Love It or Hate It: The Valentino Girello Flap Shoulder Bag

You know, there’s something thrilling about coming across bags that fall into the pre-order category. Now don’t get me wrong, anything that is pre-order can also make my eye twitch while simultaneously making me want to pull out my hair. Regardless of the emotional roller coaster, I always spend time looking at pre-order items. And friends, that is exactly what I did yesterday. I found myself going from bag to bag on the Nordstrom site. While there were a few I was sure I wanted, there others I absolutely couldn’t waste my pre-order excitement on.

Then there was this gem. I had quite the internal struggle, folks. I liked it, then I hated it, then I liked it again. The Valentino Girello Flap Shoulder Bag successfully short-circuited my ability to form a definitive opinion.

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The new must-have Gucci Soft Stirrup bag in blue crocodile

I spent last week in Florida for what was supposed to be a last hurrah of summer; the only problems with that plan were Tropical Storm Isaac and a wicked cold I brought from New York. What was supposed to be a week of fun in the sun ended up being a week of rest inside, but that meant more time with my family and more time to shop online. Before I left for Florida, I went to the Gucci NYC Flagship to check out their new stirrup collection and I was hooked. From the more structured options to the soft stirrup, there is something for everyone and every different lifestyle. While I ended up adding a new Gucci bag to my collection (post to come soon), there was another bag on my radar that I would have liked to add; the only problem was the price tag.

What isn’t a problem is the absolute beauty of the Gucci Soft Stirrup Bag in blue crocodile – a slight bit of slouch on an absolutely divine exotic is a magnificent pair.

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The Many Bags of Anne Hathaway

Back when Anne Hathaway was cast as Catwoman in Dark Knight Rises, there was a lot of hemming and hawing over whether or not she’d be able to pull off the beloved comic book role. Inexplicably (to me, at least), people have some harsh opinions about Anne, despite the fact that she seems to be, at worst, a perfectly competent actress and a pleasant, intelligent person in interviews. Even I was worried about Anne’s Dark Knight potential, though – Catwoman is my favorite comic book character of all time, and Anne seemed too nice to achieve the darkness and edge necessary to make her come alive.

When I saw the movie on opening weekend, though, I was pleasantly surprised; Hathaway’s was one of the best performances of the film, and I found her totally believable in the role, much to my own surprise. My affection renewed, now seems like as good a time as ever to take a closer look at Anne’s fashion choices, and in particular, her bags. Join me after the jump for The Many Bags of Anne Hathaway.

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Mulberry takes us behind the scenes of the Del Rey Bag

As much as the PurseBlog team isn’t head-over-heels in love with the Mulberry Del Rey Bag, we do love Mulberry as a whole, and we really love getting a behind-the-scenes look at how a bag is made. (We also sorta love Lana Del Rey’s album, even if we try not to admit that publicly.) (Oops.) Luckily, Mulberry has indulged us from all angles with a construction video for the brand’s Del Rey Bag, soundtracked by Lana’s song “Summertime Sadness.” Check out the video after the jump – how do you feel about this design. Also, note the well-choreographed screwdriver action in the video.

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Introducing: SW1

It’s rare that I come across a line of bags at Neiman Marcus that I don’t immediately recognize, but that’s what happened when I was browsing the retailer’s new fall arrivals online recently. The SW1 Podplaza Satchel, above, immediately caught my eye for its spare, confident design; it takes some nerve to design a bag that’s so aggressively minimal, because the eye doesn’t have anything by which to be conveniently distracted when evaluating the finished product.

After some research, that level of confidence wasn’t so surprising. SW1 is a high-design, Milan-based offshoot of American shoe powerhouse Stuart Weitzman, and the man behind the line is Alvaro Gonzalez, who has worked in accessories for Jimmy Choo, Tod’s and Valentino, among others. The bags are designed by Gonzalez and his team and produced in Weitzman-owned European factories, and so far, the results are particularly good. All of the pieces that Neiman Marcus carries are under $1000, and although the line might not be entirely at that price point, it’s a good place to start. Check out a couple more of our favorite pieces after the jump, or pick up the bag you see above for $995 via Neiman Marcus.

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Now you can buy Bottega Veneta leather goods and smell like them too

Confession: I smell my bags. Some bags have a smell that is just alright, but some are made with such fine materials that I find myself grabbing the bag, squeezing it together, and taking in the glorious smell of the supple leather. Yes, I am that much of a handbag addict (and yes, that probably makes me weird). There is a distinct difference between the smell of high quality-leather and regular leather, and Bottega Veneta knows this all too well. If you ever go into their store or have the pleasure of owning any of their leather pieces, you will know that they use extremely high-quality materials and nothing else. Bottega bags are a delight to smell, and now you can both buy their bags and spray their perfume to remind you of BV at all times.

We will be covering beauty products more often, because let’s face it, what the bag carrier wears and what’s in the bag matters just as much as the bag itself. Bottega Veneta knows this and is trying to lure in their customer with the Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum Purse Spray.

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Celestina’s Resort 2013 clutches are for the chic seafarer

Back when I first started writing for PurseBlog (in the Dark Ages, basically), I used to see beautiful, incredibly intricate clutches, often made from shell or filigree, pop up here and there from a small brand called Celestina. Designed by Filipino former model Maristela Ocampo, the evening bags all had a clearly oceanic influence and wonderful details. It’s been a couple years since I’ve encountered one of the brand’s handbag’s online even though I’ve often wondered if Ocampo was still designing, so you can imagine how pleased I was to find Celestina Resort 2013 available for pre-order through Moda Operandi yesterday morning.

The sale, which runs until September 3, includes some of Celestina’s exotics, but the real stars of the show are the shell clutches. Red abalone, black lip, rainbow paua, mother of pearl – the clutches’ frames and closures are solely punctuation to the beautiful natural materials. Just when I thought I was ready for cooler weather to finally come, I’m suddenly craving one last late-summer trip to the beach. In the meantime, check out the clutches after the jump and shop the sale via Moda Operandi.

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Kotur’s Resort 2013 clutches are pretty great

We say this here a lot, but that’s because it’s true: Clutches and evening bags are a fantastic venue for intense, intricate, sometimes crazy embellishment. Their small size means that they can be dunked in glitter, covered in sequins, studded with rhinestones and any number of other embellishments without overwhelming the rest of an ensemble. That’s part of why I’m such a big fan of Kotur – the brand takes full advantage of the opportunity to experiment, and that’s never been more apparent than with Kotur Resort 2013, currently available for pre-order via Moda Operandi through August 29.

The clutches range from sequin-flowered to multicolor-feathered to lava lamp-enclosed (make sure you don’t take that one or the glitter snow globe version on a plane in your carry-on; that would be a handbag tragedy), and although there are some solid options in materials like snakeskin and translucent acrylic, the occasional bits of weirdness are what really make this collection shine. As is customary for resort, the colors are perfect for early spring – saturated, rich pastels that feel too vibrant to truthfully be called that. Check it out after the jump or shop via Moda Operandi.

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At Bloomingdale’s, “classic” and “trendy” merge for Fall 2012

As consumers, finding the right wardrobe balance of classic pieces and trendy accents can be tough. So many trends will look obviously outdated after a season or two that even if you love them, it can be hard to justify spending the big bucks on something that will look old almost immediately. That’s why Fall 2012 is so major – so many of the big runway trends are things that a well-stocked wardrobe should have anyway, all the way from knee-high boots to a good black bag.

Classics becoming “trendy” means that it’s a perfect time to stock up – trust me, you’ll never have so many options for knee-high riding boots as you will this fall – you can actually feel good about shopping because so much of what’s in stores will be wearable for a long time. We teamed up with our friends at Bloomingdale’s to scout out some of the best Classic Trends for the season. Check out our picks after the jump!

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The Joyus Experience

By now, I am sure some of you out there are familiar with the lifestyle site Joyus. It’s a fun, interactive, video-based site that lets viewers see items they may want to buy in motion. You know those times where you see an item online, even on a model, but aren’t exactly sure what it … Read more

Balenciaga and Grace Coddington team up for cat-based capsule collection

In case you hadn’t heard, Grace Coddington, the unsung hero of Vogue herself, is also the world’s most elegant cat lady. Step aside, Choupette Lagerfeld – Pumpkin Coddington is fashion’s new favorite cat, and he’s being feted by a capsule accessories collection from Balenciaga, in collaboration with his fabulous owner. For a pet, it hardly … Read more