I tend to have a soft spot for bags that are ever-so-slightly on the wrong side of the fabulous/tacky divide, so when I see something like the Halston Heritage Carla Studded Flap Bag, I have to check myself for a moment. Is this bag actually cool, or is that my bad taste talking?
Despite the simultaneous presence of both sequins and studs, two trends that are about to find themselves visited by that old-fashioned giant hook that yanks people off stage, I think that the color palette and various textures might work together to make this bag a winner. At least on a certain level.
One thing that definitely works in this bag’s favor is neutrality. The sequins are black, the leather is black, the studs and chain strap are a medium, unoffensive shade of gold. The combination of the leather and sequins is actually rather tasteful, considering all of the various and sundry ways that a bag with that many sequins could go bad. The thing that trips me up, though, is the variation in stud size. If they had all been big or small, the bag would probably looked a bit more polished. With a mixture, the design might cross too far into tacky territory. What say you? Buy through ShopBop for $345.
