Trends

While I am not 100% on the bandwagon, the Alexander Wang Coco Bag is the most coveted bag of the season thus far. It popped up on Barneys and then sold out. It popped up on ShopBop and then sold out. And now it has popped up on Net A Porter but is also already sold out.

If you are trying to nab the Alexander Wang Coco you have to continue checking back to each store. They continuously update their inventory and you may be one of the lucky ones. I must say the leather looks like pebbled smooth scrumptiousness and the studs do add the perfect edge.

Finally. FINALLY. I’ve finally found a Christian Louboutin handbag that I love without reservation and without criticism. I’ve been looking for this bag for a long time, and I’ve seen lots and lots of mediocre (or worse) handbags from Mr. Louboutin during my quest for one that I adore. But the Christian Louboutin Loubistuds Clutch is here now, and it has comforted me and made my long journey worth the time spent.

Something that I’ve loved about Louboutin handbags since they started it is the tiny pair of red-soled heels that form the kisslock on top. Not only does this bag feature that cute little detail, but it also has row after row of shiny, pointy studs to satisfy the rocker trend about which the fashion world is abuzz. It looks like the folks at Louboutin took great care in considering how this bag would be carried, though – the studs come to a point, but appear to be a bit domed off and not at all sharp so they won’t hurt your hand. The double center pleats give the bag a bit of structural variation without taking away from the over-studded effect, and overall, this is a clutch that I would kill to have in my collection. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1519.

Bally isn’t a brand that we often mention here. Sure, they make nice handbags. But so do a lot of people, and in the past, I’ve had a hard time finding Bally handbags that I have something to say about either way. Sometimes ugliness isn’t the worst sin; sometimes, it’s worse to be utterly unremarkable.

What isn’t ugly or unremarkable, though, is the Bally Multi Zip Hobo. In fact, this bag is quite well-done and executed nicely. We’ve seen plenty of bags over the past few months that use zippers as a decorative feature instead of just a functional attribute of necessity. The idea is particularly brilliant – not only is it visually stimulating, but it’s a fun play on the expected structure and construction of a handbag and the role that all the parts play. This Bally hobo pulls it off in a particularly sophisticated way – smooth, rich-looking strips of black leather separated by industrial silver zippers. Perfect. Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $1774.

It’s here, it’s here, IT’S HERE!!!! The Alexander Wang Coco Duffel has decided to finally, FINALLY grace us with its presence in online stores after months of rabid anticipation from handbag enthusiasts. The bag first came to our attention months and months ago when one of its first iterations was worn repeatedly by Mary-Kate Olsen, who had obviously been gifted with a very, very early version of the bag by the designer.

And it was a brilliant move on Alexander Wang’s part – I can’t remember another bag that’s been so desperately hunted since the It-Bag heyday of Fall 2005. It disappears online virtually as soon as it’s posted, so the ShopBop link I’m about to give you may not work when you click on it. If you want the bag, though, bookmark it – that’s where you’ll be able to find it when the store restocks, as they have several times in the past day or two.

As far as the bag’s design goes, I adore it – the leather is plush and soft-looking with a ton of texture and the multitudes of gold studs that cover the bottom are both hilariously irreverent and really cool-looking. It’s not for everyone, by any stretch of the imagination, but bags with a lot of style and personality never are. Plus, for an It-Bag, the price is really reasonable; he could be charging twice as much and a lot of people would still be clamoring for it. Buy through ShopBop for $850.

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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