Marc Jacobs Handbags and Purses (Page 14)

Marc Jacobs Rolls Royce Fold-Over Clutch

I’ll freely admit it – this is an odd little clutch. I mean, it’s got an old car on it. That’s weird, right? Why does a purse need a picture on it? And why a cartoon of a vintage Rolls Royce?

Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t have the answers to those questions. It doesn’t make any sense to me. But, for some reason, I think this little Marc Jacobs Rolls Royce Fold-Over clutch is completely adorable. And I’m not even sure that I can explain, in words, why I feel that way.

I’m not much of one for decoration of that type. I don’t think I own a single t-shirt that I’d wear outside of the house that has anything on the front of it. I don’t own any patterned bags, and normally I think extra stuff on the outside of the bag is there to distract from a boring design.

But this clutch is so whimsical and seems like such a sly throwback to a bygone era that I find it charming and smart. And I’m kind of worried about myself because of it. Buy through eLuxury for $1495.

Marc Jacobs Multipocket Bag

This is a handbag that I’ve been trying to find online in order to write about it for a while now, and finding it at Nordstrom made me realize that their online collection of designer goods is oft-overlooked, which it shouldn’t be. They had a lot of stuff that I didn’t even realize! So at least click through to check it out, because it might be a good place for you to find something that you’re looking for that is sold out at the Neiman Marcuses and Saks Fifth Avenues of the world. I don’t hear it mentioned nearly as much, and although the list of designers is shorter, they had a lot of the big ones.

Now, on to the bag at hand!

I worship Marc Jacobs. He’s my favorite. Really, I think just about everything he touches is brilliant, even the stuff that a lot of people don’t like. The one bag I will never eBay (and everyone that knows me and my handbags knows that I eBay everything eventually) is my black Stam from several years back. So when Megs asked me if I wanted to write up a show from New York Fashion Week, my response was more or less, “MARC JACOBS!!!!!!11!!1!,” because one of the most wonderful moments in an aspiring fashion writer’s life is the opportunity to write about one of the premier shows of New York Fashion Week, even if you don’t get to go (and besides, his show always starts late anyway, that diva).

So what did Marc have for us this season? Well, lots of things, my dears.

80’s shapes – sweaters and blazers with pronounced, exaggerated shoulder shapes were a recurring element in both brights and pastels, as well as some grey here and there. Often they were paired with long, skinny, high-waisted skirts for maximum effect – when compared to the thin line drawn on the bottom, the boldly shaped tops were even more striking.

Brights, sometimes mixed with pastels – I think cobalt blue is going to be for Spring ’09 what royal purple is shaping up to be for Fall ’08: the color that you have to have in some way, shape, or form. Solid-colored bright pieces were often mixed with softly colored, usually patterned pastels for a bit of an art school student look – wear that part of the trend with caution. For me, though, one of the highlights of the show was the mixing of brights with other brights, most notably when mustard yellow mixed with violet and cobalt rugby stripes on two of the collection’s most striking dresses.

Marc Jacobs Ostrich Stam

So this is love?! I am on handbag love overload. Yesterday I brought you a metallic Bronzo true love, the YSL Volcano Tote, which I literally dreamed about, and now I am bringing you the feminine exotic from Marc Jacobs. Marc Jacobs is a man of many wonders. His designs at times are misses, but with the Marc Jacobs Ostrich Stam he found his way into every woman’s heart, with the perfect combination of color, pale pink, and leather, ostrich. I don’t know about you but this bag rocks right to my core, sending me notions of girly wonders that remind me just why I love being a woman. The ability to pair a powerful suit with the perfect feminine accessory is something men must have bag-envy over! Amanda recently covered this rendition of the Stam, labeled the Marc Jacobs Sunburst Stam, and at the time I was not sold on it. It was nice, but it took the exotic skin and color to send me into the world of ohhing and ahhing. The silver tone link chain strap is detachable. I am just all kinds of sold on this. Sold on this and yesterdays YSL bag. My fall handbag list would be complete with these two bags. Buy this Marc Jacobs bag through Net A Porter for $5,500.

They say that there’s nothing new under the sun, and from time to time, as Megs & Co. are demonstrating today, this adage holds true in the handbag world as well. When faced with the need to blend practicality and style, how many different things can you really make?

So I present to you two bags: the Marc Jacobs Patchwork Amanda and the Versace Large Greek Key Shoulder Bag. Both are black patent leather, both have chain straps, both are kind of square and boxy, and both have large quilting over most of the bag. The styling is slightly different – Versace, naturally, makes everything in their line to be flashy and obvious, with their Greek motif forming the lines between the quilts. The Marc Jacobs bag is more fashionista friendly with more subtle styling and branding.

To me, the choice between these two is a no-brainer, and not just because the winner shares my name. The Marc Jacobs Amanda is much more elegant in its details and wearable in my wardrobe, and although not a complete original (Chanel did do pleats and chain straps first, after all), it’s still much preferable to its uninspired Versace cousin.

It’s rare that I take a vacation. Unfortunately, I wasn’t raised a traveler, and although I enjoy it, it’s rare that I actually DO it without a specific reason – someone to go see, something to attend, general fabulousness to spread. As it turns out, I have someone to go see in November, and I find myself fresh out of suitcases.

I feel like such an underachiever – suitcases are something that normal people have, right? I’ve blown through untold thousands of dollars of handbags in my time, but sadly, my only travel bag is a Vera Bradley duffel so worn out that it looks suspiciously like it was made out of old potholders (incidentally, the boy I am going to see is the one that pointed out that my bag looks like a potholder, and as much as I hate to admit that he’s ever right about anything, uh, it totally does).

I’ve got another complication to my situation – when I travel, I fly through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, which is the busiest terminal in the known universe and a veritable sink hole for black Samsonite luggage. When we went on school trips, we were always provided with craft products – pipe cleaners, feathers, brightly colored tape – to label our bags and distinguish them from the dark, hulking masses of luggage that would be loaded on to our plane.

As a result, buying black luggage has always seemed like a terrible idea to me. Besides, utilitarian black bags are not really my style, and if I’m going to spend money on something, I’m going to get something HOT.

So, after a bit of a search, I’ve found a suitcase that I would be proud to call my own (and I would surely be able to spot on the luggage trolley): the Marc by Marc Jacobs Patent Wheely. Red is my absolute favorite color, and patent leather always seems like it resists stains and wear and tear better than the regular alternative. The design of the suitcase itself is simple enough, and it has the adorable printed lining that Marc by Marc Jacobs is known for. It also seems perfectly functional, with several large pockets and an automatic handle for wheeling. These may not be revolutionary features, but it’s always nice when a designer remembers the practical purpose of their product.

At $698, the price seems a bit steep to me, but if I was a more regular traveler and in the market for a new suitcase (that is also the correct dimensions for a carry-on!), this would, without a doubt, be at the top of my wish list.

Remember the Marc by Marc Jacobs Doctor’s Bag that Amanda got you all hyped up for? Well I fell for it too. It is purple, slouchy, and large. That is so me. But if the shape was not exactly you, the little sister of this bag is such a great option that I may very well convert many of you over to the Liz Riz.

Yes, a catchy little name, the Marc by Marc Jacobs Dr. Q Liz Riz Bag sports a hobo shape rather than the east/west shape. The only thing that I would like a little different is the signature nameplate, which is rather large. But the bag is typical of many Dr. designs from Marc Jacobs, featuring softly gathered leather, a fold-over top, and quirky scrambled logo lining. You know, now that I see this version, I realize it is much more fitting for me. Meaning, this is now the new Marc by Marc love of Purse Blog, that is unless Amanda puts up a big fight! Either purple or black available at Saks for $428.