May 2012 - Page 2 - PurseBlog

Red, white, and blue with Proenza Schouler

May 22, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Ice cream cones, the ocean breeze, sun-kissed skin, fireflies, vacations, 4th of July, fireworks, BBQs, bikinis, maxi dresses, and non-stop fun all come to mind when I think of summer. Memorial Day is this weekend, and for many folks, this holiday means the official start of summer. Vlad and I are kicking off the season by heading out to the Hamptons before the weekend madness begins for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

I can’t think of a trio of colors that reminds me of summer more than red, white, and blue, and Proenza Schouler has three perfect versions of their highly coveted PS1 in exactly those shades. From the Continental Wallet to the Pouch, to the original PS1 Satchel, I found options in red, white, and blue to get you ready for summer.

Louis Vuitton takes a page from the Hermes playbook with Haute Maroquinerie

May 22, 2012 by Amanda Mull

LVMH’s keen interest in Hermes has been clear for quite some time now, and it looks as though when Louis Vuitton’s parents company isn’t busy buying up shares of the historical French leather goods house, its trying to remake parts of its own premier brand to more resemble the object of its affections. Thus LV has introduced Louis Vuitton Haute Maroquinerie, which literally translates to “high leather goods,” which offers the brand’s most exclusive customers the opportunity to design their very own bag from a set of pre-selected shapes, colors and leathers. Join us after the jump for a video of the manufacturing process, plus more photos and details about the bags.

Meet Reed Krakoff’s newest handbag, the Uniform

May 22, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Despite Reed Krakoff‘s long tenure in the accessories industry, his eponymous brand is still a relative newcomer to the handbag game. The Coach president knows exactly what he’s doing, though; it took no time at all for Krakoff’s bags, which are mostly priced very well, to find their way onto the arms of high-ranking fashion folks and celebrities alike. The brand has the capital to do things correctly, and luckily for us all, it’s chosen to use that capital to create great bags, most of which can be worn in both professional or casual environments.

The latest addition to Krakoff’s slate of stellar options is the Reed Krakoff Uniform Bag, which can be had in both Soft and Hard versions, depending on the preferences and personal style of the customer. The soft version, left, is obviously more casual than the hard, left, but either would be adaptable to a variety of sartorial situations, The modern details, meanwhile, fit in perfect with the Krakoff branding. Check out larger version of both, along with price and purchase info, after the jump.

Mellow Yellow: Celine Nano in Citron

May 21, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

It was one of those weekends where Mother Nature dished out absolutely gorgeous weather and I stayed inside mostly in bed feeling under the weather. I constantly checked Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see how everyone else was enjoying their weekend and felt a little sorry for myself. This is when I decided to turn my sick weekend into a tropical staycation.

I popped into my closet and pulled out my coveted Celine Nano in Citron and went into the kitchen and blended up a fresh piña colada. This combo photographed so incredibly well, and if I tried really hard, I imagined being elsewhere (and feeling better).

What’s In Her Bag: Chrissie Wellington

Jul 26, 2021May 18, 2012 by Vlad Dusil

The Proenza Schouler PS1 is Thursday Friday’s newest target

May 18, 2012May 18, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Not long ago, I said that my feelings toward Thursday Friday’s line of bag-on-bag printed totes had “softened.” At that point, Balenciaga was the latest designer to have a photo of their work plastered on a canvas tote bag and sold for up to $90 apiece, and like Hermes and Chanel before it, Balenciaga is a huge brand with a huge corporate structure behind it to protect its work product. They can stand up for themselves, and although the Thursday Friday bags are certainly not my personal cup of tea, the combination of the chosen subject matter and the totes’ ubiquity had made me a little less opinionated about the whole thing.

Well. Guess what. This time, Thursday Friday has chosen to go after Proenza Schouler, a small New York brand that’s still in its relative infancy and that has yet to so much as open a brick-and-mortar store for itself. Compared to the Chanels of the world, Proenza Schouler is utterly tiny and a labor of love by the brand’s founders, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The success of the PS1 and the brand’s other accessories allow it to do some of the most beautiful and innovative textile work in modern fashion; clothes like that don’t often turn a profit because of the enormous expense associated with producing such technically complicated work in small quantities, so for Proenza Schouler and brands like it, handbags are a crucial part of the business model. But hey, who cares about all that? Let’s take someone else’s hard work, slap it on a tote bag and make some cash!

Fab or Drab: Balenciaga Polka Dot Bags

May 17, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Generally I love anything that Balenciaga does with its much-loved Balenciaga Motorcycle Bags. I love them in regular leather, patent, prints, raffia…you get the idea, I’m a fan, and so is the rest of the PurseBlog team. In fact, the only trepidation I can remember expressing over Balenciaga’s bags in the past concerned the brand’s first foray into perforated leather, and I don’t think I like the Balenciaga Polka Dot Bags any more.

This design features perhaps the biggest perforations I’ve ever seen on a handbag, and I can’t help but wonder how that will play into the bag’s longterm wear. Cutting that many holes of that size into a piece of leather significantly changes how the material distributes stress and weight, which will likely lead to a shorter lifespan for the bag. Of course, if you’re buying a look this bold, you probably don’t want to wear it forever; a single season might do just fine. And now that I think of it, if you’re looking for a bag in which to carry your extremely tiny dog, these might be nice, breathable options. Check out more pictures of the bags after the jump and then let us know what you think in the comments.

Who are Tamara and Petra Ecclestone and why do they have so many amazing handbags?

May 17, 2012 by Amanda Mull

If you’re a regular BagThatStyle reader (or a Brit), you’re probably long familiar with these two ladies, but if you’ll allow us to indulge ourselves a bit, I’d appreciate it. I’ve become slightly fascinated with Petra Ecclestone Stunt, the 23-year-old handbag designer (really, she is) and new owner of the famous Spelling Mansion, and her 27-year-old sister Tamara Ecclestone, whose resumé seems to include going on lots of fabulous vacations with her boyfriend and wearing every dress Herve Leger has every made. The most important thing that you need to know about these two women, though, is that their handbag collections are absolutely sick.

The Ecclestones are relatively unknown on this side of the Atlantic, but these heiresses have quite the pedigree, not to mention the bank accounts to back it up in a way that Paris Hilton never could. Their father, Bernie Ecclestone, is CEO of Formula One racing and has a net worth estimated at $4.2 billion. Their mother, Bernie’s ex-wife Slavica, is a former model known mostly for her work with Armani (and for being a full foot taller than Bernie) and whose 2009 divorce settlement reportedly made her a billionaire as well. These girls have money to burn, and it looks like they’ve chosen to burn a significant amount of it on handbags, particularly those from Hermes. Petra even loves bags so much that she’s designing her own line of ulta-luxe clutches, which you can check out, along with some of the most lust-worthy bags in both their closets, after the jump.

Yves Saint Laurent turns the popular Cabas ChYc into a shoulder bag

May 17, 2012 by Amanda Mull

When a handbag becomes a hit, you can always bet that you’ll see its details morphed into new shapes without much delay. Not only does it make sense to capitalize on the original design’s popularity, but remaking a tote as a shoulder bag or a satchel as a crossbody is a great way to capture the interest of additional customers who like the original but don’t see it as relevant to their structural preferences. Thus, we present the Yves Saint Laurent ChYc Shoulder Bag, born out of the success of the original Cabas ChYc.

The Mulberry Del Rey Bag hits Net-A-Porter

May 16, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Lana Del Rey’s path to stardom may have been carefully planned, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it happened. Truth be told, I love her music. I have it on in the background while I work often and I totally dig it, a fact which I’m not even going to deny. Mulberry realized Lana Del Rey is a new “it” girl, and now she has an eponymous bag to prove it.

We covered this bag when it was first seen on Lana and announced by Mulberry. The bag dropped today on Net-A-Porter and I believe you should take another look at the Mulberry Del Rey bag. Mulberry has designed quite a few hits, including its much-lauded Bayswater and Alexa. If you’ll remember, the Mulberry Alexa was named after Brit star Alexa Chung and the bag itself became highly sought-after.

Celebrate the Baguette renaissance by pre-ordering Fendi Resort 2013 from Moda Operandi

May 16, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Just like we predicted, the iconic Fendi Baguette is suddenly everywhere. From Sarah Jessica Parker extolling its virtues in the Financial Times to a retrospective coffee table book slated for release July 3rd, the world’s first It Bag is having a bonafide renaissance. If you were too young or too financially strapped at the time to get in on the first wave of Baguette popularity (or, on the other hand, if you’d just like to revel in a little nostalgia), you’re in luck.

Over at Moda Operandi, the site’s Fendi Resort 2013 presale is your first chance to pre-order several of the collection’s new embellished Baguettes, as well as a nice selection of the line’s other bags (and shoes, too). We’ve included pictures of our favorites after the jump, but if you’d like to skip straight to shopping, you can score these pieces through May 22 via Moda Operandi.

J.Crew’s latest Edie bag is quite the bargain

May 16, 2012 by Amanda Mull

The J.Crew Edie Bag has been a fan favorite since its debut. Not only does the bag have a chic, Mad Men-era retro feel to it without being costume-y, but it’s also a solid everyday bag priced at less than $300, which is a combination that’s difficult to duplicate elsewhere. J.Crew’s style profile has risen sharply over the last five years, and it seems as though the company’s bags have stepped in line with that new tradition quite quickly.

The J.Crew Edie Attache Tote is the newest edition to the line, and in my mind, it’s also a significant design improvement. Something about the finish of the original Edie meant that it never ranked too highly on my personal must-have list, but this sleek tote version ticks all the necessary boxes. Plus, who can resist this shade of green?