Handbagista

Here is a great article about Designer Handbags and what they infer about those of us who use, collect and enjoy them. Certainly bought a chuckle or two for me when reading it - as well as an embarrased cough or two when recognizing a description a bit close to the truth!

Source: www.independent.ie  

“Tomorrow, get ready for queues outside your local Brown Thomas. Long queues. And perhaps even some jostling. The queues will be made up of women from all over Ireland, and possibly further afield, all hoping to acquire the latest designer It bag. But this is a particularly unusual one: it boasts a price tag of just €12 and is made from canvas accessorised with rope handles.

These It bags have officially sold out in the United States and due to unprecedented demand for them in south-east Asia and concerns for customer safety, planned launches were cancelled in Beijing, Shanghai and Jakarta.

The bag is, of course, designer Anya Hindmarch’s ‘green’ bag and has become a bit of a phenomenon. Made of canvas, with the slogan “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” printed on it, Hindmarch designed the item to raise awareness of the damaging effects of plastic bags and to make carrying a non-plastic shopper more fashionable.

The bag has been seen on the arm of everyone from actresses Keira Knightley and Reese Witherspoon to singer Lily Allen and supermodel Lily Cole. It was also, tellingly, chosen for the Vanity Fair Oscar goody bags, which sparked even more demand.

There are only 1,900 of them allocated for the entire country (distributed between Brown Thomas branches in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick) and if previous launches are anything to go by, they will be gone within minutes.

When a limited edition designer bag like this comes on the market, women can turn from mild-mannered ladies into a blood-thirsty mob. Handbag-lust can make a woman queue in the rain to buy a canvas hold-all that does the same job as any other equally useful canvas hold-all.

So just what is it about certain handbags that sparks such strong passions? And what does the kind of handbag you carry say about the type of person you are?

Aisling Corcoran runs the website www.thehandbagexchange.ie. “I’m a handbag lover and there are so many I’d love to have,” she says. “There are huge numbers of people out there with designer handbags in their wardrobes that never get used. They might have been impulse buys, ones in weird colours. I’m trying to get all those bags out there and sell them to people who aren’t bothered about season and are delighted with labels, styles and colours.,Corcoran sells everything from the high-end Chanel and Dior through the mid-price ranges of Lulu Guinness and Prada, to cult labels such as Irish designer Orla Kiely.

She started the business as a means of getting back into the workplace when her young daughters started school. “I’ve two girls, and the youngest started school in September. I was looking for something that wouldn’t take me away from the home. A web-based business was fantastic, but trying to find a niche was hard.

“A huge number of web businesses are run at home by enterprising mothers. The name ‘The Handbag Exchange’ came to me first and it all made sense.

“A lot of the handbags I get sent still have their tags on.,The website works as an exchange, with sellers sending their unwanted handbags to Corcoran. She then sells them on for a commission and adds a personal touch — each and every bag is wrapped in pink tissue paper before being sent off to its new owner. Five per cent of every sale goes to Action Breast Cancer and a cheque is then sent to the seller.

It’s a system that seems to suit a lot of women, because a lot of them have large collections of handbags that rarely get used. “One woman sold a whole collection of her bags to buy just one new Chanel bag. It’s a way of getting designer bags without shelling out too much. There’s also the option that, if you’re looking for a particular bag, you can ask to be contacted when that comes in.,Lisa Fitzpatrick is a fashion consultant at www.fitzpatrickstyle.com and winner of VIP magazine’s Most Stylish Woman in Ireland award. Like a lot of women, she takes a democratic approach to her love of handbags. “I’m currently carrying around a €20 metallic bag from River Island that I haven’t changed in 10 days because it works so well with every colour.

“I think when it comes to handbags, size is the most important thing. For daywear, if it’s work, I need something that fits my laptop, hairbrush, perfume, make-up bag. If I’m going out with the kids, I just take one that pops over my shoulder, so I have my hands free for each child and the pram. When I’m going out I’ll usually bring a little Prada bag, which just pops over my shoulder. Then my hands are then free to shake someone’s hand and the other one is free for holding a drink.,Aisling Corcoran says that one of the reasons handbags make women so happy is that they render a woman’s size irrelevant. In our current climate where size zero is considered a standard, handbags can remove that tyranny. “A woman’s size is irrelevant with bags,” says Corcoran. “With fashion, size dictates if you can take on the latest styles and trends. But with bags, anyone can wear the latest trends.,Corcoran’s personal love affair with bags started in the best way, during a shopping trip to New York. “Two or three years ago I went to New York with my sisters-in-law. I was only starting to think about fashion again after having given birth to my children. Aesthetically the variations that were out there are amazing.,When asked why these inanimate pieces of leather bring us so much joy, she says: “The high-end ones, you hold them in your hand and the quality is simply amazing. Also, you can go out in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and if you put on a really nice bag you’re a designer girl!,A classy handbag says a lot about a woman, even if she is just dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Corcoran says a woman’s choice of handbag reveals as much about her age as it does her personality. “My personal thought is there is an evolving pattern. A girl under 20 has a tiny bag for her lipstick, phone and her €50 budget for a night out. The bag gets bigger because experience has told women that they might need this and that. And then if they become a mother it becomes a baby bag.

“I don’t think that, after children, women ever go back to having a really small bag. You’re so aware of how things can go pear-shaped.,While the size of your bag may be purely functional, the style of it definitely says something about your personality. “I think it’s a reflection of a woman’s fashion taste, but also the style they pick does reflect them and their personalities. The woman who has everything organised will have a smaller, more streamlined bag.

“On the other hand, you’ll never find a bohemian type with a patent leather, streamlined bag,” says Aisling. “They’ll always go for the soft leather. But that said, women chop and change their own personal style as they go through their life.,The “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” from Anya Hindmarch will go on sale exclusively at all Brown Thomas stores tomorrow. ”

Anything in there sound familar?

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written by Karen

I’ll be honest and say “It’s probably just me” but does anyone else, on hearing another bag labelled as the Stella Tote, ever get a fleeting mental image of Stella McCartney?

Anyhoo - the new Kooba Metallic Stella Tote is out and about, costing a very reasonable $595.

Now we all know that the basis of a tote is that it be able to “tote around” all our stuff every day, yet look relaxed and slimline even when packed to the very top.

Kooba’s new Metallic Stella Tote might just be able to pull this one off - although I do have a couple of reservations.

But the bag itself - what is it?

The bag, sized at 13″ x 11″ x 9″ is made from a metallic laminated leather, using a smooth grained leather for the trim and adding a touch of ‘age’ with aged brass hardware. The bottom of the bag is pintuck gathered to give a smooth and soft line (which I simply LOVE) while the inside is lined with a fine grade textile, two patch pockets and a zip pocket completing the interior storage - the pockets being trimmed with leather to give longevity through the abuse and use these pockets always receive!

On the outside of the Kooba Metallic Stella Tote are two flat pockets with magnetic, snap closures. The same magnetic closure is also used for the open top of the bag.

But I do have one problem with this bag, to be honest, and that’s the handles, straps, whatever you want to call them. A tote is a bag / handbag that should be able to be worn in a number of ways, giving it that ‘jack of all trades’ feeling. This tote has double rolled leather handles threaded through rings along the top with a maximum of a 6″ drop.

Now for forearm carrying - fine. Even for hand carrying - fine.

But there are a large number of girls to whom this is going to be difficult to impossible to wear on the shoulder. Not because they’ve differed the look or feel of this tote for this specific wearing position but because the position of the rings along the top of the bag that combine with the rolled leather to make the handles are, in my opinion, too close to the point at which the rolled leather rises for the handles - meaning people are going to get pinched when wearing this.

You can see the Kooba Metallic Stella Tote at eluxury so have a look and see what you think!

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written by Karen

Balenciaga is best known for starting the New Look fashion craze of tight suits and skirts, for the set-back collar that endowed its wearers with a swan-like, the sack dress, and the full-sized jacketwith dolman sleeves. The Spanish designer was always ahead of the fashion curve, outdoing even the most drastic runway designers with a flair for not only look good on a hanger, but what looked good on an actual breathing woman. Balenciaga bags are no different. Balenciaga Bags carry on the artist’s legacy of providing women with beauty.

It is said that Balenciaga was so valued and beloved by his customers that women would order multiples of each item they bought. That way, when their favorite sack dress was in the cleaners or otherwise inaccessible, they had a duplicate to wear. They appreciated so the designers ability to transform their otherwise average figures into something spectacular.

Such success did not come easy. Balenciaga was a tough perfectionist. He would never produce any garment or accessory until he was certain it had not one flaw. He devoted insatiable energy to ensuring that every item with his name on it fit perfectly into an outfit. Balenciaga was a genius of proportion and scale, balancing every piece of an outfit. Just take the pill-boxes and other outrageously large or small hats that he specialized in. There was no other way to complete the silhouettes of his dresses or suits.

Just take his Balenciaga bags, too. The Balenciaga Metallic Bags, for instance, are taking the runways and starlet scenes by storm in the twenty first century, just as his bags did decades ago. A Balenciaga Metallic Bag can balance out an otherwise staid outfit with instant glamour and outrageous color and sheen.

Fashion models, rock stars, and movie celebrities alike are flocking to the range of styles and colors of these Balenciaga bags. You can choose from silver, hot pink, silver, or emerald. Or pick from a small slouchy shape to a brazen and beefy shoulder bag. You’ll be in elite company, with the likes of Nicky Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, and Natalie Appleton all relying on Balenciaga bags to finish off their outfits.

Such color and pizzazz may seem odd coming from a designer known as a master of black. Balenciaga in his heyday was known for subtle blends of black and brown, earthen tones that he borrowed from his home country’s traditional dress. But Balenciaga bags are more simply an extension of his overall sense of balance. After all, Balenciaga also borrowed the frilly, embroidered look of traditional Spain, as well as the blinding whites and jeweled-endowed trimming.

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written by Karen

Cristobal Balenciaga was a titan of his time because he loved the women he designed for. Unlike some other designers, who oddly enough created clothing and accessories that pointed out a woman’s flaws, Balenciaga believed in accentuating a woman’s positives and disguising her flaws. It’s a concept practiced today by his namesake brand, especially when it comes to their Balenciaga handbags. Balenciaga handbags are potent fashion symbols that can draw out your inner beauty and light up your outer chutzpah.

Authentic Balenciaga handbags typically are highly customizable, so you can develop this balance between the inner and outer you to perfection. Many come with tassels galore, with extras in case you want to add more to the bag to personalize it. These tassels can either be metal, leather logo, or logo plate depending on your particular bag and your tastes.

To match any woman’s figure, Balenciaga handbags come in all sizes and shapes. Some of the more common types to look for are the City Arena, the Twegy, the Le Dix Wristlet, the Small Le Dix, the Large Messenger, the Overnite/Traveler, and the Medium Motorcycle. With this wealth of size of breadth in their collection, Balenciaga handbags are bound to please any women.

Out of their new spring lineup, one of the hottest Balenciaga handbags is the Tammi Lynn Bag. For this kind of fashion, however, expect to pay. Retail prices for the Tammi Lynn orbit in the $1200 to $1800 range, while you may be able to find steeper discounts on the Internet. Buyer beware, of course, when you court cheap prices on the Web. You may be in for a rude awakening if your Balenciaga handbags turn out to be knock offs.

One of the most common Balenciaga handbags you’ll find in stores and on the Internet, real and ripped off, is the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag. These bags are fabricated out of rich brown or black leather, which like a baseball mitt, only gets softer and smoother the older and more used it gets. The main pocket is closed with an industrial sized hearty zipper, which matches the gunmetal hardware adorning the bag’s outside. The bag features versatile cell phone and accessories pockets, a detachable mirror and shoulder strap, and a short handle with double-weaved leather.

With the Balenciaga Motorcycle bag, or any Balenciaga handbags, on your arm, you will carry forth full-knowing that your God-given beauty will shine forth, with a little help from Balenciaga.

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written by Julie

Emilio Pucci handbags, with their bright, cheerful prints that are identifiable anywhere, can undoubtedly be summed up in a single word: fun. Slightly psychedelic, very colorful Pucci bags are designed in a variety of materials, from canvas to leather to terry. Accordingly, Emilio Pucci handbags range in price from approximately $1,000 to a couple hundred dollars, depending on where you make your purchase. (Some Internet discount sellers make them available at up to 30% off of the original price.)

The Pucci handbag collection includes handle bags, tote bags, purses, and even beach bags. Carrying a Pucci evokes both a retro feel (who doesn’t think of the funky 1960s and ’70s upon glimpsing those colorful, swirling patterns?) ironically combined with a fierce sense of modernism. After all, Marchese Emilio Pucci did much to advance the modernism of women’s apparel and accessories.

Born into Italian aristocracy in 1914, Emilio Pucci di Barsento led a varied life, including being a fighter pilot in World War II and serving as a member of Italian parliament in his later years. Emilio’s prowess in the sport of skiing (he competed in the 1934 Olympics) indirectly led to his legendary impact on fashion. After winning a skiing scholarship to Reed College in Oregon, Emilio designed the ski team’s uniforms.

A photographer from the magazine Harper’s Bazaar snapped pictures of him skiing; when Harper’s editor in chief found out Emilio had designed the uniforms, she him to design a line of ski clothes. Lord & Taylors’s department store picked up the line, and soon after, Emilio established a boutique in Capri, Italy. In an interesting aside, Emilio Pucci thus became the first person in his aristocratic family to work in more than a thousand years. For this reason, to preserve the dignity of the family name, he signed his creations simply with “Emilio.”

Inspired by flags used during the Palio, an annual horserace held in Siena, Italy, Pucci paired bright colors with pastels and employed fine lines and geometric shapes. Pucci prints appear on nearly any type of apparel and accessory – bathing suits, luggage, scarves, shirts, Capri pants, and even underwear. And, of course, on handbags.

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written by Julie