My hands are sweating just looking at the Stella McCartney Zebra-Print Wool Clutch. Wool, really? Whenever I have to hold a wool coat or sweater in my hand for more than a few minutes, my palms get so warm and moist that I have to put it down. I know Stella doesn’t use animal materials, and I know wool is a material appropriate for the Fall/Winter collection from which this comes, but it just doesn’t seem like that inspired of a choice to me.

And then there’s the size issue. A lot of designers make these wallet-sized clutches, and I’m not really sure who they’re selling them too – people without cell phones, maybe? Certainly people without Blackberries. I could never wedge mine into it. Whoever they are, it seems like an extremely niche market. What I do like, however, is how subtle the zebra print is. It doesn’t yell zebra, it merely whispers it, and subtlety and animal print are two hard concepts to combine. She does it rather well here, but it’s not enough to rescue the bag as a whole. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $515.

Ok folks – how many of you watch the Ellen Show? Here at Purse Blog, we can’t get enough! We think the show is hilarious, brilliant, entertaining and unique… just like us, right?! Well, if you do watch Ellen, you will remember her quest to be on the cover of O Magazine. After days, weeks, months of work, Ellen received a call from Oprah saying yes, in fact Ellen would be on the cover! So we are following in Ellen’s footsteps.

ELLEN, we love your show! And, we have fun, witty and amazing things to share with your audience. Ellen, call/email/tweet us. We will be on your show one of these days and we can’t wait!

So, all you Purse Blog fans out there – do you think we would be a great addition to one of her shows? Help us attain our goal! Email/tweet/call… do whatever you can and tell the Ellen Show why Purse Blog should be a part of it!

Photo via Ellen Show

There is a similar phenomenon with Miu Miu handbags and Marc by Marc Jacobs bags. Bigger brother/sister of both brands seems less impressive than the younger sibling at times. Prada is great, but many times Miu Miu is better. Same with Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc. One of my favorite bags from Miu Miu reappeared on NAP and I was crushing on it hard. Today I wanted to look at the bag again and it is sold out, go figure. The bag I am speaking of is the Miu Miu Fuchsia Matellase Tote which is a perfect bold yet feminine accessory. The gold tone hardware accents the pleated leather beautifully. This bag is roomy and has tons of pockets; one padlock pocket, one press stud pocket on the outside, and an inside pocket. This bag is a spin-off of the Miu Miu Coffer, which was a huge hit, and I love this more East/West take on the bag. Maybe it will be back on NAP soon. Buy through Net A Porter for $1,495

Folks, it’s time for me to state the obvious: it’s summer. And for fashion people, that means magazines are getting thinner, store shelves are getting barer, and there won’t be much to sustain us until approximately August (or September, if you’re counting in magazine months). Pre-Fall stuff is trickling in from a few brands, but overall, there’s not a lot to talk about in the handbag world that most of you guys haven’t already seen. I was talking (read: whining) about this to a guy friend earlier today, and his response was, “Well, bathing suits are summery. Why don’t you just write about those?”

My initial reaction was “Psssh, those aren’t handbags,” but then I figured, why not? He might be on to something. So I spent a little bit of time looking around the Internet today for my favorite bathing suit, and I decided that I loved the J.Crew Regal Paisley Bikini. The bold, retro pattern will cover any wear-and-tear that occurs from lazing around the pool or ocean and the slightly more substantial top will give the necessary lift and added security to a girl with a larger-than-average chest. So what bathing suit have you been wearing this summer, or do you still have your eye on several? Buy through J.Crew for $90.

Linea Pelle Lola Clutch [via Purse Blog Savvy]

Christian Lacroix files for bankruptcy. So sad. [via My Fashion Life]

15 Affordable Fab Summer Dresses You Need Now! [via Fab Sugar]

Target and Anna Sui Collab Inspired by “Gossip Girl” [via The Budget Fashionista]

The first thing that struck me about the Jimmy Choo Lucy Hobo was the name – Lucy! My parents have a seven-month-old English Bulldog puppy named Lucy that is just about the most adorable and aggravating little thing in the world, and whenever I hear the name I think of her. That’s neither here nor there, but everyone loves a puppy, right?

As far as the bag goes, I find it a little aggravating as well. I like the idea, and I like the theory behind the leather’s finish – what I don’t like is the execution. The stamped pattern and shininess seem a little too glam for the color, shape and hardware that were used. When I think about a brown bag, I want something casual with a soft, maybe even slightly rugged, finish. I want the leather too look like it’s been worn in and worked like a baseball glove, and what Jimmy Choo has done here just doesn’t seem quite right to me. Keep the hardware, keep the color, keep the hobo shape, maybe make the body of the bag a little larger, and lose the stamping and shiny finish. The flap is a little big and triangular, but that’s kind of a minor point. Follow that prescription, and they’d have a mighty fine bag indeed. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1495.

I really hate to admit that Heidi Montag inspired me to do or say or think ANYTHING, but in this case of the Yves Saint Laurent Y Tote, I have to admit, she did. I wrote about her carrying this particular bag a few days ago on Bag That Style, and ever since I saw it, I’ve been intrigued.

Megs, who identified the bag from Heidi’s pictures, was told by the ladies in the YSL forum that the bag was from last year and no longer available, but I love nothing more than a challenge. So I was delighted to find the black version on Bluefly today and thought that since I hadn’t seen the bag before, maybe you guys hadn’t either. And really, it’s worth seeing – the leather used is so drool-worthy that it almost makes me want to try and pet it through my computer screen.

Heidi apparently uses hers for traveling, and although I can’t support any other life decision that she’s ever made, I think this would make a great carry-on. It’s roomy and has two different handle options, depending on what else you’re carrying. I’d have to see it in person to decide if the leather is durable enough, but Heidi’s light-colored iteration looked pretty perfect after her flight back from Mexico. Buy through Bluefly for $1596.

Jay-sus. What to say, what to say. Viewing The Real Housewives of New Jersey is almost a disorienting experience. When it’s over, I find myself staring at the TV, blinking and wondering what just happened to these people (and to me, and to all of us). Because in a way, these women are fairly normal. And then, in several other ways, they’re completely looneytunes. Which is, I think, exactly why we watch.

UPDATE: A link to scans from the book they mention in next week’s previews can be found after the jump. Don’t you love me?

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As the economy has cratered and more or less stayed that way, we have begun to hear more and more from designers (and their PR companies) about the new way we should be looking at fashion – as an investment in our futures. People have used the “investment” excuse to justify the money they spend on bags for years, but as conspicuous consumption of luxury good contracts at an even greater rate than across-the-board retail spending, brands and their mouthpieces have looked to the word as a possible way to pry the remaining dollars out of consumers’ wallets. Lesley Blume of Slate’s finance blog The Big Money has the breakdown on exactly why the fashion-as-investment logic just doesn’t hold.

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As we continue to grow, we continue to hire more writers, interns, and workers which has me writing a bit less and doing things behind the scenes a bit more. But I must admit I miss writing. I am not a product of a journalism school, but I am a gal who loves handbags and always loves to share what I think about them, which is precisely why we started this site. So I have worked it out that you will be hearing from me again much more. You are stuck with me, it is going to take a lot more to get rid of me!

Onto this Jimmy Choo handbag. Luckily we had this bag in our office so I can tell you precisely what it is like in person. Let me first say that I love the look of the Jimmy Choo Martha Pony and Suede Clutch, it is totally edgy and fun. The problem with this bag is its structure, rather lack their of. The bag is flimsy, and really has a hard time keeping its rectangular shape. The materials are great though, and obviously light, with a combination of multicolored pony skin and suede. This is another one of those brilliant zip Jimmy Choo bags which will help the bag expand or contract depending on what you want (leave it expanded, it looks so much cooler). So my gripe is merely how this clutch loses its shape. Every other aspect of this clutch I love. The version that we had was a bit different (images to come later) but Jimmy Choo keeps wowing us with their love of animal prints. Buy through Net A Porter for $1595.