Chloe Handbags and Purses

Ever since Clare Waight Keller took the top creative spot at Chloe, I’ve been an unrepentant fangirl. Waight Keller has required an incredibly short turnaround time to set the brand back on a chic path that many had felt it lost after the exit of Phoebe Philo several years ago, and the collections, from ready-to-wear to accessories to shoes, have all improved by leaps and bounds in just over a year. I’ve been impatiently anticipating the arrival of Chloe’s next big bag for that entire time, and now that it’s ostensibly here, I’m…underwhelmed.

You probably recognize the Chloe Angie Tote from the brand’s Spring 2012 ads on everything from fashion magazines to bus shelters, not to mention that the brand seems to have made a push to get it into the hands of taste-making celebrities (most notably so far, the new Olsen). Usually, a brand picks well when choosing a piece to promote this heavily, and I’d expect that from Chloe in particular. After all, if anyone should know the power of an It Bag, it’s Chloe. But the Angie? I’m not convinced, not by a mile. → Read More

I don’t like to dance on anyone’s grave (sorry, Hannah MacGibbon), but Clare Waight Keller’s second collection as the creative director of Chloe hits it out of the park even harder than the first one did, particularly when it comes to handbags. Looking at the feminine, luxurious, modern leather pieces that Keller’s team conceived for Chloe Fall 2012 makes it nearly impossible to remember the eye-searing catastrophe of MacGibbon’s last collection for the French house only a year ago. Like I said…sorry, Hannah.

The only complaint that I have about this collection is that at times, it feels more like spring than fall, which makes it even harder for me to conceive of waiting six months to get these bags in my hot little hands. From oversized bicolor satchels to smart, trim utility clutches, these pieces are exactly what I want from the Chloe girl. Want to be that Chloe girl? Start saving now. → Read More

I was talking to my friend Tanya the other day about her next handbag purchase, and the subject of patent vs. regular leather came up. Patent’s having a huge moment right now, with everyone from 3.1 Phillip Lim to Chloe remaking some of their most successful designs in the stiff, glossy material, but the look isn’t for everyone or every design, no matter how hard brands try to make us think it is. The perfect example: The Chloe Madeline Satchel. → Read More

Images via Vogue.com

Psst. You guys. It’s safe to come look at these pictures from Chloe Spring 2012 because finally, at long last, Chloe has turned the handbag corner! The company had to give Hannah MacGibbon the heave-ho after last season’s disaster and bring in Clare Waight Keller from Pringle of Scotland to fix things up, but based on Chloe’s Paris Fashion Week show, it was an incredibly shrewd decision on the part of the brand’s parent company, Richemont.

Waight Keller did well to focus on doing a single shape (a shoulder bag with modern finishes) in a variety of colors and sizes; MacGibbon’s downfall was her seeming inability to edit her vision down into a cohesive finished product that made as all want to be the Chloe girl. Alternately, I know I want to be the girl who carries these handbags (not to mention, be the girl who wears the pretty-but-modern pleated dresses that populated the collection), and making that feeling happen is the obvious first step in what looks like it’s going to be a Chloe comeback. → Read More

I love colorblocking. I love the way the seemingly simple trend took over the fashion world quickly and had everyone feeling like some novel idea was introduced in a ground-breaking manner. Yet the trend works so well on everyone, showcasing solid colors paired together to give a sleek yet bold look. The handbag world has taken to the trend as well, with many designers releasing versions of the trend that they believe will get people buzzing. But as always, some do it in a way that draws us in, and others totally miss the mark.

Chloe missed the mark with its Gabby Bucket Bag and its sister bag, the Chloe Gabby Mixed-Snakeskin Duffel is just as bad, if not worse. → Read More

Chloe Gabby Bucket Bag, $2395 via Saks

It should be noted, before we continue, that this Chloe collection got at least one designer fired. Hannah MacGibbon, who had been creative director for the brand for several years, was shown the door after Chloe Fall 2011 was roundly panned. Other shuffling in the brand’s ranks weren’t announced, of course, but based on how much better Resort 2012′s accessories are then those of Fall 2011, one can only imagine that a significant shakeup did occur.

The problem, though, is that we still have to wait a few months for the new stuff to come out while bags like the Chloe Gabby Bucket Bag populate the brand’s shelf space at department stores. Ladies, this is a runway bag. Someone put this on the runway. I’ve known that for almost half a year now, but the mind, it still boggles. Try and remember that better Chloe bags are around the corner, ladies. They’ll be here soon. → Read More

Photos via Women’s Wear Daily

It would be easy for a brand in flux to get a little bit lazy with its accessories for a resort collection while new creative talent got comfortable and plotted a new course for upcoming collections, but Chloe Resort 2012 doesn’t strike me as lazy at all. When creative director Hannah MacGibbon was shown the door after a disappointing collection for Fall 2011, I assumed that the earliest improvements would probably be seen on the Spring 2012 runway. Perhaps that’s not the case.

Chloe’s resort bags aren’t revolutionary, but the have a cleanness and confidence that the brand’s previous several accessories collections have lacked. And while there’s a Paddington reboot in the mix, a habit of the brand that tends to irk me, the bright pink and minimal Paddington markings mean that, at the very least, it actually feels like a genuine reboot instead of a cynical cash grab. I’m suddenly feeling a lot more excited about Chloe’s upcoming spring show. More photos after the jump. → Read More

Chloe Madeleine Lambskin Tote, $2681 via Luisa Via Roma

I’ve written before about Chloe’s tendency to stripmine every halfway successful accessory the brand has ever had into oblivion. “Oh, what’s this? We’ve made a satchel that people sort of like? Redesign it into a tote, a shoulder bag, a clutch and three different types of hobos immediately. And make it into a second satchel, just for good measure.” Those tactics are used to a certain extent by most designers, but Chloe’s insistence on beating a good design into the ground is almost singular in its ferocity.

Every now and then, though, the practice works out, as with the Chloe Madeleine Lambskin Tote, based on last season’s beautiful minimalist runway satchel. What can I say? Even a stopped clock is right twice per day. This handbag is one of those times for Chloe. → Read More