I can’t even describe how excited I was to see that Luisa Via Roma had started carrying Balmain handbags, but that feeling of joy was quickly eclipsed by abject disappointment when I saw what those bags actually looked like. Why is a brand that makes such glam, inventive, rock star clothes and shoes making bags as boring as the Balmain Crystal Leopard Suede Bag?
It looks far more Betsey Johnson than like something that Christophe Decarnin would create for Balmain (and even then, I doubt Betsey would make something this simple). Normally, something crystal-encrusted and black and silver leopard-printed would be a recipe for awesomeness in my mind (and a recipe for incredible disaster in others’), and I have no idea how they managed to take all of those elements, combine them, and make something so completely devoid of personality. Does it look a bit QVC to anyone else? Like it might go over well in a retirement community? Bueller? Buy through Luisa Via Roma for $3587.
