If you are following us on Twitter you know that we have a new member helping out the Purse Blog team. Anna will be assisting and contributing to various aspects of Purse Blog over the summer.

Below you will find a bit about her and make sure to join me in welcoming her to this amazing community!

Hello everyone! I’m Anna, and I’m so excited to be interning at Purse Blog. I’m a rising sophomore at Columbia University, where I most enjoy my classes in Italian, French, and computer science. Of course, a major perk of living in New York City is the fashion! One of my favorite things to do, besides sneakily reading US Weekly, is practice aerial fabric and contortion. I love handbags, obviously, walking in Central Park with friends, quesadillas, and anything in royal purple. And because this is Purse Blog, I’d like to add that my favorite handbag brand is Goyard.

I can’t decide if this news is counter-intuitive or not, but Forbes is reporting that Hermes will post an increase in sales during the first quarter of 2009, a time when many retailers and brands were feeling a big-time sales crunch. Why is that?

Well, the sales increase isn’t worldwide. Sales fell modestly in Europe and experienced a double-digit decline in luxury-goods-obsessed Japan, but the brand saw increases large enough in non-Japanese Asia to more than make up for decreases elsewhere. The increases were seen mostly in South Korea and China, which many industry watchers regard as somewhat of a Last Frontier of luxury retail.

So what does this tell us? First of all, we should all remember that signs of strength in the global economy probably mean good things for those of us in America. Our economy is incredibly interconnected with those of other nations, particularly China, and we can’t start to make a significant recovery without signs that are trading partners are also ready to move forward economically. Sales increases of luxury goods mean that consumers in other countries feel confident in the direction in which the economy is headed, and maybe a little bit of that consumer confidence will rub off on other markets. Lastly, it’s a good reminder to all businesses that there are still markets out there that are spending money. Finding them may be a challenge, but it can and will be done. So congratulations, Hermes, on a game well played.

Article via Forbes.com

If ever I’ve seen a good reason to have kids, it’s the page of stuff that Saks was calling a collection of reasonable Mother’s Day presents. Sure, there were some things that most kids could have pooled their money and afforded to get for mom, but then there were some things that were absolutely redonkulous (I feel that that’s the only correct term). The most out-of-this-world? The Zagliani Tomodachi Crocodile Tote. This thing is stunningly freakin’ gorgeous, and if having a couple of munchkins would mean that I might, one day, be given something even half as awesome as this bag, then that’s reason enough for me (ok, so maybe not, but go with the joke here, folks). It would take some rich kiddos to put together their piggy banks for this beauty, though, so it might be time for mothers everywhere to increase allowances for the foreseeable future. Buy through Saks for $10,500.

This is possibly the most luxurious laptop bag I’ve ever seen, even if it is slightly boring. I know that the Bottega Veneta Buckle Tote isn’t advertised as a computer bag per se, but if I’ve ever seen a designer handbag that would be more perfectly suited for that purpose, I’m having trouble recalling it now.

And by calling this a laptop bag, I don’t mean that as an insult. Far from it, in fact. This is modern society, after all, and the vast majority of women that will consider purchasing this bag will be women that worked hard to make the money that they’ll be spending. Acknowledging these women and giving them high-end options for their work bags is something that far more designers should be doing. Even if Bottega Veneta didn’t intend this bag for such utilitarian purposes, I think it would be perfect for the job. Plus, knowing of BV what I do, I bet the leather is flawless and soft and made of unicorn hides. Buy through Saks for $1850.

In rather hectic fashion, Shannon and I made our way to New York last Monday for the unique chance to meet and greet the Chief Operating Officer of Louis Vuitton North America, Mr. Daniel Lalonde. When we received the invitation last week whilst being on vacation, there was no real hesitation before realizing that we had to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

The Location

Shannon and I had high hopes that the event was going to take place in the flagship store on 5th Avenue, in our fantasies we had envisioned Vuitton clearing a whole floor off eager shoppers and letting the event attendees roam the palace freely.

The disappointment was only faint when a kind SA in the store pointed us to the adjacent building down 57th Street, where part of Louis Vuitton N.A.’s corporate headquarters are located. To my pleasant surprise, the showroom was presenting beautiful pieces of LV’s fall collection, some of which I captured on camera.

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After seeing a few shots from Chanel Cruise 2010, I couldn’t resist sharing some of the highlights with all of you PurseBloggers out there. This has to be one of the most strikingly beautiful runway shows I’ve ever seen, from the Venice Lido boardwalk setting to the 1920s throwback clothes. Karl Lagerfeld said that he chose this particular setting to debut this collection because Coco Chanel was a long-time fan of this particular Italian beach. Coco made yearly visits to this beach during the 1920s, making it particularly appropriate for this set of retro-glam resort wear and beautiful evening dresses. The boardwalk is only steps from the sea, the show began at sunset, and I’ve never found myself wanting to attend any fashion show so much in my entire life.

Click here to see hilights from Chanel Cruise 2009

It took me a second to understand the name of the Alexander McQueen Clover Hobo. My thought process went something like this: well, it’s not green. It’s not printed. It’s not in the shape of a clover. So wha….oh. I see it. Do you see it? Did you see it quicker than I did? What does that say about me?

Anyway, for the folks like me that aren’t feeling quick on the uptake today: The black patent trim forms a large four-leaf clover shape on the supple cream leather. See it now? Yep, that’s what I thought. Kind of interesting, right? Because it’s not too literal at all, and there’s nothing that would irritate me more than having something really obvious like a piece of foliage stuck to the front. McQueen is a better designer than that, and I think this bag proves it. It may not be your cup of tea – I don’t particularly think that it’s mine – but it is well designed and the materials look incredibly lush on close-up. If I could have everything in my house, including my pillows, upholstered in that cream leather, I would die a happy girl. Buy through Zappos for $1999.

We are loving so many Lanvin handbag styles this season. Our obsession du jour is the Lanvin Reporter leather bag. It is a luxurious combination of two distinct textures accented by an adjustable gold tone chain strap. The contrast of the navy blue distressed leather against the shiny black patent is a unique combination that is tied (literally) together with a grosgrain ribbon woven thru the gold-tone chain strap. The boxy compact shape makes the perfect accompaniment to sophisticated linen pencil-skirts or sultry summer dresses. To keep all of your essentials in order there are inside compartments and a detachable Lanvin logo key fob.

via The Find

I’ve always had the vague feeling that a lot of exotics were a bit of a scam. Price is a measure of perceived value, particularly in fashion, and if all designers drive their prices for exotics sky-high, then over time, consumers will come to expect that exotics will cost those prices and convince themselves that they’re so high because they have to be. I’m not claiming that exotics don’t cost more to farm and are often more delicate and difficult to work with; I believe all of that. But I do think that prices have been artificially high for some time now, and bags like the Ted Rossi Pleated Eel Clutch make me think I’m right

This bag does appear on a discount website, and it is made out of one of the less-expensive exotics to begin with, but it IS exotic and fairly intricate in its construction. The pleating is gorgeous and the shine of the eel skin is subtle and glamorous. Sale prices often indicate what the price of a bag SHOULD be (since, theoretically, if a bag has to be put on sale then it was priced too high for the market anyway), and when you take the mark-down into account, this sleek little clutch is a steal for an exotic skin in a shape and size that you’ll use on nights out for years to come. Buy through Bluefly for $402.

Black is one of the most essential colors (I know there is a long standing argument about if black is or is not a color) that you must have in your wardrobe. There is the little black dress. The black bag. The black shoes. The black pants. The black clutch. The black tee shirt. The black jacket. Forget the argument of black as a color and realize that black is a staple of most wardrobes. I have a great little black dress from Prada that fits beautifully and has been used for a variety of events. But when I looked in my closet I realized a lack of black bags. I do have a classic Chanel Bag but I am lacking a compact black clutch and a larger black handbag.

I kid you not, I dreamt about a black Hermes Birkin last night. I woke up craving one and questioning whether I should opt for gold hardware or palladium hardware and if 35 cm would be better rather than 30. This year is a great year for investment pieces and a classic Birkin in a color that is classic seems to be a good fit.

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