Shoulder Bags (Page 12)

I think that this may be the best actualization of a bag with two sets of handles that I’ve seen in quite a while. Face it – two sets of handles on one bag has the potential to be incredibly awkward, and almost always realizes that potential. It usually ends up looking floppy and messy, with straps hanging everywhere and obscuring pockets, seaming, and other design details.

The Mulberry Jody Shoulder Bag makes it work rather well, though. And I think one small detail is the key – the satchel straps lock in to place with a metal and leather loop that holds them down (and folds the bag over) when not in use. And this makes all the difference. There’s no awkward flapping and sagging; instead, the bag looks like it was designed with all of its attributes taken into consideration, and the entire finished product actually LOOKS finished. It’s funny that a simple leather attachment and metal lock can change the game on bags with two carrying options, but all the other brands out there have something to learn from this bag. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $825.

I drank a freakin’ gallon of sangria yesterday and I’m trying to stop my head from exploding all over my couch, so we’re going to get right to the point on this one: the Donna Karan Drawstring Shoulder Bag? It has a face. A FROG FACE. You see it, right?

The holes at the top corners are the eyes, and the top flap is the same shape as a frog’s upper lip, with one of the bag’s folds forming the lower lip. If it was green, it would be Kermit. And perhaps it would be better if it was, because it’s not doing a very good job of being a handbag. I can’t recall another bag that has left me so utterly confused as to what the designer was trying to accomplish. The body of the bag has a set of drawstrings running down each side and little loops hanging out the bottom, although I can’t see any way to hold the drawstrings in place if you wanted to scrunch up the bag. And why would you? That would just make it awkward to carry and give the inside of the bag lots of folds inside which your stuff could hide, never to be seen again. Plus, it looks like an amphibian. I’ll pass. Buy through Saks for $1595.

As the great Nina Garcia once said on Project Runway, the fastest way to look cheap is to wear something short, tight, and shiny. I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea – a confluence of characteristics can sometimes say exactly the wrong thing in a way that no one design flaw could say it by itself. That’s what appears to be going on with the Jimmy Choo Rosie Bag. First, the patent. Then the animal print. Then the color that no mammal has ever been accused of being. Then the overly trendy shape. One or two of these things, by themselves, may have been excusable.

It may still have been a cute bag. But when you combine all of these aspects together, they manage to simultaneously overwhelm and underwhelm me, if you get what I’m sayin’. I generally like things that verge a little bit into tacky territory, but this particular bag does cartwheels into it. And ultimately, it’s nothing if not mighty unfortunate. Buy through Saks for $895.

I’m having some trouble with the Stuart Weitzman Fiocco Bag. I can’t figure out what it’s made of, and the Internet isn’t being particularly helpful. The Bloomingdales.com description calls it hornback, and from what I have gleaned from some Googling, that’s the less-desirable part of a crocodile. Most fine handbags are made of the smooth, flat belly portion, and the hornback is just the opposite – the ridged, rough, bumpy back scales. We’ve all seen it used before, usually in men’s shoes and wallets…and this doesn’t look like hornback. It looks like faux snakeskin.

And I’m not saying that to be judge-y, because I actually quite like the bag. I like the layering and the double chain-and-leather straps and the natural colors of the hornback/snakeskin/God-knows-what. But I can’t find this bag anywhere else on the Internet, including Weitzman’s official site, so I remain unconvinced that this is actually made of any kind of crocodile. But if it is, then it’s a pretty awesome deal for a croc bag, even if it’s hornback. $1055 for an exotic, and an attractive, useful bag at that? Not too shabby. Buy through Bloomingdales for $1055.

We’ve already talking about the Chloe Sally Bag in it’s original incarnation a little over a month ago, and you ladies seemed intrigued by it’s simple design and clean lines. Because of that, I couldn’t resist the urge to show you the runway version of the bag: the Chloe Sally Bag in Safari Print. Some people like pattern bags, some don’t. I do, but I’m not sure I’d pay this price for one. Despite the price, though, I think the bag is really well-executed.

The pattern is large enough and contains a small enough amount of colors that it would still be wearable with a number of outfits and colors, and the colors of the bag are attractive in their own right. The bag’s flap is made of Ayers snakeskin, which is a type I’m not familiar with, but the scales look smaller and flatter than python. This may or may not make the snakeskin more durable, but my best guess would be that it would result in less flaking. Also, I just kind of generally like it when a brand uses a snakeskin other than python – it shows a bit of creativity. This bag might be a BIT theme-y for me, but overall, I think it’s theme-y done well. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2560.

Sometimes when I pick a bag to write about, I know I’m asking for trouble. I don’t mind the disagreement, though – I possess that rare and endearing quality of always thinking I’m right, no matter what (that IS endearing, right? No? Oh). So I present, without fear, the Mulberry Metallic Croc Print Bayswater. Super shiny? Yes, it is. Stamped with an exotic texture? Yes, that too. Too big to pull it off? Probably, but I really like it anyway, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

Despite the fact that its texture is mirror-slick and not distressed like the metallics I usually prefer, the fact that they used a gunmetal silver instead of a bright, blue-based silver is really winning me over. The texture reminds me of a much less expensive, much more useful version of the Balenciaga Metallic Crocodile Wristlet we’ve talked about recently. I’d choose the Bal in a second, but since I don’t think my credit card limit is that high, the Mulberry version seems like a fun substitute that might actually hold some of my stuff. Buy through ShopBop for $1250.

I find myself often thinking about whether or not a non-leather bag can be worth big bucks. I’ve come to varying conclusions – if it’s covered in Swarovski, then maybe. If it’s entirely handmade, maybe. If it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, maybe. And despite the fact that I really like the Lanvin Calisson Woven Satin Bag, I don’t think I could pay $2600 for something made of such a delicate fabric.

In this case, I think the large size of the bag makes me even less likely to pay the big bucks – a big bag is an even bigger liability in a material that’s that likely to be damaged. It’s too big to be coddled and saved for special occasions, and an everyday bag needs to be durable and usable. Satin is the wrong material on the wrong bag in this case, and if it was soft, woven lamb leather instead, I’d be here telling you how brilliant it is. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2630.