Kooba Ashley in Metallic Silver Python
Ever see a bag (or anything, I guess) and immediately think “Oh my God, that is GORGEOUS” and then, after you get yourself all excited and paw at it for a few seconds, realize, “Wait…something isn’t right.”
That’s what happened to me last weekend when I encountered the Kooba Ashley at Bloomingdales in Lenox Square Atlanta. I have a soft spot for Kooba since the Kooba Meredith in Slate from Fall/Winter ’07 is my favorite handbag of all time. I also think that pewter is the classiest metallic out there, and the Kooba Ashley’s most striking finish is a dark silver faux python. So, this bag should be practically made for me, right? Have the handbag gods been listening to all of my silent prayers? That’s what I thought, too.
And the bag is a stunner, don’t get me wrong. It’s just…missing something. In pictures on many shopping sites, the bag looks like it might have some sort of pockets on the front, which gives the bag both visual interest AND added functionality (a girl’s gotta put her cell phone somewhere). In person, though, I realized that there were no pockets of any sort on the exterior of the bag – just rouching.
Well, there is also some sort of nonfunctional buckle/strap down the middle, but it had no use that I could discern. It certainly wouldn’t hold a cell phone, and really, a big factor in my bag decisions is the potential for purse-cell phone symbiosis. Also, the straps are a little too long to carry it as a satchel, and the bag is an awkward shape to be carried as a shoulder bag (plus, it has two handles, which means any attempt at shoulder carrying will just make me want to stab it).
So, I’m not sure. It’s a beautiful bag. It’s got a lot of nice things about it (seriously, the color is trying to distract me from the two handles, the weird strappy thing, and the nonexistent pockets. The color is trying REALLY HARD). I really want to covet it. But I just don’t think that I am. $675 via Kooba.
Also available in black leather for $625 via Shop Bop and taupe leather for $625 via Shop Bop.
