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ago and never really went away, and it’s a nice alternative to not only the dark colors of fall dressing, but also the outdated rule that one shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day.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

Megs and Vlad got back yesterday from a trip to the Bahamas, and I couldn’t be more jealous of them if I tried. I just got done moving, and there’s nothing I would love more than to spend a couple of days staring at the ocean in a rum punch stupor. Someone has to hold down the handbag fort, though, so here I am.

Instead of going on vacation, I’m just going to fantasize about toting the Lanvin Suitcase Honeymoon Set to an exotic locale with a hot man in tow. That’s a suitable alternative to actually taking a trip, right?

Considering what you get with this set (a fully lined canvas carry-on suitcase, a patterned tote with an interior pocket, a matching pareo, and a set of sandals with a carrying bag) and how much Lanvin bags and shoes normally cost, the sub-$800 price point seems downright reasonable. Add a bikini and some sunglasses, and you’d barely need anything else to spend a couple days nestled in warm sand. Excuse me while I visualize. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $740.

Original post by Amanda Mull

When you get down to the details, it’s no surprise that Nancy Gonzalez’s bags are so successful. First, the brand keeps costs down by sourcing most materials from its own farms, which means that Gonzalez’s crocodile and python bags are among the most well-priced exotics in the mass-market luxury business. Second, Gonzalez & Co. let the rare materials take center stage, as you can see so well in the Nancy Gonzalez Python Satchel.

Multicolored python can become cheap-looking very quickly if the designer doesn’t take care to maintain the integrity of the skin’s natural pattern, but the blue and cream combination that we see here only enhances the python’s inherent beauty.

The color scheme makes this bag look a little bit like a map of the world (well, at least a map of some islands) when I glance at it very quickly, but I’m not entirely opposed to that effect. In fact, I’m not opposed to it in the least – the colors work together to create a sunny, summery bag with an elegant finish. If only every designer worked with exotics so well. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2600.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Why must Miu Miu torture me so? Their Fall/Winter 2010 collection is one of the best that I’ve seen in quite a while, and that’s in no small part because of the line’s beautifully textured and detailed handbags. I’ve always loved the aesthetic of Prada’s little sister brand, and a handbag like the Miu Miu Quilted Front Lock Satchel only makes me love it more.

This picture absolutely doesn’t do any justice to the intricate chevron quilting that covers the majority of the satchel. It’s rich, touchable and utterly unique in a world where almost every quilted handbag uses simple diamonds instead of something more daring.

In its infinite charity, Miu Miu didn’t just limit this beautiful quilting to this particular bag – as more fall bags come out, it will be seen in clutches, totes and shoulder bags as well (and it has been used from time to time by the brand in the past), but this bag is my absolute favorite example. Over time it will slouch perfectly, accenting the quality of the quilted leather even more. Pre-order via Bergdorf Goodman for $1990.

Original post by Amanda Mull

It’s rare that you find something that’s honestly unique in fashion – designers are equal amounts artists and collectors, and they borrow from each other with great regularity. Carlos Falchi has proven repeatedly that he doesn’t mind searching for inspiration a little further off the beaten path than some designers, and he’s struck a truly unique note with the Carlos Falchi Henna Tiger Snake Satchel.

I know that this isn’t a handbag that everyone will love, but that’s why I like it so much – it’s a distinctive statement of style and personality. The best bags are those that some people don’t quite understand, and this blue-and-white-on-chartreuse painted floral pattern certainly puts this satchel in a different realm.

The color combination is totally unexpected, but that’s why I love it. It takes a particular type of personality to pair chartreuse with royal blue, and fashion should be all about the reflection of something interesting about the individual that chose the pieces. This bag would probably be a little hard to pair with outfits (although if you wear a lot of neutrals, you could probably get some good use out of it), but just looking at it makes me smile. Sometimes, that’s enough, even if it’s not the kind of bag that you’ll use every day. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $1595.

Original post by Amanda Mull

If you’re a fan of the Hermes Birkin (or simply not a fan of Lady Gaga), gird your loins for this one.

When her Monster Ball tour landed recently in Tokyo, La Gagita was seen in the airport carrying a white Hermes Birkin inscribed with a message that loosely translates to “I love small monster. Toyko love.”

In case you’re not familiar with the Gaga vernacular, “little monsters” is the name that she uses to refer to her fans, so her Birkin message was a shout-out to those that would be attending her Japanese shows. Using accessories and the paparazzi to communicate – clever, or not so much?

Regular readers of the blog will know that I’m a huge Lady Gaga fangirl, so I think it’s fairly clever. It’s not the most interesting thing she’s ever done, but playing with fashion and blurring the lines of social acceptability are two things that are integral to her public image, and not only does a Sharpie’d Birkin combine those things effectively, but it has managed set tongues wagging all over the internet.

UPDATE: As commenter Allen pointed out, it looks as though Gaga has now had her Japanese fans sign the back of the same Birkin, according the the pictures that she posted on Twitter today.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Be still, my heart.

Although versions of that famous phrase appear in the works of both Homer and Shakespeare, I think that it is most usefully and accurately employed to describe my salivating, almost quivering reaction upon seeing the Salvatore Ferragamo Python Soft Sofia Shoulder Bag. To put it in more vernacular terms: holy crap, y’all. If a bag can be sexy, this bag is sexy. I want to settle down and buy a house with it – too bad its price would be a good start to a downpayment.

It’s just…beautiful. Elegant, simple, clean-lined. I’ve always loved the somewhat off-kilter structure of the Sofia bag’s gussets (they’re folded up at the bottom and affixed with a metal Ferragamo ring instead of neatly stitched), and rendering the shape in python only serves to up the wow-factor by several orders of magnitude.

I can only imagine how fragile snow-white python would be and how scared I would be to get it dirty, so this bag is likely not for the faint of heart or those whose existences find them sitting their bags on the ground from time to time. If you’re looking for a beautiful bag to carry very carefully, however, this is the one that I would suggest over all others that I’ve seen in the past few months. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $3391.

Original post by Amanda Mull

What is there to say about the Chanel 2.55 Reissue Alligator Flap Bag that isn’t already patently obvious, just from looking at it? I’m not sure, so feel free to ignore my words and have your own private droolfest over this thing. I wouldn’t blame you at all.

What we have here is the standard 2.55 Reissue Flap with Mademoiselle chain, rendered in perfect patina’d alligator. It’s from the Pre-Spring 2010 collection, it’s utterly gorgeous, and it’s out of my price range. That doesn’t mean I can’t look at it, however – looking is free, and I encourage all of you to do as much of it as possible. This is a bag that deserves to be seen.

Price figures for this bag are hard to come by, but conventional wisdom puts it in the $20,000-$30,000 price range (which may actually be a bit conservative.) Is it really worth that much? I guess that depends on how big of a bite that would take out of your bank account. Either way, it was surely be a lovely thing to have in the closet for those days when your outfit needs a bit of reptilian flair. For price and purchase information, contact Chanel at (800) 550-0005

Original post by Amanda Mull

Kate Moss, handbag designer? That’s what Longchamp seems to think. The longtime face of the French brand has recently debuted a mini-collection of her own under their label, and I think her handbags perfectly demonstrate an important fashion principle: not everyone that has great personal style is cut out to be a designer.

Of course, it’s questionable how much involvement Moss really had in bags like the Kate Moss for Longchamp Zebra Pony Polonchon Gloste Tote, but either way, they’re not all that impressive. It’s not that they’re bad, but they’re almost too devoid of personality to even be notable, was there not a famous name attached. Somehow, even this zebra print is looking a bit dull.

I was hoping that Moss would bring some fresh zip to the somewhat staid, traditional line, but other than this little leopard number, most of the bags are staid leather duffles and hobos. They look well-executed and a bit luxurious, but they aren’t anything that Longchamp (or any bag line) couldn’t have created without the supermodel’s help.

Although, if they had done it on their own and just put her in the ads, I probably wouldn’t be talking about the bags at all. I see what you did there, Longchamp. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1583.

Original post by Amanda Mull

There’s just something about the color combination of pink, yellow and white that makes me so cheerful. I’m sure that it’s because I associate those colors with warm weather, but I’m not entirely sure why warmth continues to make me happy – I’ve lived in Georgia all of my life, and at this point, I should feel about heat how a Michigander (yes, that’s what you call them) feels about snow.

I’ve had enough sweaty, uncomfortable days in my life that I should hate the impending heat, but the sunny-sweet Marni Small Woven Tweed Bag makes me long for it anyway. I’m like an addict that knows the stuff is bad for me, but I still need a hit.

I’m not a huge fan of florals, but this floral is not so graphic and obvious that I find it off-putting. On the contrary, it has a nice, worn-in feeling to it that…well, it might make it kind of grandma-y, but we all have our weaknesses. Mostly, I just can’t stop looking at the colors – hot and pale pinks, yellow, chartreuse, hunter green. There are so many great outfits that can be built around this bag that my mind is totally boggled. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1130.

Original post by Amanda Mull