Custom Design

I love it when something great to write about just appears in my email right when I’m looking for ideas. That’s exactly what happened yesterday when ProenzaSchouler.com sent out an email about the Proenza Schouler Fish Print Shopping Tote – I was in the process of looking for something lovely to post, et voilà! They gave me the perfect thing. Good lookin’ out, Jack and Lazaro.

The only problem is that now I have to decide if I want to buy the tote (and it’s matching wallet). When you zoom in really close on the brand’s website, it’s clear that the jacquered fabric is gorgeous – detailed, textured, full of color. I wear a lot of black and grey, so this might be the perfect thing to compliment my wardrobe. Plus, for a brand that normally charges quite a bit for their bags, this one is downright affordable.

Other considerations aside, the vibrancy of the print is really what’s making me pay attention in this case. The blues, yellows and oranges pop wonderfully and make the fabric look truly rich, something that’s usually lacking in even the nicest of non-leather designer bags. I’ll admit that I’ve gone a bit fangirl on Proenza Schouler recently, but its their willingness to make all of their products, not just their most expensive ones, beautiful, detailed and special that makes me love them so much. Buy through Proenza Schouler for $325. If you’d rather have the wallet, it’s $125.

Original post by Amanda Mull

If you’re like me, you have only one thought when you hear the word “Alaïa” – Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz, trying to explain to a mugger why she can’t lay down on the ground in the greatest movie of all time, Clueless.

“You don’t understand, this is an Alaïa.”
“An A-what-a?”
“It’s, like, a totally important designer!”

If you grew up in the 90s, movie quotes scarcely get more classic than that.

And that’s why, when I look at the Alaïa Perforated Leather Bag, all I can think is that it’s totally the opposite of a full-on Monet.

From far away, I couldn’t help but think, “So what? It’s just another perforated leather tote.” That opinion would be way harsh, Tai, because it’s so much more than just a hole-y leather bag when you get up close. The pattern that the perforations make is beautiful and fun to look at, plus the creamy leather interior is totally unexpected – I wouldn’t have guessed that there would be a color change at all. Maybe that Polonius guy made it happen.

Be careful, however – if you’re surfing the crimson wave or carrying other, uh, “personal items” in your purse, a bag that’s this obviously perforated likely isn’t for you. I’m not totally butt crazy in love with it, but you’ve got to appreciate this tote for what it is – and if you don’t, I’ve got a .45 and a shovel. I doubt anyone will miss you. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2200.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’m no great fan of paying high prices for non-leather bags, but after seeing the Yves Saint Laurent Large Shopping Tote, I’m unsure how long I’ll be able to continue my resistance to the concept.

When you’re a fan of designer handbags, it’s best to come up with some personal price boundaries to avoid getting carried away. It’s easy to become desensitized when the most highly sought-after bag in the world costs in the high four figures, but not every bag is worth what the manufacturer might want us to pay. The Yves Saint Laurent Large Shopping Tote has positioned itself in an interesting spot, however – the price just might be low enough to pique my interest for such an attractive bag, even though it’s not made entirely of leather.

This bag has three very strong things running in its favor: first, it’s generously sized. I don’t know anyone that would need a larger bag for work (although I’m sure that are people that would), and this could also easily hold a laptop and books for a super-fashionable college student. Second, that color. It’s wonderful. Amazing. Beautiful. Unique. I love it. It’s probably better suited for fall than summer, but it’s never too early to start getting your wardrobe together for next season, now is it?

What perhaps helps this bag the most, however, is the fact that, even at $700, the bag is a relative steal for a brand like Yves Saint Laurent. When you view this bag, with its very functional size and shape and beautiful color, within the brand’s normal pricing scheme, paying that much for a non-leather bag seems to bea little more reasonable. Remember how I said that you shouldn’t get sucked in by price desensitization? Well, yeah, I just talked myself right out of that whole theory. This bag is totally great. Buy through Saks for $695.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Ok, so, that’s probably a false promise. But these are five beach bags that we really like for five different budgets and personal styles.

(Clockwise, from top right)

1. Fendi Zucca Print Canvas Tote: This is the beach bag for the girl that’s worried about being glamorous in all facets of life. If you put heels and jewelry on to go to the beach and rent the best cabana in the best location (with cocktail service, of course), multicolored logo’d Fendi is exactly what you need to tote your towel. And also, I would like to go on vacation with you. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $1050.

2. Prada Plex & Mistolino Tote: If you’re a bonafide city girl gone temporarily coastal, this is your bag. It allows you to extend an austere Prada sensibility to a venue that would normally be more casual, which reminds everyone that you are headed straight back to your urban apartment and your black wardrobe, just as soon as you get finished with that enormous drink which appears to have an entire half of a pineapple in it. Buy through BlueFly for $636.

3. Juicy Couture Beach Cooler Tote: If you paid more attention to the drinks mentioned in the previous two descriptions than the bags that they were about, then this is your new best friend. Sure, there are less expensive portable cooler options out there, but that’s not really the point of this blog, now is it? Plus, none of them are nearly this cute. Buy through Saks for $128.

4. Diane Von Furstenberg Glazed Canvas Beach Tote: If you’re a fashionable 20-something on a budget (read: if you’re Amanda) but still want the coolest beach bag possible, this is the one you want. The casual atmospheres and bright color schemes of tropical places make carrying an orange, yellow and purple leopard print bag totally acceptable, and…oh, who am I kidding. I’d carry it whenever. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $75.

5. Ted Baker Print Basket Tote: If your style is more classic and you don’t want to spend a fortune on a bag that’s only useful on the beach, this slightly more formal option is perfect. It can just as easily be worn to a restaurant or daytime event if the weather is warm, and the ribbon-covered handles and large bow make it special. Buy through Nordstrom for $110.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Now that we’ve seen one example today of metallic gone egregiously wrong, I though it might be nice to give some props to a brand that has managed to get it oh so right – Lanvin.

I don’t love all of the brand’s handbags, but given an opportunity to see them in person, the quality of materials and attention to detail really shine. I haven’t seen the Lanvin Amalia Cabas Metallic Tote yet, but I have seen the matte leather version, and the subtle glimmer effect of this leather only makes me love it more.

Since subtle metallics are about as common as subtle heart attacks, it’s nice to see that Lanvin used an appreciable amount of restraint in selecting the finish for this tote. If they hadn’t, the bag would have been an utter eyesore because of its large size; as it is, it’s beautiful and neutral with just the right amount of glamor. Lanvin’s bags are also known for being unbearably soft, so if you get the chance, I certainly recommend fondling one of these beauties. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1795.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’ve been trying to figure out for some time now exactly what it is that makes me love Valentino bags oh so much, particularly since Shannon called me out on it last week. It’s not like no other designer has ever done ribbon and flower motifs – that, in and of itself, is not what sets the brand apart. And it’s not the shapes or colors they use, either – the vast majority of their bags are traditional shapes like hobos and totes, decorated intricately but in usually neutral shades.

I’ve been trying to pinpoint why I like them so much for a while, and as best I can tell, it’s because they feel like clothing to me. Instead of being something that’s tough and somewhat exterior to an ensemble, it seems as though Valentino’s accessory designers put as much thought and detail into something like the Valentino Tulle Rosette Bag as they would into an evening gown destined for the red carpet. In a marketplace full of mass-produced bags, a lot of the stuff that Valentino turns out still manages to feel and look special.

Admittedly, this bag is probably too fragile for almost any setting and certainly a tad over-designed, but you certainly get a sense of the workmanship and attention to detail that goes into one of the brand’s bags that may be slightly harder to articulate with a leather canvas. Indeed, the pleating and folding would be right at home at the sort of swanky awards show to which most of us will never go, but a lack of need for couture doesn’t mean that we can’t all own a piece of the Valentino magic. The brand’s bags seem more cohesive with the line’s overall aesthetic than a lot of other options in a similar price range, and you still get the femininity and painstaking attention to detail that you would get from one of Valentino’s far more expensive (and less functional) evening dresses. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2790.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Just the other day, Megs and I were having kind of an odd discussion. I don’t know how we ultimately landed on the topic, but somehow, the subject of pig leather came about. We both figured that it existed, since the nickname of “pigskin” for old-fashioned footballs certainly came from their porcine origins (although they were made from a pig’s bladder, not its skin, but that’s a whole ‘nother kettle of fish.) She and I spend exponentially more time than the average purse-lover studying the details of the world’s finest handbags, and neither of us could ever remember coming across a bag made primarily of pigskin.

Mere days later, and I come across the Rochas Pigskin Tote, from the first look at the brand’s Fall/Winter 2010 accessories collection. With a little research, I’ve found that Prada appears to have made a travel bag out of pigskin in 2007 and that there are many suppliers overseas offering the leather to manufacturers. Pigskin appears to be durable and at least reasonably attractive – why don’t we see it more often?

That’s a difficult question to answer, since I’m not inside the heads of the people that design high-end handbags and, as you would expect, basically none of them have ever commented on their lack of porcine accessories. That doesn’t mean we can’t recklessly speculate, however, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.

The more I looked, the more I found that workmanlike leather goods were mostly what utilized pigskin – work gloves, men’s boots, things that get dirty and take a beating. Somewhat unexpectedly, I also found that the material was quite popularly advertised as the main ingredient in lots of counterfeit bags.

Based on that information and what we see of the Rochas tote, it may be that pigskin is just a bit too durable and hardy for most luxurious bag designs. I could see it working for bags like this one that are super structured and clean-lined, but I think that pigskin is ideally left for more functional uses. Are Megs and I the only bag fans that have ever wondered about this?

Pricing information is unavailable at this time – the bag will debut in August. Photo via Style.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull

We all know how lovely the Bottega Veneta intrecciato woven bags are, but a lot of people feel like the brand’s simple good looks don’t fit their personal style. I can’t blame anyone for wanting something more, and while Bottega has been doing a fine job of mixing up their aesthetic recently, I’ve got a woven alternative for people that like something a little funkier.

The Vanessa Bruno Fringe Sack is full of bohemian texture and visual interest in a way that might be a little much for people that prefer Bottega’s more traditional bags, but it might be perfect for people that like to make a statement. I think that we all know, at this point, that a statement is what I prefer.

The knotted pattern of the fringe provides texture on top of texture, and in a lighter color the lattice effect might have been over the top. In black, however, the bag looks rich and touchable, and I want to hold it in my hands so that I can examine its intricacies in a more complete way. The fringe provides the last punch of bohemian flare, and although I’m not a fan of fringe as a generalized concept, I think it works in this context.

Not only is the bag visually pleasing, but I think it would be quite functional as well. Woven leather has an inherent slouch to it because strips of leather allow for more movement than the solid material, and this bag will sag beautifully when carried by shoulder. The straps look generous and comfortable, and the neutral color means that this bag, despite its intricacies, will go with a wide variety of ensemble options. Buy through ShopBop for $1494.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Is there ever such a thing as too many sequins? That’s probably a fashion question for the ages, and it’s not one to which I can give you a definitive answer right now. Sequins are like chocolate – in some contexts, a little goes a long way in others, too much is never enough. Now we just have to decide into which of those categories the Valentino Shiny Petale Tote falls.

I’m still a little undecided. On the one hand, the slightly-darker-than-champagne color is neutral enough to keep a bag like this elegant. On the other hand, the layered petals might be just a bit too much when covered in such a shiny material. Texture on top of texture is hard to do, and although this bag makes a valiant effort, it seems to fall a bit short.

From a distance, when the shine appears to be a leather effect instead of fistfuls of sequins, I thought that this bag was kind of cool. I love it when designers do unusual things to make leather look special, and I was all revved up to unleash a fit of sunshine in this review. That is, until I went to the bag’s product page and it became abundantly clear that there was no special leather to be found.

Perhaps I’m deducting a few extra points for my disappointment as a result, but it just seems like a cop-out for Valentino to take a bag they’ve been doing for seasons, cover it with sequins, and jack up the price. They employ some of the most talented accessories designers in the business, and although this isn’t bad, I expect better. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $2685.

Original post by Amanda Mull

To quote the title of one of my all-time favorite episodes of Sex and the City, I love a charade. Well, a fashion charade, that is. It almost never fails to impress me when designers are able to take a material that has a certain set of expected characteristics and make it look like something completely different. Earlier this week, I was impressed by how much Maison Martin Margiela made bike reflectors look like sequins, and now I’m feeling similarly pleased with the Bottega Veneta Woven Leather Tote.

On first examination, it looks like a really nice straw tote. And of course, I would expect that any straw bag coming from the Bottega Veneta workshops to be really nice, just like all of their leather offerings. That’s the thing, however – this IS one of their leather offerings. Plus it has a little bit of croc trim, just for good measure.

That the fine folks at BV managed to dye and weave soft leather in such a perfect way to make it mimic straw totally blows my mind. The color variation is subtle and utterly terrific, and the weaving differs just enough from the brand’s iconic intrecciatio that it makes you nearly certain that the material they’re using must be different. But it’s not – it’s your perception that’s different.

Fashion, at its best, plays with visual ideas in a way that’s thought provoking and new. Bottega may not get as much credit as they deserve for being innovative because they have such a classic, widely recognized look for a lot of their bags, but this tote should be enough to make anyone look at them anew. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $5700.

Original post by Amanda Mull