May 2012 - Page 3 - PurseBlog

PurseForum Reveal: Chanel Classic Flap Strass Encrusted

May 16, 2012May 15, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Sometimes I spend hours getting lost on the PurseForum. We started the forum in 2005 to have a community where handbag lovers around the world could share everything and anything bag-related. Over the past seven years, the forum has transformed into much more, but I still find myself drawn to reveal threads to see what other members are buying.

A reveal thread recently posted in the Chanel forum immediately stopped me in my tracks. A few months ago, Amanda brought you news of the blinged out Chanel bags for the Bellagio re-opening, and it seems as though one of our members tracked down one of those rare beauties and scooped it up.

Mixed Media: The mash-up is Pre-Fall 2012’s biggest bag trend

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Pre-fall collections are a beautiful thing. Not only do they give us something to talk about, look at and eventually buy during what used to be the awful, seemingly endless summer retail slump, but the clothes and accessories therein also tend to be exceedingly practical and wearable in a way that collections that have to turn heads on a highly publicized runway often aren’t. Pre-fall is like the industry’s best-kept secret for clothes you can wear and enjoy all year.

Perhaps that explains why the shipment of Pre-Fall 2012 bags that just arrived at Neiman Marcus are so aggressively neutral. Don’t get me wrong, though, these bags have plenty of personality; from Fendi to Reed Krakoff, these designers have combined seemingly every neutral shade in their arsenal to make bags that are both wearable and eye-catching. With so many brights clogging store shelves for spring and summer, it’s almost refreshing to see those styles re-imagined in shades of black, brown, tan and grey. Check out some of our favorites after the jump.

Nordstrom tops consumers’ list for luxury department stores; which is your favorite?

May 15, 2012 by Amanda Mull

According to a recent study by the Luxury Institute, Seattle-based department store Nordstrom is the leading retailer among wealthy American shoppers. The industry research firm surveyed shoppers with household income of $150,000 per year or more for the 2012 Luxury Consumer Experience Index, Women’s Wear Daily reports, and Nordstrom came out on top in a survey that included questions about satisfaction with store personnel, in-store experience and customer satisfaction. For many of you, these findings probably don’t come as much of a surprise.

Nordstrom has long been a bastion of excellent customer service; even comedian Kathy Griffin has a routine about her mom’s fondness for returning things to the department store, which has a reputation for taking back almost anything, under almost any circumstances. Percentages of survey respondents who would both shop there again and recommend the store to family or friends were both in the mid-90s, which is literally just about as good as a store can get. So what makes Nordstrom so likable? And if you’re not a Nordstrom fanatic, where do you prefer to shop?

An Hermes Evelyne for Mom

May 14, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Even though I didn’t get to spend Mother’s Day itself with my mom, I had the chance to see her for the entire week before and it was quite the treat. We celebrated early, and I had it in my mind that my mom needed a new handbag that would work with her personal style and that she would be able to carry it for years to come.

My mom and I took a drive down to my favorite mall, Bal Harbour Shops in North Miami Beach, to see what the Hermes store had in stock. There were no Birkins or Kellys on the shelves, but that’s not what we were there for. I know my mom’s style.

Take a look inside the Saks Fifth Avenue World of Marni launch!

May 14, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Frequent PurseBlog readers know how much our whole team loves Marni. The Italian brand seamlessly blends a sense of luxury with an almost artistic retro minimalism that yields some amazing pieces that other designers just aren’t brave enough to make (or aren’t creative enough to think of in the first place). When our friends at Saks Fifth Avenue told us about the World of Marni project that they’ve been working on, which launches in stores and online today, we leapt at the opportunity to give you guys the first look.

To do so, we visited the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City, camera in hand, to give you an up-close view of some of what the World of Marni has to offer. You can check out our full gallery of photos from inside Saks after the jump, and after that, we have something even better – a preview of the Marni pieces that Saks will be carrying for Fall 2012. If “off-kilter chic” is your look, then look no further. Also, if you’re looking for some more Marni picks, head on over to the SaksPOV.com blog, where the Saks fashion director has chosen her favorites from the brand.

Chanel adds new Sport items for Spring 2012

May 13, 2012May 11, 2012 by Amanda Mull

What better way to start your afternoon than with some weird Chanel items? Chanel Sport has been around for a few years now, and every now and then, the brand adds some items to it to confuse and delight. The items are always in stark black and white, they’re always festooned prominently with the Chanel logo, and they always get plenty of press attention, assuring that Chanel gets exactly what it wanted out of the whole proposition.

And here we are, giving it to them again! I just can’t help it. The idea of a Chanel ping pong set, complete with black ping pong ball, simply amuses me too much not to share it with the group. Presumably, you’ll have to provide the black ping pong table yourself, although if you’re enough of a VIP, I bet you could convince someone at Chanel to make one for you. For a price. There’s always a price! Check out of the rest of the Sport items, after the jump.

A bit of lovely Lanvin for your Friday morning

May 13, 2012May 11, 2012 by Amanda Mull

For some reason, the last day of the work week is always the hardest for me. The things that I’m tasked with completing seem larger, take longer and don’t go as smoothly as they would on, say, a Tuesday. The looming specter of the weekend and freedom makes everything more complicated and time-consuming. And that’s coming from someone who loves her job; I can’t imagine how long Fridays must seem to people who don’t enjoy their occupations as much as I do.

If you’re one of those people who anticipates having a rough trip from here to the weekend, the best I can offer you this morning is a bit of eye candy by way of Barneys: The Lanvin JL Small Python Bowling Bag. I don’t like brown bags or most bags made out of python, and still, I’m utterly smitten. If you’re more inclined to one or both of those looks, I bet you’re positively drooling.

Store your non-sweets in the Judith Leiber Macaron Pillbox

May 10, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

If you follow me on Instagram, you know by now that I have a major sweet tooth. I have dessert or some sort of sweet treat at least once a day and I truly don’t discriminate. I love chocolate, ice cream, tarts, fruits, cheeses, and any type of dessert put in front of me. I discovered macarons after moving to NYC; they’re quite the dessert favorite in these parts, and they have been added to my sweet tooth repertoire.

Judith Leiber must love macarons as much as I do, because she added a Macaron Pillbox to her eclectic crystal covered collection.

A closer look at Louis Vuitton Spring 2012

May 10, 2012 by Amanda Mull

Of all the Spring 2012 collections, all the pastels and brights and florals, it’s hard to name any one line that more thoroughly captured the light, airy idealization of the season quite like Louis Vuitton. The runway show show practically floated on its own, filled with white broderie anglais and crocodile bags in the palest shades of blue and yellow imaginable. We’ve covered the collection’s most notable pieces, from the light-as-a-feather Monogram Transparence to the lavishly expensive Crocodile Old Speedy Flap, but the rest of the collection yields some gems as well.

And thus, we bring you the rest of the Louis Vuitton Fall 2012 Collection. From leather-trimmed satchels in pale monogramed canvas to a few of the controversial basket bags we saw on the runway, this collection has a little bit of something for everyone. Personally, count me in for the bicolor Louis Vuitton Speedy North South, please. Check out all of the bags after the jump.

A Balenciaga beach tote is the best way to celebrate summer

May 10, 2012 by Amanda Mull

If you think that “luxe straw tote” is a contradiction in terms, I don’t blame you. That’s a totally logical position to hold, and one that I happen to hold myself. In fact, the Balenciaga Panier Basket Totes are the exception that proves the rule; that they’re so chic that they make almost all the other high-end options look like exactly what they are – overpriced straw bags.

If you’re grousing at the notion of paying a grand, give or take a hundred bucks, for a straw tote bag, I understand your consternation. On the bright side, super-seasonal styles like these often go on sale at the end of the season, and sometimes even end up with steep discounts. If you’re the type of person to whom a thousand dollars is not a great deal of money, shop now for the best selection of colors. Either way, we’ve got our picks for the best of the season from Balenciaga after the jump.

The Kardashians really love their Bottega Veneta Knot Clutches

May 9, 2012 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

We just can’t get rid of the Kardashians, can we? The family just signed a three year extension to continue filming their widely loved (and perhaps just as widely hated) reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I have problems with much of what the family does, but at the same time, I know that I don’t know the full story, not to mention that I’m more than a little envious of their bag kollection (yes, I plan to randomly replace the letter “c” with “k” in this post).

Kim disappeared from the limelight for a hot minute after her marriage fell apart, and now she’s back full force being seen everywhere with new beau Kanye West. Who knows about their relationship, what I have paid attention to is the bags the family has been karrying while they’ve been visiting New York recently.

More than anything, though, I wonder how the classic and timeless brand Bottega Veneta feels about the Kardashians being seen with their Knot Clutch non-stop this past week.

For Mother’s Day, the only thing better than a handbag is a delicious handbag

May 9, 2012May 9, 2012 by Amanda Mull

We already gave you our picks for which handbag you should be giving mom for Mother’s Day, but what do you get for the mom whose handbag closet is already stacked with every bag she could ever want? Or the mom who would feel guilty accepting a four-figure gift? Or the mom who thinks half the fun of handbags is hunting down the perfect one, stalking her prey and then going in for the kill/purchase herself? (Note: I will be that mother, should I ever spawn.)

If any of those women sounds like your mother, we have a few suggestions. The first, of course, is to order (RUSH order, at this point) some Celine Luggage Tote Cookies from Peapods Cookies, which is owned by an extremely talented PurseForum member. If your mom prefers chocolates or cake to cookies, fret not; it seems as though everything can be made in the shape of a handbag these days.