When I first laid eyes on this new Miu Miu bag I loved it. And then I kept looking at it and thinking to myself, this bag is oddly familiar. There is another brand who designed a handbag before this Miu Miu bag that other than some finishing touches, looks like they are related. Read on...

Sorry, Derek Lam, I’m just not buying what you’re selling here. I know, I know – you’re trying to make a little niche for yourself among the scads of smaller high-end bag designers out there. And it can’t be an easy thing, because convincing people to spend a couple grand on a bag from a designer that doesn’t have much handbag cache is a bit of a challenge, to say the least. But that doesn’t excuse what we have here.

When you’re dealing with quirky, non-symmetrical designs, there’s a really thin line between one that works and one that doesn’t, and I don’t think that the Derek Lam Elsa Python Clutch does. The material and color are both beautiful, and some of the asymmetry is well-done, but beyond that, Lam totally loses me. The half-covered silver ring doesn’t appear to serve any kind of functional purpose at all, and things always go off the rails in handbag design when you start adding elements that would normally be functional that don’t serve any functional value. But I think that the final nail in this little clutch’s coffin is the enormous, luggage-like handle at the top. Not only is the material not the same as the rest of the clutch, but the style is also different. It’s traditional and staid while the clutch is edgy and hip, and on top of that, the proportion of the two doesn’t even work. Buy through Barney’s for $1450.

One of my favorite parts of every new handbag season is waiting for the new Balenciaga colors to start hitting stores and websites. They’re my favorite brand and consistently product some of the most vibrant leather colors of any high-end designer. Since their bag shapes are simple and iconic, it lets the ever-changing leather shades take center stage, where some become highly sought-after and collectible.

My favorite from Fall 2009 is Pommier, a beautiful bright green that this photo doesn’t do justice. From what I’ve seen, it’s more of a Kelly shade in real life, and I couldn’t think of anything more beautiful to wear with the blacks and greys of fall. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a green like this from Balenciaga, which is refreshing – they’ve taken to repeating some of their most recent hits in the past few seasons. I’d prefer it with giant silver hardware (since I prefer everything with giant silver hardware), but I’d settle for the regular hardware pictured here if I had to. Maybe if I can save my pennies, I’ll have one of these lovely bags to show you ladies in the future. Buy through Barney’s for $1095.

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.

I make a lot of fun of Versace, and it’s for a lot of good reasons. They make largely unattractive handbags in weird shapes and with odd stuff stuck to them, and then they charge prices so high that they verge on insulting. They’re not a brand that’s famous for their quality handbags, nor are they widely carried by tastemakers or celebrities, so it’s hard to say why they think they can get away with such ridiculous designs and pricing. They end up in the sale section a lot.

And maybe, just maybe, someone at Versace has been paying attention, because the Versace Croc Embossed Satchel is decidedly unoffensive. It’s not the best bag I’ve ever seen, but it has a structure that subscribes subtly to the recent origami bag trend without being unnecessarily complicated. The structure is classic Versace, but it lacks the obvious, gaudy branding and enormous, shiny gold hardware that have characterized so many of the brand’s less-successful bag ideas. The color is gorgeous, as is the variation of the croc-stamped leather, and it all comes together in a reasonable, tasteful way. The best part, though, is the price. It’s still too high, but compared to some of the brand’s recent price points, it’s fairly unoffensive. Buy through Nordstrom for $1770.

We have been having exclusive giveaways on our Twitter page and now we have them on our Facebook fan page for those who are fans of Purse Blog and Purse Forum!

We have teamed up with Lockheart to offer a Facebook Fan page exclusive giveaway, the Lockheart Sky Tote. Perfect for day-to-day use or super chic to carry to the gym, I adore this bag!

All you need to do is become a fan of the Purse Blog and Purse Forum on Facebook and then read how to enter the giveaway. It is simple and the prize is great! Make sure to visit Lockheart.

As I mentioned last week, we are beyond excited to be partnering with Ignes to bring you a fabulous giveaway. What’s up for grabs? An entire travel set: travel bag, shoulder bag and a travel clutch. For all you Ignes fans out there, you might be saying, “travel bag? Ignes doesn’t make travel bags”. They didn’t… until now! So not only are you going to be one of the first people to see it, but after we’ve tallied the votes and the bags are custom made, you’ll also be able to enter to win it!

If you aren’t familiar with Ignes, definitely head over to Ignes and check out everything they have to offer. I am sure you will like what you see. And since Ignes puts together some amazing bespoke bags, we figured, what better way to collaborate on a giveaway than to ask our readers to help design the bags. Now, go have some fun with these options and vote!

VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Normally, the entire PurseBlog team is a big fan of Salvatore Ferragamo handbags. They’re classic, sleek, and always stylish. The brand seems to avoid subscribing too earnestly to trends and instead sticks to more widely appreciated shapes and ideas.

This isn’t always the case, though. The Salvatore Ferragamo Gancio Intrecc Vitello Shoulder Bag is just…not right. The metallic purple is just not good; making a color that’s not normally metallic into a metallic is almost always a one-way trip to Tacky City, and unless it’s done out of irony or retro reference, it simply doesn’t work (and even then, things are dicey). This purple-grey would have been gorgeous in a matte leather, or maybe even in patent, but as a metallic, the material looks thin and cheap. The odd gathering at the middle, topped by an intricately braided representation of the Ferragamo logo that looks a bit like a Gucci horsebit, doesn’t do anything to help the bag’s case. I think I know where they were trying to go with this, but they certainly didn’t get there. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1290.

Very cute: MICHAEL Michael Kors NYC Anniversary Tote [via PB Savvy]

Heath Ledger In Denim For Vanity Fair [via Denimology]

From all of us at Purse Blog we wish you a Happy 4th of July! We’re celebrating USA’s birthday in Red, White and Blue with family today, we hope you enjoy your time with family and friends as well.