Bags Blog

Everyone has seasonal colors that they tend to favor, and to me, nothing goes better with summer than lime green. If you’ve taken a look through Bottega Veneta’s Spring 2011 collection, you know that Tomas Maier has set the brand up to be one of the season’s best sources for lime, chartreuse and all shades in between. So far, my favorite of the options available is the Bottega Veneta Vernicetta Pitone Tote. For this design, the famous Bottega leather is woven in a rustic, basket-style way, but what you see here is far more luxurious than anything made out of straw ever could be.

I believe in handbag love at first sight and here it is. I have nothing extraordinary to say about this bag other than how absolutely amazing it is. The color, the design, and the croc skin, all come together for a symphony of perfection.

We will be seeing much more of the Proenza Schouler Keep All bags for both spring and fall 2011. But once you show me this croc version, plain leather seems too bland. Proenza Schouler has done it again and continues to do it. We thank the duo behind the brand for keeping all handbag lovers loving their designs. Price is $9,575.

We normally wouldn’t publish photos of this quality, but Celine bags are so hard to get a handle on that any photographic evidence of what’s to come is welcome, no matter the spotty photographic skills of the camera phone-wielding person who likely took these shots. They apparently first appeared on the blog of European retailer Nathalie Schuterman and were then identified by sharp-eyed PurseForum members as a preview of Celine Pre-Fall 2011 handbags.

Because these photos appear to include several versions of the Celine Phantom Luggage Tote that’s being introduced for Pre-Fall 2011, we’re inclined to agree with that assessment of these shots, although they probably shouldn’t be considered comprehensive. Take a look at the larger shots after the jump and let us know which bags will be on your wishlist.

I often wish that more of my favorite contemporary labels would launch handbag lines, particularly those like Milly that have a very strong stylistic point of view. Luckily, Milly has done just that for Spring 2011 with a collection of reasonably priced bags that reflect its refined-but-beachy look for spring.

Among my favorites so far is the Milly Perforated Patent Satchel, which fit’s the brand’s image to a tee. Milly tends to skew less urban than other contemporary labels, and this structured but still fun bag strikes the right note for the brand. When launching a new handbag line, getting the tone right is often the most difficult part, and I think that the company has done well getting the bags in line with its aesthetic.

A few evenings ago, I found myself in an interesting discussion on PurseForum started by a person wondering how often others are complimented by strangers. The incidence at which one is approached probably varies widely depending on the city you live in, lifestyle you have and general vibe that you give off, but I can’t help but assume that most people have at least one or two items in their closets that are sure to get a response.

Lately, it’s my Miu Miu studded loafers, as pictured at left. No matter where I’m going or what I’m doing, someone always asks about them, which is a pleasant surprise since I bought them assuming that half the people I encountered would think I was crazy. Last summer, it was my bright yellow Botkier Trigger Bag that made everyone ask where they could find one of their own. I’ve always been that person who strangers love to talk to (I must have one of those faces or something), but a good handbag or piece of jewelry can turn anyone into That Girl. So what in your wardrobe turns others’ heads and compels them to break all sorts of social norms by randomly approaching you? Let us know in the comments.

One of the biggest developments in handbag trends over the past few seasons has been the return of the reasonably sized handbag, called the “lady-scale” bag by some, in reference to the refined women who once carries purses of a similar size. Marc Jacobs was a major producer of giant, shoulder-aching handbags back when they were having their moment in the sun, but now that the entire spectrum of possible sizes is available retail, he’s downsized a bit with the Marc Jacobs Baroque Ingrid and the slightly more petite Marc Jacobs Baroque Faye. The big question, of course, is do you like them?

Well this is an unexpected design from Balenciaga. I am so accustomed to seeing their motorcycle bags that seeing a suede open tote with alphabet embellishments takes me completely off guard. There is black, white, and beige versions available of the Balenciaga Alphabet Tote. Buy via Barneys for $1,795.

Fill in the blank in the comments section below: The Balenciaga Alphabet Tote is ___________.

Any post about Chanel handbags always elicits a fair amount of grumbling from longtime fans of the French brand who feel that its handbags have grown too faddish or lost their traditional Chanel feel, and when you look at the last few collections, perhaps those folks do have a point. If you’re among them, though, I’d heartily advise you to take a look through Chanel Spring 2011 Pre-Collection Handbags, which contains less handbag gimmickry than most of us have grown accustomed to from Lagerfeld & Co. If these bags are an indication of what’s to come for spring, I bet I’ll know a lot of happy Chanel fans.

Normally I like Marc by Marc Jacobs bags because the brand tends to take a very traditional or classic idea and put just enough of a spin on it to make it interesting and young without making it too obvious or non-functional, but the Marc by Marc Jacobs Bianca Leather Top Handle has me wondering whether or not it went far enough this time. Does this design look just a little too normal and run-of-the-mill to be a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag to anyone else?

We all make mistakes from time to time. Today I caught a handbag-world mistake from one of our favorite stores, Barneys, in labeling a handbag. The bag is marked as the Lanvin Large Leather Cabas, but this is no Lanvin bag. This bag is in fact a mix between the Proenza Schouler Keep All and Shopping Tote – meaning it is a Proenza Schouler Bag.

More info via Barneys (for $1,990). Just a little Friday Barneys Blooper for you all!