March 2007 Archives

Naomi Campbell, sentenced to 5 days of community service last week at the Department of Sanitation in NYC for beating her maid, carefully orchestrated daily outfits to maximize the PR exposure this opportunity offered her. The world watched with fascination as she showed up day after day in furs, diamonds, spike heels, and designer bags. She even ordered a sanitation cop to carry her crocodile bag on day 2~Now is this not the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen? (nice to know our tax dollars are being put to good use!) Campbell ended the week with a silver couture gown, sashaying to her matching silver rolls royce as if she were on a catwalk. She redeemed herself slightly after apologizing to Lt. John Fitzgerald and announcing her wardrobe for the week will be sold with proceeds being donated to the Nelson Mandela foundation. Can anyone guess the three bags shown in the photos above?

UPDATE: Check this out in the New York Daily News, these photos are rumored to be for W magazine's July issue! Steven Klein took these paparazzi style photos for the mag for publication.
Photos: New York Post, skyshowbiz and People.com

Chanel Paris Biarritz in limited edition matte black and gray crocodile
Chanel loyalists start skimming your grocery money because you are going to want to get your hands on one of these limited edition croc bags from Chanel's Paris Biarritz line. The line is inspired by the world-famous holiday resort on the Basque coast of south-west France where Coco Chanel opened her boutique in 1915. The Kaiser designed the line for the Parisian jet set who loves the resort in addition to paying homage to the original jet setting mademoiselle, Coco Chanel. The croc totes are available in three sizes, the small one is too tiny to be of much use and the large is so big my husband and I can use it as a sleeping bag so I suggest the medium size. Prices are in the 5 figures so you'll have to decide what is more important, this year's tuition for your child's private school or this limited edition shot of fabulousness.

This is what $45,000 will buy you... you can always sleep in it and write it off as lodging expense when you travel!

Photos courtesy of GQ Taiwan
One of the biggest names in the Hong Kong film industry, Kelly Lin (or Lam Hei Lui/Lin Hsi Lei depending on the dialect you speak), is an avid bag collector who's earned her place in the Bag Snob Hall of Fame, she is also one of my best friends! I thought it would be fun for our readers to learn about Kelly from her best friend's point of view so I convinced her to be our latest Snob File profile (well, I kind of just told her and as usual, she went along with me). I met Kelly 11 years ago when we both moved to Taiwan after graduating college, she from the University of California at Irvine and I from the University of Southern California. To the outside world, we seemed the most unlikely pair of people to bond, she was quiet and reserved while I was bossy and talkative. But Kelly, like most movie stars, is not as she appears. She's going to kill me for saying this but she can be just as talkative as me and certainly as bossy! This is a girl with multiple cell phones (sometimes talking on one while text messaging on the other two)! So what is her other favorite past time? Buying bags of course! Forget fancy cocktail dresses or Chanel jackets (unless she's working), for Kelly, it's all about the bag! Her birkin collection is just as extensive as mine (we often trade and share bags) and she also collects everything from Jil Sander to vintage bags. Kelly's style is casual and unpretentious, just like her personality.

I am still waiting patiently for my Montaigne bag in Magnolia but in the meantime, I am drooling over the latest from Bottega Veneta's spring line. This lilac lovely caught my eye and I have not been able to look away, what a gorgeous and subtle color! Lilac is the urbanite's answer to pink and is a great neutral color to add to your bag wardrobe. It avoids looking ashen thanks to the vibrant pink patent woven trim and soft golden brass hardware. I've always liked the style of chains but not the feel of it on my shoulders so the shoulder rests are a great way to get the look without the pain. Unfortunately I can not justify two Bottega pink bags in one season so this will not join my collection but it is a must have if you love pastel shades but don't want to look like a 5 year old! $2,760 at net-a-porter.

FREE SHIPPING WITH CODE: FREESHIP (Expires March 28th so hurry and order now!)

The Best of the Web for your weekend reading pleasure!

The Big Lips Showdown at Beauty Snob!

Fab Sugar discovers unique jewels from Jennifer Fisher

If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then Abazias Diamonds should be your honey's best friend. Find the perfect diamonds at close to wholesale prices!

Get Organized: Organize your Shoes, Jewelry and Make-up with these SheFinds

Stylebites is giving away a fab necklace and the secrets to wearing springs jewelry trends.

Madonna plays fashion designer at H&M with her newly launched "M by Madonna" line, and Fashiontribes is on the (fashionable) case.

With all the attention on Balenciaga's classics, don't forget that they are still doing new bags that are fab! This multi-color envelope style bag with the green panel in front is the most stylish bag I've seen all season. You know how much we love green so when I saw this I totally flipped! I love the adjustable leather handle that is actually long enough to go around my arm. The black adds depth to the bag not to mention versatility so that your green bag can be worn whenever you are in the mood and not only when your wardrobe is just so. $1295, call Balenciaga New York for details 212 206 0872.

First of all, yes, this is in fact a bag for men. It's actually really nice, the hardware and the brown python are all good things but I really wondered, what man would actually use this? And what would men do with such a giant tote? I did some journalism work and asked some fashionable men I know what they would carry in there if they had this bag and this is what they had to say: my laptop; my gym clothes; all my hopes of ever sleeping with a woman again, since, if I were to carry this bag around, I probably won't be doing that ever again; my balls, as this thing would emasculate any man including Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington. So there you have it, this bag is functional and beautiful, if not the most manly =) I did get a suggestion that this bag would be way manlier if they wrestled and kill the python with their own bare hands first and brought the skin to Gucci for production. $4,990, available by calling 1-800-456-7663.

I love mother of pearl and mosaic is such a beautiful way to use it for a clutch, it's like a piece of jewelry. The rounded pyramid shape gives it softness so it looks like a part of your wardrobe and not your furniture. It also adds depth so you can actually fit more than just your Motorola SLVR in there. This would be such an amazing piece to have for the summer and will go with every color of the rainbow (and black). It already looks like vintage so you know this is an investment piece that will last a lifetime. At Vivre for $1160. Free shipping with code: BSBVIV.

Looking for a hot bag for Spring that's affordable? We figured because that is what we keep hearing. Sometimes, all you need is a functional bag you can take everywhere and not fret over where you're going. I get all precious with some of my bags and it makes life complicated, like I need a white bag but I know I am going to be out all day so I'll need snacks and beverages (for my daughter), not to mention I don't keep pens in my bags for fear of ink explosion so if I am going to a business meeting I have to use a non-precious bag. Men can never understand the logistical nightmare we face each day! Anyway, the Natasha from Kooba is super cute for Spring/Summer, you can wear it with just about anything. I love the stitching detail and the subtle hardware but the best part is that the bag unfolds into a large tote! Fab, right? At $625, I would even use it as a beach bag so I can go sand to shore without missing a beat. Available at Kooba.

Remember this name, Pauric Sweeney. This bag has been seen everywhere and selling like crazy. It's big but it is meant to be a travel bag although certain annoying celebrities are carrying it around as a giant tote. I really love the silver metallic with the brown leather straps, it adds interest to the simplicity making the functional bag a great fashion item. It also comes in black patent (which I love) and black python, as seen above (which is the one spotted on celebs). We are planning on giving away this bag for next month's sweepstakes. Do you prefer the silver or black patent? We will let you decide, please vote below. Both at LuxCouture, silver leather for $1295 and black python for $2640.