Bottega Veneta Metal Lace Karung Knot Clutch, $3980 via Bottega Veneta

One of my favorite parts of fashion is the gift of imitation. I remember being blown away by the pleats printed on the flat skirt of a Prada dress when I was younger, and the ability to trick the eye and make something expected out of something totally unexpected is one of the best visual treats you’ll find. It’s the kind of creativity that reminds us all why we pay these prices.

That’s exactly the kind of reaction that I had to the Bottega Veneta Metal Lace Karung Knot Clutch when I first saw it. On initial visual inspection, it just looks like regular black lace overlaid on a cream-colored fabric; a nice clutch, but not a particularly fascinating one. The reality, though, is much more interesting. (more…)

Lace is everywhere for fall, which presents designers with one big problem, just as any trend does: finding a way to reinterpret it in a way that stands out. Someone at CC Skye had some some sort of epiphany when designing the CC Skye Rough Romance Frankie Satchel, though, and that makes it one of fall’s best lace handbags.

The secret, of course, is leather. Leather may not seem all that interesting, in the context of handbags at least, but making lace out of it is a time-consuming, careful process that usually only huge brands undertake. Trust me, it involves lasers. It’s very complicated. And expensive! But here, you can get it at a contemporary price point. (more…)

Fall is full of strong trends – military, leopard print, haircalf, motorcycle boots. Studs are still around, apparently. That’s kind of a lot to take in, but if your style tends to skew more traditionally feminine, there’s a trend for you too: lace.

Lace tends to go hand in hand with grunge, for some reason (irony?), and this season it’s appearing in silhouettes that fall at every point in the spectrum. Luckily, the Diane Von Furstenberg Marlene Envelope Bag is simple enough to fit in anywhere and everywhere. (more…)

Some bags aren’t that hard to evaluate online – either they’re pretty straightforward, or the brand does things similarly enough from season to season that there are rarely surprises in construction or materials. For instance, I feel comfortable passing judgment on a Gucci bag without seeing it in person; I’ve seen enough of them in my life to be able to extrapolate information from those experiences. The same goes for Louis Vuitton.

Valentino, however, is one brand with which I’m not quite so comfortable making those same calls. Their bags are so intricate and tactile that their actual visages are often not faithful to handbag portraiture, and seeing and feeling them in person is always preferable. Thankfully, I’ve gotten the chance to do just that with the Valentino Laceland Tote. (more…)

We’ve seen so much industrial toughness and rough leather recently that something ladylike serves as a refreshing counterpoint. I love all of those trends, but a handbag addict cannot survive on studs alone. There is an enormous gamut of looks out there to be explored and tried, and you may feel like tough black leather on one day and sweet lace on the next.

And if you find yourself in the search of something decidedly soft and ladylike, may I suggest the J.Crew Luciana Minaudiere. (more…)