Exotic Bags (Page 4)

Bottega Veneta Crocodile Box Clutch, $3450 via Matches UK.

I’ve never been the type to swoon, but if ever I needed a fainting couch, now is the time.

The affinity that Megs and I have for Bottega Veneta exotics is well-documented, and finding this Bottega Veneta Crocodile Knot Box Clutch in a perfect shade of pinky-orangey coral just took me to the next level. I don’t have the social schedule or the financial means to take this little box bag to all of the summertime garden parties that it deserves to see, but maybe someone out there does and could allow me to live vicariously.

Jerome Dreyfuss Lucien Python Shoulder Bag via Net-a-Porter for $1280

Parisian designer Jerome Dreyfuss has seen his profile rise quite a bit over the past few seasons. Net-a-Porter has picked up his luxury-contemporary bags for Spring 2011, and the Jerome Dreyfuss Lucien Python Shoulder Bag is a great place to start if you want to understand his aesthetic. The colors and combinations may be a little left-of-center, but the materials are top-notch at a price that isn’t too terrible, in the grand scheme of things.

As we’ve discussed, python is a bonafide trend for Fall 2011. The recent runways were overwhelmed with every sort of snakeskin you can imagine in every color combination that you could ever want, but sadly, a lot of them were pretty mediocre. Brands seemed to be doing python for python’s sake without much regard for the situations in which the material looks its best, and that’s never more obvious than when you compare those pieces to something like the VBH Villager Python Tote.

VBH is a brand well known for restrained luxury, and every inch of this design typifies that look. The python looks lush and textured instead of the flat, glazed snakeskin that we saw frequently during the fall shows, and the neutral color allows the exotic beauty of the skin to take center stage instead of requiring it to compete with multiple colors and design ideas. But if you want a look this refined, you have to be willing to pay the price – literally.

I know I’ve said this plenty of times before, but I still find it absolutely confounding that a former Spice Girl now designs a range of totally luxurious, well-crafted handbags that are sold by some of the finest retailers in the world. Is this real life? Am I taking crazy pills?

Beckham’s aesthetic has come a long way since the days when she was the leather-chap-wearing queen of the British WAGs (wives and girlfriends of soccer players, for the uninitiated), and pieces like the Victoria Beckham Two-Tone Lizard and Leather Clutch demonstrate the classic, heavily tailored look that Vicky B’s been working to great effect for the past couple of years.

It didn’t take long for python to make itself known as the biggest handbag look of Fall 2011; as trends go, exotic skins aren’t exactly subtle. They’re also not affordable, so if you want to buy into a piece of one of the runway, start saving your pennies now. To help motivate you, we’ve put together a non-comprehensive compendium of some of Fall 2011′s snakeskin looks, all the way from slouchy, comfortable pink Dior to rigid, bright yellow Gucci.

We’ll be doing the requisite rundown of all of Fall 2011′s accessories trends over the next few weeks, but when I saw the Jimmy Choo Saba Python Hobo Bag, I just couldn’t help myself. Mixing textures and python are both very important for this year’s looks, and this bag combines both of them in a very wearable, functional tote.

I’ve felt more positive about Jimmy Choo’s designs for Spring 2011 than I have about the company’s handbags in what seems like quite a while, and this bag in particular is an example of what Choo tends to do right. It has a note of bohemia without being outright hippie-dippy, and the metallic finish on the python adds an extremely luxurious touch. The deep suede trim provides just enough contrast to keep the gunmetal python from looking over-the-top. Balance: It’s a beautiful thing.

In order to be a consumer of luxury goods, or even to be seriously interested in them, one has to be a tad permissive on pricing. We tell ourselves a lot of little fibs about why a particular bag is worth a particular amount of money when, in reality, accessories are a realm in which prices often have little to do with the cost of a bag’s manufacturing and materials. To a certain extent, that’s a bargain that we’ve all accepted, but most people have some sort of arbitrary, self-imposed price threshold where a piece goes from “prohibitively expensive” to “offensive.”

For me, the Valextra Crocodile Credit Card Holder crosses that threshold. While Valextra is a brand whose craftsmanship and exquisite materials often do warrant higher prices than its competitors, over $3,000 for something which cannot even be accurately called a wallet is beyond the pale, and I feel comfortable saying that there’s almost no chance that the time, effort and crocodile skin that went into this piece could be worth anywhere near what Valextra is charging, no matter how beautiful it might be. (And it is quite beautiful.) What say you? Take our poll, but first take a look at the larger photo after the jump. You want to be accurately informed when you vote, after all.