Thursday is my least favorite day of the week lately. You’re so close to the weekend that you can almost taste it, and yet you still have a full day of work ahead of you before you can even get to Friday. And then a full day of work on Friday before you can get to happy hour. I don’t know how to describe that, other than “cruel.” Particularly when it’s summer outside and all I want to do is go get some frozen yogurt and stare at something that’s not my computer for a few hours. I’m sure almost all of you can feel me on that one.

My employment (and your enjoyable blog-reading) count on Megs and I sticking around here for the foreseeable future, though, so if I have to stare at my computer, I’m going to do it with some serious eye candy: the Lanvin Sea Breeze Crystal Minaudiere. You can almost feel the wind coming in off the water, can’t you? (more…)

Versace Baroque Print PVC Tote, $1125 via Net-a-Porter

At first, I had no issue with the Versace Baroque Print PVC Tote. The yellow-on-white pattern may not be my personal taste, but it’s the kind of strong, intricate visual for which Versace is known, so I can’t fault them for pursuing that aesthetic. What I CAN fault them for, though, is charging over a thousand dollars for a very basic tote that’s not even real leather. (more…)

Jimmy Choo Whipstitched Fur Crossbody, $1336 via Neiman Marcus

When I discovered the Jimmy Choo Whipstitched Fur Crossbody on Neiman Marcus’s sale page (naturally) last night, my brain flooded with innumerable questions. Why had I never seen this bag before? Surely it had been around for a while if it’s now on the sale page? I trawl Neiman Marcus for things to write about nearly every day, how did I miss it? Did it go directly to the sale page, do not pass go, do not collect $200? Might this be the most heinously awful crime against humanity that I’ve ever seen from a major handbag brand, or is it too hilarious to really be bad? (more…)

Alexander McQueen Punk Skull Box Clutch, $2720 via Net-a-Porter

We’re readying a much more extensive guide to sparkly little bags for the holiday season, but while that’s in the pipeline, I couldn’t help but post about the Alexander McQueen Punk Skull Box Clutch – after all, it really deserves to stand on its own. Feathers and rhinestones and beads, oh my!

With the bag, McQueen manages again to do what it always does so well – successfully combine multiple heavy design elements in a way that doesn’t feel overwrought or silly. The company makes that kind of light touch look easy, but it’s not – just as whoever’s behind Christian Louboutin’s handbags. A clutch like this one is to be celebrated as something of an accomplishment. (more…)

Dolce & Gabbana Jewel and Pearl Embellished Clutch, $6895 via Net-a-Porter

The most important thing to note about the Dolce & Gabbana Jewel and Pearl Embellished Bag, right up front, is that it’s a full foot wide. I’m going to allow you to adjust to that information for a moment, perhaps measure an air-foot out with your hands to get an idea of the scale that we’re talking about here.

Ok, are we good now? Great. (more…)

We all know that this time of the summer is basically nonexistent in the fashion world. Megs and Vladi are on vacation, emails slow down to a trickle, it’s impossible to get ahold in anyone who works in an office after noon on Fridays. And here I am, plugging away, trying to conjure a blog out of thin air. But sometimes, the absolute stillness of the industry allows you to notice some things you might otherwise brush off.

Today, that means I noticed both the Dolce & Gabbana Miss Romantique Dome Satchel and Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Tiger Sequins Satchel are, well, both made my Dolce & Gabbana. In the same season. Most brands certainly have a range of bags that goes from safe to flamboyant in order to satisfy a range of customers and purposes (some bags need to do the heavy lifting at retail, some need to garner editorial attention from magazines, still others need to get noticed by blogs like this one), but these two designs constitute about as wide of a range as I’ve ever seen from a single collection. (more…)

Alexander McQueen Gold leaf Metal Skull Box Clutch, $3295 via Alexander McQueen.

With the vast majority of handbags, I tire of a design almost immediately. So many beautiful options abound that I find myself in a constant state of “on to the next one,” and brands that rely largely on seasons-old products with only cursory changes from collection to collection grate on my nerves something fierce. (I’m looking at you, Chloe.) If a brand is going to charge four figures for its bags, I want something legitimately new.

But for some reason, I never get sick of the Alexander McQueen Skull Box Clutches. Part of that is because many of the new versions are wildly creative and do a great deal with the limited visual real estate of a box clutch, but that doesn’t tell the whole story; I love the plain leather versions too, even though I’ve been seeing them season after season for years. For me, these clutches are as close as it gets to a perfect product. Let us know which bags keep tickling your fancy, season after season, in the comments. (more…)

Ralph Lauren Collection Fringe Embellished Shoulder Bag, $3995 via Net-a-Porter. Ralph Lauren Collection Bull Head Embellished Leather Shoulder Bag, $995 via Net-a-Porter.

When I think of Ralph Lauren, there are some automatic associations I have that the brand has spent decades making sure I think of: Polo shirts, horses, women with carefully tousled blonde hair, people who have more money than Oprah. The reality of the brand’s average customer may be a little less glamorous, but based on the women who I normally encounter inside of Ralph Lauren Collection boutiques, those brand images do come from somewhere. What I can’t figure out is how that ties in with the Ralph Lauren Collection Fringe Embellished Shoulder Bag and the Ralph Lauren Collection Bull Head Embellished Leather Shoulder Bag. (more…)