Custom Design

You guys, it is the most beautiful day in the history of forever right now. A week ago it was snowing in Georgia, and now it’s 70 degrees and perfect, without a cloud in the sky. Come lunch time, I am going to be violating many a fashion rule by wearing white and flip flops long before Easter while I sit on a blanket at the University of Georgia’s leafy campus and eat a packed lunch. I will have a picnic with myself and my laptop, so it will be like all of you are joining me, right?

Ok, so, the weirdness of working at home aside, this is the weather that makes me want to put on my best spring purchases thus far and find some grass. I generally hate the outdoors, but for a few precious weeks before Georgia’s heat gets oppressive and insufferable, I can’t help but enjoy the gleaming promise of a new season. The only thing that could make it better would be having the Jimmy Choo Cecile Woven Bag by my side.

img src=”http://www.purseblog.com/images/2010/03/Jimmy-Choo-Cecile-Woven-Bag.jpg” alt=”” title=”Jimmy Choo Cecile Woven Bag” width=”527″ height=”339″ class=”aligncenter wp-image-21502″ />

Bringing this bag to a picnic is probably not the wisest decision unless you’re very careful to keep it on the blanket and far from the food, but I’ve never been that good of a decision-maker (or particularly careful), so I’d probably do it in an instant. And with the basket-mimicking white woven leather and preponderance of shiny gold hardware, this bag is screaming for its turn in the sun – direct lighting is where this bag is going to look its best.

Don’t get me wrong, this bag would also be a champ under artificial light, but when a bag makes such a clear bid to be paired with the bright colors of spring and summer, I can’t help but hope that it gets at least a few moments outside with a fastidious owner that will make sure that the bag remains unsullied by the unpleasant realities of outdoor living. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find my picnic blanket. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1495.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Diane von Furstenberg continues to slowly but steadily make her way into the handbag and accessory world. Our favorite DvF bag thus far has been the Stephanie, which has garnered massive amount of buzz and press from editors and celebrities.

Check out the video above to see accessories from the Resort line for DvF and let us know what you think of DvF continuing to break into the handbag world.

Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil

First and foremost, I want to say that I totally respect the reasoning behind why Stella McCartney does not use leather in her bags. It’s hard to find people that walk the walk as much as they talk the talk, particularly when it could have a significant impact on their business, and she does. Of course, when your dad is a Beatle, I’m not sure that you’re as concerned about things that might affect your bottom line as much as the average person might be.

That being said, I wish she didn’t stick to doggedly to her principles, because I would absolutely love the Stella McCartney Chain-Detail Tote if it was real leather.

This take on the season’s industrial trends is decidedly simple and straight-forward, which is kind of refreshing when you consider the glut of studs, zippers, and chains that adorn everything we’ve come across recently. The shiny, thick silver hardware frames an enormous piece of matte black faux leather that I can only wish were real. I’ve never come across non-leather approximations of the material that I found at all inspiring, and I fear this may even smell funny in person, but I sincerely hope it does and that it fools everyone. But I doubt it will – the graining of the material is just too uniform to look like the real thing.

And also, it has to be said – the way that the chain is attached and forms the handle reminds me of the Chanel Coco Cabas totes from a few years back. There, I said it. I’m officially turning into one of those people that thinks that everyone rips off Chanel. Go ahead and put my out of my misery now, while I still have an original thought or two in my head. I still really like this bag, though. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1145.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Sorry, Derek Lam, I’m just not buying what you’re selling here. I know, I know - you’re trying to make a little niche for yourself among the scads of smaller high-end bag designers out there. And it can’t be an easy thing, because convincing people to spend a couple grand on a bag from a designer that doesn’t have much handbag cache is a bit of a challenge, to say the least. But that doesn’t excuse what we have here.

When you’re dealing with quirky, non-symmetrical designs, there’s a really thin line between one that works and one that doesn’t, and I don’t think that the Derek Lam Elsa Python Clutch does. The material and color are both beautiful, and some of the asymmetry is well-done, but beyond that, Lam totally loses me. The half-covered silver ring doesn’t appear to serve any kind of functional purpose at all, and things always go off the rails in handbag design when you start adding elements that would normally be functional that don’t serve any functional value. But I think that the final nail in this little clutch’s coffin is the enormous, luggage-like handle at the top. Not only is the material not the same as the rest of the clutch, but the style is also different. It’s traditional and staid while the clutch is edgy and hip, and on top of that, the proportion of the two doesn’t even work. Buy through Barney’s for $1450.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Well, isn’t this just the ray of sunshine I’ve been looking for! Here in South Florida, we are in the midst of our rainy season. While I have become accustom to afternoon storms, the past week has been full of doom and gloom. Rain in the morning, thunder in the afternoon and a nice combination of the two in the evening. So, I’ve definitely been on the hunt for a handbag to brighten my day.

The Devi Kroell Degrade Wide Hobo uses bright colors in all the right ways! Python leather adorns this wide hobo (11″ x 17″ x 6″) perfectly. For me, exotic skins almost always look good on clutches or small handbags, but the same skin on larger bags can sometimes look a bit sloppy. If the sunflower inspired python wasn’t enough, open the bag and you’ll see a silk lined interior. Sure, I might worry that my keys or perhaps a pen (I never leave home without a pen and lip gloss in my bag) could snag the silk, but this is a risk I’d be willing to take. This bag is a complete hit, I love it! Buy through Barney’s for $3490.

Original post by Shannon Mahoney

We’ve seen a lot of the small crossbody trend in the mid-price bags that we feature on PurseBlog Savvy, but higher-priced designers haven’t seemed as eager to latch on to the fad. At first I was a little confused as to why, but I think it makes sense - the shape and size of those bags tend to skew younger, and younger buyers tend to both spend less money and be more open-minded to new names in the design world. It’s natural that brands that cater to a slightly older demographic would be a bit slower to adopt youth-based trends, so I’ve been waiting to see which of the Purse Blog designers would be the first to successfully create a mature version of these bags.

And my vote for the winner goes to the Salvatore Ferragamo Edda Chain Shoulder Bag. The first way that they keep this bag from looking too trendy is using the ultra-luxe chocolate brown python skin with little else in the way of exterior decoration. The skin is genuinely beautiful on it’s own, and realizing that it doesn’t need anything to help it along is the mark of an experienced designer. The second thing I like is the gathering of thin, delicate chains that form the bag’s strap. Instead of being chunky and attention-getting, they’re sophisticated and understated, which gives a polished finish to the design’ overall feel. I’d call this bag nothing less than a success. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for €1840.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to see a bag in person quite as badly as I want to see the Zagliani Woven Python Art Shoulder Bag. This thing might be completely stunning and awesome, or it might be way overdone and gaudy, and I don’t think there’s really any way to decide right now. I would advise everyone to take a trip over to Luisa Via Roma and use the zoom feature on it, though, because I have a tentative theory about what this bag’s problem may be (if it has one).

I’m guessing that this might be one of those purses that misses the forest for the trees, so to speak. The up-close details are so beautiful and unexpected that I can’t help but stare at this bag’s close zoom-in shots. The further you get away from the bag, though, the more of a mess it appears to be. I want this bag to be breathtaking in person, but with the weaving and the triangular shape and the exotic skin and the combination of colors, it may just be too much all in one. And I like over-the-top, but this just might not work. It’s impossible to say without an in-person viewing, though, so have any of you ladies seen it? Buy through Luisaviaroma for $9,005.

Original post by Amanda Mull

I’ve had mostly positive things to say about Dolce & Gabanna bags lately, but I just can’t get behind the Dolce &amp Gabanna Miss Dalia Hobo. My problems with it are similar to those of a bag of which we’ve spoken recently - the Jimmy Choo Metallic Hobo.

They obviously look nothing alike, but I can’t help but feel that this bag might be an afterthought as well. At they very least, it’s perilously under-designed and without much personality. There’s a bit of animal print, a bit of exotic leather, a bunch of suede…so how, exactly, did the folks at Dolce manage to make that boring? And not just boring, but also, possibly, a bit 90s. Particularly for it’s hefty price tag (almost two grand - egad!), this bag just isn’t cutting it. It’s too simple and lacks creativity. Next. Buy through Saks for $1995.

Original post by Amanda Mull

When it comes to shoulder bags, particularly hobos, it’s fairly well-documented that I have a penchant for slouch. I like things soft and even a bit saggy when it comes to that type of purse, and my taste rarely deviates from that. When you look at handbags for the majority of your day, you come of with different theories of what makes a good bag and what doesn’t work for particular shapes, and while none of those ideas is monolithic, I rarely find myself digging something that deviates far from my own personal bag ideals. The Roger Vivier Faceted Python Hobo is one very, very notable exception however.

Vivier is not known for slouch or shapelessness, and this bag is a highly structural hobo that uses its panels to highlight the differences in the python skins used and the colors featured. I’m still on the fence about the colors used (I love the red and white, but would have preferred another bright to the beige/grey), but I love the structure and differentiation between the panels, and this bag may make more of a high-fashion statement than any that I have seen recently. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for €2900.

Original post by Amanda Mull

For some reason, I have yet to be able to find a Zac Posen handbag that I genuinely love. Posen has been a fashion wunderkind and It-Designer for several years now (probably so long that it means he’s probably no longer either a wunderkind OR an It-Designer), and I’ve liked his Ready-to-Wear collections in varying degrees since he showed up on my radar. What I’m not quite vibing, though, are his bags. He seems to try and incorporate some of his signature clothing techniques into his accessories, and someone may want to let him know that the two categories are not the same and require different design flourishes.

Take the Zac Posen Belyn Hobo, for example. I really like the python stripe down the middle; python and other exotics should be used in trim more often. What doesn’t entirely work, however, is the draping at the sides. Instead of looking purposeful, it kind of looks bunchy and awkward. I also wish the bag had more of a shape…although I suppose “loaf of bread” is a legitimate shape. Try harder, Zac - you gotta live up to your own hype. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $1900.

Original post by Amanda Mull