Burberry Handbags and Purses

During New York Fashion Week, I found myself chatting with the designer of a burgeoning men’s accessories collection about the landscape of men’s business worldwide. He had a lot of interesting things to say, most notably that men in America prefer satchels, men in Japan prefer totes and men in Europe are somewhere in between, but that Americans are becoming slowly more open to other shapes and structures. Ever since that conversation, I’ve tried to pay closer attention to the men that I see on the street, what kinds of bags they’re carrying and how those bags relate to their overall looks in general.

What I’ve noticed in the intervening weeks is that there are a lot more men carrying bags like the Burberry Large Washed Leather Tote in New York than I had previously realized. As with the idea of man bags in general, it seems as though specific styles that were previously more closely associated with womenswear are becoming palatable to a larger male audience. The bag-carrying male population in the US seems to be cautiously expanding its purview to totes. → Read More

Images via Vogue.com

In two ways, I always dread the Burberry show at London Fashion Week. First, because I know that Christopher Bailey’s beautiful ready-to-wear, and his outerwear in particular (THOSE COATS.), will threaten to drain my bank account all over again with one swift poke the the pleasure center in my brain, which apparently really likes wool. Second, because I know I’m probably going to have to write something unkind about the handbags. Both fortunately and unfortunately, Burberry Prorsum Fall 2012 did not break from that pattern.

The collection was yet another that made plenty of references to the Downton Abbey era, which is particularly appropriate for a brand that’s so utterly steeped in British heritage, both by its own marketing and by actual history. You would think, then, that we’d be in for an accessories feast of lovely whiskey-colored leather satchels and smart, ladylike handbags with lots of structure. Instead, we got big striped and quilted totes with limited personality and clutches with animal-head door-knockers on them. The few satchels in play were the highlight of the handbags, but even they seemed a little bit unwieldy in proportion to be carried. You’ll notice in the photos, though, that many of the models are carrying their bags while wearing stunning gloves made of colorful python or studded black leather. Why didn’t we see any of those ideas carried into the bags? It would have made for a much stronger collection. → Read More

Burberry Leather Wristlet, $1195 via Net-a-Porter

In my mind, calling a bag a “wristlet” is a precarious thing to do for a manufacturer or retailer. The word “wristlet” brings about a very specific type of simple, relatively inexpensive small accessory; personally, I use a wristlet to hold the small pharmacy that I carry around inside of my real bag. I wouldn’t ever pay a thousand dollars for something like that.

While the Burberry Leather Wristlet is, in fact, a wristlet like its name would suggest, it’s also one of the nicer wristlets I’ve ever seen in my life, and a full-fledged leather clutch with multiple structured compartments. Don’t let the w-word fool you, this bag is a lot more than just an accessory to your accessories. → Read More

Do you hear the crickets? Our Burberry category has been quiet for quite some time simply because many of the designs I’ve seen don’t wow me. Sure, Burberry is known for its nova check pattern, but after you grow tired of checkered bags, there isn’t much to lure you in. And then there’s another problem: some designs that we see from Burberry are just… weird. All of this makes me sad because Burberry is a brand I adore, especially their Prorsum line of apparel (the jackets are KILLER).

With that in mind, it brings me great joy to show you the Burberry East-West Buffalo Tote, which not only offers an elegant style but is also priced very reasonably. The little sliver of my hear that wants so badly for Burberry to succeed at handbags is jumping for joy right now. → Read More

Images via Vogue.com

Burberry and I have an odd relationship. I find myself lusting after the brand’s ready-to-wear and outerwear every season without fail, and often its boots as well, but my feelings about the British brand’s bags are often a tad…fraught. I can honestly say, though, that there’s not a single bag from Burberry Spring 2012 that I wouldn’t carry.

Perhaps the biggest surprise from the collection was how little leather it included. In fact, only a few of the woven clutches were entirely leather and a couple of the larger totes were suede and croc (be it real or faux, I’m not sure), but the overwhelming majoring were woven raffia with croc trim. That’s something of a departure for the brand, and the resulting totes and clutches felt on-trend (expect to see lots of raffia for spring) and modern. Particularly the fun little clutches, which may have a rather small retail audience but which I’d be delighted to carry to any summer party. → Read More

Burberry Buffalo Tote, $1095 via Neiman Marcus.

Like any brand, Burberry has created bags that I’ve both wildly loved and totally hated over the past few seasons. There have been moments of both happiness and confusion at the brand’s accessories, but based on the success of the bags in the Fall 2011 runway show and the beautiful Burberry Buffalo Tote from Pre-Fall 2011, I’m feeling nothing but optimism about Burberry handbags. Plus, I’ve seen a few shots of the brand’s Resort 2012 bags, so I have it on good authority that the dog days are over. → Read More

Burberry Mini Check Clutch, $795 via Neiman Marcus.

Combining the iconic check pattern with the fashion-forward belt buckle wrapped body, the Burberry Mini Check Clutch is an attention grabber. I like seeing the classic plaid pattern broken up by the leather and the way Burberry implements this gives their design an edgy appearance.

Help out and fill in the blank so we can see what you think of this bag. Buy via Neiman Marcus for $795.

Fill in the Blank: The Burberry Mini Check Clutch is ___________.

To say that I was critical of the last Burberry Prorsum handbag collection might actually be an understatement; I didn’t like the bags at all, and based on your reactions to our review, I wasn’t alone. Well, it looks as though Christopher Bailey’s accessories crew may have righted the ship in time for Burberry Prorsum Fall 2011 handbags – along with the collection’s splendid outwear, most of the handbags that hit the runway were intensely covetable.

I still don’t understand why Burberry insists on using its novacheck logo fabric on runway bags instead of relegating it to the regular line as most brands tend to do, but thankfully most of the tasseled satchels and smart, structured clutches were all leather. Burberry showed quite a bit of what appeared to be embossed crocodile as well, giving a collection full of texture yet another layer of visual interest. I would be happy to have every single structured clutch and all of the non-logo satchels from this show in my closet immediately. → Read More