January 2007 Archives

The trend for Spring it seems is: the shinier the better! Since we did the story on Louboutin's mirror bag and heels, we cannot seem to get enough of bags that are so shiny, you do not need to pack your compact. Convenient, yes, but not necessarily a good thing. Think of the traffic accidents you'll cause walking down the street! But everyone is doing it and we do mean everyone because if Fendi, LV and Gucci are doing it then adding Tod's, Allesandro Dell'Acqua and Celine to the list is just excessively proving the point. Here are our favorites for this in your face trend.

The Gucci Romy silver python is actually quite nice. No bamboo handle, no over-use of horse paraphernalia, no monogram, it's all good by our standards. The Tod's Nuova D mirror bag is something we didn't expect from the quiet conservative house, but the bag itself is all Tod's and we like the unadorned bag to enhance the mirorr-ness of the patent shine. It's very mid-century modern. Another unexpected favorite that caught my eye is the Celine Bittersweet. Here is a perfect example of how color and material can make a bag because normally I would walk right by the Bittersweet without a second glance but you almost need a slightly boring bag to make the super shine pleasing rather than obnoxious. And of course, Alesandro Dell'Acqua, certainly no follower in this dare to out-glare. The Blondie was a hot bag we spotted on the runway in moss (all shades of greens is another Spring trend we absolutely love love love!!!) and in the silver is almost as amazing. Gucci $2850 available Feb. 15 at Gucci Online. Tod's Nuova D available in the Spring at Tod's boutique 650 Madison Avenue, New York 212 644 5945. Celine available in the Spring at 667 Madison Avenue, New York 212 486 9700.

After three years of alternating between a black caviar Chanel wallet and a black Hermes H wallet in boxcalf, I decided today it was time to part ways with my beloveds and bought the most incredible Bottega Veneta wallet. It's the same shape as the third wallet from the right in the photo above but in the limited edition color on the left. A gorgeous pink covered in gold, it is the perfect shade for a wallet as the distressed gold treatment to the wallet will camouflage any stains it may sustain from being tossed around in my many bags. I've always used black or red wallets because they get so dirty so I was very excited to find this! Call the Bottega boutique and ask for Cory, he will hook you up with anything you crave. 214-265-0136

A friend of mine alerted me to an online boutique that may be selling fake bags. She bought a metallic pink Balenciaga Le Dix from SacBelle.com three years ago and recently discovered that it is a fake! She wrote to the site and asked about authenticity and their answer was that the bags are rejects from designers (which sounds fishy, why would Hermes or Balenciaga risk their reputation to sell to a small online boutique? Plus we all know Hermes DESTROYS the rejects.). Remember the Sophisticated Spirit fiasco? Perhaps we need to investigate this site further or report them to the proper authorities. Has anyone bought bags from this site? I mean just look at the cheesy photos and you can tell the bags are not real!

How fabulous is this new bag from McQueen??!! He is usually known for his boldness so we were surprised by this new bag, but it is certainly not any less striking with the sleek style and classic shape. The simple but big statement hardware is so perfect and we of course love the pony hair and croc which adds interest and luxury to the overall minimalist look. This bag will be a fixture for Alexander McQueen for many seasons to come (and I think he knows that, that's why it's called "Queenie"). Pony hair is $2330 and arrives mid Feb; Croc is $15,090 by special order only. Available at Alexander McQueen boutiques: 417 West 14th Street, New York 212 645 1797 and for our good friends in the UK, 4-5 Old Bond Street, London 44 20 7355 0088.

Congratulations to Monika Podgorska for being the first to identify the bag, it is CELINE, bien sur. :)

Chanel addicts be warned, the latest line from the House of Coco is irresistable and may cause you to max out your credit cards. Chanel "New Lock" bag available in 3 sizes in black or white

I was about to jump on the treadmill at my gym yesterday when a woman approached me and introduced herself as a fellow Bag Snob in need of advice. As I jogged away the pizza, cookies, and ice cream I had the night before (life with a toddler, what can I say?) I listened to her tale and her cry for help. Apparently she is addicted to bags and shoes (sound familiar?) and has purchased three Chanel bags (blue, brown, and purple) in the last month and could not decide whether or not to return the last purchase(the purple version is similar to the bag pictured above). She also thought of selling the brown one to a friend but couldn't bear to part with it. Her friends have all advised her to take it back but my advice was to keep it if she really loves it and will use it often BUT don't buy another bag for the next 6 months. Or she should return the one that she will use the least.

While it's true that Chanel bags are classics and will be treasured for a lifetime, we really don't feel it is necessary to buy a dozen each season. One nice classic bag per season is sufficient for any collection (even ours!). She also told me she can not resist the urge to buy buy buy when she sees new bags in magazines or online (especially if she finds out it's hard to get or if it is a limited edition-it's the hunt that is thrilling for her. We're all just animals aren't we?). Which made me think, are we encouraging shop-a-holics to buy without abandon? Or are we making a positive contribution to the US economy? As I ponder these questions, I ask you, "To Chanel or not to Chanel"? Should she keep the bag?

This is in no way an apology for the fashion atrocities Marc Jacobs has committed of late but if nothing else, we are honest and we are fashion addicts so when we see something we like, we allow ourselves to flip flop =) But you have to see our point here, I mean, how cute is this mini Stam in blush metallic? We always did like the Stam so a baby version in pink? That's an easy one for us. This will be uber fantastically adorable with all the great dresses coming out for Spring and Summer. We are seeing a lot of this pale metallic pink and it's a sure trend for Spring (Chloe did it for Resort with the Paddington and if we didn't already own 3 of them and if only they did it LAST year, it might be sitting in my closet right now). The other bag we are loving from the Spring line is the Tanya. The scrunchy straps and outer pockets is a tad bit Miu Miu but most definitely has the distinguishing style of Marc Jacobs. Not to sound like I'm flipping yet again, but this bag is not something fashion mavens will go on about, it is just a delightful and charming bag that we are happy to see coming from Marc. Marc Jacobs spring line will be available at Net-a-Porter in February.

Okay everyone, time to test your Bag Snobiness. Get this right and you'll win a fabulous prize! Leave your answers in comments, don't forget to enter your email so we can contact you. The first to get it right gets the prize (and don't try to cheat, our system will clock your answer to the exact minute it was posted). Hint: You Shoe Snobs will probably figure it out first :)

Which designer is this fabulous crocodile bag from?

The Givenchy Clarabell bag is not my usual style but I really like it. The big buckle threw me off at first but when I saw it in person at Barneys, I noticed the double flap over top (very chic!) and that the buckle is actually a magnetic enclosure (so convenient!). So you have the style of the buckle without the hassle of unbuckling when you want to get into the bag. I also love the beige distressed patent leather, it lends a lot of style to basic beige. Can't you just see Kate Moss rockin' this bag with her short shorts and a pair of scrunched up beige boots? $1025 at Barneys New York or 795 Euro at Luisaviaroma

Don't forget to sign up to win the Nuti Ostrich Shell Clutch in Butter worth $1395! For your chance to win, sign up to our newsletter by entering your email address and answering our questionnaire. If you are already on our newsletter list, you are of course eligible to win - all you have to do is answer the questionnaire, the system will let you know you are already on the list so you will not receive the newsletter twice. Deadline to enter is January 31, 2007 midnight EST. We will announce the winner the next day on Feb. 1. Thank you Nuti and LuxCouture for sponsoring this sweepstakes.