We here at Purse Blog encounter a lot of bags every day – expensive ones, cheap ones, pretty ones, ugly ones. And then, sometimes, we encounter those that look just like ones that we’ve already encountered elsewhere. And, to a certain extent, you have to let it go. There are only so many ways to design a strap or attach a buckle, and when designer bags set so many of the overall bag trends, you’re going to see similar bags all over the place, and that’s not necessarily the cheaper brands’ fault. They have to follow the trends that their customers want to buy, which leaves them with few choices. They CAN choose, however, to not copy a brand’s design detail for detail, which is apparently not the choice that Forever 21’s “designers” made when they copied their Stone Quilted Tote inch for inch from the beautiful Dior 61 Croc-Stamped Tote. We normally ignore the copies, but I think this instance is a good reminder of why exactly it is we love designer bags – the Dior tote shows such an obvious precision and attention to detail, even in these small photos, when compared to the cheap copy that the craftsmanship is clear. No one would ever mistake one for the other, despite Forever 21’s best efforts.

Karl “Krazypants” Lagerfeld is at it again. He’s made a bike, which we covered, as well as other sporting equipment like skis. If Krazypants can find a way to put a Chanel logo on something that is already expensive and then charge more for it, he’s all over it. Particularly if it can be done in a wacky, eccentric way that makes everyone go “…waaaah?” And that’s the case with the all-new-for-spring Chanel Segway. It’s got an enormous classic flap stuck on the front of it like a basket on an old-fashioned bicycle and Chanel’s quilted caviar leather covering the wheel wells. I don’t even know what else could be said about this…thing. Except that Krazy Karl is the only person I could ever see riding it, except for maybe Victoria Beckham. And maybe her kids behind her, on mini ones. No price information was given, but their bicycle from several seasons ago was several thousand dollars, and this thing has a motor, so…draw your own conclusions.

Image courtesy of Chanel via NYMag.com

What a month it has been. There was Valentine’s Day, New York Fashion Week and the wedding (Megs and Vlad are still glowing). And wait, there was one more major thing going on this past month, one of our most amazing collaborations to date! We teamed up with our friends at Who What Wear to bring you one of our greatest giveaways yet – Louis Vuitton Luggage! If you weren’t already familiar with Who What Wear or Purse Blog, you might now have a new “must visit daily” site. Today is your last chance to enter to win the amazing Louis Vuitton luggage set. And don’t forget, if you’ve already entered, click here to go back to Who What Wear and enter some of your friends email addresses in order to increase your chances to win. Either way, stay tuned! We can’t wait to announce the oh so lucky winner!

Oh, thank you God, finally. My handbags prayers have been answered. Because Prada has made some questionable handbags lately, and for a designer so known for their bags, it was getting kind of discouraged. The Prada St. Pitone Tote is not my favorite bag that I’ve ever seen, but it’s a strong improvement over the randomly bedazzled bags we’ve seen from the brand lately. The tote takes a cue from their diffusion Miu Miu line’s very successful Bow Satchel with its side adornment, although this tote’s finishing is a little looser and softer. Combine that with a beautiful, large-scale python skin and and some cute top handles, and Prada’s got a great satchel on their hands that will likely sell very well for them. Now if only they’d get away from that habit of sticking random stuff to their bags that has grown so tiresome. Buy through Saks for $995.

Say what you want about Judith Leiber. Sure, the whole sparkly-squirrel-clutch thing is kind of weird, to say the least, and also kind of played out. They were making fun of it years ago on Sex and the City (remember the “Large Diamond Duck Ring” purse that Carrie got from Big?), and most cutting-edge fashionistas still thumb their noses at the brand in favor of things that are perceived as more subtle or modern. There’s one thing that no one can deny, however: the attention to detail paid when making a Leiber crystal-encrusted bag is second to none, and my favorite example as of late is the Judith Leiber Cresendo Bag. I didn’t even realize at first glance that the bag’s lace pattern was made entirely of crystals, but since it was a Leiber bag, I zoomed in to see if my eyes were deceiving me. And they were indeed – every bit of this intricate bag is covered in her signature Austrian crystals, creating the illusion of lace where there isn’t any. I’m a sucker for black and white patterns, and perhaps that’s why I can’t stop looking at this particular Leiber bag, even though they normally don’t catch my attention. For whatever reason, I think maybe I should give Leiber’s evening bags another look. Buy through Saks for $4195.

I am, more or less, on board with the Mulberry Creased Jenah Bag. It’s on-trend in several ways – it has a chain strap, it’s a flap bag, and it’s smaller than the bags that we’ve seen in the past few seasons. It’d be a great addition to a spring wardrobe to satisfy a lot of the new bag looks in one package, theoretically. But the one thing that’s stopping me is…the color. I know that a lot of people will disagree with me, because I can see where people would think it was pretty, but I just can’t do it. Pastels (and this is basically a pastel) are not good on me. I have yellow undertones in my skin, and it’s just not a particularly lovely contrast. Also, for some reason, wearing any kind of pastel makes me feel like an enormous, 5-and-a-half-foot-tall toddler. I’m willing to admit that this is probably a hangup that only I have, but until I see it in another color (a medium-to-mustard yellow would be nice, if you’re listening, Mulberry), I’ll have to pass. Buy through Shop Bop for $1195.

The tribal theme has caught on at Jimmy Choo and there are two accessories that not only look amazing together but also give a smashing effect. Pairing the Jimmy Choo Martha Clutch with the Jimmy Choo Corsica Sandals will make a bold impact. My attention has moved from the calming ivory and neutrals of my wedding theme to in-your-face animal prints. Opposite ends of the spectrum, sure, why not? Wear the perfect little black dress and add vavoom with your accessories, that is our motto here. This Jimmy Choo clutch appeals to my need for animal print. What I love most is the leopard printed pony is broken up in the middle of the bag with tan suede. This gives you the animal print you desire without going overboard. The clutch is zip expandable and is featured, along with the stunning shoes, in the SS09 Advertising Campaign. Buy through Jimmy Choo for $1,595.

Every single person told me my wedding day would fly be. I listened to each of these people, believed them, but did not fully grasp this fact until it was the end of the wedding night with everyone on the dance floor chanting for one more song from the DJ. Just like that, my wedding day was over. I am super detail oriented so we took care of every tiny detail known to man. My mom and I had lists that had lists which had color-coordinated lists. I loved it all and I already miss it. I was lucky enough to carry the most amazing bag ever (read about it here), but I found another bag that would be perfect for a wedding day bag. Fact of the matter is that my Hermes bag was absolutely more for looks than for usability that day. I toted my larger Lambertson Truex bag into the bridal room with me which had all the necessities. Read full review...

Halston just got finished showing their new line on the runway at fashion week. And while the clothing line behind Halston continues to sell well in retail, their handbags are just starting to grab attention. The last Halston bag that grabbed our attention was no more than a mere sack, the Halston Zai Messenger Bag. And that messenger bag was a big miss as far as I am concerned. But now I find myself drawn to animal prints, so much so that I am gravitating to them for accents in our home. Looking through my closet I realized that I am completely lacking in the animal print compartment, owning no bags that have an animal print whatsoever. Too safe I think. Time to divulge into the animal print world.

Read on...

When we set the date of February 20th, 2009 for our wedding it seemed as if that day was so far away. Slowly but surely the day creeped up on us and as it got closer to the wedding day, the amount of work for the wedding grew exponentially as did my excitement. And finally, when the day arrived, I was overtaken with excitement, nerves, and love. One week ago today, I was lucky enough to marry the man of my dreams. Seems so cliche, but it is absolutely true. Vlad and I have been together nearly six years. We swam together in college. He moved to Germany. We started a website together which turned into our company and full time job. He moved back from Germany. We moved to Florida. We went though so much together, but from day one I knew I was going to marry him and live my happily ever after. Our happily ever after began six years ago, but the wedding last Friday was the last little piece of the relationship finalization.

See all of my wedding day accessories...