Novelty Bags (Page 3)

Miu Miu Pelouch Faux Fur Shoulder Bag, $1250 via Net-a-Porter.

We all know how I feel about fur bags, but sometimes a fur design is so deranged that it loops back around to awesome, and those bags need to be embraced and celebrated in all of their insane glory. With purple leather trim and fake fur dyed so unevenly that it looks like it was aggressively rubbed against a brand new pair of orange jeans, the Miu Miu Pelouche Faux Fur Shoulder Bag is perhaps the reigning poster child for this phenomenon.

Hermes gets credit for a lot of things – being expensive, being luxurious, being exclusive – but I don’t think the French brand gets its due for being witty. In fact, that’s always been my favorite thing about Hermes; for all the ways that the company takes itself extremely seriously, every now and then, the designers behind the world’s most coveted luxury goods show their senses of humor. And have you seen anything more sly and clever today than the Hermes Apple Bag? It seems as though this bag dates back a few years, but this is the first time any of us have seen it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I appreciate a dose of absurdism in my life. I like weird movies and funny hats and people who wear bowties to daytime events without a note of irony. The weirdness that people bring to everyday life almost always makes me think that humanity might be ok after all, which is probably why the Les Petits Joueurs Mondrian Lego Suede Clutch makes me smile. Except for the price, naturally.

Many bags fall into a typical design scheme: Square or rectangular with straps of various lengths. Obviously there is so much more to handbags and I, of all people, know that. Yet we rarely see something completely outside of the box and when we do, I can’t help but rejoice a bit inside. Sure, not every design is a winner, but novelty bags easily stand apart and I appreciate a different design amid the monotony.

There are some really funky Fall 2011 Jamin Puech bags with a Russian Gypsy traveling in Eastern Europe theme.

I don’t know how the weather is where you are, but as I write this, Atlanta is experiencing its first springlike day since the actual advent of the season, and I couldn’t be happier. (For the record, I also couldn’t be happier that I’m moving to New York right around the time that Atlanta’s beautiful spring weather will to change to sticky, stultifying summer heat.) Weather-wise, spring got off to a belated start this year on much of the East Coast, but I think that this time, the sunshine is here to stay.

Or maybe it’s just the Kate Spade With a Twist Orange Slice Satchel that’s making me so optimistic. After a change in creative staff several seasons ago, Spade has become fashion’s go-to brand for whimsical, witty accessories at a price point that makes its pieces seem like a reasonable splurge from time to time. This bag and its lemon counterpart perfectly demonstrate the band’s cleverness.

I’ve never had much of a problem forming an opinion and then expressing it, and although I have plenty of thoughts about the Kaufmanfranco Suede Utility Skirt, as soon as I try to put fingers to keys to articulate those thoughts, only one thing comes out: WTF. I mean. I don’t even…I can’t.

Although this skirt does solve one important handbag problem that I can think of. If you’re out having drinks with your friends and you have one (or four) too many, you’ll never lose your handbag. Unless you lose your skirt, I guess, but if that happens, then losing your purse probably isn’t the biggest of your problems.

Our email boxes are getting quite full with questions about holiday gifts. What handbag will you give the gal who has everything but wants a new bag? Is she young and fun? If so, I have the answer: the Mandy Coon Bunny Bag.

I know, I know, it is a little silly. But there is someone out there that this novelty animal bag will work on. We saw Agyness Deyn rocking a Giles Deacon Dinosaur Bag and I have a feeling there are some gals out there who can wear this Bunny Bag well too.