Hobos

I’ve heard nothing but raves about Botkier bags. It seems the fan base is large and the beauty of the bags keeps it all going. I don’t own a Botkier bag, but I have seen many in person and I sure wouldn’t mind having one at some time in the near future (cue Vlad here ). If any of you are in the hunt for a beautiful blue colored bag, I think both the shape and hue of this bag will reel you in. The Botkier Stirrup Hobo is sure making quite the stir in the fashion world. This metallic twilight leather hobo is chic and charismatic for your flirty side. Only to add a little more glam and glitz is the silver metal hardware which accents the bag. The front zip pockets are at a slant and have suede tassel pulls. The inside is bursting with goodies. There are two hidden slit pockets and an inside leather compartment. The shoulder strap may be adjusted for your arm pleasures and the overall dimensions are 12″H x 16″W x 2″D. If you are fashionable, you know that these bags are in style. If your fashionable wallet may allow it, grab one of these beauties while they last: $660 via Bergdorf Goodman.

Things that make you go humm. Paging Isabella Fiore, paging Isabella Fiore, what the hell is this?? Someone please enlighten me on this knit mess. It looks more like some sort of ugly poncho you might wear to your enemy’s wedding just to piss her off on her special day. The fugly Isabella Fiore Large Knit Hobo does nothing other than make me want to look the other way. I’m having a hard time with some of the facts I am about to reveal though.

First of all, let me tell you the specifics on this bag, just in case you really care. The wool knit hobo is available in your choice of cool hues (turquoise/pink/cream/black, shown) or in warm hues (orange/brown/olive/purple/hot pink/cream, see below). Then you can also find some dark brown leather trim in this mess somewhere, cream stitching, golden hardware, and studded straps on both the base and corners of the bag. The part where I would like to find the nearest match or wood eater truck is when I see the shoulder strap area. This area which is all just awfully wrong has the shoulder strap with rings, all sorts of huge out of place pom-poms, a logo tag, and some non-sensical beads. The dimensions are 15 1/2″H x 16″W x 5″D. Part one of my real confusion is that this bag was positively featured in InStyle magazine (October 2005 issue, p268). P.S. If anyone can find this let me know; my InStyle was used for ultimate spider killing a few weeks back! And secondly, where I’m lost beyond lost, is to hear that this bag is on back order. Yikes. Either Neiman Marcus only ordered 2 bags, or some people are really in disagreement with me. For $630 through Neiman Marcus this bag can make you the talk of the town (you choose whether it be good or bad).

Ok- So the Chinchilla has not been the biggest hit (I like it but that is just me- and I’m zany!) For all of you who are feelin’ the quilt, there is more. Marc may have felt like he needed to satiate our quilt needs, so he designed the Marc Jacobs Collection Quilted Large Hobo Banana. Hobos are quite the shape of the time and quilt is quite the texture of the time, so this bag is the bag of the time. Implementing a thick brass chain shoulder strap with the hobo shaped quilted goat leather body; this bag is much to be desired. To add a little zing with the zang, there are two front slant zip pockets with over-sized brass pulls with leather ties. To open and close the bag there is a top zip which will lead its way to the fine cotton twill lining on the interior and a zip pocket. This hobo is no ordinary hobo, it’s got some great size with this shape, to also fit into the big bag obsession going on right now (15.75″ x 10.5″ x 2.5″ to be precise). If this quilt makes you giddy, buy this bag at eLuxury for $975.

To logo or not to logo; that is the question. In many cases, I say ‘Nay’, but in some cases I say ‘Yay’. So let’s see who are our logo fans out there… and who are not. For this Parisian-chic structured hobo, I say “Bellissimo”! The Dior Diorissimo Hobo looks structured, fun, and logofied. The hobo features the classic Dior Logo jacquard canvas and is trimmed with leather. If you want to opt for a less showy bag, this bag is offered in black logo/black leather trim. But if you want to add some flirty fun, like I would do, you can opt for the beige logo/red trim (shown). Another fun part about this bag are the 4 pop-out pockets neatly placed on the bag; 2 in the front with buckle details, and 1 flap pocket on each side. The shoulder strap is leather and the inside is lined in satin finished twill and has an interior snap pocket. If you love to hear the sizes, here ya go: 13.5″ (including side pockets) x 8.5″ x 6.75″ (including front pockets) — this is the exact sizing the site provides. I dig the structured look of the bag, and for some reason I don’t feel like this Christian Dior handbag was logo splurged on. What do you all think? For $890 through eLuxury, you can add this logo bag to your collection.

If any of you are thinking that metallic is out, you are way wrong. It is everywhere. Metallics are still ‘in’. Have you gotten your metallic bag for the season? Personally, I have been eyeing quite a few but haven’t made a decision yet. But I figure it can’t hurt adding some more bags into the shiny mix. How about a Prada bag? The Prada Buckle Hobo adds a little zing and zang to the already huge list of metallic bags out there. I do love how Prada bags are made, yet sometimes I don’t think their prices are justified. Let’s play a little game (NO cheating!). I’m going to tell you all about this bag and leave out the price, then you guess how much it is. Let’s see if any of you think this is justified.

The Prada Buckle Hobo is a beautiful nylon shoulder bag. This hobo also is trimmed in gold (not the real thing ) and has a grommeted buckle and a buckle detailed shoulder straps. It looks to me like the bulk of the bag is nylon, and the gold trim is leather. The only other extra this bag has in an inside zip pocket. The hobo is a good size- not too big and not too small: 8″H X 11″L X 7″W. So, how much do you think this bag is? Don’t go lookin’ it up, or else it is no fun!! I’ll post the link tomorrow along with the price!! Happy guessing

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Jute is dangerously hot, in my opinion. I dig the beige slouch shape, along with the orange suede flower and logo tassles. Looks like a winner to me – great if you commute a lot or are just very laid back and like your bag to be comfortable – just don’t lose yourself in the great depths of slouchiness! At a price of $278, it’s not even that pricey. Pre-order via Saks Fifth Avenue.

Today is a day for bags one of my best friends in the world picked out. The best part is why she tells me she likes each of them. So, like I said, I asked my college roommate (still my best friend) if she wanted to contribute to the site with her likes- and she was all about it. Her first pick is the Kooba Chiara Bag. Many of you know the Sienna pretty well, and the Chiara should not be neglected either. When I asked Nicole why she loved it, her exact response was “Because it is gorgeous, that’s why!” Good answer. This is a beautiful hobo that could be worn during the day or out on the town. To add a little funky beat the bag shows off brass studs (which is of course so in style at the moment) along the supple calfskin leather bag. One of my favorite parts of the bag is the seamless crescent strap which adds volume and slouch to the bag. The inside is lined in twill and contains a zippered and patch pocket. The overall dimensions of the bag measures 17″ x 9″ x 4″ all dependent upon how much you stuff in there. This hobo is available through eLuxury for $525. If you are at all unsure of why you should love this bag, follow my best friend’s lead, who says, “I’m seriously obsessed with this bag now.”

It’s time for Viewer’s Choice Monday again! One of our most loyal readers, Chemlex, has picked her bag to be the Paul Smith Swirl Large 3 Pocket Hobo. Let’s get down to business- which of you is a fan of the striped Paul Smith bags? For starters, Chemlex is. I want to join her corner and agree. It is a fun flirty bag that can show off a playful side. This is a hobo like no other- with the color and design being so busy, I’m glad there isn’t anything else that might set the bag over the top. The hobo shows off its three-pockets with its shagadelic swirled patter, groovy brass buttons, and finishes off the bag with a thick leather and canvas buckle strap. If you are a little more curious about the bag, the inside specs are also pretty fun. Lined in pink canvas and featuring a side zip pocket and a cell phone pocket, the inside of the bag might look like a big piece of bubblegum (hey, I love pink Bubblegum!). The overall dimensions of the bag are 17″ L x 7″ H x 5″ W. This bag is funky fresh and may not be loved by all of you, but let us know what you think over on the forum! This bag can be purchased via eLuxury for $1170 (yikes, a bit high I think).

The only thing Juicy about this bag is the gossip and speculation that should follow. I have actually been a fan of Juicy from the start. But I have noticed quite a few bags that seem to be copied from other brands, and this bag is a blatant mirror image of the Gucci Horsebit Hobo. Only thing lacking is the horsebit detail and the use of suede rather than leather. Now, I must say that Juicy is trying to just fit in. They fit in with their track suits for a while, and now they want a little more attention in the handbag arena. Unfortunately they are drawing attention the negative way. As many of you may remember, in what really grinds my gears, I mentioned that people who take other’s work and ideas just makes me angry. Well here is an example of that.

The Juicy Couture Suede Slouch Hobo is actually a nice looking bag. The bulk of the bag is slouchy and fun with its added logo medallion. When I was at Neiman Marcus last night, the shoulder strap with rings is what really started screaming out to me, “I’m a copy, I’m a copy!” Maybe I am being harsh, maybe there are only so many styles to make- if so, you can all set me straight. But I sure do have a problem with this bag (which is trying to resemble my Horsebit Hobo oh-so-badly!!). The hardware on this bag is silver metal, the bag is an open top, and the colors available are either chocolate or camel with tonal leather trim. Don’t get me wrong, this bag is cute, but it sure is looking like it is messing with a different designer brands drawing book. You could also look at it in the way that you can get a bag similar to the Gucci Horsebit Hobo, for a third of the price. This bag is available through Nieman Marcus for $475.

We live in a world of super-sizing. Everything that is good can be made better by sizing it up. I happen to love large bags. The Bulga Large Studded Hobo could be the perfect accessory to make all of us look small (I’m thinking since the bag is so big it may just make us look tiny- or maybe that’s just a deep down hope of mine). Giving a bohemian feel, this hobo is a perfect huge bag to carry anything you would like – portable refrigerator anyone? Bulga has made quite an entry into the purse and handbag world with its eye-catching shape and, of course, celeb publicity. This beauty is made of chocolate brown leather with accenting golden hardware and studs. I really love the shape and the tassels on the front but I’m not totally fond that the bag uses a drawstring closure with those tassels. The shoulder strap attaches to the bag with rings and the inside in lined in cotton. Like I said, the dimensions won’t leave you needing more at 18″H x 16″W x 1″D. If you are looking for a huge bag, this may be the one. Buy it through Neiman Marcus for $475.