Jimmy Choo heads in the right direction with a simple shopper

For the past couple of seasons, it has seemed as though Jimmy Choo has been a brand adrift. Caught somewhere between trying to appease its longtime customers and attempting to reach a new, younger audience with bags covered in patterns and studs and trims of various sorts, I’ve struggled at times to find something I like from Choo, a brand that has the resources and talent to be constantly churning out hits.

In that context, the Jimmy Choo Parker Shopper makes me feel strangely optimistic. This bag isn’t a continuation of a previously successful line (as so many of Choo’s simpler bags tend to be) and it’s not an unedited mishmash of visual elements intended to be “edgy.” Instead, it’s just functional and expensive-looking, which shouldn’t seem like such a massive revelation but sort of does anyway.

My favorite version of this bag is the ivory one because the light color makes it easier to see the crisp, precise details of the design, which are most of the attraction for me. The hardware is also to be noted, in particular the gleaming door-hinge handle attachments and nailhead finishes. The lines and metal give the design a faint whiff of industrialism without allowing the mood to become overpowering, which hints at something that hasn’t been evident in many of Choo’s recent bags: good, rigorous design editing. Many of Choo’s other Resort and Spring 2011 bags also seem downright sane and reasonable, but still with that signature Jimmy Choo sassiness, so let’s hope that this is a trend that continues for the brand.

The Lanvin Reflex Shopping Sac is casual chic

I know, I know, casual chic sounds so cliche. And it is. But I use it for this bag because it describes the Lanvin Relex Shopping Sac ideally. We have become accustomed to seeing Lanvin add flowers or bows, but this bag is entirely void of both. And while it may be void of these two accessories, the overall allure of the bag is its casual wearability.

Lanvin is a brand you are going to dish out more money for. But the product shows the attention to detail and luxury materials. I have felt the leather they use for many of their bags… divine. If this lambskin shopping tote is remotely as soft as it looks in pictures, it will be one of those bags you will not want to take your hands off.

Reed Krakoff gives us neutral color blocking and inventive structure for spring

The luxury accessories market is crowded with seasoned competitors all vying for consumer attention (and consumer dollars), which can often make it well nigh impossible for a new handbag line to turn heads, particularly the heads of people whose job it is to look at handbags all day. (Ahem, yours truly.) Somehow, the Reed Krakoff Inside Out Leather and Snakeskin Tote managed to not only make me take a second look, but it made me do so by being inventive in a way that’s not only quite unique, but still totally subtle and functional at the same time. When being different usually also means rendering a piece unwearable or unusable to most of the buying public, that’s quite a design feat indeed.

When Krakoff named this the “Inside Out” bag, he meant it literally, which you notice if you look closely. Everything from the exterior pocket to the stitching to the way that the straps are layered is reminiscent of the inside of a very, very luxurious bag, and Krakoff managed to quietly recreate that structure on the exterior without making the effect obvious or kitschy. The extremely tasteful colorblocking only enhances the effect, but not to the detriment of the bag’s ability to be incorporated into an everyday wardrobe. Designing a bag like this is like walking on a wire, and Reed Krakoff managed to make it to the other side without losing his balance.

Who wants a purse when you can have a utility skirt?

I’ve never had much of a problem forming an opinion and then expressing it, and although I have plenty of thoughts about the Kaufmanfranco Suede Utility Skirt, as soon as I try to put fingers to keys to articulate those thoughts, only one thing comes out: WTF. I mean. I don’t even…I can’t.

Although this skirt does solve one important handbag problem that I can think of. If you’re out having drinks with your friends and you have one (or four) too many, you’ll never lose your handbag. Unless you lose your skirt, I guess, but if that happens, then losing your purse probably isn’t the biggest of your problems.

The Mulberry Tillie: Do you like it as much as the Alexa?

Where does a brand go after it creates an It Bag? Designing something like the Mulberry Alexa is sort of like being in a bad that’s trying to record a second album after its first suddenly went triple platinum. Do you stick with what made you a star, or do you strike out in a new direction? Mulberry clearly chose the former with the Spring 2011 addition of the Mulberry Tillie Satchel.

When I first saw this bag during New York Fashion Week in the fall, it struck me as something of a pared-down Alexa, and it still does. Much of the bag’s structure is the same, but the straps and hardware have been made diminutive to give the design a simpler look. I like the hardware embossed to look like little leather straps, but I still prefer the Alexa overall. Which one would you pick?

The Chloe Marcie just keeps growing on me

The Chloe Marcie Satchel has never been among my favorite bags, but lately it seems to have conquered my favor with brute force of will and nonintuitive staying power. With this new laser-cut version coming down the pipes for Spring 2011, you can consider me a full convert to the Marcie’s charms.

Maybe it’s the thick, nasty layer of leftover snow and ice that’s still on the ground here, or maybe it’s the sad realization that it’s going to continue to be cold for months on end, but the off-white color and boho edge of this version of the bag in particular are making me think warm thoughts right now.

Spotted: Celine Pre-Fall 2011 Crocodile Luggage Tote

Megs and I have an odd ability: We talk about things, and they happen. It’s inexplicable, and there have been too many instances to completely enumerate here (Example: we joked that I would end up on the plane with a rapper on my last flight from Atlanta to New York, and I then found myself seated next to a guy from Public Enemy), but trust me, it happens. We’re magic, but we don’t know how to control it.

Recently, we found ourselves discussing a $16,000 partially sueded-croc Celine Luggage Tote that Megs had seen in the brand’s Bal Harbour boutique, and we both agreed that Celine was missing an opportunity by not offering a Luggage Tote made entirely out of regular crocodile. Lo and behold, photos of Celine Pre-Fall 2011 gave us a look at exactly the bag we were hoping to see. And if a partially croc Luggage Tote costs 16 grand, I don’t even want to speculate how much this one will be.

Jil Sander Spring 2010 Pyramid Wristlets

Did you all hear that 49 of the states in the USA have snow right now? All but Florida. Unfortunately and fortunately, Vlad and I are leaving Florida to head back to NYC and I am beginning to remember why I am a Florida girl. Snow looks great in pictures and is great in theory – but I freeze easily. I prefer sun, sand, and palm trees. While I will be trudging through the snow and bundling up in the cold, I will remember that Spring is around the corner. Bright colors and beach days.

Spring handbags are taking over my inbox and mind. Spring will bring hues of color we all crave in compact bags. It will be about getting the most out of your small handbag that still packs a stylish punch. I appreciate innovative designs and that is what the Jil Sander Pyramid Wristlets showcase. Innovation.

I have always shared my love of a good wristlet, and this one really has me intrigued. I love the idea of this accessory. Thank you Jil Sander for giving us something interesting to look at and think about. I’m guessing that the true pyramid shape will make this a bit roomier than other wristlets, having the base of the wristlet be wider. I would love to see this bag in person and see how much will comfortably fit inside. And Spring, if you are listening, don’t be afraid to make an early appearance this year.

Victoria Beckham enters the handbag game with $14,000 worth of crocodile

Five years ago, if you had told me that Posh Spice would be at the helm of a clothing and accessories line that people take seriously, I would have told you that you should probably consider laying off the drugs. It seems so utterly far-fetched that a 90s pop star would morph from a chaps-wearing WAG to a serious fashion person in the space of only a few years, and yet, Victoria Beckham has done just that. Not only are her collections shown at New York Fashion Week, but they are generally quite well-received and often worn by other stars on red carpets of all kinds.

I don’t know exactly how much designing Vicky B. does, although she’s said to be quite involved in the process, but at least she had the presence of mind to hire people who don’t suck to create her line, which is a move from which other celebs with clothing lines would do well to learn. And now that she’s doing accessories, the Victoria Beckham Matte Crocodile Shoulder Bag would seem to indicate that she took great care in hiring whoever’s designing her bags as well.

At nearly $14,000, this bag is the most expensive of the tightly edited handbag collection that Beckham launched for Spring 2011 by a wide margin. And even if the five-figure price tag throws people off guard, I think including an exotic bag like this one is a good long-term marketing decision for the line; not only has the bag been picked up by many different media outlets because of the steep asking price, but a piece like this one gives the collection an implied prestige that Beckham and her business managers certainly want to create for the brand. If the price point needs to be adjusted down in subsequent seasons, that’s easy to do and even easier for consumers to swallow. Starting in the middle and adjusting up isn’t quite so simple once price expectations have already been formed.