Handbags

One of the stores we were drawn into, like the hunter to the prey, was the Prada store on Rue Royale facing the Place De La Madeleine in Paris’ fashion strip #1. What immediately poked in our sides was the colorful new spring collection for ‘05, which not only builds on the very successful classic black nylon bags they’ve carried so far, but emerges with vibrant colors and swank designs.

The bag we immediately fell in passionate love with was the “Country” Shoulder Bag. The actual bag we saw was not the leather version in orange or red, but a cloth canvas version of the same design, in darker green. This bag does not seem to be available in the US yet. The hand on the wallet was twitching big time, the bag would have gone for 750 Euros, the polite french sales person pointed out an estimated $1,000 charge on the credit card. The pictured leather version for the US goes for little over $1,200. My heart is still pumping like a diesel engine when thinking of how gorgeous this handbag was. What we also noticed was that Prada is trying to be playfully futuristic with keychain-like accessories like mini robots (even as robot design bag) and other gizmos that were dangling off every showcased bag in their store. Like other companies are doing the whole scarf thing, Prada goes their own way.

We do apologize sincerely, but there is a very good reason things have been slow this week here at the purse blog. After 2 months of separation, the resident love birds Megs and Vladi have finally been reunited in the central European country of Germany. Yay! Weather’s nothing to be excited about, but emotions certainly are on the high side — things are just fabulous. Aside from all the time spent together, we also felt highly compelled to pursue our passion in fashion and do some shopping slash browsing through Europe’s major cities to check out the latest trends and goodies in the handbag market. First stop on the journey: Cologne, Germany.

Aside from its monstrous, intimidating and impressive, almost 760 year-old Koelner Dom (left) and the beautiful Rhein River, there also appeared to be quite enticing shopping opportunities, potent enough to pull a whole lotta moolah out of foreign (and local) pockets. Getting off the ICE, we immediately found ourselves in the very center of town, right by the gorgeous Dom. After a quick detour into its chilly, ginormous nave, we headed right for two of our favorite, exorbitantly pricey Parisian Haute Couture fashion shops: Hermes and Louis Vuitton. Despite having forgotten to shoot pictures of evidence, you can believe us that those two stores are placed within one store of each other (separated by a Chopard store), conveniently located right on the plaza facing the Dom. This venue does ensure exposure to heaps of international visitors, either dropping by to get presents for the loved ones at home, or willing to indulge themselves with high-class goodies.

We first strolled into the LV store. What had already captured our attention from the store front was Louis Vuitton’s seemingly different Monogram Cerises line of bags. The colorful cherries exemplify a fresh and intriguing homage to Louis’ traditional signature monogram canvas — right in time for the fruity and fun spring. While the two of us don’t seem to agree on much at times, we both found the Louis Vuitton Sac Plat completely over-the-top — it seemed to lose LV’s sophistication in the cherry tree. However, Megs immediately fell in love with the $355 Louis Vuitton Pochette Accessoires for two reasons: first off, rather than taking away from the classic monogram that everyone seeks, the cherry only added a zing to make the pochette unique, and secondly the cherry came just in time to add a spring fling to an unwavering Louis Vuitton simple-style. Other than this new Monogram Cerises line, the store seemed a little small and showed a large focus on travel gear, like the Annette travel bag we previously featured. You think you are paying a lot for Louis bags in the US? Thanks to the lousy exchange rate, buying a bag in the US is a bargain, considering that you’d pay 25-35% more in Germany.

Saving the best for last, we then set foot into none other than the creme-de-la-creme Hermes store. Although my girl was dying to buy a bag, she couldn’t — for obvious reasons. What is remarkable about this store was the overall feeling of the sophisticated and high-class ambiance. Within the two floors, we did check out the vast variety of one-of-a-kind couture clothing and accessories, ranging from ashtrays to jewlery and beach towels. For a mere $450 you can get the towel wet, sandy, drained in sun screen and splattered with seagull droppings.

Just like Samantha on the infamous Hermes Birkin Bag search episode on Sex And The City, my girl immediately scoped out the hardware to see first hand the bag that even people who are rich and famous are only privy to purchase. To our disappointment, the Birkin Bag really is that rare and you really do have to be put on a waiting list if you’re approved to buy one. We still fell in love with the Hermes Kelly Bag, that went for a modest EUR 14,000 — gasp. Like Samantha, we felt empty without the Birkin Bag, but Hermes still managed to impress us and prove that they are in a league of their own.

On a side note, we did run into a local aution house, that happened to sell 100% authentically fake Gucci bags for a mere 15 Euros a pop, leaving us extremely tempted to buy all five of ‘em. Just kidding.

Overall we had much fun doing what we do best — tracking down the handbags that leave every shoulder unempty, every wallet a little lighter and every girl happy. Stay tuned for next week’s report from Paris, the fashion capitol of the World.

Didn’t your mother ever tell you to “Snap out of it!”? Well sorry all you mothers, there is nothing about this Versace bag that makes us want to do anything but stare. Versace has always been known for its nearly unattainable glam, and this bag follows those standards. If someone loves you enough to let you dish out over $1300, you better believe you will be receiving all the eyes and attention there is to be given.

This Versace “Chain Snap Out of It” Bag sets a perfect accent to a woman’s upscale, glamourous style. It is adorned with a strand of Versace charms dangling from the front, with a strass-detailed shell on the chain pull. Our take on the charms is that not only do they visually draw attention to the bag, but also every ear will turn as you pass them on the street. The bag’s features list reads like the Maybach’s handbook, and ranks within its own class in as pomptuous of a manner as its 4-wheeled counterpart. And when you’re spending a small fortune on a bag, anything less than the most ornate bag is unacceptable.

This year, fashion designers are out huting for the tribal chic! It becomes more than apparenty that Africa has an immense influence on many of the designs we see emerging from major names in the fashion biz. The blend does the works really good, as you can tell by Tod’s “Happy Cerniera“.
This swank handbaggie show quite possibly the best interpretation of the safari trend. It is cleverly constructed with two open outer compartments, a framed middle compartment with leather trim and silver metal Viennese clasp. The front sports a pocket with suede and smooth leather flap, printed calf hair accent, brushed silver metal padlock and Tod’s signature leather patch. The handbag is (of course) made in Italia, measures a compact 1.5″ x 7.5″ x 5″ and retails for a beefy $950. However, you’ll be the coolest cat in the wild with this bag, no doubt.

Styles never cease to change, but there are always a few that stay in style no matter what. Snake skin is one. And this Spring 2005, it is once again all over the runways. One of my favorites is the Ted Rossi Python Shoulder Bag. The shape and style of the bag screams out for attention, and let’s face it, the bag speaks for itself.

Made of genuine python and gold leather exterior and blue and purple leather accents, decorated with gold buckle detail and studs gives the bag edge over many others. It also has a leather and gold chain handle (10″ drop), fuchsia bengaline interior and is about 11 x 3 x 6 inches. If you want to totally make the look yours, top it off with Ted Rossi Python Bangles. But python skin doesn’t leave the wallet heavy. This bag will cost you around $328, but when you look that good, who cares?

Seldomly I run across items that are as clever and thought out as PlusMinusZero’s Sole Bag. We all get a shiver from just thinking about placing our precious handbags on the dirty ground, yuk. You might just appreciate a bag that is designed for just that… yeah… putting it on the ground. Brilliant! The bottom of the bag is made from the same sole material as rubber boots that are worn by school kids in Japan. This ensures durability and gives this bag an interesting edge. If I only now remembered where I spotted this bag, in order to give proper credit. But unfortunately, I don’t. Dang.