Coach Purses

Saks has a section on their site that tells you the best sellers in handbags and shoes for the previous week. They do this for most of their categories. Almost always the Tory Burch Reva Ballet flats are on the list along with a slew of handbags that are typically predictable and many times a bit boring. But today I saw a new bag on the best sellers last week list and rather than being bored by it I actually really am not fond of it.

Typically I praise Tods bags for their simplicity and elegance, but sometimes they miss it. And with the Tods G-Bag Bauletto Piccolo Satchel I just can’t find myself liking it. I will first say that I am not always fond of patent leather. I prefer smooshy leather to patent, as patent leather many times feels rubbery and looks too glossy. There are some designers who perfect patent leather on a handbag, but I much prefer it on a shoe. So back to this bag. The color is dramatic, sure, but I am picky about red handbags. In fact, I don’t own a red handbag. I own off-shoots of red, cranberry and wine shades, but not red. And having red patent is that much more in your face. The contrast leather trim sets this bag off more for me. It contrasts too much, looks harsh and over-the-top. The shape of the bag is cute enough, much like a bowler but it has adjustable double handles. There is an optional adjustable shoulder strap. I know many people could pull this off, but I simply am not under the guise that I am one of them. I just figured it out, this bag reminds me of a candied apple. What do you think about this Tods bag: A hit or a miss? Buy through Saks for $850.

Yesterday temperatures reached a balmy 100 degrees here with humidity that made stepping outside feel like stepping into a sauna. Then from the wee hours of the morning until a few hours ago I was reminded that Hurricane season has begun as the storm that hit knocked out power for hours and took down internet. Nevertheless we are back up!

I was having a Déjà vu this morning when I popped onto Net A Porter. There sat a cute oversized clutch, which showed a bit of gathering in an otherwise simple yet likable design. And then it occurred to me that while this clutch said it was made by Miu Miu I have seen a nearly identical design from Prada. It should be no major surprise, as Miu Miu and Prada are sister brands. But why pay a bit more for Prada when you can have Miu Miu? I suppose it all comes down to the name.

The Miu Miu Oversized Satin Clutch is the clutch I am referring to that has reminded me much of the Prada Raso Silver Clutch, not an exact copy but very similar. It is not shocking that this would happen, but why pay for Prada when a very similar Miu Miu is nearly $250 less. There are slight differences, as the Miu Miu clutch gathers at the top center of the clutch, giving a slight bow effect to the shape of the bag. Satin is not an ideal material for a handbag, but in a clutch which is not meant to be worn daily, it gives off a beautiful sheen of elegance. The violet satin is a great color choice, as it easily will give a slight hue of color without being hard to match. I adore this clutch. I don’t have use for it, nor did I for its Prada counterpart, but it is a great evening bag option when you want to dress it up a bit. Buy through Net A Porter for $450.

What are we buying when we buy a luxury good? Are we buying a brand name, a well-made product, or an item to ensure that others think a certain way about us when they see it? For most high-end consumers, it’s probably some combination of those options.

Many customers would claim that they buy only for the quality that these products provide, but the reaction of some customers to the recent announcement of Jimmy Choo’s collaboration with H&M seems to run contrary to those claims. Some people were excited to see what the partnership would create, but many Choo loyalists voiced the opinion that the brand was losing something by creating a temporary line for a low-end retailer.

Choo’s fans aren’t the first to scowl at the idea of their favorite label creating an inexpensive product line, and they’ll be far from the last. What seems to be unique about this occasion, though, is that Jimmy Choo is the most broadly known brand yet to dabble in mass-market, low-price retail. So far, many small or independent designers have used the tactic as a way to broaden their name recognition and, potentially, their customer base. Choo, though, is a brand with a pretty clear image in the minds of most women with any sort of fashion consciousness or desire for expensive shoes.

So what happens when a brand with a large following and a seemingly healthy business decides that they want to dabble in the desires of Middle America? Well, according to Robin Givhan of the Washington Post, it means that luxury as we know it is dead.

Which seems like an incredibly histrionic reaction indeed. In the economic predicament in which we currently find ourselves, any number of writers have predicted that an unending list of occurrences are what really marks this mythic “end” of aspirational consumer goods. Why this one is any different than the others? I have no idea.

What I think it does, though, is bring up some nasty truths that luxury customers would rather push out of their minds. If I had spent thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars of my earnings on Jimmy Choo shoes in my life at $500-700 a pop, the reality that Choo can make an attractive (if likely to be lower-quality) pair of stilettos for less than $100 would definitely be unpleasant. If the steep price tag isn’t necessary, why have their customers been paying it for so long?

But does acknowledgment of the often-astronomical margins on handbags and shoes mean that all customers will suddenly abandon the goods that they know and love? I seriously doubt it. Most reasonable consumers have to realize that the construction of an average high-end handbag doesn’t cost anywhere near four digits, and I don’t think that Jimmy Choo making a couple pairs of cheap shoes is going to inform anyone of this fact that wasn’t already aware of it on some level.

Image may be a slightly bigger problem than economics, though. Luxury customers, no matter what they say, are often in the market for exclusivity as much as they are for a new bag. And if anyone with a local H&M (or Target, or TopShop) and a spare $50 can have something designed by their favorite brand, then the status implied by sporting a pair of Jimmy Choos is suddenly in limbo. And if Jimmy Choo is doing it, then are there that many brands out there that wouldn’t consider it? Probably not.

Only time will tell what, if any, lasting impact this will have on the luxury industry, but despite all the hubbub it’s causing among Jimmy Choo’s fans, I’m still dubious. If they were introducing a permanent collection of pleather shoes, then the impact would probably be more palpable and long-lasting. As it is, the collection is a small group of products that will only be sold in H&M’s largest stores in their largest markets and will probably be completely wiped off the shelves by the end of launch day. It provides a lot to talk about for people like us, who are in the business of talking about such things, but it’s likely to be little more than a blip on the radar screen of the larger fashion industry.

Things don’t change overnight, and cheap shoes will not fell the decades-old luxury industry as we know it. A price reset among traditional luxury goods is already somewhat underway, as we’ve discussed previously on this blog, and some women probably do need to reevaluate what they’re trying to accomplish by buying a small fortune’s worth of shoes or bags. But the marketplace forgets things like this rather quickly, and a recession-era olive branch to cash-strapped consumers won’t reflect poorly on the brand in the eyes of fashion history. And when women are looking for the sexiest pair of stilettos they can find, they’re not going to exclude Jimmy Choo on principle for long, and probably not at all.

Last week we brought you the information that Hermes would have its own farm to breed crocodiles in Australia. PETA did not like that and neither did many of you. It only seems fitting that today we feature a socially responsible vegan line.

Matt & Nat handbags have long been on our radar and today we must tell you why they are buzz worthy. Matt & Nat goes beyond making Eco Friendly bags, the premise for the company and brand is social responsibility. You will read about ‘Duality 21′ on the Matt & Nat website which is the drive for the brand to explore eco fabrics on a whole new level. They have two full collections as well as the lining in each of their bags being made of recycled plastic water bottles. I am guilty myself of using water bottles rather than re-using the same container. But it is somehow plausible, that one of my recycled plastic water bottles has gone into the design of a Matt & Nat handbag. The number 21 is used because on average 21 bottles are recycled to produce the lining while as many as 55 bottles are recycled when the shell is included.

The paragraph above does not read as one that would follow a brand that can be found in major stores like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, CUSP, and Bluefly. The bags are stylish. I would actually wear one and I can not say that when it comes to many Eco Friendly lines. The price point is amazing, most bags between $100 to $200. The main question is how the bags feel in person and this I should be able to tell you soon! We are going to have a batch of Matt & Nat bags to review in he office soon. The duality of environmental consciousness along with a design centric focus, Matt & Nat is a handbag line you should not disregard. Learn more and shop Matt & Nat bags via their website.

It is a small world. I have been in all ends of the world and run into people that somehow know someone I know. It happened again recently and tied one of my best friend’s family friend’s daughter to an internship with a handbag designer in New York. That was a long line of knowing, but it is closer than it seems. So thank you Kathleen for the introduction to Danielle Nicole Handbags!

Danielle Nicole DiFerdinando’s passion for fashion started young, like many of us. She went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and later studied in Europe, where her love for the design and manufacturing that goes into major design houses begun. Since then Danielle Nicole launched her handbag line which are composed of luscious Italian lamb leather, crushed patent leather, and French embroidery fabric.

I found a bag from her line that I absolutely 100% adore. You all know what I love in a bag; some slouchy appeal, usability, supple leather. All is there in the Danielle Nicole Kristi Mini Shoulder Bag. Available in a variety of colors, the orchid is my pick as purple complements most women and outfits wonderfully. The slouchy shoulder bag has a knot and fringe detail on the front which is the perfect addition to finish the design. On the inside you will find brown suede lining, two open pockets, and one zip pocket. I adore this bag. I can never have enough slouchy shoulder bags. And this one looks like it would fit snugly, casually, and perfectly on your arm. There is also a larger version with a bow tie at the top of the shoulder strap. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $495. Check out Danielle Nicole online for more from this designer!

What a blast from the past. I haven’t seen anyone carrying a Pucci bag in forever! But this Emilio Pucci Satin Evening Mindanao Print Bag will certainly remind you that yes, Pucci is still here, and still making bags (among other things) that are cute and functional. Who would ever think that an evening bag could be functional? I mean, evening bags are practically made to only carry lip gloss, a credit card, and if you’re lucky, a tiny cell phone.

Clearly, this bag is still pretty small, but what makes it functional is the built-in mirror that has its own tiny compartment at the base of the bag. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen something like this, especially in an evening bag, and I consider it pretty innovative. The sepearate compartment also gives the bag an interesting shape, as if it’s one of those beach sacks, but much smaller and much fancier. And of course, the bag is in the traditional Pucci print; it’s pretty cool to know that the pattern on your bag is one that has been around for centuries. Buy through Saks for $1,495.

Known for their amazing clutches, VBH has been a longtime favorite with the Purse Blog team. Gilt Groupe has VBH on sale right now, check it out for amazing deals!

Shop the VBH Gilt Groupe Sale now!

In all honesty, the Chloe Paddington is probably why I’m here today. It was the first designer handbag to totally capture my attention when I started to become interested in bags circa 2005, and although I never had the funds to buy one back then, I searched eBay daily, hoping for a good deal on my elusive cream-colored Paddy. And I wasn’t the only one that caught the Paddington fever - fashion magazines dubbed it the fastest-selling bag in history and our Purse Forum, then in its infancy, talked non-stop of ways to acquire one.

And now, approximately four years later, I saw a Paddington on Nordstrom’s website today and it got me thinking - how does the purse world feel about this historic handbag a few years down the road from its peak popularity?

When I look at it, I feel mostly nostalgia - it reminds me of the period in fashion where an It-Bag was the most important thing in the world and waitlists were a mile long for almost anything worth buying. Bags are certainly more available now in general and the Paddington, once impossible to find, is now fairly common. Does the bag stand the test of time? I think so, although looking back, I like some of the other variations better than the original (the ginormous Paddington Tote comes to mind). The big lock is still really cool, the colors and the leather that they use are still great, and the bag is still fairly functional, if notoriously weighty. And even if you’re not a fan, or just not a fan anymore, you’ve still got to admit that it holds a fairly unique place in modern handbag history. The biggest difference between the Paddington of yore and that of today, though? The price.Buy through Nordstrom for $1875.

I have never been much of a fan of Prada. Not for any particular reason; they’re just not my thing, but I can understand why others are so passionate about them. The leather is usually supple and beautiful and I’ve heard wonderful things about their quality and construction. Nice leather, classic shapes, and durability - you can’t ask for a whole lot more than that, even if they don’t exactly tickle my fancy.

Which is why I can very much respect that a lot of people will love the Prada Cervo Shine Hobo, even though it’s not absolutely wowing me. It has a ton of factors working in its favor - buttery soft deerskin leather, accessible outside pockets, and a functional and wearable shape that would be great for work or play. I think what’s stopping me from being more enthusiastic is the color. I’m not much for tan, and if they gave me this in a grape-y purple or a slate grey, I’d probably be turning cartwheels right now. But for those of you out there that love tan, I may have found your new favorite everyday bag. Buy through Saks for $1650.

While polling shows that many are sick of social networking sites, we are still on them! I’ve always been on Facebook and have loved adding Twitter to the mix. With the addition of group pages and fan pages, we had to add both. Our facebook fan page just opened up and is growing steadily. Make sure you join us on all of our social networking ventures; it is another place to hang out and we will have exclusive giveaways for our Facebook and Twitter members!

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