It’s so rare that Nancy Gonzalez makes a misstep. Her handbags may not be revolutionary, but it’s nearly impossible to go wrong with exotic materials, beautiful colors and simple shapes. It appears as though she has handbag design nearly down to a science.

The Nancy Gonzalez Hand-Held Croc Clutch is merely the most recent in a long line of sartorial successes from the brand, and as always, I’m drooling over it.

Not long after the annual summer release of a new iPhone comes an inevitable parade of ways to personalize and protect your new gadget. Those options range from rubber cases that can be had for $19.99 at your local Best Buy to Louis Vuitton monogram sheaths that cost more than the phone itself (with a two-year contract, of course), and the prospect of choosing one can be quite the task indeed for style-conscious gadget-lovers.

When you get down to the details, it’s no surprise that Nancy Gonzalez‘s bags are so successful. First, the brand keeps costs down by sourcing most materials from its own farms, which means that Gonzalez’s crocodile and python bags are among the most well-priced exotics in the mass-market luxury business. Second, Gonzalez & Co. let the rare materials take center stage, as you can see so well in the Nancy Gonzalez Python Satchel.

Have you noticed the lack of posts on PurseBlog in the past week or two? I am almost embarrassed to say it is because Vlad and I have become so enthralled following World Cup Soccer that our work productivity has been compromised. As much as I love sports, soccer has never been my favorite sport. But there is something about a World Event that sucks me in.

I can’t think of a bag that’s more versatile than a big black clutch. Add an exotic skin to the mix for a healthy dose of luxury and you’ve got a bag that can be worn day or night and year-round, no matter your age. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how you’d work even the most basic bag into your wardrobe, however, particularly if you’re not prone toward considering a clutch (even an oversized one) to be a legitimate option for daytime use.

Hello Nancy Gonzalez, we have missed you in our lives. It is not for a lack of designs, I simply have not been drawn to you in a while. And I think I know why. One of the biggest upsides is also the biggest downside for designer Nancy Gonzalez, her designs are very seamless and very expected. There is no hardware being used and the designs are very ‘Nancy Gonzalez’, if you know what I mean.

As I mentioned over on PurseBlog Savvy recently, I’ve been struck by a vintage-shopping craze as of late. Midcentury design flourishes are the Next Big Thing in high fashion, and taking the time to search for the real items from the era always seems like a clever response to the revival of older trends in high fashion.

Sometimes, however, it’s impossible to find exactly what you want in the condition and quality that luxury customers expect.

Now this? This is more like it.

Earlier this week, we documented a rare Nancy Gonzalez misstep with the Nancy Gonzalez Crocodile and Whipsnake Floral Tote. It lacked the easy simplicity of most of Gonzalez’s designs, and it also went without a bit of the luxury for which she’s known.

Luckily, I found the Nancy Gonzalez Pleated-Trim Croc Satchel to wipe that from our memories and remind us all why Ms.

If ever there was an excellent example of why almost no one can pull off the intricacy and texture that has become a hallmark of the Valentino accessory aesthetic, it’s the Nancy Gonzalez Crocodile and Whipsnake Floral Tote.

I’m not say that this bag is bad, because I really don’t think it is. It’s also not great or particularly inspiring, in the same way that Valentino bags usually are.

It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of writing about a Nancy Gonzalez handbag, and I think I’ve figured out why: I can never tell when they’re new. I don’t mean to say that they all look alike, but…a lot of them look alike. Although I guess if a design isn’t broken, you don’t fix it.

The Nancy Gonzalez Navy Croc Tote surely isn’t broken.