Yes, I’ve said it before, I love celebrity gossip. It really is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t know why, but as soon as I open a celeb infused magazine or type in a celeb heavy site, I am fixated. It’s not that I am trying to emulate one celebrity or another, but I love to see where they go, what they wear and who they are hanging out with. I can’t help it. And to be honest, I know many of you sitting there reading this feel the same way. Whether you openly admit it or feel some sort of shame admitting it, so many of us love celeb gossip! Today I came across some very interesting images of Sienna Miller. Many view her as a fashion icon or at least someone who keeps up, if not sets, trends. She could be in rainy London, sunny LA, or fast-paced NYC and she is always photographed and her clothes almost always commented on. Today is nothing different. A red cape? Really, Sienna? I realize she is in London, and it is probably frigid, but the Little-Red-Riding-Hood-look makes me go “hmmmm”. I can’t decide if it is fashionable or a fashion faux-pas.

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Alright, I’ll admit it. I haven’t been overly friendly to Fendi in the past. You might even say I’ve been critical; some would say overly critical. I just say honest. But not only is the Fendi Sfilata Divided Satchel a major It Bag for spring, but I actually love it. It has its faults, don’t get me wrong. Most obviously, that it looks an awful lot like an Hermes Kelly. But the Kelly is a timeless shape, and one that many other brands have bogarted (I’m looking at you, Chanel), so you can hardly blame Fendi for giving us their own version. Theirs has a bit of slouch and distressing to it that the Hermes model is certainly not known for, and it may be designed in a way that is actually a good bit more functional. Instead of a flap, the Sfilata Satchel has a turnlock closure on both sides and what appears to be a fairly rigid divider down the middle (or perhaps only the top is rigid – hard to tell). For all of you organized women out there (of which I am certainly not one), something like this has to be a great way to help keep your purse neat and tidy, especially compared to a giant slouchy hobo that turns into a handbag black hole and eats your stuff (which describes, oh, basically all of my bags). At nearly $2600, I can’t call this purse inexpensive, but compared to the traditional Kelly option at more than twice that, it might be a downright bargain. Buy through Saks for $2590.

I’ve been on the look recently for a very tiny pouch or wristlet to use as a clutch. I want something small enough to fit easily in my hand that will hold only the very essentials – house key, car key, ID, cash, phone. But the phone is where I’m hitting an impasse, because I have an enormous Blackberry with an even more enormous clear plastic shell to keep it safe (gotta brag for a minute – it’s one of the new click-screen ones! I love it!). As such, the thing is approximately the size of a small computer, and even if I can find a wristlet into which it fits, nothing else will fit alongside it. So I’ve decided to get a bit creative in my current search, and this morning came across something that could potentially work very well – the Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Cosmetic Pouch MM. I realize that it’s meant to hold lipsticks and whatnot inside of a larger bag, but since it doesn’t have cosmetic pouch emblazoned on it anywhere, I doubt anyone would know the difference. Besides, I’m all for repurposing things (kinda of like the tv stand holding the microwave in my kitchen. Ahem). At any rate, it looks like it’s just small enough to fit in my hand while being just big enough to contain my giant brick of a phone, and it zips all the way across the top, lest I drop it or hit anyone in the head with it. Perfect! On top of all that, amarante is my favorite color of LV vernis ever and would go really well with all the black I tend to wear. Now if only LV ever went on sale. Buy through eLuxury for $450.

I know it is such a cheesy, cliché thing to say… but for the sake of trying to express my emotions, I’ll still say it:

I married the woman of my dreams. My excitement over being married to my love goes beyond anything I could attempt to express on our Purse Blog.

Meaghan and I had our wedding last Friday at the Spanish Monastery in North Miami. The event took a lot of stressful planning, it turned out absolutely beautifully. Both Megs and I could not be happier over celebrating this joyous event with close friends and family, obviously we will also share the festivities with our readers. Stay tuned, the pictures will be posted as soon as they are processed by the wonderful Jeff Kolodny. In the meanwhile, Purse Blog business shall return back to usual tomorrow, as we are settling back into our home and working through piles of neglected emails.

Thanks to all of our readers who have followed us on this beautiful journey over the past 4 years.

I remember learning about the lunar cycle when I was a kid. I found myself infatuated with how the moon changed shape, brightness, and location. Of course, I was pretty young when this first infatuation occurred. Well, over time, I still find myself fixated with the moon. Sometimes it is so big and bright, other times it is a small sliver and yet other times it is perfectly cut in half. Just as I am infatuated with the moon, I can also find myself infatuated with Bottega Veneta handbags. For the most part (and especially when BV sticks to what they are good at), Bottega Veneta handbags are gorgeously intricate yet simply divine.

When I came across the Bottega Veneta Half Moon Clutch I instantly thought it was a handbag I would love to tote. At first glance, the handbag is fun, flirty and versatile. Then as I continued to examine the bag, I noticed the supple leather with exquisite detailing. The terracotta colored leather boasts amazing detailing that is fabulous yet not overwhelming. BV has gone over the top before while trying to do too much at once. This is not a problem here. The soft color matched with detailing gives you a bag that is sure to last for seasons to come. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1650.

Oh, Karl Lagerfeld. He’s crazypants. He’s also the creative force behind Chanel, although I’m sure you all were aware of that. As a result, all of the creative elements of Chanel’s branding are immensely, luxuriously over the top in ways that few other brands can touch (although Louis Vuitton also does an admirable job with Marc Jacobs at the helm), with advertising campaigns and catalogues often photographed by Lagerfeld himself. He is indeed the man behind the camera for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2009 Accessories Catalogue, but to get a first look at the catalogue and find out more about Krazy Karl’s concept for the shoot, you’ll have to make the jump.

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Ladies and…well, mostly ladies, we have a winner. Marchesa has shown the PRETTIEST collection that I have seen in quite a while. In fact, Georgina Chapman may have stuffed her collection full of enough ‘pretty’ to choke a horse. In serious fashion, being described as “pretty” can be somewhat of a backhanded compliment – it implies a lack of innovation and an appeal to the fashion customer’s baser instincts. Pretty doesn’t make headlines. And then again, what we’re seeing here might just be way beyond a simple description of “pretty.” It might be way, way better than that.

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As many of you who read my Fashion Week posts know, I’m a major Marc Jacobs apologist. In my eyes, he can do almost no wrong and his main personal export is fabulousness. So it’s only natural that my huge personal bias towards His Excellency may be clouding my vision when I look at the Marc Jacobs Jeweled Stam Satchel. Because I was doubtful of it at first, but I seem to have somehow convinced myself that it is really fantastic, in a bling-tastic, bedazzled, Liberace sort of way. The bag’s quilts are covered in zillions of light blue Swarovski crystals against a backdrop of dark blue suede (may this be the first suede Stam?) with the traditional gold chain for even more shine. I think we all know that MJ is only continuing to make new versions of the Stam to capitalize on its former status as an It-Bag, but my 2005 black leather version is still one of my favorite bags, so I can’t hate on those that continue to snap them up. This particular wild-n-sparkly version would have to be for a very specific, very bold customer however, given its assumed ability to completely overpower anything else you’re wearing. I give Beyonce two weeks before we see paparazzi photos of her carrying it. Do your thing, girl. Buy through eLuxury for $2350.

The first thought that came to my mind upon viewing Narciso Rodriguez’s Fall 2009 collection was “meh.” He recently lost his financial backing from Liz Claiborne, which is surely enough to shake any designer’s vision, and that seems to be at least part of the problem with Rodriguez’s most recent offerings. He’s known for his sleek, modernistic clothing with little adornment and painstaking attention to fitting a woman’s body. Tailoring is paramount, and that’s certainly not where this collection falls flat. To find out where it falters and see for yourself, make the jump.

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If nothing else, Oscar de la Renta knows his ready-to-wear customers. They are not ladies that have felt serious effects of the recession, unless they were personal friends with Bernie Madoff. They are not ladies that have driven themselves through a fast-food drive-thru in the past several decades. They are not me. Or most of you, probably. They are the traditional “ladies who lunch.” They also may sit on the boards of philanthropic organizations, have silly heiress names (anyone remember Shippy Shipman from Sex and the City?), and actually need ball gowns for practical purposes. De la Renta’s clientele is a rarified group of women whose taste is refined and who demand the sort of classic perfection that only vast amounts of money can buy, unless you happen to extremely handy with a sewing machine. Fall into neither category? Neither do I, so make the jump and live vicariously through the pictures with me.

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