Totes (Page 18)

Today has started out as an early one. Have you ever woken up waaaay early and found that you couldn’t fall back asleep? Well, that was me this morning. I woke up, rolled over, gasped at the time, tried to fall back asleep and couldn’t. As I laid in bed, I did a little day (or perhaps you could say early morning) dreaming. For whatever reason, I pictured myself in a convertible driving along the coast. Top down, wind in my hair, awesome sunglasses, blaring the songs of one of my favorite bands – Postal Service, and of course an amazing bag next to me holding everything I might need for my coastal drive. So clearly, my next thought was, what bag would I carry along with me?

Without much thought, the perfect bag came to mind, the Dylan Folding Tote. This is the same bag Hilary Duff has been sporting all over the place lately, and I can see why. The bag is gorgeous. I love waiting to see how the Dylan transforms itself. Over the past few season, we’ve seen different versions, but one thing remained the same, Dylan is an instant hit. The Linea Pelle Dylan Folding Tote is no exception. With so many colors to choose from, I don’t know if one would be enough. Choose from washed italian leather in black, coconut (creamy white), cognac (reddish brown) and persimmon (orange). This bag is says casual and chic all at once. It’s sure to be a huge hit. Would you pick this for your costal drive? Buy through Linea Pelle for $775.

PS – You like what you see? Keep coming back throughout the month because there are still two more Linea Pelle bags we are giving away and this could be one!

There are parts of the Sonia Rykiel Emma Crystal-Embellished Tote that I like, and then there are the parts that I don’t. I usually have a bit of both with all the bags that I review, but the dichotomy between what I love and what I hate with this one is so huge that I’ve got to split this one in to two parts. First, the things I like. I like the shape of the bag. An easy-to-carry satchel that’s not too big or too small. It’s got a frame up top to give it some structure, but it still doesn’t look like it would be too heavy. The color is nice – not too light or pink that it looks like a pastel, but still light enough to be an interesting neutral. The leather looks soft. I like the closure.

And now, what I don’t like. Care to guess? All the crap stuck on the front. I can kind of see where they’re going with it, but I don’t think they quite got there. Maybe the crystals and studs vary too greatly in size and shape, I’m not sure, but I don’t like the end result. It looks a little too craft-project for me, and I know Sonia Rykiel likes to do her own thing with the adornment of her bags, but this just isn’t quite right. Also, the handles are too long. But mostly it’s the art store bedazzling on the front. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2450.

Sometimes, bags are functional – they carry all of your stuff to and from work or school, they give you a place to put things so you don’t lose them, and they compliment your outfit. Sometimes, though, bags can be a statement – that you’re a fan of a certain aesthetic, that you are of a certain socioeconomic status, or that you have a particular personality that you’d like to express to others. And then there are those bags that are purely there to show other fashion people just how “in the know” you are. I think that’s the case with the Comme des Garcons Cowhide Tote, which is stamped with the edgy, ultra-cool line’s signature clover pattern. The only people that will know it’s cool are the other extremely fashionable people, and if that’s the image you want to project, then something like this is the bag for you. If that’s not your main concern, then this is just another boring-shaped black leather tote, and you could get some with more of a “design” to it for the same price. Just depends on what part of yourself you’re trying to put out there, I suppose. Buy through Saks for $515.

Things like the Bottega Veneta Sardegna Adjustable Tote make me a little angry. There are a few reasons why. First, I like Bottega Veneta. I don’t want to have to talk badly about them. I think that they generally make beautiful, understated, well-crafted bags that are functional and fit in to the lives of a lot of different women. So them making a bag that forces me to say not-nice things makes me angry. Second, canvas tote bags that cost more than $800 make me angry. I don’t care how nice the handles are.

The handles should be plated in GOLD to justify that price tag. At least Louis Vuitton has the decency to coat their canvas and turn it into a new (and super-durable) material. This just looks looks like regular canvas (Saks calls it “bright” but then calls it “ash.” Isn’t that a contradiction?) with a too-fancy handle, and stuff like that always makes me feel like a brand is trying to take advantage of its customers in a really obvious way. And that’s kind of crappy, right? Buy through Saks for $820.

I’ve never been an overwhelming fan of Dior handbags, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because a lot of them are structured and I like slouch, maybe it’s just because I can’t afford them and therefore convince myself I don’t like them. Who knows? But I do know that Dior almost, ALMOST has me on board with the Dior Le Trente Drawstring Tote.

It’s slouchy. It’s ruffly. It has chain handles. The leather looks super soft and touchable. But something is bothering me just a bit…too many ruffles? It might be the handles…do they seem a tad too close together to anyone else? I think that is the problem I’m having – when handles are set that close, it’s really hard swing a bag over your shoulder. Also, they don’t seem to coordinate with the proportion of the bag – it’s an east/west style, yet the handles are constructed like they’re for a north/south tote. If each side was just set an inch and a half closer to the outer edges of the bag, this one might be perfect. As it stands, it’s still pretty cool. Anyone seen us it in person that can comment? Buy through Saks for $1950.

I don’t think I was a particularly dramatic teenager, as far as teenagers go (feel free to correct me in the comments, mom). I didn’t drink. I didn’t smoke. I didn’t sneak out to see boys. I was captain of the debate team. But you know what I did just now, at 23 years of age? I totally just did the dramatic teenage sigh-and-eye-roll when I saw the Donna Karan Metallic East West Tote. Why? Because it’s terrible and they want to charge everyone over a thousand dollars to have it.

The proportions are bad – really bad. You could possibly carry a very small, rolled-up yoga mat in it. What we have here is a ton of width with no depth to balance it. And the outside of the bag is just kinda plain. It’s lambskin, so that’s a plus, but there’s no visual interest at all. The way the handles are attached is boring, it has a little tag hanging from it, and it has two seams. Aaaaand…that’s it. I fail to see why it merits a price tag upwards of a grand, particularly since Donna Karan isn’t exactly an icon in the handbag marketplace and probably can’t rely on a gaggle of super devoted fans that will buy any bag she puts out. So unless you have a super tiny yoga mat that needs toting, I wouldn’t recommend this particular purse. Buy through Saks for $1095.

I have a slight bias towards Pucci bags ever since I found out that Emilio Pucci apparently has some sort of graduate degree from my alma mater, The University of Georgia. I can’t remember what the degree was in, but the idea that such a fashion icon matriculated in Athens for a few years is enough to make give even his company’s non-awesome ideas the benefit of the doubt. Which is just what I did with the Emilio Pucci Alessandro Terry Bag.

I’m generally one for bold and colorful patterns anyway, which makes me a perennial Pucci fan, and the blues and purples in this one are speaking it me. It would be a great beach bag, or as an airplane carry-on, you’d always know which one was yours in the overhead bin. Flat handles mean it would be comfortable to carry and terrycloth is light as a feather. But I looked at it again, and I realized something I didn’t like: it’s a $761 beach bag. Any situation that it would be suited for would make it sandy, wet, dirty, or abused in some way, and I’m not sure that any bag that costs that much would be something I’d use for those things. And I’m also not sure if I’d pay more than $200 for a bag made out of terrycloth, if even that much. Buy through eLuxury for $761.