Despite making some of the most sought-after handbags in the world right now, the Celine runway show is never a reliable place to look for the next It Bag. Phoebe Philo tends to keep her catwalk minimal, so show-watchers only get a chance to see a couple of handbag designs. Luckily, we’ve found some press photos of both the runway bags and a couple that didn’t appear in the show, and we’ve assembled what we know so far of Celine Spring 2012 after the jump. It looks like the brand is in for another can’t-miss accessories season.
Longtime PurseBlog readers already know how I feel about Alexander McQueen‘s skull clutches. They’re easily my favorite line of evening bags ever, and the legacy of McQueen as a brand always manages to shine through in their design, even though a box clutch is an exceptionally tiny canvas. If I had unlimited income, I’d collect these bags, and I can’t say that about any other brand on the market right now.
Without question, the Alexander McQueen Cathedral Skull Box Clutch would be the crown jewel of that collection. If I were to carry it, the bag would serve as a tiny gilded cage for my belongings, but let’s face it – this is the kind of bag that I’d want to display instead of use.
Phase I of of PurseForum + Rebecca Minkoff Exclusive Bag Design Collaboration took the PurseForum readers and voters by storm. The overwhelming number of votes went to the coveted Satchel, which we all know Rebecca Minkoff designs amazingly. Phase II is well underway and this is the phase I have been most excited about. Have … Read more
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Versace x H&M is the high-low collaboration of the season. Slated to debut at select stores on November 17, the collection includes everything from leather jackets and dresses to a few home goods, which is a first for H&M’s designer dabblings. What’s relevant to us, of course, is that the partnership has also produced bags.
Unfortunately, like the regular Versace line, the purses are the line’s low point. The collection includes a dress and jacket made out of real leather, which could possibly indicate that some of the bags are genuine as well (although I couldn’t find anything indicating their fabrication), but the hardware removes any doubt that what you’re carrying is from H&M. The rest of the collection has some very fun, colorful pieces, but the handbags just aren’t among them. As far as prices go, I could only find the price information for one of them – the small black studded bag, which worked out to about $110 from the British price list on which I found it. Pictures of the rest of the bags are after the jump.
(Also, a side question: Did anyone else glimpse the charm based on the traditional Versace trim out of the corner of their eye and think it was a swastika for a split second? Just me?)
Ambition is a laudable characteristic in American culture, but when it crosses over into hubris, people’s reactions start to change from positive to negative. Although the buying public might approve of a young designer trying new things that necessitate a somewhat steep price tag, the attitude changes when the young designers in question are filthy rich former child stars and the prices are reminiscent of Hermes and other venerable, historical houses that have earned their reputations and price tags over the span of generations.
That, of course, is the story behind bags like The Row Leather and Suede Doctor Bag. With a price tag of nearly five grand and no exotic leather in sight, the line has generated as much negative chatter as positive among handbag lovers. When you put the price out of your mind, though, this bag is actually a downright lovely accessory.
If you remember my post about Miu Miu’s Spring 2012 runway bags, then you probably remember feeling the same disappointment that I did about the collection. Despite a hit here and there over the past five years with the Bow Satchel and the many versions of the Coffer, the brand’s bags never bowl me over the way that the rest of its products often do.
The sight of this Miu Miu Resort 2012 ad, via NYMag.com’s Cut Blog, gives me the hope that I need to continue on as a Miu Miu handbag fan, though. Do you see this bag as an improvement?
This time of year was made for Moda Operandi. In case you’re unfamiliar with the site about which we’ve posted several times recently, it’s an online trunk sale operation that posts pre-orders for stuff that’s just graced the runway. Because Spring 2012 shows just ended, Moda Operandi posts another amazing sale almost every day, and it’s hard not to shirk my other duties and write only about them.
The thing about MO, though, is that the site is notoriously stingy with granting membership, and if you don’t have an account, you can’t look or buy. That’s where I come in – even if you can’t pre-order now, you can still check out what’s going to show up in stores over the next few months in the photos that I’ve assembled after the jump. Today’s loot? Nancy Gonzalez Spring 2012.
To make sure each of my Purseonals posts are as accurate as possible, I’ve been carrying the bag I am going to review for at least five days straight before I sit down to share my thoughts with you. This way I use the bag used as part of my everyday life, from short errands … Read more
Mother Nature decided to send a downpour of rain with a mix of wind and a sprinkling of downright nasty to NYC today. I’ve been stuck inside desperately trying to find a way to boost my spirit and keep me moving while the weather is so drab.
This Chanel bag will bring a smile and an intense sense of yearning to everyone who sets their eyes on it. No matter what it looks like outside my window, the Chanel Classic Flap in Gold Alligator makes everything right in my world today.
Smythson Soho Diary, $515. Jonathan Saunders x Smythson Panama Diary, $245. Both via Net-a-Porter.
I am a huge Jonathan Saunders fangirl, and it has long been my fervent hope that Saunders would dip his very fashionable toe into the accessories pool. Although Jonathan Saunders x Smythson doesn’t include any handbags, the lovely colorblocked notebooks and iPad cases give me hope that some day, maybe not too far in the future, I’ll get to review a bonafide Jonathan Saunders purse. Or just a wallet. I’d settle for a wallet!
In the meantime, the Jonathan Saunders x Smythson Soho and Panama Diaries will have to do. What chic notebooks to carry in your purse or work bag! I know that most of us probably use our smartphones for short notes now, but doesn’t a leather-bound diary seem positively civilized in comparison?
About once a week I visit the Hermes website to pretend I live in a completely different world, a world where $530 beach towels and $85 poker cards are the norm. We all know the exorbitant cost of the Birkin and Kelly bags, but Hermes releases other leather goods to lure you in as well. Majority of those are still out of the price range for most, but I discovered a ‘gem’.
Hidden under the horse riding section I found the Hermes Aline Bag, a Herringbone canvas pouch with a barenia calfskin strap.
Images via Celine
