Novelty Bags (Page 4)

Well, the idea may be literally novel, but some people say it’s not figuratively novel – we’ll get to that in a minute. All I know is that the Kate Spade Book of the Month Clutches appeal very strongly to the book nerd residing just below my surface.

I’ve always been a reader. I used to make forts out of couch cushions in my parents’ living room and read with a flashlight when I was in elementary school, and the habit never really abated, even though my days of fort-building are probably over. I took so many comparative lit classes in college that sometimes I’d have assigned reading of 18 to 20 novels in a single semester, and I had so many credits in the department by the time I graduated that it became my minor by accident. For me to see two of my greatest loves, handbags and books, come together in such a perfect way almost brings a tear to this old blogger’s eye.

Oh, Karl Lagerfeld is so clever. Or crazy. Maybe both! Yes, probably both. But this time, I think he might be crazy like a fox – the Chanel Casette Clutch is not only kind of hilarious (you know, in a droll fashion sort of way), but it’s totally useable (well, if you’re the type that would use a tiny, clear clutch.)

UPDATE: The clutch is vintage and for sale! Make the jump for more info.

When Giles RTW Fall 2010 collection hit the runway, the clothing felt perfectly suited for trophy astronaut wives. The line is one of the most wearable to date from Giles Deacon. And then there was a bag. A bag that grabbed the attention of everyone around and somehow we did not cover it until now.

I don’t even know the actual name and I am having a hard time giving this bag a name while trying to remain serious yet playful. So please welcome the Giles Puffball Bag with Cartoon Eyes. I can’t even take much credit for the name I have given this bag, because WWD named it similarly. But let’s take a closer look.

I think it’s important to look at this bag for exactly what it is: a novelty item, designed to get attention and make people talk, and also a good collectible for those that love Fendi and want to add something really unique to their stash. Evaluating it like a regular bag is sort of besides the point.

The Fendi DIY Baguette Bag is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a woven, unfinished Fendi Baguette with everything you need to embroider your own bag. It’s sort of an opportunity to have your own one-of-a-kind designer bag, which is kind of cool, when you think of it that way.

Of course this clutch is from no one other than Judith Leiber. Love her designs or hate them, Leiber continues to bring us some different insects, birds, and animals in her famed crystal covered clutches. Her last bird we covered was an owl and her next endeavor is a parrot.

The Judith Leiber Parrot Clutch looks to be modeled after a Macaw, sporting red, blue, and yellow crystal embellishment. As we have said time and time again, this would be a heirloom piece which is not meant for every occasion and not even meant to be worn much. Some may argue, but these pieces are better suited on display.

Under normal circumstances, I hate a gimmicky bag. With a normal designer, the need to make jokes in order to make a bag interesting always makes me think that whoever is behind that brand’s handbags is out of good ideas. The thing with Maison Martin Margiela, though, is that he’s not your average designer. Not by a long shot.

The man has reportedly not been photographed since the 90s, yet he continues to churn out increasingly popular collections of edgy, current clothing and accessories. Some reports are that he’s no longer involved with the day-to-day operations of his label, but the company that now owns it disputes that claim. Either way, part of his shtick has always been adding in a sly joke here and there, and the Maison Martin Margiela Leather Shoulder Bag fits into that category nicely. It looks as though the bottom of the bag has been folded forward, but really the outside zippered pocket has been stitched and fitted with tiny silver feet in order to give the appearance of the bag’s bottom while still being a functioning element of the bag’s design. And that’s why I’ll let this gimmick go – it doesn’t take away from the bag’s functional purpose, and the joke fits is incorporate in such a way that it enhances the bag instead of detracting from it. The man may be a hermit, but his humor still translates.

Buy through Saks for $1445.

Everyone has that girlfriend in their group that is, after approximately a glass and a half of white wine, completely hammered, carrying her high heels in her hand, and asking everyone if they’ve seen her handbag. And no one has seen it, because she left it sitting on the back of the toilet at the last bar you were in, and its contents have already been pillaged. She will sleep on your couch that night, and you and your other friends will talk amongst yourselves, trying to figure out how anyone can lose her purse on a glass and a half of Santa Margherita. Her cell phone will be for sale on Craigslist the next day. If you don’t have that friend right now, think back to your early 20s – that girl, remember her?

Well, if you’re still friends with the drunken purse-loser, here’s what you should get her for her next birthday: the Alexander McQueen Faithful Leather Glove Clutch. See, she can stick her little hand in the attached glove, and she won’t have to worry about having to hold on to anything – the clutch will hold on to her! And even if you’re not prone to putting things down and wandering off, this clutch is a fabulously 80s addition to any wardrobe and something that no one else will at any party will be able to hold a candle to in the handbag department. It’s different from anything else on the market and so classically McQueen in a witty, winking way that it just may become a collector’s item. I can’t guarantee it, but it’s so fresh and funny that it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. Buy through Saks for $895.