The 3 Best Houndstooth Bags

Even though tomorrow starts August, which many people think of as the last bit of summer, the fashion industry is buzzing with the upcoming trends for the fall season. New seasons mean new ideas, and while houndstooth is not new, handbag designers are integrating it into their new collections. I can’t say it is one of my favorite looks, but these three designers came up with a way to make it look fairly chic, and even I might want to carry one.

From the coveted Chloe Elsie to a travel tote from Jil Sander to an affordable satchel from Juicy Couture, I rounded up three houndstooth bags that deserve your attention.

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Wide Load: The east-west satchel is fall’s biggest shape

It’s been a long time since the handbag world has had a new shape emerge. For the past several seasons, it’s mostly been wall-to-wall small crossbodies and tailored, ladylike satchels with a few popular north-south totes thrown in, and just like any predilection that’s been around for a while, those norms were bound to be challenged sooner or later. I simply didn’t expect ultra-wide east-west satchels to be the bags to do it.

And these aren’t just any east-west bags, which have always been a favorite. These designs are wide, some of them doubly wide as they are tall. It’s a tricky proportion to pull off, and although I’ve rounded up a bunch of good representations of the trend from Fall 2012’s new arrivals, I’m not sure that every bag on this list pulls it off. Lanvin, for example, does a better job on some of its bags than others, and I can’t say I’m feeling the extra-wide Louis Vuitton option at all. The blue Miu Miu and Chloe up top? Sign me up. Check out the bags we picked and let us know if you think this trend will catch on.

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Do you still dig Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Multicolore?

To be perfect honest, it’s been a long time since I even felt 100% sure that Louis Vuitton was still making its brightly color Monogram Multicolore canvas. It’s a look I associate so heavily with the early 2000s, with Jessica Simpson when she was still married to Nick Lachey and toting her Louis Vuitton Monogram Multicolor Speedy all over MTV on Newlyweds, and when the economy crashed and Simpson and Lachey got divorced and people mostly stopped wearing Juicy Couture sweatsuits, the majority of Vuitton customers moved back to regular monogram or on to one of the brand’s other materials. Something as taste-specific as Monogram Multicolore can only stay on top for so long.

That’s why I was a bit surprised to find the Louis Vuitton Heartbreaker recently. In both stingray-trimmed and full canvas versions, it’s a new Multicolore option that might have people considering the material who haven’t thought of it in a long time. I wasn’t a fan of the look the first time around (at all), but with a full pink stingray flap, dare I say that I’m intrigued? Check out more versions of the bag after the jump and let’s discuss whether or not Monogram Multicolore can make a comeback.

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Dolce & Gabbana feeds our bulldog obsession

First, a little bit of background: the PurseBlog team is obsessed with bulldogs. We love dogs in general, of course, but we have a collective fascination with English Bulldogs that leads to us exchanging adorable pictures and videos of the scrunchy-faced little nuggets throughout the work day. (Our favorites will be embeded after the jump, because it’s Monday and we could all use a puppy video, right?) When I first met Megs and Vladi in person after knowing them via the Internet for years, I brought them two bulldog cartoon prints to accompany the big bulldog already on the wall in their apartment. My parents have a bulldog named Lucy, and I went to the University of Georgia, which has a famous white bulldog named Uga for its mascot.

Suffice it to say that we’re a little bit obsessed, which means that the Dolce & Gabbana Bulldog Tapestry and Python Shoulder Bag should be right up our alley, right? Unfortunately, it reminds me a little bit too much of the kinds of things you can buy at a dog show.

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Get your clutch game together for Fall 2012

Ladies (and gentleman too, but this only applies to the most fabulous among your ranks), I’m here to talk to you today about an issue that’s plaguing the closets of all too many women: clutch neglect. I’m not talking about formal evening bags; I think that a lot of us have a sparkly little something-or-other ferreted away, just in case. I’m talking about an actual clutch, one that can be carried to a dinner with friends or weekend afternoon cocktails with your girls (does anyone actually do that?) or, you know, wherever you feel like it, so long as you don’t have a baby in tow and you don’t have to haul groceries in the course of the outing.

A good clutch is a bag that will hold your keys, a small wallet, your phone and your sunglasses without bulging awkwardly, and carrying something handheld instead of a shoulder bag not only makes you look elegant and a bit carefree, but I find that it also makes me feel instantly more stylish. There’s something stately, almost regal, about telling the world that your average evening plans are going to go so well that you don’t need to worry about a shoulder strap. Just don’t lose your purse! We know how you get when you drink tequila.

Ahem. Check out our picks to fill out your bag wardrobe after the jump.

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My Favorite US Olympians and the bags they should carry

I am so excited for the 2012 Olympic Games I can hardly contain my excitement. We are having an Opening Ceremony party tonight and there is a good chance I will be jumping up and down on the couch for the next few weeks watching and cheering on my favorite Olympians.

As some of you know, while the entire PurseBlog team loves fashion, we are sports lovers too. Every fall we go a little crazy during college Football season, and the Olympic Games are the ultimate sports events to watch. Both Vlad and I were competitive swimmers in college (actually that is how we met!), so swimming is our favorite sport to watch. However, we love every sport and are rooting on Team USA.

I decided to pick my 5 favorite US Olympians and choose what handbag they should carry with them. From the Vogue cover boy and heartthrob swimmer Ryan Lochte to my high school classmate and world-record holding runner Sanya Richards-Ross to fellow Ohio State Swim and Dive team member and first-time Olympian Katie Bell, I picked out the bags these amazing athletes should carry to the games.

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Bold Predictions: Givenchy is about to have a handbag moment

Sometimes, you just get a feeling.

Yesterday, our intern asked me what I thought the next big bag would be, now that the Celine Luggage Tote appears to have hit critical mass. I consulted my tea leaves (as one does, of course), and for some reason, Givenchy was the first thing that came to my mind, so that’s what I said. Hilary, our marketing director, chimed in that she had the same feeling. Neither of us could put our fingers on exactly why, but big things might be about to pop for Riccardo Tisci and Givenchy. Not that big things aren’t already going on, of course, but the atmosphere around the brand’s accessories seems to have shifted for the better recently. So what does that mean?

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Say what? Chloe’s charging a grand for a “leather-look” tote?

I hate fake leather. I know that animal rights activists have a very good reason for preferring it, and I respect people like Stella McCartney, who have pledged not to ever use real leather in their work. Taking an ethical stand instead of a financial one is something that few people have the nerve to do. I won’t be buying those bags, and I’ll question their astronomical price points, but it doesn’t bother me in the least that they exist. Sometimes there are even design goals that physically can’t be met with a leather handbag, and I’m fine with that too.

What bothers me is when a brand like Chloe, which uses tons of leather, releases something like the extremely simple Chloe Faux Leather Tote and charges just shy of a thousand dollars for it. The bag is meant to look like leather, except without any of the luxury of fine leather or the ethical warm-fuzzies of buying something from Stella McCartney. So…what’s the point exactly?

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The Mulberry Bryn: Another It Bag, or Just Another Bag?

A couple of weeks ago, something curious happened. The Mulberry Bryn Bag debuted on the brand’s website, and simultaneously, a bunch of fashion sites dubbed it the next big thing! The second coming of the Mulberry Alexa! The greatest thing since the Celine Luggage Tote! All that seems a bit…effusive, doesn’t it? Particularly for a bag that hasn’t been carried by any big international tastemakers that I can think of, other that normal Mulberry acolytes Alexa Chung and Keira Knightley.

Summer is a bit of a slow news period in fashion, of course, and sending out a well-timed press release with lots of photos and a very clear narrative about a new product is indeed a good way fill some of that empty summer space on fashion sites with your company’s pieces. (To be clear, that’s what any brand’s PR department is paid to do.) Does calling a bag an It Bag make it an It Bag, though? Is it a prophecy that can be made self-fulfilling, or is it just optimistic? Let’s take a look at how our handbag sausage is made.

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The Many Bags of Diane Kruger

When I was thinking of the next person we would highlight in our Many Bags series, I realized the gorgeous Diane Kruger would be perfect. But then again, this post could easily be called The Many Chanel Bags of Diane Kruger, because this leading lady is quite the Chanel aficionado. That isn’t surprising, as the German born actress has been featured in Chanel advertisements. On top of that, she is one of Karl Lagerfeld’s favorite ladies and is constantly seen head-to-toe in Chanel standing next to her good friend Karl himself.

The blonde-haired beauty has been in a relationship with Joshua Jackson (who I only associate with Dawson’s Creek to this day) since 2006, and Kruger is spotted with him almost constantly, whether they’re at events or just doing normal couple stuff. Her style can be described as prim and proper for the most part, but when she dresses down she epitomizes casual chic. Other than Chanel bags, Diane is clearly a major fan of designer brands and has carried some of the most beautiful accessories over her years in the spotlight. Come to think of it, she might have the most enviable closet of all the celebrities we talk about.

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Miu Miu releases limited edition bags and accessories for the London Olympics

The start of the 2012 London Olympic Games is only days away, and for this year’s games, more designer brands than ever are pitching their hats into the ring to wish the athletes well and get a few of those sweet Olympic revenue dollars. While brands like Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney and Armani have taken an official stake in what the athletes of their respective countries will wear during various parts of the Games, even more designers have come out with unofficial tributes. For example, virtually every British designer under the sun has released a Union Jack handbag of some sort.

Miu Miu, on the other hand, has decided to remind us that the Olympics are a meritocracy. Instead of producing pieces to support its home country, the brand’s Olympic pieces reference the outstanding athletic achievement that the Olympics celebrate with a limited edition series of gold, silver and bronze handbags, shoes and accessories. Want to get your hands on them? It might be tricky – they’re only available at select London Miu Miu boutiques. Check out the bags and accessories after the jump. Interested in the footwear? Head on over to our sister site TalkShoes for the scoop.

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