January 2007 Archives

"The male kangaroo doesn’t have a pouch; only the female has it. So the male has pouch envy. Why should she have this huge pouch, and I have nothing? I have things to carry, too. At least give me a pocket." - from Seinfeld

Oh the hilarity of Seinfeld, yes we miss it. And so true. We get a lot of emails from men asking about man bags - not computer bags, backpacks or Jack Bauer type messenger bags. They want real bags, the kind that stand up to the fashion rigour of women's bags, like Terrence Howard at last year's Oscars with an alligator clutch any girl would envy. I mean, it totally makes sense and completely acceptable for men to carry bags. Again referencing Seinfeld, remember George's over stuffed wallet? He clearly needed a bag because his back became misaligned from sitting on his 8 inch thick wallet. Men carry lots of things around with them, like an iPod, PSP, Treo, camera and maybe some snacks. Where do they put all that? What if it's warm out and they don't need a jacket with 10 pockets? Fret no more. Here are our picks for our male snobs.

When we interviewed Anya Hindmarch she said the Elrod was THE must have bag for Spring. I am really digging all the details, including the gold ball on the strap that hangs over the opening. What an ingenious way to keep a bag closed while having total access! While mod is definitely the hot look right now, this bag doesn't over do it and leaves you the option to Mod up or down. Imagine all the cute dresses that would be perfect with this bag! I love this Fendi (due to arrive at Net A Porter any minute) but if the 60's is screaming at you, the light and airy Miu Miu pleated cap sleeve dress is absolutely adorable and would tone it way down. Elrod bag at Net-a-Porter for $975.

This Fendi Magic looks like an Egyptian artifact but it's the funky look that will attract attention and that's what Fendi is good at and what people love, like the Spy and B bags. But having said that, will this be another hit for Fendi? I can't see that happening because different is not synonymous with beauty. It is not even one of those bags that grow on you after a while. But if you happen to have distinctive aesthetics and must have this bag (even though it is not versatile and won't see much daylight) it will eventually become a unique vintage. Pre-order at Neiman Marcus for $1260, due to ship March 22, 2007.

It is so fun to look back at our favorite bags of the year and rank them in order of love! This was harder than you might think because we wanted to take into account bags that we feel really made an impact as well as made us swoon. At the top of our list are cherished collectibles we are sure will endure fashion ups and downs. We would love to hear what your favorite bag was for 2006 so send us a comment.

10 YSL Personalized Monogram Muse

This was a limited edition monogram Muse offered at Neiman Marcus last year. This was a huge bag for 2006 (by huge we mean important although it was also known as the gigantor bag for the year which we don't love. Only in the smaller size, please) The personalization on this classic style makes it collectible worthy and distinctive.

We are not picking the absolute worst bags out there, you walk into most mall shops and you will easily find worse offenders. Our honor goes to those whose contribution to fashion should be snob worthy but instead fall far short of acceptable. Many on the list are bags touted as the latest and greatest "it" bags but we disagree. Some on the list are just plain ridiculous and entertaining.

10 Fendi Beaver

We love Chewbacca but that doesn't mean we should dress like him. If you're not the wife of Sasquatch, you have no reason to own this bag.

Happy New Year! We are giving away a Nuti Ostrich Shell Clutch in Butter worth $1395 for our New Years Sweepstakes! This is the latest spring color, Butter, it has not even shipped yet that's why we do not have a picture of it. We will update the picture when we receive the actual bag. You know how much we love Nuti and don't even get us started on clutches, but ostrich!!! - now that is just sheer decadence. And that is how we are kicking off 2007. We hope you a year of joy, prosperity, luck, love and of course all the lavish bags you wish for. 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. We would like to send our most sincere thanks to Nuti and LuxCouture for sponsoring this sweepstakes. We know how much our dear Bag Snobs love winning amazing prizes and we wouldn't be able to do this without them!

I just saw the entire YSL Cruise collection and I still can't decide which one I love the most so here are all of them. Of course, everyone has been going on about the Rive Gauche ostrich since Katie Holmes was spotted with it in Taupe. It also comes in Almond, Sage, Dark Brown, Tan and Olive Green and is $4995. Get the Muse ostrich wallet to match, it is absolutely divine! For your other exotic fix, the Downtown in the nut color python is ridiculously luscious. You better get ready for some serious attention because this bag is not to be overlooked ($2995). If you are looking for a sensible bag but don't want to settle for a common skin, the Downtown also comes in deer and buffalo. I recommend the deer, it is still as sturdy as you'll need but not as heavy (and slightly less expensive). White of course is the choice color for this grande bag, $1395 in deer and $1595 in buffalo. All are available at the YSL Boutique in NYC on 57th (Madison store is closed for renovations), 212-988-3821 and ask for Carlo Nieda, he's a doll!

(Bag Snob would like to apologize for horrifying you with this disturbing image so early in the morning.)

I just bought the most sublime pair of Jimmy Choo knee high boots in black suede with 4 inch stiletto heel. It is part of their "house" collection which means it will never go on sale which is important to me because I hate seeing shoes I paid full price for go half off a month later. Anyway, I ADORE Jimmy Choo shoes, I have a dozen pairs and they make me feel instantly sexy no matter what I am wearing (I wore my Choos all through my pregnancy, even to a black tie a week before I gave birth!). The minute I saw it I got goosebumps. Not the kind I get when presented with yet another fabulous Birkin from my sweeties at Hermes boutiques around the country, but the kind that turns my stomach and makes me want to vomit. These creepy bulging bumps look like alien eggs about to pop in some scary sci-fi movie.

At Jimmy Choo