Salvatore Ferragamo Studded Jazz Satchel

It’s rare that I see a technique that I haven’t seen used somewhere before. After all, I spend 40 hours a week (sometimes more, depending on how inefficient I am) looking at handbags; if a weird leather trick or a trim idea or a shape is out there, I’ve probably come across it out of professional necessity at some point. To a certain extent, there is nothing new under the sun – designers rip off each other and their own brands’ design history as much out of necessity as anything.

Which is part of the reason that I like the Salvatore Ferragamo Studded Jazz Satchel: the petal effect of the cut leather is not something you or I see every day. It’s incredibly intricate (and for the price, I certainly hope it was done by hand) without taking away from the essential function of the bag, which is a trick that not all designers execute skillfully. Usually I’m not a fan of brown, but in this case, keeping the color neutral and unobtrusive was the wiser decision. Although, now that I think of it, the tiny studs are silver – wouldn’t this bag be cooler in black? It looks less industrial this way, though, and maybe that will appeal to a wider customer base. Still, black version? Please? Or maybe not, since it’s so hideously expensive that I can’t buy it anyway. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $3845.