Want it Wednesday: Oscar de la Renta Dyed Rabbit Fur Clutch

It’s hard to find a perfect fur clutch, and we know that because so many well-known designers attempt to tackle fur and have absolutely no luck. This is where designer extraordinaire Oscar de la Renta comes in to soothe our eyes with a clutch that is both oh-so-Oscar and entirely magnificent.

Exclusive for his online store, the Oscar de la Renta Dyed Rabbit Fur Clutch doubles as a muff to keep your hands fashionably warm and your belongings meticulously stored. The crystal front embellishment in available in a wide variety of color-ways, but my favorite is the amethyst.

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Ever wanted some vintage Hermes croc in your collection? Well…

WGACA Hermes Vintage Crocodile Bags, $8000 ShopBop here and here

If you’re not familiar with vintage powerhouses What Goes Around Comes Around, you should be. The New York-based retro aggregator, often abbreviated WGACA, searches out and resells some of the best pre-owned duds in the country, and today, that includes two lovely Hermes Vintage Crocodile Bags that are up for grabs via ShopBop. They’re very Betty Draper, right? Or maybe they’re more Trudie Campbell…

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Ladies, this is the Gucci bag I’ve been waiting for!

Gucci Striped Bowling Bag, $1350 via Net-a-Porter

Over the past couple months, I’ve written about a couple different Gucci Boston Bagsone had logo fabric, the other had a signature check flanking the webbed center stripes. I liked both, but I don’t make a habit of buying bags that cost more than $300 or so if the main material isn’t leather, so neither option was on my radar for personal use.

This version of the bag, though? This I can use. And would use. And maybe will use? $1350 isn’t a price tag to sneeze at, but for a classic, functional leather bag (with a little bit of flair) from a highly sought-after handbag brand, it’s not as bad as it could be. Particularly not when you consider how much a Louis Vuitton bag with a similar design would go for. (Hint: three times as much.)

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Reed Krakoff asks the age-old question: Does size matter?

Reed Krakoff Boxer Satchel, $990 or Reed Krakoff Standard Mini Shoulder Bag, $525. Both via Net-a-Porter.

Although I’m something of a switch-hitter and can change back and forth between large and small day bags with relatively little thought (mostly because I work from home), it seems clear that most women either prefer something large and spacious or something smaller and easy to carry. Reed Krakoff, being a master of all things handbag-related, clearly wants to appeal to both groups with the Reed Krakoff Boxer Bag and Reed Krakoff Standard Mini Shoulder Bag, both in the same color palette of spring-friendly neutrals and brights. With both falling into the under-$1000 price bracket, which would you pick for yourself?

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Billie Achilleos creates Louis Vuitton animals for their Sydney store opening

A while back, we showed you the collection of animals that British artist Billie Achilleos made out of Louis Vuitton small leather goods. I love the idea of bringing art together with fashion, and Billie tackled that challenge in an amazing way.

With the new George Street Maison Louis Vuitton location opening in Sydney, Australia, Billie created a trio of animals specially for the occasion. The Louis Vuitton Kangaroo with the baby Joey in its pouch is my favorite, but all three combine fashion and art wonderfully.

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Even the tried-and-true takeout bag has gone high-end

Cast of Vices Corner Store Leather Totes, $240 via ShopBop

Everyone is familiar with the plastic bags that the Cast of Vices Corner Store Leather Totes mimic, but as I’ve come to learn over my first six months in Manhattan, New Yorkers have have an even deeper connection to these little plastic totes. New York’s healthy population of bodegas, delis and mom-and-pop takeout joints keeps a steady stream of these bags flowing into use in the city, and where suburbanites might find themselves using a Target or Kroger bag to line their bathroom waste baskets or carry their lunches to work, in New York, the odds are that it’ll be one of these generic designs instead. (Or a Duane Reade bag, but I try to pretend Duane Reade doesn’t exist.)

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Get back to work with some Alexander McQueen eye candy

Images via Vogue.com

The first Monday back from a holiday weekend is so, so cruel. It’s like a little reminder of the immutability of life; no matter what we do, the calendar marches on while we cling to our leftover turkey legs and half-eaten pumpkin pies, trying to extend the avarice a bit longer. It’s Monday now, though, which means that it’s time for gluttony of a different kind. A handbag kind.

To make your return to real life as soft and comfortable as possible, we’ve assembled a gallery of the Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 Skull Clutches, which are always so much fun to look at. They don’t taste like stuffing, admittedly, but you probably don’t need another helping of that anyway. (Seriously, though, pass me that pie. I’ll eat it for breakfast.)

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Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Bags from left to right: Fendi Spy, Lambertson Truex Python Clutch, Celine Triptique. We want to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year and much of it revolves around our amazing readers, forum members, and partners. So, thank you for helping make this year … Read more

I have a major case of Givenchy Antigona envy

Images via Vogue.com

The Givenchy Antigona Satchel is such an under-appreciated handbag. The design is exceptionally crisp and minimal, it comes in a variety of sizes, materials and colors, it’s Givenchy, fer chrissakes. It’s far superior to the Givenchy Nightingale (says me), but yet, it’s not quite as well known. With Givenchy’s killer slate of Antigonas to come, Spring 2012 might change that.

With this lineup, there’s a little something for everyone. Exotics, stitched details, brights-and-neutrals colorblocking, mirrored patent leather. The Antigona takes well to all of them because of its immaculate, well-edited structure; there’s never a metaphorical hair out of place on this bag. Check out the versions to come after the jump or shop Givenchy via Barneys right now.

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Ladies, start your engines: Balenciaga Holiday 2011 is now available online!

In case you’re already sacked out at home and your trigger finger is getting itchy (or you’re still at work for reasons that no one can really explain and absolutely bored to death and ready for some online shopping), we’ve got some exciting new collection news for you – Balenciaga Holiday 2011 is now available for your ordering pleasure from Balenciaga.com.

This collection is particularly handy if you’d like to get a jump on the pastels trend that dominated the Spring 2011 runways. With powdery shades of dove grey, lavender and baby blue, no messy ladies need apply. Just looking at these lovely bags in Balenciaga’s new, more matte Hamilton goatskin leather is forcing me to mentally push all my dark-wash jeans to the back of my closet; color transfer is not to be fooled with. Check out some of our picks from the collection after the jump. (Really, make the jump, if only to see the Gris Poivre bag. Swoon.)

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This Burberry bag is more than just your average wristlet

Burberry Leather Wristlet, $1195 via Net-a-Porter

In my mind, calling a bag a “wristlet” is a precarious thing to do for a manufacturer or retailer. The word “wristlet” brings about a very specific type of simple, relatively inexpensive small accessory; personally, I use a wristlet to hold the small pharmacy that I carry around inside of my real bag. I wouldn’t ever pay a thousand dollars for something like that.

While the Burberry Leather Wristlet is, in fact, a wristlet like its name would suggest, it’s also one of the nicer wristlets I’ve ever seen in my life, and a full-fledged leather clutch with multiple structured compartments. Don’t let the w-word fool you, this bag is a lot more than just an accessory to your accessories.

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