325Fixed Redsilkdollar 468x60

Archive for the 'Bags and Purses' Category

Plastic bag rehab

givegreener.com

I will be the first to admit that I am not the greenest person around. I don’t ride a bike; I don’t recycle very often; I leave plugs plugged in. However, there are some very simple green things that anyone can do (myself included).

Number one is to use green cleaning products. I have been using Method cleaning products for years because they are great for the environment, and because the bottles are so pretty. Another simple green effort you can make is using reusable grocery bags. Not only are these bags great for the environment, but they are sturdier than plastic bags (makes my life easier while hauling groceries up four flights of stairs.)

Right now after the insane hype of Anya Hindmarch “I’m Not a Plastic Bag”, Method cleaning products have come up out with the Plastic Bag Rehab bag. I actually like Method’s version much better and it can be yours when you spend $20 on Method cleaning products.

Not a bad deal, might I suggest the Daily Shower Cleaner and the Granite Counter Top Cleaner.

Kelly Osborne’s $2,400 laundry bag

Kelly Osborne's expensive laundry bagThis past Spring Louis Vuitton (the world leader in absurdly overpriced bags), premiered these enormous, checkered plastic totes as part of their collection. They look practical, straightforward — probably good for carrying clothes to the laundromat or groceries home from the supermarket.

Except the bags cost £1,200 (about $2,400).

What crazy person would pay such a ridiculous amount for a $5 plastic laundry bag, simply because it’s adorned with a Luis Vuitton stamp?

Why, Kelly Osborne, of course! They 22-year-old rocker was recently spotted carrying the tote when leaving her London apartment. As you can see in the photo, Kelly looks confused — just like I would be if I’d paid $2,995 extra for something just because it once appeared on a runway.

Styles that Stick: The quilted handbag

chanel quilted handbagThe handbag didn’t become an accessory for women until the early 1900’s (hard to believe huh). Prior to that only men carried handbags, and women had to ask for her belongings when she needed them. Once women began heading out on their own they need their own bags. So a handbag, something that may seem silly to some, is actually a symbol of independence for women.In 1955, Coco Chanel’s quilted handbag with a chain shoulder strap made its debut, and took the fashion world by storm. Since then the quilted handbag (and everything else Chanel touched) has become a fashion classic. Whether you carry the Chanel version, which was sewn with her “secret” quilting pattern, or another designer label - you are sure to look classic and put together.

Today Marc Jacobs has dominated the black quilted bag market with his now famous “Stam bag.” Buying a designer quilted handbag will cost you quite a pretty penny but you can be sure that it will always be in style, and you can pass it down to the next generation.

Still obsessed with skulls

Rocker? HardlyNow that everyone wants to look like some pseudo 90s goth rocker, skulls have been a big hit. However, after a season in the spotlight, I’d say the image has lost its edge — especially now that it’s showing up on crocheted bags.Granted, this is a nice looking tote, and it was made by craftswomen in India under a Fair Trade agreement — so it’s both unique, and you can buy it with a clear conscience. Plus, it’s just big enough to be useful, but not so huge that you feel like you’re hauling around a suitcase.

But don’t go fooling yourself. Just because there’s an image of death on your crafty handbag, no one’s going to think you’re rock n’ roll.

Has Louis Vuitton jumped the shark?

Yesterday Jonathon introduced us to Louis Vuitton’s $52,000 Tribute Patchwork handbag, which proved that when it comes to ugliness and expense, the sky is the limit. Today, I happened to catch a story about Scarlett Johansson’s fall Louis Vuitton ad campaign, which looked exactly like Uma Thurman’s LV campaign from 2005. Seriously, the resemblance is a little unsettling, not in that “Oh my gosh, they look so much alike!” way, but more in that “Oh my gosh, does Louis Vuitton really think I’m so stupid that I wouldn’t remember an ad from two years ago?” sort of way.To wit: horrible handbags and recycled ad campaigns. Has Louis Vuitton jumped the shark?

The ugliest purse $52,000 can buy

Shockingly ugly Luis Vuitton bagHow much would you pay for a really nice purse? $100? $500? $1000? I suppose it’s all relative — depending on how much money you have. But no matter what you’re paying, if you’re splurging for something special, it’s preferable that your something special isn’t the ugliest purse on the face of the Earth.

Like this Louis Vuitton bag, for instance. I suppose, with a price tag of $52,000, you could call this a status symbol. However, I’d call it a symbol that you are a moron.

Fortunately, there are only five for sale in North American and 24 on sale worldwide.

Otherwise I might have to look at in real life — and that would be gross.

J’tote makes stylish laptop bags

j'tote melania
I have a laptop issue.

Though my laptop itself is freaking out right now (it screams at startup, the screen flickers, and we are having some keyboard problems), the real problem is that it doesn’t accessorize very well. In other words, I’ve been toting my laptop around in various totebags that were never intended to carry something as heavy, yet fragile, as a laptop. I just haven’t found a bag that I like. I suppose I could use a large handbag, but that really is no different than the flimsy cotton canvas totebags I’ve been using.

J’tote comes pretty close to a nice laptop bag I would use. The bags look like large handbags from the outside, but are made specifically for carrying laptops (they’re padded in some way to protect your laptop, and roomy enough to hold all your accessories). My favorite bag is the one shown, Melania, a brown leather bag with bamboo handles. All the bags run from $175 to $250.

Kaviar Gauche handbags make me want to go to Berlin

kaviar gauche handbags
Like a Little Black Dress, you can never have too many black handbags, and thanks to a new design duo out of Berlin, you can add a few more to your closet.

Kaviar Gauche, a line born from designing women Johanna Khl and Alexandra Fischer-Roehler, was nominated for the New Generation Award at Berlin Fashion Week in July. They do apparel, which is lovely, but what really caught my eye was their handbag and belt collection for Winter 2007. Just take a look at some of their pieces above, which incorporate multiple pieces of material put together in fantastic rounded shapes. I can’t take my eyes off of the 3/4 circle-shaped bag in the lower left hand corner.

Not that it matters much to me, but celebrities like Brittany Murphy and Charlize Theron are fans of Kaviar Gauche.

The pieces are all available from their website.

Fergalicious handbags

Celebrities can’t just stick with having one talent can they? Time to update the list of celebrity fashion lines and add Fergie, who has just designed a line of handbags for Kipling. We reported on this back and March and I had hoped we were wrong– no suck luck.

Apparently it’s okay for Fergie to become a designer because to her it’s just like putting on a concert. Sure it is Ferg’. “Showing off these bags is like putting on a concert; you put something tangible out there and hope it generates excitement,” the singer told Fashion Week Daily.

She didn’t design just one bag that either, she designed three distinct categories of bags which are inspired by her personal “looks”.

1.) The Nice Scout collection are bags adorned with leather and mesh details. These bags come in a black matte finish or a shimmer finish.

2.) The Naughty Scout collection are embossed hot pink lips with “Fergie loves Kipling” printed across them. Yeah because we all want that on our bags.

3.) The Dutchess collection are bags that are decorated with plaid and tassels.

Fergie has been a fan of Kipling bags for years (she claims) so this partnership is a perfect fit. The launch party had dancers who modeled the bags (that’s talent). The line will be available this September in Kipling stores as well as department stores, with prices ranging from $38 to $198.

Street Scene: Seen at the W Hotel

street scene; seen at the W Hotel in Westwood, CA
Venue: Whiskey Blue Bar/Lounge at the W Hotel
Location: Westwood, CA
Time: Beginning of a great night
Subjects: Four girls posing for a picture for a stranger

I am not quite sure why the person who tapped these girls on the shoulder and asked them to pose for a picture, did it. I’m pretty sure that none of them are celebrities in any right, and I wasn’t all the impressed with how they looked, nor with what they were wearing. In fact, with what the three girls on the left were wearing, they looked slightly displaced — we were at the W Hotel in the heart of UCLA-ville, Westwood, and they looked like they were hitting a club in Hollywood. The fourth girl on the left in a sweet dress made me want to play that Sesame Street game, “One of these things is not like the other.”

Friends’ outift mismatching aside, I have some suggestions for the three on the left, numbered 1, 2, 3, left to right. Number One pulls off head-to-toe black (one of my favorite looks), and also does well with that pair of killer pink strappy sandals. However, she needs a little bit more jewelry around the neck to break up all that black or else she might get lost in the darkness. The opposite is true for Number Two, Number One’s exact contrast. I love white (which is, in fact, my favorite favorite look), but she could also use some accessories. I am thinking, “belt.” Number Three is rockin’ the rocker chic look, but her skirt is way too short, even for the early 20s PYT that she is. The skirt is only a hair wider than the studded belt above it. As for four, I love that dress!

What do you all think of these lovely ladies at the lounge?


Powered by thefind.com