Valentino Handbags and Purses (Page 4)

I have been in the midst of moving mayhem, where looking pretty is near impossible. But I took a break to shop online (what else is new), and found the most ladylike feminine handbag Valentino has yet to release. This bag combines elegant structure that is always welcomed along with a twist of fun with the leopard print.

My brain is frazzled with all sorts of moving on my mind but I want to buy the Valentino Aphrodite Leopard Bag. Never mind the fact that this is the price of a nice leather couch, I want to sit on the ground in our new apartment and keep this bag next to me. Then I would tell everyone how lovely she is. Because really, she is gorgeous!

Fall is all about fur and one of the other fall trends is lace. Of course Valentino released countless lace items, from shoes to clothing to bags. Seeing as how Valentino has perfected the art of feminine designs, it is only fitting for Valentino to tackle lace. As far as this bag goes however, it just isn’t quite cutting it for me.

The Valentino Day Lace Medium Duffle features a familiar shape (Louis Vuitton Speedy anyone?) with a black floral vine lace over.

While the staff at Loewe has been working tirelessly to perfect its grocery bag handbags, designers at Valentino have been plying their trade at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Valentino aesthetic has always been feminine, detailed and utterly glamourous, and the brand has chosen to take those ideas to their absurd extreme with the Valentino Glam Zebra Tote. You have to give them points for just calling this bag what it is, even if the name gives me the mental image of a zebra dressed up as a drag queen (which is not an altogether unpleasant image, admittedly).

I’ve never had much of a problem forming an opinion, but for some reason I have yet to make up my mind about the Valentino Aphrodite Satchel. Is it great, or is it ever-so-slightly off? Do all of the elements work together, or does it look like two disparate bags joined into one?

After the jump, I’ve listed the design’s pros and cons and also provided a convenient poll for your voting pleasure.

Confession: I don’t watch Mad Men. I know that I should. I know that I’d love it and become utterly and completely obsessed with Joan. I believe all of the people that tell me how great the show is. I have no excuse.

Thankfully, it appears as though Valentino’s accessory designers aren’t as behind the times as I am. Mad Men‘s midcentury style has influenced designers far and wide since the show’s advent in 2007, and with the fourth season set to debut on AMC this Sunday, the show’s fashion caché is unlikely to subside anytime soon.

Fall runways saw a nearly universal embrace of 60s style, including shoes and accessories like the Valentino Jolie Framed Patent Bag. This prim, streamlined handbag would be right at home on Betty Draper’s gloved arm.

Lace tends to be synonymous with romance, and rightfully so. There is something entirely alluring about seeing beautiful lace work. But lace is very situational-occasion oriented. When most people think of lace they think of weddings. I fall into the category of most people. My wedding dress was made with a beautiful lace overlay, one that resembled a vintage design.

Just because I do not embrace wearing lace for day-to-day wear, does not mean I can not add some accent pieces into my wardrobe. And this is where Valentino comes into play. Valentino is known for their feminine and romantic accessories, and this pair of shoes and clutch do not fall short.

Drawstrings are totally the thing right now. It seems like every designer is trying to incorporate into their bags in some way, but let’s be clear: just because drawstrings are trendy doesn’t mean every bag needs one. Sometimes adding in a drawstring for no reason seriously screws up a bag’s lines and structure, which looks to be the problem with the Valentino Sequined Satchel.

Normally, when you put the words “Valentino” and “sequins” in the same phrase, you can go ahead and sign me up for the bag – nine times out of ten, I’ll love it. This particular bag, however, is that tenth time. The drawstring makes the design look oddly flat and circular, like it could be used as an enormous, luxurious frisbee if it were only a bit more rigid. What’s worse is that the vortex pattern of the sequins (they claim it’s a rose – looks like a vortex to me) seems to indicate that they intended the bag to look like that.