Reed Krakoff    Satchels

Reed Krakoff gives us neutral color blocking and inventive structure for spring

The luxury accessories market is crowded with seasoned competitors all vying for consumer attention (and consumer dollars), which can often make it well nigh impossible for a new handbag line to turn heads, particularly the heads of people whose job it is to look at handbags all day. (Ahem, yours truly.) Somehow, the Reed Krakoff Inside Out Leather and Snakeskin Tote managed to not only make me take a second look, but it made me do so by being inventive in a way that’s not only quite unique, but still totally subtle and functional at the same time. When being different usually also means rendering a piece unwearable or unusable to most of the buying public, that’s quite a design feat indeed.

When Krakoff named this the “Inside Out” bag, he meant it literally, which you notice if you look closely. Everything from the exterior pocket to the stitching to the way that the straps are layered is reminiscent of the inside of a very, very luxurious bag, and Krakoff managed to quietly recreate that structure on the exterior without making the effect obvious or kitschy. The extremely tasteful colorblocking only enhances the effect, but not to the detriment of the bag’s ability to be incorporated into an everyday wardrobe. Designing a bag like this is like walking on a wire, and Reed Krakoff managed to make it to the other side without losing his balance. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1790.

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