First of all, an apology: I’m sorry that I’m assaulting your eyes with this much look so early in the morning, but sometimes them’s the breaks, eh? Consider it like your second alarm of the day – the first one woke up your body, but the Dolce & Gabbana Patchwork Shoulder Bag is here to wake up your senses, for better or for worse. Naturally, the bag makes a perfect candidate for the latest edition of Fill in the Blank.
Truth be told, designer backpacks are part of the reason I began loving handbags. Growing up, I went to a private school and our uniform was ultimately bland and unflattering on every body type. The only way to stand out was with accessories, but there were rules keeping us from “over-doing” it in the eyes of the administration. By school standards, we had the two-two-two rule: two earrings, two rings, two bracelets, two necklaces allowed at any one time. And it wasn’t fashion jewelry that we could wear, it was “practical”. This, to me, was rather bland and I turned to my backpack to stand out.
By my freshman year of high school, the girls were carrying Prada and Gucci backpacks and I decided my backpack would be my accessory as well. I went for funky, bright purple floral bag that no one else had, and even though it was highly impractical, I adored it. However, I still checked out all the girls and all their backpacks in an effort to decide what would be placed on my wishlist. Backpacks are a necessity for certain times in our lives and even when they are not a necessity, they can still be cool.
Chanel hopes to have the next designer backpack being talked about, and I think this version for Fall 2012 might get the job done.
Anyone who’s opened a high-end fashion magazine in the recent past knows, those types of publications are focused on aesthetics to the near-complete exclusion of practical concerns. Style.com may be known as a website first and a magazine second (check out the print edition, though, it’s pretty fun), but it still follows that same fashion mag edict – form first, function second, if at all. Depending on the application, that ethos can either be fantastical or head-scratchingly odd.
The site recently released its top 10 lists for the season’s accessories, and its choice for The Best Bag of Fall 2012 struck me as the latter. This Fendi Crocodile Clutch maybe be a beautiful evening bag, but a great piece of functional design it is not. Box clutches never are, no matter how pretty they may be. Not only that, but this little evening bag isn’t even indicative of the season’s overall accessories trends. So what gives?
Yesterday I had the pleasure to tour the newly renovated Salvatore Ferragamo flagship store on Fifth Avenue prior to its official unveiling earlier today. Crafty workers were still busy putting finishing touches on the new decor to have it perfectly presentable for the next morning, but all chaotic last minute touches aside, it was easy … Read more
I’ve talked in the past about some of the things I dislike (and some of the unfortunate patterns I’ve noticed) when shopping in high-end department stores and boutiques, and whenever I share one of those stories, you guys respond in kind – it seems as though we’ve all experienced genuinely rude (and sometimes downright demeaning) treatment while trying to do something as simple as buy a bag or a pair of shoes. Luxury goods should be a luxurious experience from beginning to end, but too often, it just doesn’t work out that way.
What I’d like to talk about today, though, is the complete opposite of that experience: when you go into a store where you don’t have a previous relationship with any of the sales people and everything goes exactly how it should. I like to treat myself to Fabulous Amanda Day every few months, which is a day of shopping, pedicure, lunch or whatever I want, but all to myself, no buddies allowed. (Try it, it’s so relaxing.) I was having one such day last Friday when I decided to head to Soho to look for a new pair of shoes and found myself in the Miu Miu boutique on Prince Street.
I have a serious jewelry problem. All of my favorite stuff is either vintage or costume, so it’s not a spending problem so much as it’s an amount problem. The stuff I wear regularly currently resides in small Ziplock bags inside a white Balenciaga box (which used to contain my iPad case), which sits on top of my dresser. I’ve looked high and low for other ways to store my stash, but nothing particularly attractive or capable of holding giant, breast-plate-sized necklaces has ever surfaced. A clean, minimal white box from my favorite brand seems like the best I’m going to do.
In an ideal universe, though, I’d come home every day and throw my watch in the Louis Vuitton Coffret Tresor 24, preferably situated on a wide, spacious vanity. Nothing is wide and spacious in New York, though, except for maybe Park Avenue, so for now I’ll admire it from here.
To me, how a piece of clothing or an accessory looks is secondary to how you feel when you wear or carry it. Fashion is fickle and everyone’s a critic, but when a dress or a bag or a pair of shoes makes you feel like your best self, it’s worth whatever it might cost. Style is instinctual far more than it is logical, and if you let that dizzy, glamourous feeling be your guide, you probably won’t go wrong.
The Marchesa Fall 2012 evening bags and clutches were made to elicit exactly that hazy head rush. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a princess, most of these bags feature enough stones and beading to make you completely forget about your lack of actual crown jewels. Maybe you have a formal wedding to attend this fall or are getting married yourself – if either of those is the case, you’d be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive selection of formal evening bags that don’t opt for an extremely traditional aesthetic. Whatever the case may be, a little extra sparkle never hurt anyone – check out all of the bags in our gallery after the jump.
While I was reading about the gorgeous new Bottega Veneta Suite at the Park Hyatt Chicago (above) yesterday, I got to dreaming about what it would be like to stay in a room like that. Anyone who’s ever picked up one of the Italian brand’s luxurious handbags knows exactly how luscious and soft the leather is, and rolling around on a couch of the same provenance must be what dreams are made of. Just as I was thinking about booking a trip to the Windy City to do just that, I realized that this was likely something Bottega had done before at other hotels.
As it turns out, I was right. In the past decade, Tomas Maier has designed at least two other luxurious hotel suits, both for St. Regis hotels in New York and Rome. There also seems to be talk of a St. Regis room in Florence, but since all the pictures I find of it are the same as the pictures from Rome, we’ll have to make due with just those two. Check out both setups after the jump – personally, Chicago is my favorite.
Winter seems to be playing hide-and-go-seek with those of us in New York; it was a balmy 67 degrees yesterday afternoon while today is back in the 50s, as if Mother Nature is actually toying with us. Once the calendar turns to April, though, my glee for spring can hardly be contained. If I will myself to believe it’s warm outside, I don’t actually need a jacket, right?
Soon enough, though, it will be warm, and it might even stay that way for several months at a time. (That’s how this whole spring/summer thing works, right?) In anticipation of those months, or in generalized anticipation of someday taking a vacation (not holding me breath on that one), I’d like to present you with my favorite Spring 2012’s Beach Bags. One caveat, though: I play a bit fast and loose with the definition of the term “beach bag.” These aren’t necessarily all vessels to tote your sunscreen and trashy novels out to the sand; instead, these are bags of many uses that I’d like to take on my next beach trip.
How much do I love the Marni Layered Leather Satchel, exactly? A lot. I love it a lot. There is nothing not to love about it. I was prepared to whine a little bit that there’s no optional crossbody strap, but lo and behold, there is one. Absent that, I can think of literally nothing to complain about when it comes to this bag. Except, of course, the fact that I don’t currently have one in my possession.
Marni is having a bit of a moment right now because of its excellent, high-profile collaboration with H&M, and the brand seems to be taking advantage of its raised profile quite well by releasing some of its best work to date. If you’re into Marni’s signature take on retro-modernism, you already know of which I speak.
Another Wednesday means another day for the PurseBlog team to huddle together and discuss the items we want. Let’s be honest, we do this everyday, but we only share it with you on Wednesdays. From funky cat eye sunglasses to a brightly colored handbag to a sparkly bracelet, we all found super cool items that we want to add to our wardrobe this week. Best part is all three work perfectly together. I call dibs… on all of it.
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