Shoulder Bags (Page 5)

I’ve never been one for embroidery in any form or context – it almost always manages to look too cheap or too twee or too bohemian for me, and the fact that it almost always features floral motifs doesn’t help. I’m also historically not much of a fan of Fendi, despite the fact that I’ve championed several of their bags recently. Conflating the two, it would seem, would almost certainly produce a bag that I’d despise.

Except Fendi managed to make a bag featuring floral embroidery that I love – the Fendi Floral Baguette. It’s overpriced, made of straw, and half-covered in cutesy little flowers. It’s so not me. Perhaps that’s why I like it – everyone needs a total departure from time to time.

Have I told you all about my love of gray handbags? It is an amazing shade (can we even technically label it a color?. Not black, not white, but a tone between the two that is easy to wear and matches everything. Some gray tones are superior to others, and this Donna Karan bag has perfected an ash-gray color that I am completely drawn to. Actually, this bag suits me for many reasons.

Let me introduce you to the Donna Karan Bandito Bag. With an appealing slouch, the Bandito has a drawstring top with ruched paneling. But can I tell you more about every aspect of why I love it?

We’re all told from a young age that we shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but how many of us manage to make a good-faith effort to follow that advice? I know that I’m guilty of it, even as a writer myself – we all like a pretty picture. The problem with pictures, however, is that they don’t give you the whole story. I know for a fact that most of the ones that I’ve seen of the Alexander Wang Diego Bucket bag didn’t paint an accurate picture of how I would feel about the bag in person.

In photos, I hated it. In fact, I kind of hate it in the photo we’ve got here – it looks shapeless and busy, like you’d have an impossible time trying to figure out how to get in and out of it. I thought it lacked the simple elegance that Wang’s Rocco duffel has, and that it was surely a rare miscue for the young designer. And then I saw it in person.

I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I’m really, really digging the Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2010 offerings so far. The brand has never been at the top of my list in the past, but the bags from their line that I’ve seen lately have just been so summery that it’s hard to ignore what they’ve got cookin’ in their Italian factories.

Among my favorite of the brand’s new looks is the Salvatore Ferragamo Python Fiammetta Shoulder Bag. If ever there was a color that’s more warm-weather friendly than yellow, I can’t think of what it is, and the python texture and wooden handle give the bag just a hint of safari flavor that plays so well when temperatures rise.

There are a lot of things in life that I don’t understand, but one in particular has been bothering me for the last two days. Why is the leather version of the Diane Von Furstenberg Marisa Large Shoulder Bag significantly less expensive than its denim counterpart?

When I stumbled upon this bag, I expected it to cost far more than the very reasonable $595 that the fine folks at DVF would like us to pay for it. Not only is it a large, functional bag made out of sumptuously soft (I’ve fondled it, so I feel comfortable using such purple language) leather, but I saw the $725 price tag for the denim version first and automatically assumed that the leather one would carry a price tag several hundred dollars steeper. Does anyone have any idea why the leather version is less expensive?

There’s just something about the color combination of pink, yellow and white that makes me so cheerful. I’m sure that it’s because I associate those colors with warm weather, but I’m not entirely sure why warmth continues to make me happy – I’ve lived in Georgia all of my life, and at this point, I should feel about heat how a Michigander (yes, that’s what you call them) feels about snow.

I’ve had enough sweaty, uncomfortable days in my life that I should hate the impending heat, but the sunny-sweet Marni Small Woven Tweed Bag makes me long for it anyway. I’m like an addict that knows the stuff is bad for me, but I still need a hit.

You guys, it is the most beautiful day in the history of forever right now. A week ago it was snowing in Georgia, and now it’s 70 degrees and perfect, without a cloud in the sky. Come lunch time, I am going to be violating many a fashion rule by wearing white and flip flops long before Easter while I sit on a blanket at the University of Georgia’s leafy campus and eat a packed lunch. I will have a picnic with myself and my laptop, so it will be like all of you are joining me, right?

Ok, so, the weirdness of working at home aside, this is the weather that makes me want to put on my best spring purchases thus far and find some grass. I generally hate the outdoors, but for a few precious weeks before Georgia’s heat gets oppressive and insufferable, I can’t help but enjoy the gleaming promise of a new season. The only thing that could make it better would be having the Jimmy Choo Cecile Woven Bag by my side.