Jimmy Choo Handbags

If this bag was made to appeal to anyone in particular, it was made to appeal to someone like me. I like buckles, I like industrial stuff, and I like copious amounts of black leather in whatever texture it may come. And just in case anyone was wondering – no, this does not extrapolate out to my personal life.

But the Jimmy Choo Bardia Shoulder Bag just isn’t doing it for me, and it’s mostly because the whole idea for the bag seems a little bit half-baked. Instead of really playing with the idea of a bag inspired by industrial style, it looks like the folks at Jimmy Choo merely took a really boring black hobo and but some nonfunctional buckles and straps on the sides. At best, it looks like a bit of an afterthought and at worst, it looks totally contrived. With so many outstanding bags of a similar style on the market for fall, Choo is going to have to try harder next time. Buy through Saks for $1750.

There’s nothing that spices up a normal, boring evening bag quite like a little bit of fun and games with texture. And sometimes, when you’ve seen as many handbags over the years as the average purse enthusiast, unexpected textural touches are the last frontier of interesting things that can be done to a bag. Let’s face it – we’ve seen most of the other bag gimmicks already.

Which is why I sorta like the Jimmy Choo Cara Suede Evening Bag. Suede is usually a bit too casual for an evening out, but the varied print that Choo uses to embellish this bag makes it glam enough to go with a modern Little Black Dress. The colors also work well together – the shimmery silver combined with the matte black gives the bag a bit of a glam rock edge. The chain strap is fully detachable, which allows the bag to be used on the shoulder or as an oversized clutch, and who doesn’t love a little bit of versatility. What I want to know is if the bag feels embossed in person – it looks like it might be, but the bag’s description doesn’t give us any information on that. Buy through Saks for $895.

What are we buying when we buy a luxury good? Are we buying a brand name, a well-made product, or an item to ensure that others think a certain way about us when they see it? For most high-end consumers, it’s probably some combination of those options.

Many customers would claim that they buy only for the quality that these products provide, but the reaction of some customers to the recent announcement of Jimmy Choo’s collaboration with H&M seems to run contrary to those claims. Some people were excited to see what the partnership would create, but many Choo loyalists voiced the opinion that the brand was losing something by creating a temporary line for a low-end retailer.

Choo’s fans aren’t the first to scowl at the idea of their favorite label creating an inexpensive product line, and they’ll be far from the last. What seems to be unique about this occasion, though, is that Jimmy Choo is the most broadly known brand yet to dabble in mass-market, low-price retail. So far, many small or independent designers have used the tactic as a way to broaden their name recognition and, potentially, their customer base. Choo, though, is a brand with a pretty clear image in the minds of most women with any sort of fashion consciousness or desire for expensive shoes.

So what happens when a brand with a large following and a seemingly healthy business decides that they want to dabble in the desires of Middle America? Well, according to Robin Givhan of the Washington Post, it means that luxury as we know it is dead.

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Jimmy Choo is another of the major designers whose fall designs have started to trickle out a bit sooner than some of their brethren. And, from a public relations standpoint, it might have been a great idea for them to arrive a little early. I feel like we’ve all been looking at basically the same group of handbags on every website for the past few months – first at full price, now on sale. And I’ve got some fatigue of those designs, even at their newly lowered prices. I want something new.

And the Jimmy Choo Odette Tote is definitely something new, both for us and for the good folks at Choo. It’s decidedly more “biker” than any of their bags I’ve seen so far, what with the black pebbled leather and silver-hardware harness that stretches down the sides of the bag from the handle attachment in the front (can’t see it in this picture, but I promise it’s there! And it’s cool). I’m usually look at pebbled leather rather sneeringly, but here, I like it and it goes well with the industrial theme. It also doesn’t seem to sacrifice the bag’s slouch, as pebbling so often does, and a good bit of slouch is oh so important in my life. Buy through Saks for $2095.

This news is just what I wanted to hear today. H&M has a long and well-publicized history of collaborations with high-end designers, but until now, all of those designers had been most well-known for their clothes. Taking things in a slightly different direction, H&M will feature shoes, accessories, AND clothes (CLOTHES?!?!) designed by the folks at Jimmy Choo in select stores this November.

This is the first time that one of the Swedish chain’s designer capsule collections has focused on shoes and accessories (reports are that the clothes will be designed to “compliment” them), and the very idea makes me weep for my weak ankles, one of which I would surely destroy by trying to buy and wear any of the suddenly affordable Choos that are soon to come our way (old soccer accident, the story is gruesome, you don’t want to know). I’m hoping against hope that they make some flats for those like me, but the teaser image that we have shows two high heels, both of which are quite a bit more intricate than I would have expected for a collection like this. And is that the corner of a very shiny clutch that I see peeking out of the frame there? Because if it is, God help me, I will be the first one in line if any of the Atlanta-area H&Ms carry this line. No word on which stores will have it yet (when we find out, we’ll let you know!), but my guess is only the largest and most flagship-y of the locations will see these beauties. November 14, hurry up and get here.

Photo via Vogue UK

It’s always great to see a big brand give back, and Jimmy Choo is putting their money where their mouth is with a new limited edition collection in partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The line, named Project PEP, will send 25% of its proceeds to help fund South Africa’s Simelela Rape Center. The center is often instrumental in administering patients the preventative medicine that lessens the likelihood that a victim will contract HIV from her attacker, as well as providing psychological services after the fact.

The collection itself will feature the collage-like pattern that you see here as a representation of some of the iconic elements that make Jimmy Choo all that it is today. This should look familiar to anyone that involved in punk culture in their formative years – the gritty look is a clear take-off of that subculture. It will be printed on coated canvas for the line’s bags, clutches and pouches and also used in several types of shoes. Prices will range from around $100 for flip-flops to almost $1000 for a large bag. If you like the pattern or are a Choo fan, this is money you can feel good about spending.

I’m using a kind of stock photo that we normally don’t choose for our posts here at PurseBlog in order to demonstrate the Jimmy Choo Sky Shoulder Bag for a few reasons. First, all of the traditional straight-on stock photos I could find have the bag overstuffed to the point of looking like a giant fringe-y rectangle hobo, and that’s not a good look. I try not to criticize a bag based on shortcomings that don’t actually exist, and when I took my first look at the regular shots of this bag, something told me that that’s not what the bag would be like if I actually saw it in the wild.

So when I started scrolling through all the detail shots, I got to the one of the mannequin wearing a slightly-less-stuffed version of the bag and it confirmed my first suspicion – this is actually pretty cool purse. The leather looks magnificent and the rows of short fringe don’t come off as overpowering or gimmicky. I think it was a great move to make the gusset out of regular flat leather instead of covering it with fringe, and the overall effect is that of an excellent everyday bag for fall and winter with a ton of personality. Which brings me to my second reason for making this post – it’s an important reminder to never trust stock photos to be gospel truth. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2295.

No way. I just stumbled across a Jimmy Choo handbag that I want to go out and buy right now. No, this isn’t one of the Jimmy Choo bags that makes a huge, loud statement. Yet, it is a Choo bag that I am certain we will see countless celebrities carrying, don’t you think? The Jimmy Choo Patent and Suede Shoulder Bag will no doubt turn into a go-to handbag.

If I had to choose between Choo shoes or handbags, I would have to say I am a shoe fan. But, this bag has me singing a different song. I love the gray patent and suede combination as well as the gold-tone hardware. Typically, I am a little skeptical when it comes to gray material and gold hardware, for some reason it doesn’t always seem to go together as well as I’d like it to. However, this bag executes the combination flawlessly. The zip pockets add character to the bag, they don’t make it seem busy. Now add the slight stud detailing and you have a bag for seasons to come. Pair it with bright colors this spring/summer then with your favorite jeans and black top this fall/winter and voila, success! Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1750.

I promised you a better look at the Jimmy Choo Martha Clutch that we covered earlier this week. After I reviewed the bag I realized that the picture on NAP had the middle of the bag zipped up, which does nothing great for the look of this particular clutch. All of the Jimmy Choo Zip bags look better unzipped. This is a fact; every single zip bag from Choo looks 10 times better unzipped. My only gripe with this clutch is that it is flimsy. I like a hearty handbag that keeps its shape. If you don’t mind a lack of structure and you love animal print, then this clutch will be perfect for you. Again, I am not hating on it, I am just wishing for more structure on an otherwise stunning clutch. At least it will pack well for trips. Buy through Net A Porter for $1595.

The first thing that struck me about the Jimmy Choo Lucy Hobo was the name – Lucy! My parents have a seven-month-old English Bulldog puppy named Lucy that is just about the most adorable and aggravating little thing in the world, and whenever I hear the name I think of her. That’s neither here nor there, but everyone loves a puppy, right?

As far as the bag goes, I find it a little aggravating as well. I like the idea, and I like the theory behind the leather’s finish – what I don’t like is the execution. The stamped pattern and shininess seem a little too glam for the color, shape and hardware that were used. When I think about a brown bag, I want something casual with a soft, maybe even slightly rugged, finish. I want the leather too look like it’s been worn in and worked like a baseball glove, and what Jimmy Choo has done here just doesn’t seem quite right to me. Keep the hardware, keep the color, keep the hobo shape, maybe make the body of the bag a little larger, and lose the stamping and shiny finish. The flap is a little big and triangular, but that’s kind of a minor point. Follow that prescription, and they’d have a mighty fine bag indeed. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1495.