Carlos Falchi Handbags and Purses

Last week, exotic handbag designer extraordinaire Carlos Falchi had an event at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Naturally, I had to pop in to say hi and see the newest designs from the master. His area at Bergdorfs was filled with fans and shoppers picking out designs and having Carlos sign them. With the shopping mood in full force, I began to examine every Carlos Falchi bag I could get my hands on. Everyone including myself were buzzing about the superb quality and the fact that his bag are made in the USA.

Right now I am coveting the classic Carlos Falchi Hobo in both python and crocodile skin. As fall attempts to set in, I find myself drawn more and more to brown bags and both of these are stunning options.

As we’ve discussed in these parts in the past, almost every major handbag brand showed some kind of python or snakeskin bags on its Fall 2011 runway, no matter whether exotics are a collection staple for a particular line or not. Predictably, that lead to some mixed results; while I saw some exotic bags I’d love to have for fall, I saw far more whose designers could have used a remedial course in how to work with python. Carlos Falchi should be the person teaching that course.

Snakeskin has been a staple of Falchi’s line for years, and the Carlos Falchi Single Strap Hobo Bag demonstrates exactly what I wish more designers would acknowledge: Python is a design unto itself. It doesn’t need much help to be beautiful, just stand back and let the leather shine. After all, that’s why customers are willing to pay a premium.

One of the masters of exotic skins in the handbag world is Carlos Falchi. He is known for his skins and bold colors. We both know and love him for that.

I am completely drawn to the Carlos Falchi Grande Boat Anaconda Hobo. This bag will clearly work for day-to-day wear and has a gorgeous grey-silver color combination. I am finding myself totally loving everything about this bag, including the sizable shoulder drop. But it is mostly about the color on the anaconda skin. And with this being Carlos Falchi, we know it will be divine in person as well.

Over four season of careful study of the fashion on Gossip Girl, a few things become apparent: Lily loves Hermes. Rufus loves plaid. Nate loves his manbangs. What may not be quite so obvious, though, is Serena’s appreciation of Carlos Falchi.

Falchi’s bags often don’t stand out as obviously his because they don’t feature any sort of obvious logos, markings or hardware, but it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of people were noticing the Carlos Falchi Shiny Moroccan Croc Bag being toted around the Upper East Side set very soon. It just has “Serena Van Der Woodsen’ written all over it.

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I’m drooling over a whole lot of bags for winter – Celine, YSL, Mulberry, Alexander Wang…my list is long and expensive, just as it always is. We can go ahead and add the Carlos Falchi Gathered Crocodile Tote to it, although I’d need a bit of a windfall to make it a practical option.

Since this blog is clearly not about practicality, however, let’s pretend for a moment that we can all afford to spend over five grand on this beautiful bit of grey crocodile loveliness. This satchel is certainly more affordable than, say, a crocodile Hermes Birkin, and in my mind, that gives me a little bit of hope. Or perhaps it merely strengthens my delusion…

As for the rest of you, please go get a paper towel to mop up the drool before we go any further.

Ready? Great.

I have a little theory about exotics that I’ve postulated around these parts before, and it goes something like this: if I’m going to pay a premium for crocodile or python (or, in this case, both), then I want the skins to be featured in the most glorious way possible. Maybe it’s just me, but I think that the Carlos Falchi Caiman and Python Oversized Shoulder Bag is pretty much the definition of “glorious.”

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.