Satchels

Well, first, it has to be said. Taylor Momsen is approximately 16 years old, and this look is perhaps a tad old for her. She could probably be wearing things that are slightly longer, and eye makeup that’s slightly less…well, just slightly less.

But I kind of love her for dressing like this, truth be told. This is how every girl that ever bought a Joy Division album desperately wanted to dress in high school (including yours truly…), and almost none of us ever got the opportunity. I didn’t because I was on debate team and bleach-blond extensions and a whole pencil worth of eyeliner probably would have made me look unprofessional at tournaments. That, and I don’t think my mom would have bought me leather short shorts. But a girl can dream, I suppose.

But obviously, we’re here to talk about Taylor’s bag, the Versace Metal Frame Satchel. We’ve spoken about this bag before, but it’s hard to get a sense of something when you can’t see it carried. Two things struck me this bag after I saw the pictures – it’s a lot smaller than I expected it to be (it’s not nearly the size of a Stam, to which I originally compared the structure) and I like it just as much as I did previously.

It’s legitimately a nice-looking bag, which is not always Versace’s strong suit, and for that I’m excited. The price, however, is still thoroughly unexciting. Buy through Nordstrom for $3995.

So, how do we all feel about calf hair? Until I saw the Yves Saint Laurent Calf Hair Majorelle Bag, I hadn’t considered the material in quite a while, but now it has me thinking.

Despite my recent love affair with all things Yves Saint Laurent, this bag is coming off as quite clunky to me, and I think that the blame lies with the fuzzy material.

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Sometimes we all just want a handbag that gets the job done. A beautiful, well-crafted, practical handbag. Today we can walk into any major department store and when you walk by the handbag department you will be bombarded with hundreds of different bags, some adorned with bobbles, jingles, sequins, hardware, and other extras. Salvatore Ferragamo is a perfect go-to when looking for a well-made and beautiful bag. Sometimes their designs go outside of the box, but typically you can find a practical and classic design from them.

There is something so simple yet so amazing about the Salvatore Ferragamo Leather Satchel. The beige leather looks to be a creamy color of beige, which looks crisp and clean on the fine pebbled leather. The iconic silvertone hardware will alert you to the fact that this is a Ferragamo bag at the front and sides.

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After a week of traveling it is good to be home. Travel that involves friends and family (like my trip) is absolutely wonderful.

Yet, as I was standing in the various lines at various airports, I couldn’t help but realize that I wish I was carrying a slightly bigger and more durable bag. You know the type I am talking about – sturdy yet fashionable. Tylie Malibu has several options that would fit this need.

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The Donna Karan Crinkled Leather Satchel has been sitting in the New Arrivals section of Saks.com for a while now, and I’ve been trying to figure out what to say about it, if anything.

I’ve been critical of Karan’s bags in the past – many of them seem to be overpriced and under designed. This one seems to have both a reasonable design standpoint and price, but I’m still unconvinced – even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

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One company that appears to be paying absolutely no attention to fall trends is Versace. And why would we expect them to? They pay no attention to good taste or reasonable pricing standards, so this is about par for the course.

Objectively, the Versace Socialite Satchel is not a terrible Bag. It’s perfectly fine. But it is completely tone deaf when compared to what else is going on in fashion right now. And, as always, the price is astronomical.

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As we all have learned, or at least surmised, by now, black and industrial are two of the biggest trends for fall. They’re also easily the most widely embraced trends that I can recall in recent memory, in terms of the number of designers buying in to the look. Studs and rough leather have become nearly omnipresent this season, and it’s hard to find any designer that hasn’t devoted at least a portion of their accessories collection to the look.

And even for a trend that I love so much, it’s important to have something different around to provide a juxtaposition in style and color. And to that end, we have the D&G Multicolor Lily Top Handle.

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You know, I didn’t really expect Yves Saint Laurent to go along with the stud trend. Their bags are so consistently understated and sleek that I didn’t think they’d subscribe to such an edgy and obvious trend, but I was wrong, and very happily so.

The Yves Saint Laurent Studded Satchel is a trendy bag with a decidedly refined touch.

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It seems like all I had to do is complain that I was feeling a little blah about the Stam, and Marc Jacobs rose to the occasion. First we got the studded-yet-understated Marc Jacobs Stardust Stam, and now he’s brought us the not-at-all-understated Marc Jacobs New York Rocker Stam. Although I’m not sure that this sequined-n-shiny satchel is best suited to New York – in fact, I think it might be more at home in Las Vegas.

And I mean that in the nicest way possible – I love this bag so much that I could just drool all over it. The name of the last Stam I reviewed reminded me of Sin City, and now this; does anyone else think that maybe Marc should consider doing a glizty, glamorous Las Vegas-inspired collection? Sequins would be the perfect place to start, and I love the ones on this bag because they’re not as expected as sequin-covered bags usually are. They’re small enough that at a distance, they blend together to form a shimmery, shiny whole instead of a bag covered in sewn-on crap, and the silver, off-center, abstract pattern at the bottom gives the bag a modern edge that helps it avoid the grandma-bag pitfall of multitudinous sequins. Viva Las Vegas! Er, uh, New York! Buy through Saks for $1995.

I’ve said it before and I’ll happily say it again: Chloe uses some of the most drool-worthy leather of any brand on the market. It’s thick, it’s soft, and it manages to convey both of those characteristics both in person and in photos. It is often also arm-achingly heavy, but sometimes we have to suffer for fashion, ok? I know my Stam has given me a sore shoulder once or twice…

Anyway! So we’re talking about the Chloe Marlow Top Handle, right? Right. And it’s great, I love it. The grey leather looks so supple that I want to reach through the computer, yank it out, and rub it against my face. But that’s not even my favorite part. What makes the whole thing is the unexpected brown belt that circles the top, giving the bag a vintage, New England sort of look. It looks like the bag that your college TA would carry, if your college TA was the most fashionable person in the history of grad students. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1558.