Designer Bags - Critiques | Handbag Blog

11 Sep

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The Crazy Rich Paints on Birkins?

Yes, you heard that right. Celebrities like American Business Women Kim Kardashian to Famous Filipino actress Heart Evangelista paint on Hermes's Birkin purses that can range from $12k to $300k or more based on materials and the resale value. Take for example, the most expensive handbag is Hermes Birkin Ginza Tanaka Bag starting at $1.9 million. So, the question is why and what for? Let's start off with the trendsetter, Kim Kardashian. While Ms. Kardashian has an expensive and an expansive purse collection, her husband Kayne West gifted her a Birkin in 2013. The Birkin was painted by George Condo, a contemporary artist who only needed 15 minutes to paint...

Prada Ups Their Game with the Inside Bag

14 Sep

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Prada Ups Their Game with the Inside Bag

Bloggers and fashion writers everywhere are all praising the merits of Prada's latest offering, the Inside Bag. This praise comes none too soon; Prada's handbag line had been suffering from some pretty lacklustre sales figures for the past several seasons, so the buzz that their latest design has generated comes just in the nick of time. One of the first “sightings” of Prada's new bag happened just this week, when actress Kate Bosworth was spotted carrying the light beige version of the bag when she arrived in New York for Fashion Week. It's easy to see why the bag is quickly becoming a popular choice with...

What Were They Thinking!? Three Handbag Trends That We Don't Miss

28 May

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What Were They Thinking!? Three Handbag Trends That We Don't Miss

Sure, fashion is fickle. One minute we are all preaching the merits of the cross-body handbag, while ten minutes later; it seems that all along, it was the tiny clutch that is the real fashionista's handbag of choice. While the changing tides of fashion may never be tamed (nor should they), there is still the odd moment where you look back and wonder just what we were all thinking. Here are three of our least favorite handbag trends of all time, in no particular order. What do you think? Would you still go there? Clear While this may not be an everyday handbag choice, most of us can't...

The Bag Critic: Louis Vuitton’s Whimsical Resort 2015 Collection

02 Jan

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The Bag Critic: Louis Vuitton’s Whimsical Resort 2015 Collection

The ever-changing nature of fashion ensures that there is always something new on the horizon; a fresh crop of sartorial goodies to look forward to every season. That’s particularly good news at this time of year. Cold, dark, gloomy winter weather conditions can sometimes get the better of our sensibilities, so having a colourful, whimsical little treat to add to the wardrobe can be just the thing to alleviate the mood. Things certainly don’t get any more whimsical than Nicholas GhesquiÃ©re’s resort 2015 collection for Louis Vuitton. Inspired at least in part by a visit to the Royal Palace in Monaco (where the final show was later staged), the...

The Two Most Practical Unconventional Handbags of 2014

23 Dec

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The Two Most Practical Unconventional Handbags of 2014

If there was ever a time to really turn-up the bling and make use of your glitziest occasional bags, the holiday season is that time. Whether you're a sequin girl or prefer something in the way of embroidery and crystals, 2014 was a year that upped the ante when it came to embellishment. However, just because something is sequinned, coated in crystals, or otherwise adorned, doesn't mean that it is instantly relegated to the “once in a while” section of your handbag wardrobe. In fact, many of 2014's most high-wattage bags are actually also some of the year's most wearable. Here are two of our favorites. The Saint Laurent...

The Handbag Critic: Are Fur Bags Worth the Work of Maintenance?

17 Oct

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The Handbag Critic: Are Fur Bags Worth the Work of Maintenance?

Zebra stripes at Versace, black beaver at Vera Wang, and those Fendi Monster bags (complete with ubiquitous charms) are everywhere this fall, ushering in what seems to be another new era of “more is more” in the handbag world. But these specialty bags can be difficult to maintain. In an industry where what's hot and what's not can change with as little as the wind blowing through your fur, are these costly confections worth the maintenance that goes into them? Now you can decide for yourself with a few helpful tips on maintaining your fur bags and accessories. Chill Out According to the FICA (the Fur Information Council of...

Celebrities and the Louis Vuitton Capucines

10 Sep

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Celebrities and the Louis Vuitton Capucines

One of the best barometers of how a handbag is going to perform for a brand is the celebrity market. Brands are always clambering over each other in order to outfit the hottest celebrities with their latest model of handbag for high profile events, and for good reason; the exposure that a bag will get on the red carpet will often set off a social media storm that is worth its weight in marketing gold. However, there are times when the presence of a bag on a celebrity's arm speaks louder than any red carpet event ever could. One such event is Paris fashion week. One of the most...

05 Sep

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The Plausibility of Fur Handbags

With the arrival of Fall, the trends we saw all over the runways months ago are just beginning to become available in the ready to wear retail environment. Among these Fall trends was a surge in the amount of fur being used in handbag designs; designers like Diane Von Furstenburg, Jason Wu, and even mass market retailer J. Crew are getting in on the trend. However, anyone who has a memory for handbag trends from the not-so-distant past will likely remember that we have been down this road before. For the past few seasons the fashion industry has declared fur to be the trend in fall and winter handbags...

Second Time Around: Designer Handbag Deals

18 Mar

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Second Time Around: Designer Handbag Deals

For many of us, curating a collection of designer handbags is simply not an affordable hobby. With prices soaring as high as the tens of thousands for certain designs, owning even one of these handbags seems like an impossibility for a lot of us, let alone owning them in numbers. But handbag aficionados should take note; more and more, opportunities to purchase these collectable bags secondhand are becoming an affordable reality. Vintage and consignment of secondhand luxury handbags are becoming a huge market, and for good reason. For some premiere brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermes, a bag in good condition can sell for as much as 75% of...

The Handbag Critic: Are Designer Bags Always So Heavy?

03 Jan

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The Handbag Critic: Are Designer Bags Always So Heavy?

Not so long ago, the era of “it” bags meant that women everywhere made a conscious decision to suffer for the sake of their designer handbags. The fashionable hardware, the oversized styling with thick, supple leather; all of these things, while undoubtedly hallmarks of high-end luxury handbags, also have a downside. Okay, let’s be brutally honest here; they can weigh an absolute ton. While the fashion barometer may be telling us that the era of “it” bags is being ushered out, our penchant for oversized, potentially-overweight bags still weighs heavily (pun intended, sorry) on our most-wanted lists. For example, once of the most popular bags the design house of...