Chloe Handbags and Purses (Page 5)

Call me crazy, but I can kind of see what Chloe was going for here. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think they accomplished it, but I think I know where they were headed.

See, there’s these people called “hipsters.” They’re the ones that have been wearing skinny jeans since 2003, and Wayfarers as well. They shop for lamé leggings at American Apparel and live in Brooklyn (or Silverlake or East Atlanta or any other number of enclaves) and are responsible for a lot of music, most of it terrible but some of it reasonably good. They also wear some ridiculous accessories and handbags, most of them vintage, and most of them looking strangely like the Chloe Polka Dots Leather bag.

And since these hipster people can be thanked as either the starters or early adopters of a lot of what we see going on in fashion today, I can’t blame Chloe for giving them a nod. The thing about borrowing from hipsters, though, is that you have to be very careful about what you take and how you interpret it, and this particular bag is probably a bit too far over the line to be successful. It’s kind of cute as a novelty piece, but as a bag for a serious purse lover, I don’t think it measures up. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1450.

Oh, it’s so pretty. And so functional. And so every-day usable. And so luxurious. In short, the Chloe Python Marlow Bag? It had me at “hello.”

While the time of “it” bags is surely over, there are still hit bags that continue to grab our attention each season. Last year we were all handbag-star-struck by the Chloe Paraty bag. First spotted on Katie Holmes, the bag could not stop generating buzz. Who is it by? When it is available? Is there a wait list? Everyone had to have this particular Chloe Bag.

Elsie is quite a unique name, and I actually know two Elsies and one Elsa, so I’m a bit biased. But the Chloé Elsie Lurex Shoulder Bag is not quite as unique as the name. Sure, it has a bit of exotic, with its alligator print, but that’s about the extent of its exotic and unique identity. However, if you want a classy, classic bag and are tired of Chanel, then this is certainly a great choice. If there are two things that Chloé has mastered, it’s great, heavy leather and the fact that the devil is in the details (metaphorically speaking).

This bag is made of Lurex, so no great heavy leather here. But there are some extremely subtle details that are worth noting: the twisted rope handles and the interesting clover-shaped turn-lock closure. So yes, it looks cool and classic and all that, but I think something is missing here. There’s a hint of blahness that is just not going away for me. I’d say, pair it with an amazing outfit to distract from that. Otherwise, I’m not sure this bag is worth its high price of more than a grand. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1,250.

From time to time I find myself going back to a given handbag over and over again. A few months back, Amanda mentioned the Chloe Kathleen Shoulder Bag in her post about the blue handbag trend. And from that point forward, this is one bag I can’t get out of my mind. I go back and forth thinking that I love it, I want it, I kinda like it, I need it and so on, and so on. Do you have a bag right now that would fit into this category?

Well, the Chloe Kathleen Shoulder Bag is actually a shoulder bag that I’d love to see hanging from my shoulder. Bags of this nature don’t normally make themselves into my closet, but there is no time like the present! One of the first things that drew me in was the urban-chicness of the bag. The grey leather is not dull or boring, it is actually nothing less than gorgeous. The long shoulder strap is long enough that you can wear the bag across your body without the bag itself seeming to snug. I absolutely love the gold hardware and oversized ring that can be found at the front of the bag. It all works so well together. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1360.

I’ve said it before and I’ll happily say it again: Chloe uses some of the most drool-worthy leather of any brand on the market. It’s thick, it’s soft, and it manages to convey both of those characteristics both in person and in photos. It is often also arm-achingly heavy, but sometimes we have to suffer for fashion, ok? I know my Stam has given me a sore shoulder once or twice…

Anyway! So we’re talking about the Chloe Marlow Top Handle, right? Right. And it’s great, I love it. The grey leather looks so supple that I want to reach through the computer, yank it out, and rub it against my face. But that’s not even my favorite part. What makes the whole thing is the unexpected brown belt that circles the top, giving the bag a vintage, New England sort of look. It looks like the bag that your college TA would carry, if your college TA was the most fashionable person in the history of grad students. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1558.

In all honesty, the Chloe Paddington is probably why I’m here today. It was the first designer handbag to totally capture my attention when I started to become interested in bags circa 2005, and although I never had the funds to buy one back then, I searched eBay daily, hoping for a good deal on my elusive cream-colored Paddy. And I wasn’t the only one that caught the Paddington fever – fashion magazines dubbed it the fastest-selling bag in history and our Purse Forum, then in its infancy, talked non-stop of ways to acquire one.

And now, approximately four years later, I saw a Paddington on Nordstrom‘s website today and it got me thinking – how does the purse world feel about this historic handbag a few years down the road from its peak popularity?