Last fall I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the Founder and Creative Director of the fabulous handbag line with her namesake, Jalda. To be honest, this was the first full blown interview I conducted as a member of Purse Blog. Gearing up for the round of LA based interviews, I re-read the many interviews that Megs and Vlad had already conducted. And I’ll be honest, as I drove up to Jalda’s office I found myself to be a tad nervous. What could I expect? What would she be like? Would the interview go smoothly? Well, with my notepad, pen, camera and recorder in hand, I took a deep breath, walked up the stairs and braced myself.

Any worry I previously had was instantly forgotten about when Jalda opened the door, reached out her hand and welcomed me into her office. As we introduced ourselves and began chatting, I could help but find my eyes wondering around her office/showroom. The space was just like Jalda – fabulous and fresh. Light beamed through the windows and caused the handbags to sparkle. Jalda poured both of us a cappuccino and we got started.

Shop Jalda Handbags

Has anyone noticed that this season, among the multi-thousand dollar bags and over-the-top looks, Marc Jacobs has quietly released several simpler, more classic bags that retail below (and sometimes well below) a thousand dollars? You have to look hard for them because most website don’t feature the less expensive, less showy bags, but they’re there. Not only do I think it’s fantastic that a designer doesn’t take themselves so seriously that they can’t make something less expensive, but it’s nice to see someone ACKNOWLEDGE the current economic climate.

We’ve talked a bit about it in the comments of a few previous posts, and I think a designer coming out with a small group of lower-priced bags along with their normally high prices is a great way to remain inclusive of their customers whose financial situation may be temporarily suffering. My favorite of these less-expensive bags is the Marc Jacobs The Single Evening Bag. I can’t help but think that, in seasons past, this bag would have been in the $775 price range, if not a couple hundred dollars more, but now we’ve got it for the reasonable price of $575. It comes in a variety of colors, but the metallic pink is so fun and works well for a small evening bag. Plus, it’d spice up any black outfit in a heartbeat and be a great addition to satisfy the current neon trend. I think the lower-priced bags are a great idea, and this is cute no matter the price tag. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $575.

There’s something very Old Hollywood about the Mary Norton Jones Clutch, isn’t there? I’m not sure if it’s the swoop of the top flap or the construction of the attached flower, but it’s reading retro to me in a very good way. I think the way that the photograph was taken is making the bag look cheaper than it would in person, so I’m going to ignore the shininess for now. It seems like it would have more of a subtle sparkle than an all-over gleam in natural light, and that would be gorgeous. I’m having one problem, though – I can’t figure out what era it’s from. Part of me says, “1920s. Definitely 1920s.” And another part of me says, “No, 1950s, you dolt.” Either way, those are my two favorite periods of American fashion, and this clutch would do either justice. It’s got the right amount of glitter, a super cute adornment that is pretty unique in the current clutch market, and it looks big enough to hold all the night-out essentials. Buy through Saks for $895.

After Mulberry rep Jackie contacted us a few days ago and asked us to take a look at their bags on their own website instead of other retailer’s, not only did I update my opinion of the Mulberry Creased Patent Mitzy Hobo, but I spent some time looking around their website at the huge number of bags that they have in their line. I had simply never realized before, and I think that it might be a brand that a lot of Americans overlook. Well, I’ve been set straight now, and any of you guys out there that are big fans of simple bags with thick leather might want to peruse their website as well. Don’t believe me? Well, take a look at the Mulberry Shimmy Tote. When I saw it, it left me (as the Brits say) gobsmacked. This thing is gorgeous. And it’s gorgeous in a totally simple, understated way. It doesn’t scream at anyone about how expensive it is, it just looks really well-made and chic. It is exactly my style, and a perfect color for the navy (although Mulberry calls it ‘purple’) trend for spring. The bag is also made of sheep leather…I’m not quite sure what that feels like, do any of you know? I’m familiar with calf, lamb, goat…but I don’t know if I’ve encountered sheep. It LOOKS very soft, though. Mulberry has sold out of it on their site, but ShopBop still has it available for $995 (although their pictures don’t do it justice). Buy through ShopBop for $995.

No stranger to Purse Blog, Adriana Castro has made her way into our hearts as an exotic handbag designer whose products are just as stunning as the woman behind them. The Purse Blog team is hoping to check out this function being presented by Mayda Cisneros Boutique. We hope to see some of you there!

What: Accessories Trunk Show & Silent Auction to benefit Dress for Success Miami

Where: Mayda Cisneros Boutique. 4102 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Coral Gables, FL

When: March 12 – 13th. From 10am to 6pm.

Who: Featured Vendors include Mayda Cisneros Couture, Adriana Castro, Beirn and more!

More: 10% of proceeds will be donated to Dress for Success Miami

As always, find more on Adriana Castro online!

PB Savvy reviews the See by Chloe SBC Shopper Bag [via PB Savvy]

Celebrity Style: Olivia Wilde [via Fab Sugar]

Bye-Bye, Bob! Katie Holmes Goes Long Again — Love It or Hate It? [via Off the Rack

Get up to 90% off Valentino! [via My Fashion Life]

Say what you want about the ideas behind Valentino’s designs – love them or hate them, I can almost always look at a new bag and know immediately if it’s one of theirs. They have an over-the-top, textured aesthetic that is more or less all their own in today’s handbag market, which says a great deal about the creative team that is designing and producing their purses. As a result, when I first came across the Valentino Rose Vertigo Leather Shopper, there was no doubt in my mind who had made it. Modern interpretations of flowers in bright colors is a trademark of the Valentino look, and it gives them a ruffly, girly quality that few other brands try to achieve. Also, if you have the opportunity to grope one of their bags in person, take it – almost all of them are made out of the softest, most touchable leather I’ve ever encountered in my life. So, while this isn’t a bag I’d necessarily go out and buy, I can completely admire Valentino’s commitment to their aesthetic idea and the amount of craftsmanship that goes into making such a beautiful bag. Buy through Nordstrom for $2395.

The first version of the Balenciaga Giant Lattice City that I saw was the smaller multicolor version, and let’s just say that my feelings were, at best, mixed. The combination of colors seemed kind of muddled, and the abundance of blue trim sorta took away from the effect of the latticed leather. But today, I stumbled across the black and white version, and my opinion changed immediately. Since the bag is bicolor instead of multicolor, the careful precision with which the leather is woven becomes much more apparent. At first it looks scattered, but if examined closely, there’s an almost-symmetry to the pattern that indicates just how much care was taken when deciding where the bag would change colors. If it had been completely symmetrical, it wouldn’t nearly as interesting to look at, but as it is, I find it almost fascinating. I love the Balenciaga aesthetic in general, and I REALLY love their bags with giant silver hardware, so all of that combined with the intricacy of the black-and-white woven detail really makes me wish I had an extra $2700 laying around. If I did, I’d be all over this. Buy through Barney’s for $2695.

The Burberry Leather Tote is so beautiful and perfect that I can’t even bring myself to snark about it. And I can snark about almost anything, it’s just what I do. But on this tote in particular, there is nothing snark-worthy because it’s all beautiful. The color is a crisp white, the structure is equally crisp, and the handles are long enough and the body big enough to make it completely functional – this bag isn’t just a pretty face. My one criticism is that the handles are rolled instead of flat, and I hate rolled handles on a double-strap shoulder bag. They always fall off. But that’s but a small quibble, and the rest of the bag is so on-point and versatile and WEARABLE that I don’t even care what kind of straps it may or may not have. It’s subtle but expensive-looking, and I’m sure the white leather is to-die-for in person. I’m kind of afraid to encounter this bag at a store, though, for fear that I may be forced to purchase one. Buy through Saks for $995.

  

After I first posted about the Mulberry Creased Patent Mitzy Hobo the other day, Megs received an email from Jackie at Mulberry with a link to check out the bag on their website to show that the bag is, indeed, slouchy and wonderful. And as you can see above, it is! The patent does appear to slouch quite nicely, and her assertion that ShopBop overstuffed the bag on their website does indeed seem true (and hobos get awkward-looking quickly when overstuffed). What I see above is a far lovelier bag than I wrote about yesterday, and while I still don’t adore the color, it looks a lot better here than it does in the previous photo, which appeared to have been washed out by the camera flash. So I take back all the mean things I said about how this bag was going to poke everyone in the armpit. Because it’s not.

I’ve also included a shot from their website of the regular leather Mulberry Mitzy Hobo, because I’m in love. It’s gorgeous. The leather looks thick and soft and fantastic, and I love the shape and the slouch. I owned a Mulberry bag a while back, and the leather on that one was awesome, and this one looks even better. I wish more places in Georgia carried the brand because there’s a lot of bags on their site that I have never seen before, and now I really want to scope them out in person. I’ve always been a casual Mulberry fan in the past, but I’m starting to take a more active interest. Buy through ShopBop for $695.