NYFW.This Fashion Week I’m teaming up with Kanon Organic Vodka to share some of my personal fashion week snaps on the Friends of Kanon NYFW Instagram Viewer. Their awesome site gathers pictures from a bunch of great designers + bloggers so you can experience fashion week as it happens! Check out the page here & let me know what you think! :)
NEW YORK. Feels good to be back in NY even though I’m on a crazy busy schedule! If you’ve been wondering why there’s been a serious lack of outfit posts lately it’s because all of my clothes are in boxes at the moment as me and my boyfriend are moving to a new apartment! Actually rediscovered this army jacket while packing for the move and decided to spice it up a bit by layering this leather vest over it. Love using contrasting materials for layering, it really adds a new dimension to your look!
CÉLINE sunglasses. H&M leather vest. LF jacket.WERA sweater. TOPSHOP pants. REBECCA MINKOFF bag. ACNE shoes
NYFW. Good morning New York!! More pictures to come, in the meantime, follow me on instagram (@carolinaengman) for more pictures of my NYFW adventures! ;)
Images via Style.com
For those underwhelmed by the sea-themed bags from Chanel Spring 2012, we have a treat for you today. Chanel Métiers d’Art 2012 debuted in a exquisite show in Paris’ Grand Palais earlier this week, and the intricately detailed handbags that accompanied the India-influenced collection will likely wow Chanel lovers and casual fans alike.
If you want a great explanation of the multiple reasons why this collection’s India reference was such a brilliant move by Karl Lagerfeld, Style.com’s review really nails it – the last days of the Raj are a fitting metaphor for the current political and economic climate, not to mention that the inspiration is a relevant comment on how fashion manufacturing has changed in recent years. Or, if you just want to see the bags already, hurry up, geez – they’re after the jump.
All images via Vogue.com
Even with the rapidly changing landscape of fashion criticism and American Vogue‘s relative conservatism compared to its European counterparts, the magazine and its website are still first and foremost among the industry’s most important publications. When Vogue says that something’s important, designers, buyers and consumers pay attention, and Vogue.com recently posted its picks\ for the season’s key accessories trends.
If you followed along with our Fashion Week coverage, you probably noticed some of these things too – Vogue‘s calling them Modern Embellishment, Transparency, Athleticism, Ladylike Pastels and The Skin of the Season. We’ve got their picks for which of Spring 2012′s bags best illustrate those trends after the jump, and we’d like you to let us know if there’s any look that you’re particularly impatient to get your hands on in the comments. Pay particular attention to the bags that could fit easily into more than one of these categories – those are the styles to watch come spring.
Prada:
Gucci:
Louis Vuitton:
Marc Jacobs
Givenchy
Balenciaga
Alexander Wang
Versace
Ralph Lauren
Louis Vuitton
Valentino
Tod’s
Reed Krakoff
Prada
Michael Kors
Salvatore Ferragamo
Fendi
Derek Lam
Chloe
Bally
All images via Vogue.com
Despite the fact that Spring 2012 was kind of a down season for runway bags, there were still plenty of highlights that deserve to be noted. After all, in a season where Louis Vuitton gives you wall-to-wall exotics and Hermes reintroduces a long-shelved shoulder bag, things can’t really be that dreary, can they?
So here we have the ten best bags from the Spring 2012 show schedule, presented in alphabetical order. We picked only bags that appeared in major runway shows because those are the ones to which we have access at this point in the season. Once bag designers who didn’t have shows start sending out lookbooks, we’ll have lots more bags (and lists) to show you. Tell us which bags are your favorites in the comments, and let us know if we missed anything!
The color is the real story with this bag, and the yellow-undertones green and sharp structure give the exotic leather its requisite opportunity to shine.
Several brands, including Marni, offered pieced leather bags in retro-modern geometric patterns on the runway, but this combination of various textures and colors of snakeskin was my favorite. This bag will work as a neutral, but the jade accents make it much more special.
This design will surely have a clever name once it hits stores, and I can’t wait to see all the different color and texture variations that the shape will have. For now, though, this neutral mixture that was buried in DVF’s excellent show is a very sharp and wearable option.
As it turns out, this stunner from the Hermes show isn’t a new design at all. The Hermes Passe Guide design dates back to the 1960s but hasn’t been produced in decades, and now Christophe Lemaire has revived it to great effect. The heavy side hardware distinguishes it from other Hermes designs, and it fits a very convenient aesthetic gap in the venerable French brand’s leather lineup.
By now, everyone’s seen the dozen or so modified Speedys in powdery pastel crocodile that graced the runway at the Louis Vuitton show, but what about this slightly more modern bicolor duffel version? It also came in a darker blue, and I prefer it to the more traditional Speedy.
This list would be incomplete without an evening bag, and this blue-grey Marchesa stunner was easily the best runway box clutch that I saw this season.
The Marni show was full of unexpected woven bags that I adored, but this one is even more interested because it’s not just any old check pattern that the strips of leather create. Instead, they combine to form an intricate black-and-blue houndstooth, which looks solid from a distance but is much more interesting up close. Because the pattern is a recognizable classic, you’ll still be able to wear it forever.
Prada? Check. Classic shape? Check. Throwback 50s structure? Check. Amazing color? Check. I don’t know how to make it any clearer.
This may turn out to be the controversial pick of the group, but I loved the mini bags that Proenza Schouler showed with a few looks in its collection. Although the tan version is very nice, this one made of white and turquoise leather looks like the bag version of a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, which is incredibly appropriate for the season’s midcentury trends.
I’m perhaps as surprised as anyone to be putting Victoria Beckham on this list, but I love the self-assured structure of this clutch so much that I can’t help it. This is the kind of day bag that you carry to a business lunch when you want to look effortlessly professional. After all, what signals to others that you’ve got it all together better than a clutch used during the waking hours?
Images via Vogue.com
It must be difficult to take over a storied and iconic brand like Hermes, particularly for a designer like Christophe Lemaire, whose most high-profile gig before taking the reins of the French luxury giant was the top spot at Lacoste. Those are two very different posts, but Lemaire has managed to incorporate his own brand of crisp sportswear into the Hermes identity reasonably well. He’s not a showman like Jean Paul Gaultier, but if that’s what Hermes had wanted, they probably would have stuck with him.
If I could make one little request, though, it would be to see Birkins and Kellys on the runway. Hermes Spring 2012 didn’t have any, and with handbags playing such an integral role in the brand’s success, it would be nice to have a more public look at what Lemaire can do with the Hermes’ most iconic products. As Gaultier showed us for all those years, they make an excellent canvas for invention.
Images via Vogue.com
While cutting the photos for yesterday’s post about Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2012 runway bags, I almost missed this little darling. Cutting photos is mind-bendingly tedious work, and it’s easy to glaze over and become something of a Photoshop robot while in the process, particularly for a show as handbag-heavy as Vuitton‘s. Just before I went into full zombie mode, though, I realized that a lone model wasn’t carrying a bag at all, but instead a Louis Vuitton Flask.
But this wasn’t the only flask to make an appearance on the Paris runways. Hermes showed one too, and it had a neck strap so that you wouldn’t get sauced and lose it. How convenient! For a photo of that one (and a Friday-appropriate discussion of all the designer boozing to be done), you have to make the jump.
Details are sketchy on these item in particular, but based on the photo, it appears to be half logo-etched stainless steel (or maybe LV will get fancy and go with sterling silver?) and half white crocodile. You know what that means, ladies? White croc stains like you wouldn’t believe, so no dark liquor shall pass the neck of this delicate flask. Clear booze only! That means vodka, gin, white rum and fancy tequila are all Vuitton-approved. Whiskey of all varieties, spiced rum and the Cuervo Gold you drank in college? No way.
And then there’s the Hermes flask, which has a different aesthetic quality entirely. It’s colorblock and modern, which should help with spillage, theoretically. Except that it’s suede, so Jeeves (let’s face it, no one who actually uses an Hermes flask is filling it herself) is going to have to be extra careful with that little funnel that comes packaged with flasks to make filling easy. From what I understand, Hermes women only drink gin, so at least there won’t be any unsightly brown stains on the yellow portion.
These items, if produced, will be available for all your drinking needs circa January 2012.
Images via Vogue.com
Excuse me for this moment of bluntness: Miu Miu should consider “refreshing” its handbag team.
I’m not saying that the Miu Miu Spring 2012 handbags are bad; they’re not. They’re fine for the very narrow look of this runway show, but they’re not particularly relevant to anything beyond it, and most of them certainly don’t look like what the Miu Miu customer carries in her day-to-day life. I’d carry one because I’m a huge, unapologetic Miu Miu fangirl, but beyond that, I can’t see these bags having a wider appeal.
Every season, I fervently hope that the brand’s runway bags will be fabulous enough to inspire the sort of devotion and panicked credit card-swiping that its shoes do, and my dreams are so rarely answered. Second-guessing Miuccia Prada is a rare thing for me to do, but in this case, a couple new members to her team might serve the overall brand (and handbag lovers everywhere) well. In the past few seasons, purses seem to be something of a lost business opportunity for the brand, and a well-positioned label like Miu Miu should be turning out It Bags hand over fist.
Images via Vogue.com
Now that shows have officially closed for the season and all the bags have been seen (by us, anyway – we’ve still got some more posts for you guys!), I feel comfortable saying that Spring 2012 is probably going to be a bit of a boring season for accessories, at least compared to what we’ve grown used to recently. That being said, a few major designers who have been struggling to find their voices have stepped it up this season, at least when handbags are concerned.
Valentino Spring 2012 is one such collection; I did a lot of complaining about the brand’s Fall 2011 runway bags, but this group is altogether more refined and well-conceived than previous lines have felt. Some of last season’s elements, including studded hand straps, can be found in these designs, but they’re used in ways that feel more natural and functional. This is the collection that Valentino should have showed last season, but I’m glad they decided to show it at all.
Images via Vogue.com
Every season, waiting for the Louis Vuitton show is torturous. It comes at the very end of Paris Fashion Week, which is the last city of the season, and its arrival taunts handbag lovers for a full month. Unlike some designers whose brands make a great deal of money from accessories but you largely eschew the use of bags on the runway (we’re looking at you, Yves Saint Laurent), Vuitton knows exactly what we want – THE BAGS. SHOW US THE BAGS.
And befitting off all the anticipation, the bags from Louis Vuitton Spring 2011 are particularly lovely. Model after model strode the runway with trend-appropriate pastel satchels on their arms, many in wallet-draining crocodile. If you’d like to see one of these beauties in your closet come spring, you best start making the financial arrangements now. Also, I’d recommend ridding your house entirely of foods that cause stains – no red wine around these lovely accessories.
Images via Vogue.com
No matter the season, you can always count on Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel show for at least one thing: a very strong theme. For Chanel Spring 2012, you had to look no further than Kaiser Karl’s seashell clutches to find the oceanic common thread that ran through the entire collection. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that Lagerfeld was inspired by the shore; after all, the runway was lined with sand.
I’m not sure how many times a woman will have an opportunity to wear a conch shell-shaped clutch in her sartorial life, but if you’ve got a beach wedding on the horizon any time in, oh, the next ten years, I’d hazard a guess that these are the best bags you’ll find to carry to such an event. As always, Chanel will do lots of non-runway bags if you’re looking for something a little less literal, but a few of these bags make me long for a beach vacation something fierce.
Images via Vogue.com
Psst. You guys. It’s safe to come look at these pictures from Chloe Spring 2012 because finally, at long last, Chloe has turned the handbag corner! The company had to give Hannah MacGibbon the heave-ho after last season’s disaster and bring in Clare Waight Keller from Pringle of Scotland to fix things up, but based on Chloe’s Paris Fashion Week show, it was an incredibly shrewd decision on the part of the brand’s parent company, Richemont.
Waight Keller did well to focus on doing a single shape (a shoulder bag with modern finishes) in a variety of colors and sizes; MacGibbon’s downfall was her seeming inability to edit her vision down into a cohesive finished product that made as all want to be the Chloe girl. Alternately, I know I want to be the girl who carries these handbags (not to mention, be the girl who wears the pretty-but-modern pleated dresses that populated the collection), and making that feeling happen is the obvious first step in what looks like it’s going to be a Chloe comeback.
Enjoy a closer look at the bags, shoes and accessories by Donna Karan for Spring 2012. Check out our full runway review of the DK NYFW show.
Images via Vogue.com
Maddeningly, Celine tends not to show many of its bags on the runway. We get a little glimpse here and there of where Phoebe Philo’s brilliance is headed for the season, but mostly her fans are left waiting for spy pictures to surface to get a better idea of where our money will be headed in the coming months. For Celine Spring 2012, though, my money might be headed straight to the runway bag that you see above.
It’s all in the painted edges, you guys. Otherwise, this might be just a boring (but impeccable) shoulder bag that I would surely notice but might not necessarily consider buying. The neon edges give the bag a subtle but very important step toward modernism, and that’s when Philo’s at her wearable best. The rest of the bags are equally elegant, and I’ll have you note that several of them are hobos – they’re coming back, I swear.
Images via Loewe
Without a doubt, I count myself as a fan of the Loewe Spring 2012 collection as a whole. Stuart Vevers has done amazing things for the brand in his relatively short time as its creative director, and his vision showed its merit all over the Spanish company’s Paris Fashion Week presentation. I’m just not sure I love the handbags, which are the thing for which Loewe is best known.
I’ve seen enough this season to be pretty sure that the shoulder bag (and the hobo specifically) might be ready for a major comeback, but in this collection, the shape reminded me alternately of Pierre Hardy and Gucci, depending on the bag’s details. While these are certainly the types of accessories that women want to carry, I was hoping to see more work that would further distinguish the brand from its peers as past collections had. On that end, Vevers’ vision seems slightly more muddled, at least for this season.
Images via Vogue.com
Yes! Finally! Thank you, Lanvin. This has been a down season for handbags thus far, at least on the runway. With almost every show that I expect to wow me, I come away a tad disappointed, and I was fearful that the same would happen with Lanvin Spring 2012. Alber Elbaz didn’t let me down, though; he never does. By now, that should be self-evident.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Lanvin’s bags is that they seem designed to carry things. Yes, that’s right, a designer has deigned to recognize that even our clutches have to be big enough to hold the essentials. The entire collection was clearly designed for a woman who has functional needs from her wardrobe, and the bags reflected that perhaps more than anything else. The fabrication, of course, was immaculate – the leather, sturdy but not inflexible, and the edges as crisp as anything I’ve seen this season.
Images via Vogue.com
Excuse me while I echo the sentiments about the Dior Spring 2012 collection that have already been expressed by everyone else in the fashion industry: It’s kind of a placeholder, yes? Months have passed and Dior still doesn’t have a replacement for John Galliano, so the collection is being designed by what the French call “le studio.” Bill Gaytten, long Galliano’s right-hand man, has taken the reins, along with the rest of the Dior creative team.
The clothes and handbags that they created are serviceable, but not surprising or innovative. The purses are all shapes that we’ve seen before from Dior, but in varied fabrications and colors, much like the clothes were. Dior seems set on making pieces that will retail reasonably well until LVMH can find a real creative voice to lead the brand, and the intention is written all over this collection.
Image via Style.com
At this point, the Fashion Week onslaught from the industry’s media has turned into a furious din of show reviews and Anna Dello Russo pictures that’s starting to drive me just a wee bit off my rocker. One can only look at so many street style photos and catwalk detail shots before one’s brain starts to leak out one’s ear. It’s Friday, and I’m going to pretend like fashion doesn’t exist for the next two days. I’ll catch up on Monday, I promise.
For now, though, I’ll leave you to enjoy the most amusing street style photo I’ve seen all day. This one’s from Style.com’s Tommy Ton, for whom my affection is oft-stated in this space. I believe the image is from London Fashion Week, but I could be wrong. At any rate, it’s two women standing near each other, but not together, with two Celine Luggage Tote that are nearly identical, save for their clearly disparate sizes. (And the colors of their gussets. Ok, so not quite identical.) It’s like the big one birthed the little one. For those of you who are wondering, the little one is a Mini size. The big one? I’m guessing a large, but these things are difficult to gauge from a single photo.
Images via Vogue.com
I always feel good about buying a Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag for a couple of reasons, first and foremost because I’ve loved every one that I’ve ever owned. Almost as important, though, is that the overwhelming retail success of those bags makes it possible for Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere to do what he does without quite as much pressure to make a collection that will sell well at retail. He does his best work when he’s at his most conceptual, and conceptual clothes are usually not retail darlings.
I’d encourage all of you to take a look through the entire Balenciaga Spring 2012 collection because, let’s face it, Ghesquiere is that good, but you’ll get an idea of what was going on just from the bags. Half were ultraminimal two-tone shoulder bags and boxy shapes, and the other half were the kind of smallish bags that we’ve come to expect from the accessories industry in general, but with a very Balenciaga twist. Straps and buckles jut out from spots where you don’t expect, creating a counterintuitive look that still functions as you think such a bag should.
Images via Vogue.com
I need to have a moment of honesty here: I know it’s been a couple of weeks since London Fashion Week, but I completely forgot that I had these photos from Matthew Williamson Spring 2012 to show you. Williamson isn’t known for his bags, but I adore his sense of color and pattern so thoroughly that I wanted to put them up for discussion anyway.
As his his wont, Williamson went a little bohemian with his handbags for the runway show, and the two intricately detailed clutches are of particular note. They’re big enough to be carried to a daytime event but still special enough to go to a nighttime pool party in the warmer months. If you’re looking for a true day bag, I hope you like fringe, because Williamson has it by the fistful. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Williamson also included a few of Charlotte Olympia’s perspex clutches on the runway. (She also made the excellent shoes that he showed with the collection.)
Images via Vogue.com
Perhaps improbably, Marni is always one of the handbag collections that I look forward to the most during Milan Fashion Week. The brand doesn’t have a reputation in the accessories world as a purse powerhouse, but I love Marni’s signature blend of girlishness and modernism. The end result is usually some great accessories that will withstand both the passage of the season’s trends and the passage of time, leaving you with a unique bag that people will ask about for years to come.
If you’d like to add that sort of accessory to your closet this season, you’d be well advised to go with one of the three-dimensional woven bags from Marni Spring 2012. Different fabrications and sizes of leather were woven together to create a pattern that looks a lot like tactile plaid, and the end result is kind of mesmerizing. Part of me would like to take one apart to see how it was constructed, but the rest of me would much rather tuck these bags safely away in my closet. All of them. Right now.
Images via Vogue.com
For Fall 2011, Salvatore Ferragamo gave us handbag after handbag in black, white or grey, and the collection served as a stark contrast the use of color that permeated most of the other collections for the season. For Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2012, though, there isn’t a trop of black or grey to be found. You might as well entitle this collection Ferragamo and the Amazing Technicolor Handbags.
There were a couple of multi-textured neutrals, but the vast majority of the bags were bright, cheery colors in suede, exotics or some combination of the two. The aqua blue alligator day clutch in particular attracted my attention (and admiration), but how could it not? That’s the kind of bag that begs heads to turn.
Images via Vogue.com
I have some relatives who live in South Florida. I haven’t visited since I was a teenager, but my memories of Floridian seaside kitsch are still very clear: pastel starfish and seahorses and shells. Lots of them. Adorning everything from t-shirts to upholstered furniture. If the bags from Versace Spring 2012 are any indication, Donatella Versace may have spied on my childhood vacations quite frequently. For a brand so inextricably linked to Miami, these designs make a certain amount of sense.
The starfish and seashells gave way to an endless array of studded, quilted satchels and crossbodies that reminded me a little bit of Marc Jacobs circa 2008, but considering the bags that Versace has made in that same period of time, these designs feel like an improvement. If nothing else, they look very Versace, which is something that the brand’s established customer base will probably enjoy quite a bit.
Images via Vogue.com
As I flipped through the images of Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2012, one song played in my head: “Be Italian,” from that movie Nine that no one saw last year. The film may not have been a masterpiece, but the spirit of its most famous musical number couldn’t have been any more dead-on for Dolce’s spring collection. From bracelets decked in miniature red peppers to handbag straps dangling with faux dried pasta, I’m suddenly jonesing for a big plate of fettucini bolognese.
For a side dish, I wouldn’t mind one of Dolce’s ladylike straw (…is that wicker?) top handles, preferably in baby blue. Raffia and materials like it are set to be a big trend for spring and there’s nothing we can do to stop it, so we might as well embrace the designs that do it best. Perhaps because the brand has used woven materials in many of its bags for a number of seasons, Dolce & Gabbana’s straw options are better than most, with or without the added pieces of penne.
Images via Vogue.com
Bottega Veneta never disappoints. I realize that’s something of a strong statement, but I honestly can’t remember a time when I’ve looked through the handbag images from a Bottega show and thought, “Eh, these are ok.” The bags are always utterly luxurious and usually quite functional on top of it. Tomas Maier knows where his brand’s strengths lie, and as a result, the bag lovers in his customer base always get something utterly lustworthy for their patronage.
Despite a design or two that doesn’t quite pass muster (riveting just make ostrich skin look strangely mottled on a few of these bags), Bottega Veneta Spring 2012 stands out as a very strong handbag collection in a season that’s seen a few stinkers from brands that are usually reliable. Ladies, Bottega is still the Bottega you all know and love.
Images via Vogue.com
Will the hobo be making a comeback for spring? If Gucci has anything to say about it, the answer is “yes.” Ladylike satchels and small crossbody bags have been the currency of the accessories industry for the past several seasons, so much so that Gucci Spring 2012‘s stable of chain-strapped hobos was more than a little surprising to see.
In a move that was more in keeping with current trends, most of the hobos were done in an exotic of some sort, but they were all the same familiar, triangular shape that all of us probably have somewhere in our closets from a few years back. I would have liked to see a larger variety and more of the compact exotic clutches that graced a few model’s hands, but as it is, the collection makes me wonder if we’re going to see a shape-shift in the handbag market anytime soon.
Images via Vogue.com
Forgive me for a moment while I indulge in a bit of Internet vernacular: I am disappoint, PurseBloggers. For the past few seasons, I’ve thought that Fendi was on something of a roll when it came to runway bags; Spring 2011 was of particular note, and I had high hopes for what Fendi Spring 2012 handbags would look like. Well. Let’s just say that those hopes were summarily dashed by what happened at the actual show.
I’m not here to critique the ready-to-wear, but I think it’s relevant to say that the entire thing made me think that Fendi really, really wants to be Prada when it grows up. Karl Lagerfeld made a lot of overtures to the wearable, intellectual, modernist quirk that has become Miuccia’s signature, but the final products felt like the designs were reaching for something they didn’t quite accomplish. That’s doubly true for the multicolored studded bags and all the totes that look like they’re birthing suede hobos. Maybe these bags are just so different that I need to give them a chance to grow on me, but right now, I simply don’t get it, with the exception of the couple clutches with the extra-short fur trim. Those can stay. Cathy Horyn disagrees with me, though, so I’m probably wrong.
Images via Vogue.com
Forgive me for a moment while I indulge in a bit of Internet vernacular: I am disappoint, PurseBloggers. For the past few seasons, I’ve thought that Fendi was on something of a roll when it came to runway bags; Spring 2011 was of particular note, and I had high hopes for what Fendi Spring 2012 handbags would look like. Well. Let’s just say that those hopes were summarily dashed by what happened at the actual show.
I’m not here to critique the ready-to-wear, but I think it’s relevant to say that the entire thing made me think that Fendi really, really wants to be Prada when it grows up. Karl Lagerfeld made a lot of overtures to the wearable, intellectual, modernist quirk that has become Miuccia’s signature, but the final products felt like the designs were reaching for something they didn’t quite accomplish. That’s doubly true for the multicolored studded bags and all the totes that look like they’re birthing suede hobos. Maybe these bags are just so different that I need to give them a chance to grow on me, but right now, I simply don’t get it, with the exception of the couple clutches with the extra-short fur trim. Those can stay. Cathy Horyn disagrees with me, though, so I’m probably wrong.
Images via Vogue.com
I have a few favorite days of the year: Christmas, Halloween, the first day of college football and New Prada Day. Luckily, New Prada Day comes twice a year (or four times, if you count Resort and Pre-Fall, which I do if I’m feeling desperate), and one of those days was yesterday! Naturally, Miuccia didn’t disappoint – Prada Spring 2012 was playful, feminine and incredibly smart.
Prada’s bags tend to ground her more fanciful and esoteric collections, and although this was an relatively accessible line that didn’t need as much grounding as past seasons, the bags were still classic Miuccia. Glossy, structured satchels on a ladylike scale were given counterpart in crocodile clutches with elaborate midcentury hardware reminiscent of chrome automotive fixture from the era. If you’d rather go the extremely literal route, there are also a couple of clutches with leather cars stitched onto them. Check out the full gallery after the jump.
Images via Vogue.com
While we wait for the Milan shows to start in earnest, now seems as good a time as any to post the small but very beautiful collection of bags that graced the runway for Marchesa Spring 2012. I know that bags are an afterthought for the gown-heavy line, but they’re always so beautiful and special that I really wish Marchesa would do more. Like, lots more. One for every dress? Is that too much to ask?
It probably is, so we’ll have to deal with the four that the show gave us for the time being. For me, the clear winner is the lunar-beaded blue-grey option at top, which is so pretty that I’d like to sit it on my desk and gaze at it longingly while I blog. Maybe I’ll print out the picture, tape it to my wall and do the same thing. Check out the rest of the bags after the jump.
Images via Vogue.com
We didn’t talk much about the maiden voyage of the Theyskens’ Theory handbag line, mostly because there was so much buzz and discussion around the clothes themselves that the shoes and accessories got a bit lost in the grand shuffle. Now that we’re on to the second season of the brilliant Olivier Theyskens’ residence at Theory, we can get down to the nitty gritty. Namely, Theyskens’ Theory Spring 2012 handbags.
As Chioma Nnadi said in her Vogue.com review of the ready-to-wear collection, Theyskens has done well to zone in on the street uniform of his new home of New York City and make that the basis of his collection. That also holds true for the line’s handbags; the smallish, structured crossbodies are a mainstay of cool New York girls, and mixing in a few shoulder totes and backpacks gives the collection just enough variety. The price points for Theyskens’ Theory are good, so if you see something you like, you should definitely add it to your mental list for spring.
Images via Vogue.com
Burberry and I have an odd relationship. I find myself lusting after the brand’s ready-to-wear and outerwear every season without fail, and often its boots as well, but my feelings about the British brand’s bags are often a tad…fraught. I can honestly say, though, that there’s not a single bag from Burberry Spring 2012 that I wouldn’t carry.
Perhaps the biggest surprise from the collection was how little leather it included. In fact, only a few of the woven clutches were entirely leather and a couple of the larger totes were suede and croc (be it real or faux, I’m not sure), but the overwhelming majoring were woven raffia with croc trim. That’s something of a departure for the brand, and the resulting totes and clutches felt on-trend (expect to see lots of raffia for spring) and modern. Particularly the fun little clutches, which may have a rather small retail audience but which I’d be delighted to carry to any summer party.
YOU GUYS, Oscar de la Renta is THE man. He may be one of many men, but he is also THE man. Vlad and I had the pleasure of attending his Spring 2012 runway show last week starting with behind the scenes access. Oscar does not merely put on a show, he puts on a production that is meticulously planned with each and every detail overseen by Oscar himself.
The Spring 2012 show sent another stunning collection down the runway in front of every major editor and a star-studded crowd, including Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, Ashley Olsen, Valentino, Barbara Walters, and more. As with every Oscar show, when the lights popped on and the music began (Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, I kid you not) we were transported to a completely different world. Amazing full skirts, embroidered gowns and the most covetable accessories I have ever seen Oscar de la Renta create sashayed down the runway.
This collection needs no words, it simply needs your eyes to look over our exclusive images that Vlad photographed to show you the beauty that we saw. Because sometimes, words can not describe utter fashion genius properly.
Images via Vogue.com
As we already discussed in our general review of Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2012, DVF was all about lightness for spring, much more so than usual, and that choice certainly carried over into the season’s handbags. There are a lot of whites, ivories, lilacs and dove greys to be found among these leather goods, with an occasional shot of emerald or cobalt to make sure that everyone stays awake.
Not that it would be a problem without the brights, of course. Von Furstenberg’s company has shown great growth in its handbag designs, and although I’d chuck the folded, hand-slotted clutches out of this collection entirely, everything else makes beautiful sense, both in the context of the clothes and the season itself. Pay special attention to one of the newcomers: a ladylike, structured shoulder bag with an elongated top flap. I can’t wait to see the full range of colors it will be available in at retail.
Images via Vogue.com
Although Mulberry has brokered its handbag popularity into extraordinary success above and beyond the world of leather goods, the British brand always remembers on which side its bread is buttered: accessories. Mulberry never fails to include lots of handbag goodies in its runway shows for those of us who are more interested in what the models are carrying than what they’re wearing, and Mulberry Spring 2012 included bags of nearly every type imaginably.
There were quirky-girly evening bags with sparkly peace sings (the brand has been very successful with the hippie chic look, so I don’t blame them for running with it), the larger leather classics that we know and love in yellow patent that managed to be simultaneously soft and bright, and a couple of new takes on Mulberry’s most successful shape, the crossbody satchel. My favorite looks were the ones that mixed textures and exotics, but if you prefer your bags neutral, the collection included a surprising amount of tan and beige leather. A full gallery, after the jump.
Images via Vogue.com
If I’m being honest, the bags from New York Fashion Week were a little…mediocre. We still have several collections to show you that I liked, but I didn’t find much that made me feel all fluttery in the handbag part of my brain. That’s not necessarily uncommon; the fluttery feelings mostly happen at foreign fashion weeks, because let’s face it, the Europeans really know how to do luxury leather goods. Usually, though, I get a little bit more excited than I did last week.
Easily the brightest spot so far, at least when we’re talking about bags I’d actually like to buy and carry for myself, is Derek Lam’s Spring 2012 handbag collection. Lam isn’t known for his leather goods any more than for his clothes or shoes, but this group of bags really stood out to be as modern, interesting and different than the rest of what we’ve seen from American designers this week. Kudos to Mr. Lam, because these designs have been a welcome palate cleanser.
Images via Vogue.com
Marc Jacobs moved his show from its customary spot in the middle of New York Fashion Week to the very end because of the work days lost thanks to Hurricane Irene, which just made the presentation, always among the most highly anticipated of New York Fashion Week, all the more a special occasion. For some reason, though, the bags in particular left me feeling cold. Maybe it was the fact that Thursday marked my 12th day in a row of 16- to 18-hour workdays, or that the dizzying pace of fashion week means that nothing that comes at the end ever seems as great as it should, or maybe it’s just that some of Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2012 handbags look a lot like a Coach bag I had in 2004. Maybe it’s all of the above?
Even while watching the blurry livestream of the show late on Thursday, I mentioned to Megs that the bucket bags in particular reminded me of Coach, and she agreed. And that’s fine; those bags are actually pretty cute in their technicolor calf hair combinations. The problem, of course, is that based on Moda Operandi’s pre-order pricing, these bags will cost in excess of $2900. That’s not great when you consider that they remind me so strongly of a design that cost less than $500, but there are still a few cute bags in the group. Judge for yourself, after the jump.
A Central Saint Martins contemporary of David Koma and Peter Turner, Emilia Wickstead likes to focus on her customer and keep her shows intimate and formal, like an old-fashioned atelier presentation rather than a spotlight-grabbing front row.
Emilia Wickstead's SS12 collection writes a poetic rendition of a begone era.
However, her show this afternoon pulled the cream of fashion writers into the Connaught to see an appropriately ice cream-coloured confection of day dresses, baby dolls, teeny weeny rompers and silky shirt dresses that catered to both her va va voom customer and to the more demure, grown-up, Duchess of Cambridge types.
The collection renders a romantic palette of dusky rose, warm cream and golden yellow shades.
Born in New Zealand, Emilia has mastered quintessentially English sex appeal, with languid plissé silk dresses featuring sweet prints of Parisian landmarks, and stiff pleated raffia fabric concertina-ing around the thigh. Somehow it avoided being overtly girly, despite the pale palette and feminine shapes – and a dash of Manolo colour at on the foot of each lithe leg proved that the Emilia Wickstead woman is not as passive as she may first appear.
'Colour Me Beautiful' collection by Emilia Wickstead
A journey by car, from London to Beijing, set the base for the Basso & Brooke Spring / Summer 2012 collection. ‘Driving for weeks in the relentless Siberian twilight, admits its bleak and brutal landscape, the formal foundations for this collection’s prints were laid.’
Basso & Brooke Spring / Summer 2012, styled by Namalee Bolle. All images: Manuel Bischof
The pioneers of digital print managed once more to allure us with their luscious colour palette on flowing sheer silk. The bright and organic leaves and plant prints on knee- and ankle-length dresses contrasted to the earthy off-colours shown in geometric forms. Like a colourful breath of nothing the dresses lapped around the model’s moving bodies, and even combined with a sleeveless blazer couldn’t be any more feminine.
Spacial play: flat graphic prints transformed into deft drapes.
All jewellery was bright and big and consisted of ring elements one inside another, exclusively created by Borba. Held in white and light grey shades, the Make-Up by Mel Arter stayed discreetly, whereas the hair by Kenna (GHD) made a statement through a messy beach style. With the high-end technique of the cuts and prints together with the soundtrack by L Flajore, Basso & Brooke led us to distant places and produced some highly itchy feet.
Hard, angular lines, sharp contrasts and strong structures.
Images via Vogue.com
Proenza Schouler’s runway bags have always been a horse of a different color. While designs like the PS1 and PS11 are act as aesthetic pillar’s of the brand’s identity no matter the season, the bags that show up on Proenza’s runway are meant to be accents to a particular collection’s visual mood. They often have limited functional or retail potential, but they tell you a lot about where Jack and Lazaro’s heads were when creating the entire collection.
That was all true for Proenza Schouler Spring 2012 Handbags, but to a lesser extent, which I don’t think is just a happy accident. Bringing seasonal runway accessories a bit more in line with consumer expectations will a long way toward continuing the booming growth that Proenza has experienced, and the collection’s cute structured canteen bags and boxy satchels could go a long way toward bringing the runway ideal and the retail reality into harmony. As with every Proenza Schouler collection, there’s a lot to be excited about here.
Images via Vogue.com
It’s been a joy to watch Victoria Beckham’s transformation into a credible fashion maven, and even more so to see her take such a keen interset in accessories. After all, what celebrity would make a better accessories designer than the woman with one of the most impressive Birkin collections in the world? Intimate and functional familiarity with the minutiae of Hermes certainly makes Beckham a more qualified candidate than most of the stars who would like it be in her (very tall) shoes.
As with Beckham’s previous accessories outings, her color story was limited; neutrals were punctuated here and there with shots of brilliant orange, and those pieces were the clear standouts of the group. The shapes were a mix between previous hits and new ideas, but they were all somewhat traditional handbag ideas executed in luxurious ways. I’ll take the bright, citrusy tote, please.
This morning I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Ralph Lauren Spring 2012 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York and I still have chills. If there were a way I could have stayed in the world that Ralph Lauren has created for spring, I would do it in a heartbeat. The word amazing does not do the collection justice; it was nothing short of magical.
Many people expect polo shirts and preppiness when we think of Ralph Lauren, but there is a completely different side to this mastermind. I, for one, not only fell in love with his clothing collection today but also his accessories. Yesterday I was able to view the accessories collection before it hit the runway, which gave me a good idea of what was to come.
Picture a crisp romantic setting, with warm lights flanking either side of the runway and a big dose of the 20′s and you just might feel what the setting was today. The clothing and accessories were the epitome of elegance and femininity. We saw feathers galore, toned-down pastel hues and beading everywhere.
The collection told us a story and it was a story that I deeply desire to plunge into head first and never leave. So thank you, Ralph Lauren, for closing my first full Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York on the highest note possible. [images via WWD]
Images via Vogue.com
You guys, this is clearly not Michael Kors’ first time at the rodeo, even if it was his first time on safari. Kors used a recent trip to a luxurious South African resort in the middle of a nature reserve to power the Michael Kors Spring 2012 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, and if you’re having a hard time seeing the theme in these photos, then you might want to get your eyes checked. From the prints to the proportions to the accessories, Kors’ clothes were steadfastly “Afriluxe,” as he called it in his show notes.
The tie-dye prints were the easy standout of the collection, and they were wearable and casual in a way that’s rarely elevated to luxuriousness on the runway. Kors pulled it off, though, and things got even better when those pieces were accented with tonal python. The best look? A full tan-orange python trench coat, which I dare you not to stare at for at least a solid 30 seconds.
Images via Vogue.com
If there’s one thing you don’t expect from Marc Jacobs, it’s minimalism. Whether it’s his signature collection or the more accessibly priced and younger-skewing Marc by Marc Jacobs line, Jacobs is known for his sense of detailed downtown quirk. It’s made him one of the most successful people in all of the fashion industry, and although his lines from season to season may differ widely, he almost never varies from that defining aesthetic.
Except that with Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2012, he totally does. The show was altogether leaner and more athletic than what we’ve come to expect from Jacobs’ diffusion line, particularly when it came to handbags. The cubed leather wristlets and bicolor handled clutches set a very specific tone for the accessories, and I can’t help but be excited to see how that sleek look will translate to the rest of the line come spring. A gallery of the bags, after the jump.
The gods and goddesses of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York were looking over me yesterday as I managed to bolt from the amazing Oscar de la Renta show (more to come this week) and make it in time to pop backstage at Tibi for a behind the scenes look before the show began. The majority of people never go to a fashion show, let alone get to see what goes on backstage, so let me set the mood for you with two words: crazy hectic.
This was my first season being backstage at multiple shows, and at first I felt like I was in the way. Then I learned that everyone backstage is used to functioning in an organized chaos, and adding one person with a camera phone is no big deal. I made my way through the area to find models in their first looks and was able to see finishing touches for hair and makeup.
From the hair and makeup to the clothing, simplicity was the overall theme. Hair was pulled back into low ponytails and tucked under, with wisps taken out to give a more free-flowing look. The makeup was intended to look everyday wearable, with brighter shadow and a classic, simple lip.
I headed out to my seat only to realize that I literally bumped into Sophia Bush. Y’all, I am obsessed with her. Sophia is my girl crush and has been for years of my unending love affair with One Tree Hill. Sophia is just as gorgeous in person as she looks on TV and super sweet. I managed to say hello and act as if my entire fashion week was not just made by having the pleasure of her brief acquaintance. I bring this up for two reasons: first, a decent amount of celebrities attended the show and I’ve included a photo I snapped of Olivia Palermo, Sophia Bush, and Emma Roberts front row; second, as you can see in my final walk video, I then focused on the front row for an almost awkward amount of time until the designer popped out for her wave. I’m sorry, she is my girl crush, I couldn’t help myself.
Now for the show itself: The entire Tibi Spring 2012 collection can be described as wearable. Solid colors gave way to a more grown up Tibi girl with palazzo pants, flowing tops, bermuda shorts and chic jackets. A great sense of ease and refinement took over the runway; it was easy to get lost in the collection. So many pieces could easily become wardrobe staples because of their ability to easily be spruced up or dressed down. While there were colors used, most were a bit subdued but not in a boring way at all. I had many visions of a refined lady looking both self-assured and incredibly timeless sporting this collection. By the end, I found myself yearning for more and looking forward to adding many pieces to my spring wardrobe.
