aren’t immediately obvious.

To be fair, the shape isn’t terrible and the bag is lined in leather, a detail that more and more designers are choosing to ignore. Also, this bag isn’t see-through like a bunch of the other ones from this particular collection. Those are absolutely the only positive things I have to say about it, though. Buy through Saks for $2395.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I love when Prada sticks to what it is good at: clean lines, great leather and fabulous color. I have to say, I came across the Prada Saffiano Lux Tote today and let out a sigh of relief.

Actually, I’ve seen this bag before, but I forgot about it. So, when I came across it again, all I can say is BRAVO Prada, BRAVO! Unfortunately, I’ve come across too many Prada bags that have missed the mark lately. In fact, they’ve missed the mark so much that I virtually stopped looking at them. Today folks, today is a different day.

This classy bag comes in both blue and red leather – so take your pick! I am more into the blue, but that is my preference. The tonal topstitching adds a hint of texture but it is the golden hardware that absolutely has me captivated. I love how the hardware runs from the handles onto the top of the bag so gracefully. The hardware isn’t too chunky nor is it too flimsy. More than anything, the bag is classic, it is timeless and it is elegant. Everything about it is luxurious and I would starting looking at Prada handbags more often if they kept up with their strengths. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $1495.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

One thing that a lot of designers seem to have a very hard time doing is creating a bag that is both expensive-looking and covered in animal print. It’s not surprising since animal print is historically “tacky chic” at best, and at worst, just plain tacky. Getting past the initial “eww, is that zebra?” thought is a difficult sell for a lot of handbag customers in particular, since most people prefer their expensive bags to be neutral and timeless.

Somehow, though, the Roger Vivier Zebra Tote manages to look luxurious and chic in a traditional way, while still being boldly and obviously animal print. How did the designer pull it off? I have a theory, of course.

The folks at Vivier did two things very, very right with this bag: first, they kept the materials high-end. Most designers resort to non-leather materials when they want to make animal print because leather is difficult to dye in precise patterns. Choosing something like cotton canvas automatically downgrades the look, making the print look cheap by association. Instead of making that mistake, the designer used calfskin, giving the bag a richness that it would likely not have otherwise.

The second thing that the designer did correctly was not assume that simply using a pattern would be enough attention to detail. If the goal was to make something modern and minimalist, that would have been fine, but in this situation it probably wouldn’t cut it. Instead, the fine color variation in the dye makes the bag look well-crafted and beautifully wrought, increasing the style quotient exponentially. Vivier should teach classes in this sort of thing. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $2451.

Original post by Amanda Mull

It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of writing about a Nancy Gonzalez handbag, and I think I’ve figured out why: I can never tell when they’re new. I don’t mean to say that they all look alike, but…a lot of them look alike. Although I guess if a design isn’t broken, you don’t fix it.

The Nancy Gonzalez Navy Croc Tote surely isn’t broken. In fact, it looks like a completely functional yet totally elegant answer to most women’s need for an everyday bag. Plus, because it’s Nancy Gonzalez, it’s also and exotic at a relatively reasonable price.

There’s not a terrible lot to say about Nancy Gonzalez’s croc bags that I haven’t said before, so I’ll try not to repeat myself too much. What’s always struck me the most about them, though, is that they seem a good deal less fragile than your average ultra exotic croc bag. In fact, they seem downright tough at times, which probably allows Gonzalez to use less expensive crocodile hides than brand like Hermes, which uses only the most fragile, spotless skins. She passes at least some of the savings on to her customers – Gonzalez makes some of the most reasonably priced croc bags on the market. Buy through Saks for $3300.

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

Not too long ago, I wrote about a neoprene Marc by Marc Jacobs handbag on PurseBlog Savvy that I absolutely love, and I explained exactly why I think that neoprene is a cool material bags. I still think that’s absolutely true, and I still love the bag, but I just don’t know if I can justify to myself spending $350 for a bag that’s not leather.

The Gucci Techno Horsebit Large Tote, also made mostly out of neoprene, has put the price of the Marc by Marc Jacobs bag in stark perspective. And, in it’s own way, it’s made me more likely to spend money it.

This bag is cool and a bit futuristic while still being obviously Gucci, and I still love the collection from which it came – it was the brand’s best since the exodus of Tom Ford. The design is successful, if a bit busy. But there’s something we need to talk about.

It’s the price. The price. This bag has a bit of leather, but it’s made largely out of the relatively inexpensive neoprene. It’s a runway look, so one can assume that they bumped it up a bit in price as a result, but $2,790 for a bag that’s not all leather (not even close) is something that I cannot abide. Surely someone will, but all it does is make me appreciate the eminently reasonable MbMJ price point all the more. Buy through Saks for $2790.

Original post by Amanda Mull