January 2011 - Page 2

Paris Couture Week: Armani PrivÃ© goes gaga for Gaga

Jan 26, 2011Jan 26, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Is it just me, or did Paris Haute Couture Week catch anyone else a little off guard? Because we’re an accessories site and haute couture and handbags don’t mix on any sort of grand scale, these shows mostly serve as a harbinger for what’s to come in the fast-approaching Fashion Weeks and the flurry of accessories that they bring, but a few of the collections are always interesting enough for us to break stride and take a look. This season, Armani PrivÃ© Spring 2011 is one of those collections.

Giorgio Armani’s couture is often worn on the world’s biggest red carpets, but the space-age fabrics and construction of this collection call to mind only one celebrity: Lady Gaga. Armani has provided many of Gaga’s more spectacular outfits for events and awards shows, including her fantastic 2010 Grammy dress, and the singer’s personal style has clearly made an impression on the legendary designer. Many of the lines retain Armani’s traditional modernist flair, but the futuristic materials and embellishments found therein can be credited to the aesthetic that Gaga has ushered into favor. It’s to Armani’s credit that he has chosen to take the zeitgeist by the horns and make some interesting clothing in the process.

Lanvin goes leafy for Spring 2011

Jan 25, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

When Lanvin sent their Spring 2011 collection down the runway, the overall theme was about structured handbags. It was the finale bags, small, egg-shaped, and funky, that caught our attention.

The bag that kept my attention however is the Lanvin Leaf Box Clutch. We did not cover this in our runway review, but it deserves a prevalent spot among other Spring 2011 bags.

Fendi adds stripes to their Snakeskin Peek-A-Boo Tote

Jan 25, 2011Jan 25, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

The Fendi Peek-A-Boo is the largest hit for the brand since their coveted Spy bag back in 2005. Like the Spy, the Peek-A-Boo has been released and revamped into hundreds of different materials, options, and colors. In fact, if you pop into a Fendi boutique they will show you all the available options to customize your very own Peek-A-Boo.

But I am more interested in what Fendi themselves release. What kind of rendition will the brand come up with? Right now I am eying the striped Fendi Snakeskin Peek-A-Boo Tote.

Thakoon impresses with a lush gold python clutch

Jan 25, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Thakoon is a designer whose handbags and shoes I’ve been greedily anticipating for quite a while, and now that they’re here, I couldn’t be happier. The designs reflect the unique sensibility of the company, but with pieces like the Thakoon Joplin Python Clutch, even women who are unfamiliar with the company can likely find something that they like.

I have a few question’s about this bag’s structure, but I’m betting that most of them come from photographing an empty bag instead of any actual design deficiencies. But I like the shape enough as it is to not be bothered, particularly in the face of such beautifully finished python for a better price than I suspected.

Jimmy Choo gives us the perfect neutral hobo

Jan 24, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

While so many expect and embrace bright colored hues for Spring, sometimes a subdued neutral is precisely what we need. I adore the look of neutral accessories paired with crisp whites or colorful spring prints. Jimmy Choo sometimes delights us and sometimes lets us down in the handbag department, but this Jimmy Choo bag is nothing short of gorgeous.

I have previously covered the Sky Hobo which was met with positive reviews. But now I found a version I love even more, the Jimmy Choo Sky Snake-Trim Leather Hobo.

Mulberry turns the Alexa into a convenient clutch

Jan 24, 2011 by Amanda Mull

This may seem like bold talk, but casual clutches are a totally under-appreciated and under-carried type of handbag. Please allow me to use the brand new Mulberry Alexa All In One Clutch to explain why.

On the surface, clutches may have a rather singular purpose: to look cute and unobtrusive with a nighttime outfit. But really, a good one can be so much more than that. Depending on your lifestyle and the size of bag you carry normally, this thing could do double-duty as everything from an oversized wallet to a tampon-obscurer to a place to neatly organize your travel documents. Or it could be all three of those things at once, plus act as a clutch on the weekends. Bags like these have many talents, even if they’re only marketed one way.

Weekend Obsession: Bottega Veneta Cigar Cocco Lave Large Cabat

Jan 23, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Ahhh, the Bottega Veneta Cabat. We have already gone over the meticulous process the craftsman undergo to create this magnificent handbag. To refresh your memory, the classic Cabat is woven by hand by two craftsman which takes them two days. Then an additional day is needed for finishing touches; like stitching, applying the handles, and finishing the edges. Before this entire creation, the leather itself is treated, prepared, and cut. The result is one of the staples of the house of Bottega Veneta and one of the most simple yet coveted bags.

For Spring 2011, the Bottega Veneta Cigar Cocco Lave Large Cabat will be released. This bag is the ultimate Cabat and my current weekend obsession.

The Thursday Friday Together Bag

Jan 21, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Fashion is meant to be fun. Sometimes I notice others in the fashion world taking everything so seriously. That has never been my stance and I try to catch myself before I feel wound up over something that I have fallen in love with, mainly because of its playful nature. When it comes to accessories, my stance is even stronger.

Be daring, be bold, pick an accessory that is out of your comfort zone to give that perfect touch to your outfit. And this is where Thursday Friday comes in. The company was launched with the idea of bringing fashion to canvas bags. Their Together Bag is available in either a red, camel, or blue print of a Hermes Birkin on the canvas tote. Yes, A Hermes Birkin print.

Louboutin’s Sweet Charity line just keeps getting better

Jan 21, 2011 by Amanda Mull

We’ve discussed the finer points of the Christian Louboutin Sweet Charity Shoulder Bag several times before, but Christian Louboutin just keeps coming up with more iterations of this bag that we can’t help but love. And when we love something, we feel compelled to post.

After a bit of thought, I think I’ve finally figured out why Louboutin has so much success with this line of handbags when the rest of the brand’s offerings tend to fall flat: A squared, hard-edged shoulder bag allows him the same sort of fixed structure as a shoe and beckons for the kind of embellishment and flair that marks the brand’s best work. This snakeskin and nubuck version is one of the bag’s more subdued looks, but the pale colors have me transfixed.

Yves Saint Laurent makes a bag for CSI fanatics

Jan 20, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Vlad got me into the hit television show CSI. We watch the Vegas version, NYC version, and at some times attempt to take in the Miami version (just for Horatio’s slow sunglasses removal technique). No matter how outrageous the CSI lab techniques seem, I am always intrigued. And one of the most integral parts of solving a crime is finding finger prints.

I wonder if the folks at Yves Saint Laurent are CSI fanatics as well? The Yves Saint Laurent Fingerprint Flap Bag is a clever and fun take on science and handbags.

Fashion Week Handbags: Louis Vuitton Men’s Accessories Fall 2011

Jan 20, 2011 by Amanda Mull

We don’t often write about men’s accessories in these parts, but the manbags (and gloves and belts and sunglasses and shoes…) that just debuted in Paris for Louis Vuitton Fall 2011 are too good to pass up. I don’t personally know too many men who carry clutches, but most of the hand-held bags would make great travel accessories to carry inside the collection’s larger options. Or, if I get my way, they’d also be great to loan to a ladyfriend. Full pictures after the jump.

If her $14,000 croc bag wasn’t your thing, Victoria Beckham also offers regular leather

Jan 20, 2011 by Amanda Mull

We’ve already covered the monstrously priced crocodile shoulder bag from Posh Spice’s neophyte handbag line, and the response was almost unanimous: While it might be a nice bag, $14,000 is a lot to pay for something from a brand new company of any sort, let alone one that bears the precarious designation of being a “celebrity clothing line.”

That bag was on the high end of the collection’s price point, though, and the Victoria Beckham Leather and Nubuck Shoulder Bag seems to be much more typical of what we should expect from the ex-Spice Girl’s accessories. With a $2600 price tag, it’s nowhere near as expensive as its croc cousin, but still mighty spendy for most people. What say you?