June 2006 Archives

What started as a few easy pieces to pack in your 40cm birkin when jetting to Capri for the weekend has now become a major event in fashion. It seems almost everyone is doing extensive resort collections nowadays, maybe because it stays in stores longer than any other season (November-May) so they don't have to put it on sale as quickly. I've always been a fan of resort, that's when designers let their hair down and take themselves less seriously. As expected, fun and flirty dresses ruled the runways as did breezy fitting skirts and pantsuits. Here are some of our favorite resort looks:

CHANEL

The black and white theme from Fall's Paris-New York collection continued with Resort. I love all the floaty dresses and cute little jackets but what's with the gladiator sandals? DO NOT buy in to this trend, even if you are 6' tall, it's just stupid not to mention the ugly checkered tan lines you'll get. Instead, get your name on the list for a pair of the sexy wedges with Chanel's signature quilting motif, FABULOUS!

This Isabella Fiore bag is the "cut-a-rug" style, meaning you cut a piece from your unwanted rug and make a bag with it. Other good ideas would be to use old rags, mops and cat fur balls. Why are these good ideas? I have no idea but you can ask Isabella Fiore and her investors who keep pumping money into that company because I can assure you, no one is buying her bags. I can find better bags for a dollar in Chinatown or Mexico. And for $625, I'd rather buy 2 jars of the Chantecaille Biodynamic Lifting Cream and use it over my entire body.

YSL has the calf hair Muse in metallic anthracite for Fall. It's shaven very close so from afar it just looks nice and silky but I have to be honest, touching it creeps me out a bit. The Muse is going to be the bag for Fall so I suppose this would make you stand out and be different. Everything but the hairy part makes me happy about this bag. Pre-order at Bergdorf Goodman $1895.

And if you really really want to stand out, the Fauve comes in leopard print calf hair for going to Las Vegas. To make matters worse, it comes in the oversized version as well. Camel or Ivory, take your pick, they are equally gross. Just make sure you're wearing a low cut tank top, have big hair, chain smoke and are totally hammered the entire time you carry this bag. And make sure you go see Siegfried and Roy. Get it at Bergdorf Goodman $1595 and 1995 for the oversized.

Magazine writers throw around words like "casually edgy", "edgily romantic", and the ubiquitous "cutting edge" even when the description is far from the designer they are writing of. Although being "edgy" is what every young designer aspires to, none come close to the unique and imitable Marni. Consuela Castiglione, designer of Marni, has been designing funky clothes and bags for years but has never really hit it with the mainstream and Marni loyalists want to keep it that way! Like the other artsy Italian designer Miucia Prada, Consuela marches to her own beat and loves experimenting with bold shapes and colors. Not everyone gets Marni's quirky style but the ones who do are hooked for life! Although they are not major investments, most bags are under $900, Marni bags are cherished by bag collectors for their whimsical style and craftsmanship.

I love this white frame bag with leather, plexi, and steel psychedelic discs, it's like a piece of pop art on your bag! When you're done using it you can frame it and hang it in your closet.

The 60's inspired brown and cream frame bags with tortoise shell clasps are trec chic. The color block trend doesn't seem to work on clothes but on little bags it rocks!

Select styles from Marni is available at Net A Porter, the greatest online boutique in the world!

We first featured this bag a couple of months ago when it showed up on the Marni fall runways and still think it is one of the best bets for fall. Contact Marni store for more details. MARNI 161 Mercer St, New York, 10012 - (212) 343-3912

We have not been this excited in a long time! Simply Sarah has made our day with these adorable handbag hangers. Now our beloved bags can rest comfortably without getting squished on our shelves (oh, my poor bags) - and best of all, think of all the closet space that is going to be freed up for more bags and shoes! I may even hang a few birkins on there, just the ones that I use often so I don't have to re-wrap it in the thousand layers of tissue paper every time I put it away. Our favorite is the "signature" brown hanger with pink polka dots but they are all super cute! There are seven loops on each hanger and each loop holds 2-3 bags. There is a grommet at the top of the strip for you to hang on the wall or door. You can still keep the bags' dustcovers on, just tighten it right under the handle. You'll now be able to see all your bags without digging through boxes and shelves! $30 at Simply Sarah. We did a little sleuthing and even found a coupon code "LWL20" for 20% off your entire order. I know, we are helpful.

You'd be wise to put your money towards a carefully handcrafted bag from Tod's this season, especially if it is on sale! We LOVE Tod's and have snatched up its fabulous bags for years, sale or no sale Tod's bags are a good buy. Tod's is one of the few design houses that still use highly skilled leather craftsman to handcraft its bags ( I have a well worn white Rodeo bag by Tod's from 6 years ago that still looks new, not a stitch out of place! Unlike my Paddington, less than a year of use and the stitching is coming apart on the handle). With Diego and Andrea (the two brothers who propelled Tod's to the top of Hollywood "it" girl lists) at the helm and in control, we are confident that they will never sell out. Derek Lam was hired earlier this year to create a line of clothing for this family owned design house and we can't wait to try on the collection!

Emma Media Tote in metallic
Don't let the simple lines of this tote fool you, it was made with painstaking detail and attention to quality. Check out the hidden pocket under the tear drop shaped side flap! The soft metallic gold leather is a classic and will last you for years, think of it as the new beige. At 13" wide, it is roomy but not overpoweringly big and the adjustable strap makes this either a great traveling tote or shoulder bag. 30% off at $799.

Our obsession with Christian Louboutin (we own almost every pair of shoes he made in the last few seasons!) continues with this gorgeous black satin clutch. There is nothing sexier than a pair of stilettos and a silky bag, you can wear jeans with a t-shirt and still look ragin' hot! The Venus is generously sized to hold more than the requisite lipstick and change. This is a bag for high maintenance girls (meaning me) who need her cosmetic case filled with 10 shades of lipgloss (for custom blending of course!), silver eyeliner, pink blush, and KAI gardenia perfume oil (this will make your man melt, I promise!) for an evening out. I also never leave the house without my cell phone, wallet, Hermes brag book with baby photos, and candy (those who know me know that I need to eat constantly!). $895 at Net-A-Porter (free shipping extended until June 30th for bag snobs!)

It doesn't take a $7,000 birkin to look fabulous. We love these inexpensive yet super hip bags from lesser known designers at Anthropologie, a store with a knack for discovering young designers and launching huge careers. Tracy Reese and Anna Sui both credit Anthropologie for their current mainstream poplularity. So for all of you thrifty bag snobs who have been asking us for lower priced goodies, here are our faves for the summer:
Weekend Carryalls
It's all about getting out of the city for weekend getaways to the Hamptons, the Cape, or South Beach. No matter where you end up this weekend, make sure you bring one of these carryalls. With the money you save you can splurge on a room at the Setai (The Bag Snob's favorite getaway!).

Left: Rebecca Minkoff pecan leather doctor bag $578 / Right: Two-fold tote with tobacco leather trim $358.

Help us out here because we're really beginning to think we're losing it. We're confused because of Intermix (a store we actually like in New York and frequent on occasion) online store's description of these hideous bags by Sonia Rykiel (yes, she's the scary vampire lady who's about a hundred years old) "Sonia Rykiel's signature domino handbags are the very definition of chic." WTF? This looks like it was made by a colorblind ten year old with the bedazzler. If this is the very definition of chic, the Bag Snob girls must be gaudy and tacky. Should you be as chic as Sonia, and chic does not come cheap, these bags are $1340 - $2375 at Intermix online.

How incredibly gross are these Circle Jelly Shoes from Marc Jacobs? Feet sweat is all I can think about when I look at these. He must have been inspired by his smelly muse whose trailer trash sensibilities got the best of him. Or maybe he was shopping in Tijuana and a truck spilled these on the highway. He bought the whole load for $10 and now he's selling them for $134.64 each. Genius.