As much as I like the trend for holographic handbags (and I really, really like it), the Milly Hologram Demi Tote may have gone a bridge too far, and I bet most of you can guess why that is. I have faith in you guys. You’re smart people.
Most of my thoughts about this bag and its design go back to a theory of handbag size that I’ve talked about frequently around here. Generally, large bags look best with little in the way of bold embellishment and in-your-face aesthetic features, while small bags are more likely to carry off things like heavy beading and unusual textures with aplomb. A metallic leather finish can sometimes be a design choice that works for both ends of the size spectrum, but when you add in the presence of a color-shifting finish like a hologram, the bag needs to get smaller. Quickly.
Unfortunately, this Milly bag is 17 inches at its widest, which leads to an overload of the color-shifting effect. Also, because the leather isn’t super structured and the bag is big, the holographic material draws even more attention to where the bag sags when carried or where it puckers around the seams. Even if this bag were well-made (and I don’t know if it is or isn’t), it would be an almost impossible task to make it look that way. I’d trust Celine to figure out a way to do it (with much more structured leather, surely), but at a contemporary price point, I just don’t see it happening on a bag of this size. If you disagree, pick up this bag for $525 via Neiman Marcus.
