March 2012 - Page 2

Fill in the Blank: The Alexander McQueen Savana Satchel is…

Mar 27, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Designers took us on a safari with many of their spring 2012 collections. From Donna Karan to Michael Kors, we saw wooden accents, animal prints, and tons of browns and greens. Alexander McQueen took a stab at this trend as well with the Savana Satchel. Pairing ocelot-print calf hair, brown leather, gold spikes, and earthy … Read more

Look for Less: Celine Luggage Tote

Mar 27, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

You know what? I know the obsession with the Celine Luggage Tote is waning a bit, but I just can’t get enough. I love my Celine Luggage Totes, and yes, I own a few. This bag was a design that came in and changed up the bag world in the most refreshing way. We all saw something slightly different but totally practical, which is precisely why I have seen these bags on everyone. I still love my Celine Luggage Totes and I highly recommend it to any of you.

There is a problem, though. When I got my first Luggage Tote I paid right around $1750, but since then the price has skyrocketed. So much so that the new price for a classic leather option is a whopping $2400. And let’s be honest, that is a major price hike. So major that it is a game changer in fact. I am delighted that I got my bags before the prices took an uphill tumble. If you don’t want to drop $2400 for the Celine Luggage Tote I have a look for less that will leave you an additional $2,000 to spend.

Tuesday Absurdity: $11 million diamond laptop sleeve

Mar 27, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

There is always a heavy dose of absurdity in the world of designer luxury goods. We are talking about materialistic accessories, and what $1,000 is to one person, $1,000,000 is to the next. If you are one of the few people in this world who finds $11,000,000 to be a suitable price tag for the perfect laptop sleeve, then I have quite the treat for you.

Made of 8,800 diamonds, the sales pitch for this Diamond Laptop Sleeve sounds as serious as they come. CoverBee, the creator of this item, talks about the person who has everything deciding to cover their laptop with the most luxurious case ever.

The Biggest Trends of Fall 2012: Fur

Mar 27, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Are you familiar with astrakhan? If you’re not, you should go ahead and get familiar, because it’s going to be everywhere come Fall 2012. In fact, fur in general is the trend that just won’t die, which is why we’re highlighting it today in our ongoing Fall 2012 Trends Week. Whether you prefer your fur bags short or long, it looks as though you’ll have plenty of choices come cold weather.

Astrakhan in particular, a close-cropped, wavy lamb fur, made a big splash, dotting the runways of enormous designers like Dior, Ferragamo and Fendi. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum were the Cousin It bags at Louis Vuitton, which looked like they’d come with their very own brush for upkeep. There wasn’t a lot in the middle – either designers are trying to stay away from the puffball look by using short, neat fur panels, or they’re going full monty with more fur than I have in my head. Our picks from the runway and how to get the look right now, after the jump.

The Biggest Trends of Fall 2012: Black Handbags

Mar 26, 2012Mar 26, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Today might feel like a typical Monday (or it might feel a little atypical because of your brown liquor hangover from the Mad Men premiere, yeah, I know what you were doing last night), but around these parts, today kicks off our Fall 2012 Trends Week. That’s right, each day we’re going to highlight a people accessories look from the Fall 2012 runways, tell you which bags you should be anticipating and show you where you can shop the trend right now, if you’re the impatient type.

Because I also spent last night with Don Draper and Peggy Olson (our recap will be up in a little while!), we’re starting with the biggest, clearest trend from what seemed like virtually every major accessories runway: The Not-So-Basic Black Bag. If you’re a neutral-lover and the past year or two of color on top of color has become a bit monotonous, Fall 2012 is a season you’re going to love. These bags are anything but business as usual, though; for fall, black is textured and embellished, fur-covered and embroidered.

Shop the Rue La La Chanel Madison Avenue Couture Event

Mar 24, 2012Mar 24, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Our friends at Rue La La are ready to delight our closets with an amazing selection of Chanel bags at their Madison Avenue Couture Event. The event includes apparel, jewelry and most importantly, handbags. And the handbags? They are glorious on so many levels. Iconic quilted handbags pepper the boutique including a never before carried Chanel black quilted flap with silver-tone hardware.

As much as I was immediately drawn to the bags, the boucle tweeds and classic jewelry are also eye-catching. My girlfriends and I always joke (and dream) about being the quintessential lady who lunches, and these embellished dresses at 50-80% off are a great way to get started in the Chanel clothing category. I feel a lunch coming on as we speak, in fact.

Though I dream about wearing Chanel head-to-toe daily, I am not at that place yet in my life, which is why I can’t stop going crazy over the handbags, apparel and jewelry Rue La La is offering at this Madison Avenue Couture event. With Classic Flap after Classic Flap along with a plethora of other highly covetable Chanel pieces, this boutique has something for everyone. This event is a great way to get a bag you have been wanting or bag you missed out on for a great price. All the pieces are authentic, pre-owned, vintage and fabulous.

Shop Rue La La’s Chanel Madison Avenue Couture Event now!

Thief steals $17,000 handbag from Ralph Lauren’s New York flagship store

Mar 27, 2012Mar 23, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Sure, we’ve all joked about snatching a gorgeous, outrageously expensive handbag and running for the hills, but who among us would actually steal something that wasn’t ours? Whether it’s your sense of morality or merely your pragmatic fear of being caught and imprisoned that keeps you from swiping handbags doesn’t really matter; the point is, handbags that cost as much as a car just don’t go missing that often, particularly from stores that employ large, suit-wearing guards who will tackle you into traffic in the middle of the Upper East Side.

Ralph Lauren’s gorgeous flagship boutique on East 79th Street (seriously, if you’ve never been, you have to see it) is one such store, and yet somehow, a woman walked in to the store in February and walked out with a $17,000 crocodile Ralph Lauren Ricky Bag, similar to the one pictured above, for which she had apparently not paid. Even though I live just a few blocks from the store, I’d like to say, for the record, that it wasn’t me.

Get ready for the return of “Mad Men” with ladylike handbags

Mar 25, 2012Mar 23, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Yesterday morning I woke up and said to myself, “Self, what the Internet needs is yet another fashion article about Mad Men, because there aren’t enough of those already.” We’ve never done a roundup of bags inspired by the Mad Men era, though, and now seems like the perfect time to do it. Not only does the show’s long-awaited (a year-and-a-half in the making!) fifth season premiere on Sunday night with a two-hour, all-drinking, all-smoking extravaganza on AMC, but for the first time, I’ll be recapping a show that doesn’t give me the opportunity to make fun of someone’s terrible weave.

That’s right, Mad Men recaps! Check back here every Monday to discuss the show, make completely wild speculations about what will happen next and pine for Don Draper. In the meantime, let’s get in the 1960s spirit with a few handbags that take notes from the style of the era – classic, diminutive top-handles ruled because ladies were supposed to look always unencumbered. If you have a rye Manhattan while you shop, I won’t tell anyone.

Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Valentino Rockstud Bag

Jan 24, 2013Mar 22, 2012 by Amanda Mull

As handbag lovers, we’ve been very lucky recently. Luxury brands are notoriously secretive about their behind-the-scenes processes, particularly their manufacturing, and anyone who knows anything about the counterfeit trade knows exactly why that is. Letting people behind the curtain not only risks trade secrets, but it also chances taking some off the luxurious mystique off of the final product. Don’t be fooled, that mystique factors heavily into the prices that these brands are able to charge for their goods.

Last week, though, Chanel threw open its doors and let a bit of sun shine on the work that goes into a Chanel Classic Flap. This week, our interest goes to Valentino, which has released images to document the making of the lovely Valentino Rockstud Net Bag. You can check out all of the up-close-and-personal images after the jump or shop the design via Neiman Marcus for $3345.

9 Things: The Best Pastel Bags of Spring 2012

Mar 22, 2012Mar 22, 2012 by Amanda Mull

The minty fresh Alexander Wang bags from last week got me thinking – if Alexander Wang can make a pastel bag, and if I can find something to love about its utter lightness, then there has to be a pastel bag out there for everyone. Many of you weren’t as enthusiastic about the Wang bags as Megs and I were, but that’s ok; if I can come around to the idea of pastels, so can anyone. If you want to, that is. If not, I won’t blame you for sticking with brights or black or whatever your signature look might be.

For those of you whose interest might have been piqued by the idea of paleness for spring and summer, though, we’re way ahead of you. After the jump, you’ll find our favorite pastel bags at a variety of price points and in a variety of shades, all the way from colors that somehow find a balance between pastel and neon to those that are so light, they’re barely perceptible. Check ’em out and let us know your favorite in the comments.

Want it Wednesday: B Brian Atwood, Alexander Wang, All Saints

Mar 22, 2012Mar 21, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

This week the PurseBlog team is itching to add a few new pieces to our spring wardrobes. Whether it be a seriously comfy All Saints graphic t-shirt or a pair of in-your-face colorblocked platform pumps, we all have a little something we want this week. So click below to see what Amanda, Hilary and I are coveting!

Celebrate spring with Louis Vuitton and Sofia Coppola

Mar 21, 2012 by Amanda Mull

As you might have noticed, Megs and I are absolutely spring-obsessed lately. Not only did the season just officially begin yesterday, but the weather in New York has been so sunny and perfect, so archetypically spring-like, that it’s hard to think about anything else when the windows are open and a gentle breeze is teasing us every few minutes. To be inside working is positively unfair on days like the ones that we’ve been having, but such is life, I guess. We all have to make rent.

Right now, though, I’m considering skipping April’s payment, getting myself evicted and living in Central Park for the next two months. Naturally, I’d put that rent check toward the Louis Vuitton Sophia Coppola Bag PM in this amazing shade of turquoise. Who needs a roof over your head when you’ve got perfect weather and a perfect bag? I’m probably going to need my apartment back come June, though. Air conditioning is important to me.