Bottega Veneta Handbags

I wrote about a Marc by Marc Jacobs man bag today for PurseBlog Savvy, and it got me thinking about man bags in general. Most of them are fairly unisex – a woman could easily use most of them as travel or office bags. Also, many are beautiful in their own right, although they don’t show up when I go looking for handbags to write about at Saks or Nordstrom. So I decided to go searching for one to gush over for the enjoyment of everyone here.

And did I ever find one. The Bottega Veneta Quilted Briefcase has some of the most gorgeous details of any man bag I’ve ever seen.

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Every designer has their signature. Bottega Veneta’s is of course their woven leather, known as Intrecciato. When a designer departs from their signature the end product can turn out totally wrong or better yet the end product can turn out magnificently. Bottega Veneta rarely misses with their bags. Some say they err on the side of caution, but I believe they know what a quality timeless product is and they continue to stand behind their work. The stunning gold metallic leather paired with the simple design of Bottega Veneta Metallic Leather Tote creates a different but lust-worthy look for Bottega Veneta.

Would it be entirely odd if I said I want to stuff this bag with a pillow and then cuddle with it? Bottega Veneta leathers never disappoint. After touching one of their bags you will begin to yearn for leather that supple and soft. And when you do not find it on another bag you will begin to crave BV leathers and dislike the others. This tote is entirely simple. The chain-link and leather straps add a nice touch up top as the wave seams at the bottom break up the rest of the tote. Dimensions are 28″W X 12″H X 8″D. Some may find this boring, but it is just another well-made design from Bottega Veneta that I could look at all day. Buy through Saks for $1950.

We hope you all enjoyed our exclusive Bottega Veneta day on Tuesday! It was the first exclusive day at Purse Blog and we were so thrilled to have collaborated closely with Bottega Veneta. My reviews of the bags were not altered just because we had the chance to review them, I truly loved every bag. There is an appreciation factor that goes along with Bottega Veneta. The craftsmanship and natural beauty is completely alluring.

One of my favorite bags from the Fall/Winter 2009 line that we did not have in person to review is the Bottega Veneta San Marco Bag. Net A Porter has it in taupe right now though it is also available in Lilac. This bag consists of individual strips of leather which are bonded to Karung (snake) and twisted to create the desired effect. It takes 30 meters of these bonded strips to create each bag. All the edges and seams are hidden so that the bottom of the bag looks as beautiful as the top. The San Marco bag takes ample time to create as the process of twisting the strips needs to be done very carefully to achieve the exact desired position. While the price is high, it is indeed worth every penny. Buy the bag through Net A Porter for $3600.

More on the jewelery...

One of the many reasons I love Bottega Veneta is for the understated elegance the brand conveys. When it comes to celebrities wearing Bottega Veneta, the crowd is typically the Hollywood starlets that we all adore for their personal style, sophistication and class. A long line of celebrities can be seen in the fabulous designs from Bottega Veneta and here are some of our favorites:

Penelope Cruz: In Cruise 2009/10 Fever Spring Gabardine Jacket [$1,900], Fever Jersey Top [$260], Fever Spring Gabardine Pant [$790], and Fall/Winter 2009 Whiskey Satin Karung Shoes [$860]

More of our favorite Bottega Veneta celeb looks...

Earlier today we brought you information on how the Bottega Veneta Cabat is constructed. You all adore the Lilac Cabat we featured. I love it too. The Lilac Cabat is simply elegant. Truth is that a different Cabat had my heart all along and finally I have the pleasure of featuring it for you all.

See the Limited Edition Reflet Cabat!

One of the staples for Bottega Veneta is Intrecciato. Intrecciato is the technique of weaving the leather, which as all of you know is now synonymous with the company. We wanted to find out more information about the history of Intrecciato from Bottega Veneta, how did it become such a large part of the company today? Here is what we were told:

Click to learn the history behind the famous Intrecciato...

      

An elongated clutch, the Bottega Veneta Parure Karung is inspired by decorations from haute couture. The beauty of this bag is that it is a clutch, but Bottega Veneta heard the requests from their audience and added a strap to enable comfortable shoulder wearing. It is recommended to wear it over your right shoulder, such that your arm does not cover the beautiful embroidery. As expected, the craftsmanship and attention to detail is superb. The embroidery reminds me of a collection of buttons, scattered across the flap.

The official color is truffle. Now, the amount of time that it has taken Vlad to attempt to adjust the color in Photoshop in entirely unreasonable. Looking at BV Online, the color appears very deep brown, which is inaccurate. The actual brown of the Parure carries slight hues of orange and red. And while I am making this sound so complex, the truffle color from Bottega Veneta really is just an average brown. You must see it in person to grasp the actual color, even though I think our representation is somewhat accurate.

Color aside, the easy/west shape of the clutch works well with taller frames. It is not a dainty clutch but it is still elegant. On the runway, the clutch was paired with beautiful hues of metallic lilac and held in hand. I prefer it as a clutch with a long wrist strap, since small shoulder bags seem to appear too tiny on my 5′10 frame. Measurements are 5.3 x 12.9 x 2.0 inches. Buy through Bottega Veneta for $2400.

Updating the classic Veneta, the Bottega Veneta Tornabuoni Maxi Veneta is named after the technique used to create the dimension on this bag. The effect is created by carefully double twisting individual strips of leather. This technique is seen vertically across the entire bag. The process is time consuming and complex to accurately perfect and position. Bottega Veneta always finds a way to revamp their classic bags to offer a new interpretation that stays true to the original but brings new fresh innovation forward.

Walk down the Via Tornabuoni...

This is not a clutch, it is a piece of art that belongs alongside Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Jewels, locked up in the Tower of London. Everything about it is extraordinary, from the overall design to the craftsmanship and work that goes into making it. And though this is a Knot clutch, which is a classic from Bottega, this rendition is in a league of its own.

Behold the Galuchat Knot...