If you had told me yesterday that today, I would look at a black leather satchel with small silver studs and think it was interesting or inventive, I would have told you to shut up. No kidding.
And yet, the Kenneth Cole New York Emcee Squared Satchel is both interesting and inventive. It’s also pretty stylish and reasonably priced, all of which can sometimes be hard to find in a functional black leather bag. Valentino wishes it had come up with this idea first.
The patched effect had every opportunity to get sloppy and likely would have done so quickly, but the perfectly controlled chaos of the pieces of leather are what make this design tick. The tiny studs are the perfect scale to execute the look without overpowering it, and the simple shape of the bag lets the textured motif speak for itself. I only have to issues: first, the handle attachments are out of proportion with the size of the bag. Second, the layered effect doesn’t continue on the back. Although if it had, the price probably would have been higher, so I guess that evens out. Buy through Nordstrom for $298.
