Net A Porter brings us some of their favorite handbags of the season. This group of three is a fashionable trio showing Miu Miu, Fendi and Lanvin. Our personal favorite is the Lanvin bag, with perfect gold stamped-python metallic leather.

Miu Miu Vitello Vintage Leather Clutch | $750

Fendi Fly Leather Shoulder Bag | $1,460

WHO: Nancy Gonzalez, designer of the renowned handbag collection, will make a personal appearance at Saks Fifth Avenue New York.

WHEN: Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

If you are in NYC make sure to stop by Saks to check out the Fall 2009 handbag collection from Nancy Gonzalez. There will also be three styles designed exclusively for Saks Fifth Avenue New York.

For all of you who love brown handbags, I apologize profusely as it seems you got stuck with a group of gals who share more of an affinity to black handbags. When we find a great brown bag, we will not cease to share it with you. This time I think I found a brown bag with a black counterpart that I like even less. Ridiculous, right?

We reviewed the Yves Saint Laurent Studded Satchel and were pleasantly surprised to see YSL take on the studded trend. YSL did so gracefully with a refined touch. The studs on their bag are flush with the leather rather than protruding. Let’s take a more in depth look at this brown YSL handbag.

Continue reading →

Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2010 was goth, glam and very Victorian, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the bags. They lacked some of the personality and style of the clothes with which they were designed, but they were sort of interesting in their own right. Whatever way you slice it, however, knit and macrame do not say glam, goth, or Victorian.

The highlights for me were the variations on the successful Miss Sicily satchel shape and anything containing red leopard print (I know, I know, my “taste level” is not so awesome sometimes). Lowlights? Knit, knit, and more knit. Much like the clear vinyl totes that Prada showed earlier in the week, I can’t imagine that these are going to have much of an audience among handbag aficionados, but perhaps I’m wrong. Would you pay four figures for them?

Continue reading →

Zagliani is known for injecting their handbags with silicone to add a super buttery feel to the bags. This is true of their python and crocodile bags. But what would make a suede bag from this line special?

Continue reading →

Here at Purse Blog our yearning for more supple leather almost always leads us to Bottega Veneta. We adore the understated simplicity of the designs and can not get enough of the super soft and luxurious leather. When our bank accounts grow to exorbitant levels, we will have our office and homes decked out in Bottega Veneta leather. That is how much we love it.

If you are looking for the most classic design from Bottega Veneta you need to check out the Bottega Veneta Maxi Veneta Hobo. The Veneta is the house staple, a chic hobo that brings together a simple yet timeless look with buttery soft woven leather. Intrecciato, the technique of weaving the leather, is synonymous with the brand.

Continue reading →

I’m underwhelmed, and I hate being underwhelmed. I’m not a huge fan of Prada’s Fall 2009 offerings, and I’m even less of a fan of Prada Spring 2010. So much so that it kind of makes my head hurt.

Memo to the fashion industry: no one wants clear vinyl bags. No one. You guys tried this crap a few seasons ago and thought it would be cute, and they all ended up on the sale rack at the end of the season, and they didn’t even move particularly quickly once discounted. A clear, architectural hard plastic clutch meant to hold three things for a night out, a la Fendi’s Spring 2010 presentation? That’s clear done well.

But a vinyl gray-tinted clear satchel meant to hold the dreck of everyday life, like tampons and your ATM receipts? No thanks. Do not want. Ever. But that, with some jewels stuck to the top and a canvas tote or two thrown in for good measure, is basically what we got. Since Prada does such a big bag collection for every season, this is probably only the tip of the iceberg and several other non-runway mini lines will eventually surface, but if this is any indication of what’s to come, I’ll take a pass.

Continue reading →

The Fendi Spring 2010 Handbags Collection is the very definition of a “mixed bag.” Har har, bag pun. I know, it was bad. I’ll stop.

Anyway, yes, the bags! Some were amazing – the new soft leather Peekaboos with wood or clear plastic handles were among my favorites, and the addition of exposed stitching, combined with the different handle textures, gives the shape a sense of style that it was missing in its more staid initial iterations. The bags look touchable and a bit vintage, just like the rest of Karl Lagerfeld’s breezy, Parisian collection for the brand.

Other standouts were the Perspex beveled clutches, some completely clear, others with slight tints or exterior studding. The bags were, of course, shown with nothing inside of them, and putting anything in them would be kind of a shame, but how else are you supposed to carry them? They were beautiful and a tad whimsical as art objects, and if the stuff you carry inside your clutches is very beautiful, they might be a workable choice.

And on the other hand, some things just didn’t work at all. We saw leather totes in a variety of colors with an odd, pansy-embroidered snap-on linen cover that was not only puzzling but also not particularly attractive, and Fendi would have done well to omit those completely and add more of the delicious Peekaboo styles, along with a few of the other wood-framed clutches and bags, to the collection instead. They were almost distractingly bad, but ultimately the preponderance of beautiful bags won out.

Continue reading →

Today, Vlad and I took a trip to Jungle Island off of Miami Beach. There we mingled with our friends; the colorful, loud, and beautiful parrots. Our friend, Sky the Macaw, was chatting with me about my Gerard Darel Midday Midnight Hobo.

Continue reading →

Get ready to vote! I’ve been hung up on the Emanuel Ungaro Studded Leather Clutch for over a week now. Net-a-Porter is one of my favorite sites to peruse. I love all of the amazing designer bags that the site consistently has in stock. Oh, and when I say “has in stock” I really mean tempt me to the point of Carrie Bradshaw spontaneous shopping sprees. Anyways, this clutch has got me all twisted around and I cannot decide if it is an edgy unique hit or a disastrous miss.

Continue reading →