Gucci Handbags

As a slavish fan of the Tom Ford era at Gucci, I’ve got to say that Spring 2010 is easily the best collection we’ve seen from current designer Frida Giannini.

Instead of the girly, at times hippie-chic clothes that have come out of her tenure at the company so far, what we saw this season was modern, athletic, and a tad science fiction. Normally those would be words from which I would shy away as descriptors of beautiful clothing, but the high-waist leggings, voluminous jackets and body-conscious dresses make sci fi chic and aspirational – if only Ra’mon from Project Runway had made something like this on last week’s episode, he might not have been auf’d.

But he didn’t, and Frida did, because there’s a reason that she’s employed by one of the largest and most recognizable luxury brands in the world. She started, as has proven popular this season, with white (it would be a full nine looks before another color appeared) and slowly moved herself into light greys before going for bolder books in black, orange, and even a little bit of pink. Print was limited mostly to ikat here and there on smart shift dresses, and the majority of looks were solid and neutral.

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And now I can say that I am finding myself staring at a funky and fun Gucci Bag. I know, right? Been a long time since Gucci really wowed us. There have been a few contenders, a few bags that attempted to win their way back into our hearts, and this handbag is another.

Nothing about the Gucci Galaxy Slouchy Metallic Leather Hobo reinvents the wheel, but the shape is wearable and the lustrous blue metallic leather brings an edgy touch.

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What is this? Do my eyes deceive me? Have I gone delirious from too many hours spent clacking away at my computer keyboard? Have the recession gods chosen to shine down upon us for a brief, fleeting, beautiful moment?

Has Gucci released a leather hobo with a price tag substantially under $1000? Because it looks like that’s exactly what the Gucci Web Guccisima Hobo is.

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Every brand uses exotics in a different way. Nancy Gonzalez crocodile looks different than Balenciaga crocodile. Chloe python looks different than Carlos Falchi python. And Gucci python is my favorite of all. Somehow, they manage to find skins that look somehow fuller and more touchable than some of their peers, and it’s always clear that their bags did indeed come from a living reptile. And I feel like it’s at least a bit more respectful to the animal to make a bag that really highlights the natural beauty of the skins that are used.

And Gucci has maintained their history of beautiful python bags with the Gucci Galazy Python Hobo. Sometimes natural patterns can be hidden when they’re done in black, but the finish here has a bit of a shine to it, so it reflects enough light that the scale differentiation is easy to see. Some brands treat their bags in such a way that the python scales lay perfectly flat, which has clearly not been done here. I’m sure that that sort of treatment makes bags for durable, but it also makes it feel less luxurious to me, so I’d rather that part was left out, even if it means the bag won’t last quite as long. I’d rather have it be as beautiful as possible for as long as that look will hold up. Buy through Saks for $3500.

As they say, the devil is in the details. Well, in the world of high-end handbags, sometimes that’s where you can find the design as well. And it’s the details that bring me back to the Gucci Crest Boule Fabric Tote over and over again. We’ve all seen plenty of ho-hum (and some slightly more than ho-hum) canvas totes from this brand over the years; besides their signature horsebit details, it’s probably one of the things for which they’re best known. But none has been so precise and sleek as this beauty right here.

It’s possible that the exclusion of the Gucci signature from this tote is what makes it look so clean and sophisticated, but I think it’s more than that. The thick leather trim and handles give the bag a heft and structure that few canvas totes have, and it makes it look a lot more purposeful and expensive-looking than other bags of this variety. The one thing I can’t get behind, though, is the price – even one of the nicest canvases totes I’ve ever seen still isn’t worth almost two grand. For that kind of dosh, I’m going to need leather. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1990.

Some bags don’t translate well in photos. Sometimes it’s because of the flash, sometimes it’s because of the finish of the leather, and in the case of the Gucci Icon Bit Tote, it appears that both of those elements are culprits.

Of course, it’s difficult to photograph any kind of patent leather (or any other shiny material, for that matter), but it seems that the oddly liquid-like multicolor pattern (can you call it a pattern?) that is going on here makes it even more difficult. Normally I’m a lover of loud bags and odd colors, but this one has me confounded and makes me think that I’d have to see it in person to really get any sort of idea about it. And even then, if the picture looks anything like the bag actually does, I don’t think I’d like it. Patent, when combined with metallics and iridescence in this way, tend to show every finger print or oil of any kind. For something that is so often touched, that’s simply not a good look. The shape is functional and simple, which is nice, but this bag has too many other odd things working against it. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1190.

Logo bags are kind of five minutes ago, right? They’ve been kind of five minutes ago for a couple of years now. But despite the fact that I’ve never been a big fan of bags with branding all over them, I’ve always had a soft spot for Gucci. I like the pattern that their traditional logo fabric creates, and I like how it looks when it’s embossed into their Guccissima leather. I think it works because even if it didn’t serve as a logo, it would still be a fairly simple and attractive pattern.

And that’s why I like the Gucci New Jackie Guccissima Shoulder Bag. Last season when the New Jackie came out, I wrote about how much I like the functional and comfortable shape of the bag, and that hasn’t changed a bit. When you combine super soft, matte leather with the Guccissima embossed logo, it provides great texture without having to mess with the bag’s structure or premise. The color of this bag seals the deal for me – grey is an enormous, important color for Fall 2009, and this grey is a perfect, blue-undertoned, medium grey that will go with almost anything in the average woman’s wardrobe. It’s mighty expensive for regular leather, thought, which is a major deterrent for me adding it to my wardrobe. Buy through Saks for $3250.

Now, this is a patent leather bag done the right way. Yesterday, I wrote about the Stella McCartney Patent Rivet-Detail Clutch and how I wasn’t sure if I thought it was properly executed. However, the Gucci Crystal Evening Clutch definitely scores a hit in my book.

Of course you can’t really compare this clutch to the Stella McCartney clutch I covered yesterday but I think the one thing I found lacking isn’t lacking this time. This clutch is sleek, sophisticated and has just the right amount of detail. The horsebit ring buckle instantly caught my attention and had me wanting to hold this bag in my hand. Not only do I like this clutch, but in at a price quite a bit lower than the one I covered yesterday. Buy through Saks for $530.

I actually took a class on review writing in college. Yep, they teach you that in journalism school. If you’re lucky, anyway – it was pretty hard to get in to. We reviewed all kinds of things, from restaurants to plays, and did lots of exercises to make us better reviewers – things like reviewing oranges and writing TV show reviews the length of a Twitter message. And the one big takeaway I got from that class was this: reviews of things you like are hard to write. Reviews of things that suck? They write themselves.

Which is why I feel like I’m cheating by writing about the Gucci Original Backpack. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. I mean, look at this thing, y’all. It’s been out for a while, I’ve seen it in personal multiple times…and I just don’t think it’s cute. At all. It’s oddly shaped and confusing to look at and I haven’t wanted a backpack as a purse since mini-backpacks were in style when I was approximately nine years old. I had a pleather one, and I wore it to school very excitedly. But that was 1994, and this is 2009, and I feel like we should have progressed since then. Gucci is trying to hold you back – don’t let them! But if you must, Buy through Saks for $2590

I am officially jealous of this cake. Jealous of the receiver, jealous of the people that could actually create and design this, jealous of all who helped eat it. This is indeed a cool cake. Looks like this was given as a gift for a 21st 26th birthday. And while so many people equate lots of shots on their 21st 26th, a designer handbag cake would have been up my ally so much more. This is a Gucci Cake complete with a Gucci Boston Bag on top of a Gucci Box. Even the little cookie would have made my day. I can not imagine the price for a cake like this, novelty enough that it would end up being totally ridiculous, but isn’t it amazing?

I am now rethinking our wedding cake. Why did we go traditional when I could have had a full fledged designer handbag cake for all of our guests. My birthday is coming in September though. Instead of Gucci, I would prefer more of a Chanel or Hermes. Just sayin’. [Image via Flickr]