Costume National Ruched Hobo

Few people love a slouchy bag more than me. In my own handbag collection, I mostly eschew structure in favor of soft, slouchy, slightly bohemian shoulder bags and oversized clutches. I worship soft, wearable leather.

Which makes the Costume National Ruched Hobo all the more disappointing to me – this is a bag I could have easily loved if the design had been decent at all. But it’s not – instead, it’s just really awkward. Although it’s a hobo, the body of the bag protrudes unreasonably far up past where the handles are attached, creating a weird pooch of material above where you would expect the bag to stop. It breaks up what could have been a clean but slouchy line and makes the bag look a little home-sewn, to borrow a phrase from Project Runway. The black iteration of this bag is somewhat less expensive (probably because black is a color notorious for being flaw-friendly), but the dark brown does nothing but highlight the considerable number of design issues we have here. I’m all for avant garde, but this is just ill-conceived. Buy through Saks for $1125.