April 2012 - Page 2

Friday Afternoon Snack Break: Celine Luggage Tote cookies!

Apr 24, 2012Apr 20, 2012 by Amanda Mull

As I mentioned earlier today, we’re proud to say that you can find some extraordinary things on our PurseForum if you dig around a little bit. The goodies don’t stop at what our members are able to find, though – sometimes what blows me away the most is what a diverse, interesting, talented group we have. From doctors to lawyers to small business-owners, our purse lovers run the gamut and we’re proud to call them all part of our community.

Today, though, we’d like to highlight one of our members in particular, who goes by the handle BalenciagaPlaneT. She’s a Manhattanite who owns her own cookie company, Peapods Cookies, and she recently shared a batch of 23 Celine Luggage Tote cookies that she hand-decorated for a bag-loving customer. How adorable are these? Almost too adorable (and true-to-life – check out the tricolor and leopard options) to eat, but I bet they’d taste as great as they look (with a tall glass of milk, of course). Check out two more shots of the Celine cookies after the jump, or you can order all kinds of beautifully decorated goodies via the Peapods Cookies Etsy Store.

We have Balenciaga’s Fall 2012 color swatches (and a behind-the-scenes spy pic)

Apr 23, 2012Apr 20, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Note: Balenciaga asked us to remove the images as they are for internal use only.

I’m continually surprised and impressed by our PurseForum members. The kinds of things that these ladies are able to get their hands on before the rest of the fashion community always impresses me; it’s like they were all detectives in another life. If you need a handbag mystery solved, it’s them you should be asking. They can find anything, even things that brands try very hard to prevent from being found.

Take, for example, this page from a Balenciaga boutique’s sales book, which shows the Balenciaga Fall 2012 color swatches in all their glory and which we found in a thread on our Forum. These are the shades that Balenciaga’s much-loved Motorcycle Bags will be made in for the coming pre-collection and collection, the first of which will start hitting stores at the end of the summer. Want to see how these hues are going to look on actual bags? Well, you’re in luck. Check out an expandable swatch chart and a first look at the bags after the jump.

PurseBlog Asks: Do you prefer your Celine dressy or casual?

Apr 20, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Phoebe Philo is a force to be reckoned with in the accessories world. Philo was at Chloe when the brand was driving the world crazy with the omnipresent Paddington and Silverado bags, and now she’s at Celine, making fashion people everywhere lose their minds over Luggage Totes, Classic Box Bags and Trapeze Satchels. She may not design the bags herself, but Philo has a way of bringing out the best in her accessories staff and capturing the attention of bag lovers everywhere. Wherever she goes, great bags follow.

Now that Celine sits comfortably atop the accessories industry as the brand to watch, what does carrying one of its bags say about a woman? What kind of message does it telegraph, and in turn, how do we view the bags as elements of our wardrobe? The more celebrities throw their weight behind Celine’s bags, the more publicly dissectible examples we have. Today, we’re going to check out the divergent styles of Lucy Liu and Rashida Jones to get your opinions on your preferred way to carry Celine.

The Salvatore Ferragamo Gancini Crossbody Bag is perfect for the lady on the move

Apr 20, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

The weather is getting much nicer and I am excited to wander the city and enjoy time outdoors. I’ve learned to edit the things I carry in my handbag so that I can choose a smaller bag that won’t weigh me down for long walks. I fell in love with a version of this Gancini bag when I found it for the best traditional wedding day bags. After a little more searching, I found Ferragamo made this bag in a compact crossbody style. There began my obsession.

The Salvatore Ferragamo Gancini Crossbody Bag is made for your busy lifestyle and can be carried in a variety of ways, including crossbody, on the shoulder, or as a clutch.

The Bags of Celine Fall 2012

Apr 19, 2012 by Amanda Mull

For being one of the biggest handbag designers in the world right now, concerete information about Celine‘s accessories collections can be incredibly hard to find. Prices? Colors? International Availability? Everyone’s information is a little bit different, and after you look at enough blurry cell phone pictures from sales associates at boutiques and department stores across the globe, you start to go a little bit cross-eyed. All in pursuit of the world’s biggest It Bag.

I spent most of yesterday shuffling around the Internet in pursuit of something slightly more concerete, and here’s what I’ve found: the official Celine Fall 2012 lookbook. Celine also does a full winter collection, which we’ll have for you in lookbook form soon, but this is the first batch of bags that you’ll see hit stores after the summer sales. The lookbook doesn’t contain every color combination for every design, but with over 40 photos, it does give you a great idea of what you’ll want to start pre-ordering immediately.

Gear Up for Warm Weather: The Season’s Best Crossbody Bags

Apr 19, 2012 by Amanda Mull

As you may have noticed, we didn’t do any posts about “Coachella style” around here. There are a few reasons for that: First, feathers + fringe + denim cutoffs does not = style. You only have to see so many pictures of Vanessa Hudgens in her day to day life before you realize that those sorts of looks don’t work when you’re not stoned in the middle of the desert, which means that I’m not going to try to force them on you, even if it is an easy post to write. Second, Coachella is an event that only a relative handful of people attend every year; isn’t having good summer style overall a much more worthy topic of conversation?

That’s why we’ve created our ode to the best summer bag option of all: the crossbody. Lightweight, completely hands-free and mostly small enough to carry off a bright color or a zany exotic print, you’ll be attached at the hip with the Best Crossbody Bags of Spring 2012 (almost literally) after all of the gossip chatter about celebrities at Coachella has long faded. Music festivals come and go, but a great bag is forever (or at least for a season for two).

Bottega Veneta Initials – Personalize your BV bag

Apr 19, 2012Apr 19, 2012 by Vlad Dusil

A few short weeks ago, Megs and I received an invitation to the launch of a new online initiative by the Italian fashion house that would be held during the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Details were kept under tight wraps, all we could do was to speculate that the new launch was involving bags of sorts. Details aside, the short trip was going to involve Bottega Veneta, Milano, new bags, pasta, and fresh local burrata cheese. Sign me up.

Shortly after arriving in Milan, we headed to the BV headquarters where we were introduced to the Bottega Veneta Initials campaign. Extending the philosophy of individuality and confidence of the company’s motto “When your own initials are enough”, customers now have the option to adorn their favorite handcrafted Bottega pieces with the elegance of a monogram. Tomas Maier, the creative director at Bottega Veneta, expressed his excitement over the launch because it allows “to take the customer-centered philosophy of Bottega Veneta one step further.”

In My Bag: Band-Aids

Apr 18, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

While I add and remove contents from my bag constantly, one of the things I never remove is Band-Aids. Ever since I moved to NYC, I can’t leave the apartment without them. And if I do, it always ends up being on the day that I am breaking in new shoes and have to stop in a drug store to pick a box up. Band-Aids are a certain necessity for almost every woman, especially the woman who changes her shoes often and walks more than a few steps a day.

I’ve had so many men ask me why women wear uncomfortable shoes. The answer varies, but seriously, some shoes are so cute they just have to be bought and worn. So what if our toes are just a little too long or the back is just a little too stiff? With women, myself included, hope springs eternal that beautiful shoes can be broken in (or at least that is our hope).

Even shoes that I wear often sometimes cause problems. Last weekend I was wearing a pair of Tod’s loafers that are completely comfortable, but after walking over 2 miles in them, my feet started to hurt and I felt the blisters coming. Naturally, I reached into my bag and found some Band-Aids to put on my emerging wounds.

The cutest and most extravagant Flower Girl bag

Apr 18, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Gals and guys, wedding season is upon us! Amanda and I broke down the best traditional wedding day bags along with the best non-traditional wedding day bags. But there are so many more attendees that need to find a bag for the big day, including the flower girl. The idea of a super extravagant piece for the flower girl took a major push forward after Charlotte’s daughter carried the Judith Leiber Cupcake Clutch in the Sex and the City movie.

Since then, I’ve decided a novelty bag with an extravagant price tag is both ridiculous and cute. If your wedding budget is exceptional or someone in your family wants to splurge on a crystal clutch for the flower girl, Judith Leiber is still the brand to turn to.

Guess who else carries his Hermes Birkin as a beach bag?

Apr 17, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Back in February we posted pictures of Kim Kardashian carrying her Hermes Birkin not only to the beach, but also placing her bag right in the sand. Many of us gasped at the site of a $10,000 bag being plopped into a pile of sand, me included. I find myself to be so meticulous when it comes to taking care of my bags. Maybe I have it truly wrong, maybe I should carry my expensive bags to the beach and let them get a little dirty. After all, Kim isn’t the only one that does it… a famous designer does as well.

Can you Name That Guy?

From black-on-black exotic Birkins to Chanel bicycles, we have your first look at the Heritage Spring Luxury Auction

Apr 17, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Editor’s note: This post got such an overwhelming response last week that we wanted to remind you guys that the auction is coming up soon!

We’ve been working closely with our friends at Heritage Auctions leading up to their much-anticipated Spring Luxury Auction. The entire PurseBlog team loves Heritage Auctions and we are very excited to be part of their amazing bi-annual major luxury auction.

Why am I using so many adjectives and superlatives, you ask? Because this event is going to be out-of-this-world good. From rare Hermes Birkin bags to a Chanel bicycle (yes, bicycle) to seriously chic travel gear, Heritage Luxury has rounded up the best of the best, the rarest of the rare, and brought them all together in one special place. This is a place I like to call Accessory Heaven, and it is where I want to spend all of my days and nights.

How do we get to this place? Delve right into the Heritage Spring Luxury Auction after the jump.

You’ve never seen a shawl until you’ve seen a hand-beaded Hermes shawl

Apr 17, 2012 by Amanda Mull

I’m often first in line to make gentle fun of things like $700 Hermes wine-raters, but what the company does with some of its products is truly inspirational to those of us who love accessories and the craft that goes into making them. For every leather-covered non-mechanical pencil, there’s something like the Hermes Le Pegase Lumiere Shawl, a hand-adorned piece that mixes traditional artisanship with modern aesthetics so flawlessly that I almost don’t care what other silly things might lurk in some of the more overpriced corners of an Hermes boutique. It really must be seen closer to be believed, so follow us after the jump…