Shopping for a bag deal is not always my forte. I attempt, but I end up wandering into the full-priced area and don’t leave there. Once in a blue moon I found a bag that I love and is on sale, it is rare, but it happens. This is precisely what has happened when I popped into the Saks 60% off sale and found the Zagliani Python Clutch. Zagliani is known for their treatment of their skins, injecting it with silicone to produce ultra luxurious and buttery-soft feel. Gold is such a bright color to wear so I love to see it in a clutch and the python skin help the light in any room glisten when it hits this clutch. This is an oversized clutch, 13″W X 8″H X 3″D, which no doubt will accessorize beautifully with many outfits. This is love: marked down substantially from $2,195 to $878.37 at Saks.

I think that this clutch is just about the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, but I realize that it’s hardly everyone’s taste. I have a very particular look for things that I tend to buy – I sent Megs a link to a pair of Chloe motorcycle boots that I loved recently, and her reaction was “Oh, those are so you.” They were covered in zippers and buckles, black leather with silver hardware. I have a particular point of view, and I can’t even begin to estimate the amount of times that my friends have looked at something I wanted and said, “Huh. That looks like you.”

Which is not only why I like the Alexander McQueen Knuckle Buster Clutch, but also why I like Alexander McQueen in general. He has a look and he goes with it, particularly in his clutches, and he seems to care little whether or not they have a wide appeal. They’re kitschy, fun, and reflect the punk and goth subcultures in the UK with which McQueen has always been so intimately connected. The scull-topped “brass” knuckles that form the handle to this clutch are so utterly brilliant and weird that I almost don’t know what to say about them, except to say that they are so very McQueen. His insistence on making quirky, interesting things is something that we should all celebrate, even if those things aren’t your taste (but they certainly are mine). Buy through Saks for $1595.

If you’re a regular PurseBlog reader, then you know we’ve covered the Valentino Rose Vertigo Shopper in the past. I gave it a rave back then in a shade of Barbie pink, and I thought it was worth a revisit for fall.

We don’t normally revisit bags, but this bag demonstrates better than any other bag I can think of how the change of a color can change a bag’s entire look. In hot pink, the bag was like something Elle Woods would wear in Legally Blonde – flamboyant, over-the-top, and ultra girly. When you take the exact same bag with the same sumptuous leather and change it to a medium grey, though, the bag’s mood changes completely. It’s still utterly fabulous, but the effect is very different. Instead of being girly and glam, the bag is edgy and hip, which would appeal to an entirely different consumer. Plus, the wonderful grey would look amazing with jeans and a sleek sweater when cold weather arrives since the color gives the bag a more casual profile. How the bag differs from one color to the next is a reminder to us all how much just one thing can change a bag’s entire appeal. Buy through Nordstrom for $2395.

I think Bravo was getting ahead of themselves by making the Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion a two-part special. Sure, there were some interesting moments last, but not nearly enough drama to entertain me for an entire hour with footage that I’ve already seen. And that’s the first time I’ve been able to say that about this show – I’ve never before been disappointed or impatient, and I started looking at the clock last night with about 20 minutes left in the hour. So stretching it out to a two-parter may have been a bit, uh, ambitious on their part. So what DID happen? You’ll have to make the jump to find out.

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There’s nothing that spices up a normal, boring evening bag quite like a little bit of fun and games with texture. And sometimes, when you’ve seen as many handbags over the years as the average purse enthusiast, unexpected textural touches are the last frontier of interesting things that can be done to a bag. Let’s face it – we’ve seen most of the other bag gimmicks already.

Which is why I sorta like the Jimmy Choo Cara Suede Evening Bag. Suede is usually a bit too casual for an evening out, but the varied print that Choo uses to embellish this bag makes it glam enough to go with a modern Little Black Dress. The colors also work well together – the shimmery silver combined with the matte black gives the bag a bit of a glam rock edge. The chain strap is fully detachable, which allows the bag to be used on the shoulder or as an oversized clutch, and who doesn’t love a little bit of versatility. What I want to know is if the bag feels embossed in person – it looks like it might be, but the bag’s description doesn’t give us any information on that. Buy through Saks for $895.

I have always had an affinity for Judith Leiber pieces. While her box clutches are stunning, it is always the animals and other objects that catches my undivided attention. To be honest, I have no event in the near future to wear one of these clutches too. But I so badly want to find a reason to splurge on a Leiber piece. I still love the cupcake, which was featured on SATC movie with Charlotte’s little girl Lily, and there are so many animals that they do magnificently.

Care to flash your eye for style? The Judith Leiber Owl Crystal Embellished Clutch is a wise piece. I look at Leiber pieces as art pieces, true collector items that can be put on display. The Owl is totally cute, hand-crafted with multicolored Swarovski crystals. There is a chain shoulder strap and an inside mirror. I would be a bit worried about this clutch banging anything, for fear of losing a crystal or two. But this is a conversation piece, that would look nothing but amazing with a little black dress for a night on the town or at a swanky event. Buy through Net A Porter for $4050.

I said not too long ago that I was experiencing some ennui in regards to the Marc Jacobs Stam, but as it turns out, I was wrong. That’s right, I’m a big, fat liar. Because I’m in love with the Stam again, and this time it’s because of the Marc Jacobs Stardust Stam. If this is an It-Bag gone wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

Not only do I love the name (it reminds me of Las Vegas, a city which I am newly obsessed with thanks to The Hangover), but the updates are subtle enough to retain the charm of the original Stam while still being interesting enough to catch the eye of any handbag fan that’s familiar with the line. Studs are a somewhat trendy bag accent, but the ones here are small enough to not overpower an already iconic design. Plus, there’s the color – a beautiful, bright teal that will add a pop of color to any drab winter outfit. I’m usually not much for gold hardware, but I still think that it’s the only way to go with the Stam, and the combination here is beautiful. Buy through Nordstrom for $1450.

Saks has a section on their site that tells you the best sellers in handbags and shoes for the previous week. They do this for most of their categories. Almost always the Tory Burch Reva Ballet flats are on the list along with a slew of handbags that are typically predictable and many times a bit boring. But today I saw a new bag on the best sellers last week list and rather than being bored by it I actually really am not fond of it.

Typically I praise Tods bags for their simplicity and elegance, but sometimes they miss it. And with the Tods G-Bag Bauletto Piccolo Satchel I just can’t find myself liking it. I will first say that I am not always fond of patent/coated leather. I prefer smooshy leather to patent/coated, as patent leather many times feels rubbery and looks too glossy. There are some designers who perfect patent leather on a handbag, but I much prefer it on a shoe. So back to this bag. The color is dramatic, sure, but I am picky about red handbags. In fact, I don’t own a red handbag. I own off-shoots of red, cranberry and wine shades, but not red. And having red patent is that much more in your face. The contrast leather trim sets this bag off more for me. It contrasts too much, looks harsh and over-the-top. The shape of the bag is cute enough, much like a bowler but it has adjustable double handles. There is an optional adjustable shoulder strap. I know many people could pull this off, but I simply am not under the guise that I am one of them. I just figured it out, this bag reminds me of a candied apple. What do you think about this Tods bag: A hit or a miss? Buy through Saks for $850.

Yesterday temperatures reached a balmy 100 degrees here with humidity that made stepping outside feel like stepping into a sauna. Then from the wee hours of the morning until a few hours ago I was reminded that Hurricane season has begun as the storm that hit knocked out power for hours and took down internet. Nevertheless we are back up!

I was having a Déjà vu this morning when I popped onto Net A Porter. There sat a cute oversized clutch, which showed a bit of gathering in an otherwise simple yet likable design. And then it occurred to me that while this clutch said it was made by Miu Miu I have seen a nearly identical design from Prada. It should be no major surprise, as Miu Miu and Prada are sister brands. But why pay a bit more for Prada when you can have Miu Miu? I suppose it all comes down to the name.
Read more about the Miu Miu clutch...

What are we buying when we buy a luxury good? Are we buying a brand name, a well-made product, or an item to ensure that others think a certain way about us when they see it? For most high-end consumers, it’s probably some combination of those options.

Many customers would claim that they buy only for the quality that these products provide, but the reaction of some customers to the recent announcement of Jimmy Choo’s collaboration with H&M seems to run contrary to those claims. Some people were excited to see what the partnership would create, but many Choo loyalists voiced the opinion that the brand was losing something by creating a temporary line for a low-end retailer.

Choo’s fans aren’t the first to scowl at the idea of their favorite label creating an inexpensive product line, and they’ll be far from the last. What seems to be unique about this occasion, though, is that Jimmy Choo is the most broadly known brand yet to dabble in mass-market, low-price retail. So far, many small or independent designers have used the tactic as a way to broaden their name recognition and, potentially, their customer base. Choo, though, is a brand with a pretty clear image in the minds of most women with any sort of fashion consciousness or desire for expensive shoes.

So what happens when a brand with a large following and a seemingly healthy business decides that they want to dabble in the desires of Middle America? Well, according to Robin Givhan of the Washington Post, it means that luxury as we know it is dead.

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