Trends

I’ve mentioned this phenomenon both here and on PurseBlog Savvy, and I’m surprised that I haven’t seen it written about on many other fashion websites, but the Fall handbag collections are making it obvious: black is back. Big black bags (BBBs), small black bags, any kind of black bags - they’re everywhere and in a variety of looks. Industrial details seem to be the prevailing trend among them, though, and all I can say to that is HALLELUJAH. Black bags with industrial hardware and finishing are among my favorite looks of all time, and there have been so many to choose from in the past week or so that I almost don’t know what to write about next.

But what I’m writing about now is the Ted Rossi Screw Hobo. It’s a clean, simple design, as most of Rossi’s are, but the small details and exceptional materials make it special without need for extra complication. The bag is made entirely of super-soft, matte black lambskin, which means it’s probably the most wonderful and supple thing upon which you or I have ever put our hands. Soft black leather is all it takes to convince me, but they gave us the extra bonus of modern, dark silver oversized screw heads at the base of each handle, which gives the bag an industrial edge without being overpowering or too costume-y. You could wear it to a Nine Inch Nails concert or to the mall with your girlfriends, and a bag that can fit in at two such divergent events is one that I absolutely need in my closet. Plus, for all that lambskin, the price isn’t bad at all. Buy through Singer22 for $948.

We’ve seen a lot of the small crossbody trend in the mid-price bags that we feature on PurseBlog Savvy, but higher-priced designers haven’t seemed as eager to latch on to the fad. At first I was a little confused as to why, but I think it makes sense - the shape and size of those bags tend to skew younger, and younger buyers tend to both spend less money and be more open-minded to new names in the design world. It’s natural that brands that cater to a slightly older demographic would be a bit slower to adopt youth-based trends, so I’ve been waiting to see which of the Purse Blog designers would be the first to successfully create a mature version of these bags.

And my vote for the winner goes to the Salvatore Ferragamo Edda Chain Shoulder Bag. The first way that they keep this bag from looking too trendy is using the ultra-luxe chocolate brown python skin with little else in the way of exterior decoration. The skin is genuinely beautiful on it’s own, and realizing that it doesn’t need anything to help it along is the mark of an experienced designer. The second thing I like is the gathering of thin, delicate chains that form the bag’s strap. Instead of being chunky and attention-getting, they’re sophisticated and understated, which gives a polished finish to the design’ overall feel. I’d call this bag nothing less than a success. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for €1840.

I’ve resisted the fringe trend for quite a while now. I’ve posted a few examples of fringe bags that I like on PurseBlog Savvy over the past few months, but I wasn’t ready to come out and love the trend as a whole. I thought it was messy. I thought it was floppy. I thought it was a little too hippie-dippy for my personal taste. But then I saw Whitney Port carrying a fringe bag and my mind changed. Pretty much instantly.

And since then, I’ve decided that the fringe bag I’m mostly likely to invest in is the Linea Pelle Janis Fringe Tote. Unlike the rest of the Purse Blog crew, I’m not lucky enough to already have a fab Linea Pelle bag, but from what they’ve said, I know the leather on this one is going to be soft and wonderful and the bag will most likely be one I’ll find myself reaching for again and again. I think I like this bag above all other fringe bags because it’s so well-edited and comparatively understated. The fringe isn’t hanging from every last surface, it’s concentrated in the corners and a bit less cowgirl than carrying something covered in hanging bits of leather. Yes, ladies, I think this is the one for me. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $425.

So, last fall, it was purple. This spring and summer, some people say it’s yellow and other people say it’s blue. But according to Women’s Wear Daily, next season, it’s going to be green. Didn’t we just have green a few years ago? Like, circa 2004? I guess there are only a certain number of “it” colors available, so they probably circle around pretty quickly. Let’s just be glad it hasn’t been chartreuse yet - not everyone can wear that stuff. And by not everyone, I mean almost no one.

So now, green. How do we feel about green? I love these sort of blue-green pieces that are featured in WWD’s story, but I fear that when the trend is translated to downmarket retailers like Forever 21, it may become more of a seafoam nightmare than I’d like. But if everyone can stick to true greens, and maybe a few blue-greens, then I’ll be happy to hop on this bandwagon along with everyone else when fall’s new stuff starts hitting shelves.

Oh, and wondering about the bags in the picture? They’re not available in those colors yet, but you can buy Mulberry’s Oversized Bayswater Clutch for $695 via Net-a-Porter. Similar Kotur snake clutches are available via Singer 22.

Eva Jeanbart Lorenzotti is the face behind the luxury website Vivre.com. Through her knowledge of fashion and style, Eva has scoured the world to find the greatest pieces out there, from designer handbags to bespoke silk scarf chairs to exquisitely tailored masterpieces. Unlike most etailers we have grown accustomed to, Vivre brings you a compilation of pieces you would never imagine finding at a single website. Eva updates Vivre with notes, her favorites, and trends for the season. We had the opportunity to ask Eva her thoughts on Spring 2009 trends, must-haves, and plans. Read her interview below and stay tuned for a giveaway from Vivre later today!

PB: It is now Spring. What are the 5 must-haves for a Spring wardrobe?
Eva: 1. A generous -but-light wrap that can be used as a scarf or shawl
2. Blazer; This is a good piece for most people because there are so many different ways to wear it.
3. Big Bold Jewelry! A chunky necklace, enormous earrings are a cuff to stop traffic.

Read full interview and enter the giveaway below!

As any handbag lover would, I always wonder what the big trends will be when a season’s new bags start to hit the Internet. Last season, we had purple bags, and there have been various It-Bags for every season before. So, what’s on deck for this season? The first big thing I have noticed about Spring 2009 is that apparently, we all have the blues. Blue bags, that is. I’ve got 4 awesome examples for you, several of which I’m sure we’ll cover in more detail in future posts, so that you can be the first one to tell all your friends what they should be buying.

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When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Or, in the case of luxury retailers, they plan cocktail parties.

As it turns out, the opening of a temporary Hermes Hamptons store that we told you about a few days ago is not an isolated incident; instead, it’s a high-profile part of a larger trend. With fewer people able to afford their products, and some of those that can balking at the idea of conspicuous consumption, stores are having to do more to attract customers than they ever have in past memory.

The most obvious way to increase purchases would be to cut prices, but when a huge part of a brand’s image is their prohibitive price points and exclusive reputation, doing this that a big-box retailer like Best Buy would do to to attract customers isn’t what’s on their mind. Keeping the brand’s mystique intact is essential in order for them to keep doing business when the economy picks back up, and destroying their image of exclusivity now would probably be the luxury retail equivalent of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In order to survive long-term, people like Saks need you to be willing to still pay full price when things are back to normal and we’re not all afraid of losing our jobs.

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I’d seriously doubt that there is anyone reading this that has not felt some effect of the economic circumstances that most of the world is currently facing. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, then you’ve probably been living in a hut on an island somewhere. If that’s the case, then your tan looks nice and you probably want to turn around and head back before we delve in to the rest of this post. Trust me, you don’t want to know.

Ok, for all of you non-hut-dwellers out there, level with me here. The malls aren’t as crowded, and if you talk to the sales associates for a while, most of them will freely admit that business is down. There are bankruptcy rumors for pretty much every retail business I can think of, and while certainly not all of them are true, some of them probably are. But there are people still buying bags, and maybe different bags than they would have a year ago. Maybe not, though. Everyone internalizes these huge financial issues differently, and ultimately everyone is going to deal with them differently as a result. And consumers aren’t the only ones trying to sort all of this out - brands are too, and so are retailers. So what does all this mean?

Make the jump and we'll chit chat about it a bit more.

This has nothing to do with handbags, admittedly, but it is an urgent fashion message that I feel needs to reach the public as quickly as possible. Ladies and gentlemen, jumpsuits are not your friend. Oh, the fashion magazines want you to believe that they are. They want you to think “hey, one piece outfit, that’s so easy!” But it’s not easy, dear readers. It’s heinous. It will take your midsection and turn it into a lumpy sack of cottage cheese. Think you’re immune? You’re not.

A jumpsuit will find the area you hate most on your body and practically paint a target on it. It’s like a “look at me!” sign for your love handles, saddle bags, or tummy pooch. Do you have the audacity to have a top bigger than your bottom or a bottom bigger than your top? Well the jumpsuit says that they’re now the same size, despite whatever conventional reality says! Why? Because they now both have to be covered by a single garment! And it’s not just the catwalk, ladies - I have seen these in regular mall stores, beckoning the clueless masses to cross over to the dark side and dress in a waist-eating, belly-fat-hugging jumpsuit. Do your future self a favor. Don’t ever be in a position to be photographed in one of these, because the pictures will haunt you forever, and you’ll embarrass your children. Just say “no!” to these unflattering monstrosities, and remember:

Friends don’t let friends wear jumpsuits.

Picture courtesy of Net-A-Porter

So, if I’m being honest with you guys, I’m just looking for a reason to post this photo. That’s all this is. Because this is possibly the coolest bag pic I’ve seen ever, and that’s saying something. It’s the lead shot for the Net-a-Porter Bag Guide, something that may interest you in and of itself, but I’m more distracted by the picture. Not only is the model’s dress adorable, but she’s got an enormous Alexander McQueen Large Patent Tote to climb into, and who could really ask for anything more than that? The bag is big enough in real life that an Olsen twin could probably move in to it, and as it is in this shot, I think it might have more square footage than my apartment. I’m looking for a new place - I wonder how much the rent on this one would be? Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2395.