Gucci Gucci Goo

I've been interested in getting a Gucci bag for a while, and knew that I wanted to get a monogram pattern, but I was never able to find the right shape. The bags were either too big, or too small, or too covered in hardware. Or fringe. Apparently I'm the Goldie Locks of Gucci handbags.

Then I recently stumbled across the Medium Full Moon Hobo Bag at Saks, and I think I may have found a winner!

Great shape, good size, simple, and under a grand.

$795 at Saks. Thoughts?

eBay to ePay

I spent several hours last night searching through eBay to find a great bag deal, but as I was scrolling through pages of Guccis, Pradas, and Louis Vuittons listed for $300, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all too good to be true. As in - these bags were fakes, and not authentic designer items.

Well, it looks like that may be a thing of the past on eBay. The company just lost a law suit against LVMH (the luxury conglomerate behind LV, Marc Jacobs, etc.) for selling fakes online, and now has to pay upwards of $60 mil in damages.

See below for an excerpt of the article, and click here to read the entire thing.

PARIS – A French court on Monday ordered eBay Inc. to pay Louis Vuitton and other luxury-goods brands 40 million euros ($63.1 million) in damages for fake goods sold through the online retailer, a ruling that is likely to force eBay to take greater steps against detecting and blocking counterfeits.

A Paris commercial court judge sidedwith LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and sister company Christian Dior SA, which had accused eBay of not taking the necessary steps to ensure that the accessories sold on its Web site were not counterfeit.

On The Street

Have you heard of Bill Cunningham? If you haven't, I've sure got a treat for you.

He's a fashion writer for the New York Times and is responsible for my favorite NYT feature, On the Street.

Each week, he wanders the streets of Manhattan and finds an of-the-moment item or trend to discuss in his self-narrated audio slide show. He certainly doesn't discriminate when it comes to fashion - past topics have ranged from vests, to crazy shoes, to hats, to last week's look at men who wear pants below their asses (that last one I will never understand. Don't they know where their wastes are?)

I love Bill Cunningham's features because he truly loves everything that is somewhat out of the ordinary and original. Everything, in his POV, is "mah-velous". I could listen to him forever.

This weekend his slide show covers the large, colorful bags that are everywhere in NYC this summer. He discusses bags from Louis Vutton (specifically, the bags designed by Richard Prince),











the Gucci Indy bag that was popularized in part by Eva Longoria and continues to have legs after being popular for over a year,













and
a hardware-laden Balenciaga bag.








Perhaps redefining the words "oversized handbag" is this fabric Yamamoto. If you ever have to start carting around dead bodies, this is probably your best bet.

For more of Bill Cunningham and his "mahvelous, just fabulous!" audio slide show, click here.

Elephantitis

Did you think these Judith Leiber bags were bad? I used to be one of you.

Until, of course, I came across the Ganesh Collectors Clutch. The pineapple, cupcake, and terrier are child's play in comparison. Because this clutch, ladies and gentlemen, is an ELEPHANT.

Now, don't get me wrong. The clutch is actually kinda beautiful. For, like, a statue or something. But as a HANDBAG? Um...no.

$5,595 at Neiman Marcus.

no bag, just rant

dear readers,

do you know what i will never understand? teens, tweens, teenyboppers, or by whatever name they're now known, carrying $1K, $2K, $3K more bags.

only two scenarios can come of this

#1) their parental units will continue to fund their lavish lifestyle, in which case they will never understand the value of a dollar

#2) their parental units will understand the importance of responsibility and of growing up, in which case they will be slapped in the face with the cold, hard, and ugly (oooooh so ugly) hand of reality

if trix are for kids, valentino is for adults.
what joy comes of having your first handbag bought for you? for me, at least, handbags are the ultimate luxury and symbol of self-acknowledgement for the sweat and tears (thankfully not blood!) i've put in to getting where i am today.

some of you will be inclined to disagree, and i invite you to share your point of view with this
-->bitch<--.

Best Bags for a Beach Wedding

I just got back from dinner with my cousin and his new fiance. The wedding it set for November and will take place on a boat off the coast of Key West and on the beach. This of course got me thinking: what is the appropriate bag for a beach wedding?

Because it is a somewhat formal occasion that will happen at night, the best bet in terms of style is certainly a clutch. But clutches come in all shapes, sizes, and colors - so I, of course, have taken the liberty of selecting those that I think will best suit the occasion.

COLOR

A bright colorful clutch is a great way to add a bit of pizazz to an otherwise less than exciting sundress or cocktail dress that errs on the side of casual. A few of my favorites appear below:

This beautiful aqua color would be perfect for a seaside wedding, and the built in handles provide flexibility in how you carry it
Carlos Falchi Croc Clutch
$2,550 at Neiman Marcus

A white sun dress would look perfect next to this gorgeous croc raspberry clutch
Nancy Gonzales Flap Croc Clutch
$1,400 at Neiman Marcus (also available in blue and lime green)

Ditto on the aqua color; linen is the perfect material for a warm weather wedding, and has the added bonus of keeping the price extremely reasonable.
Lauren Merkin Louise Glittered Linen Clutch
$180 at Neiman Marcus (also available in off-white and pink)

Another more reasonably priced option, this pink leather clutch can be used first for a beach wedding, and then many, many times over for a night on the town. Have a colorful dress? Then go with the black leather option.
Kooba Penelope Clutch
$295 at Neiman Marcus

STRAW

Think color may not work for you? Another option is to go with a straw clutch, which is a perfect choice for a more casual beach wedding. Find one that integrates color and you'll have a great companion.

This Adrienne clutch captures the animal print trend and combines it with bamboo straw. Pair it with a black, white, or colored frock.
Adrienne Vittadini Straw Animal Clutch
$148 at Bloomingdales

These Tory Burch clutches come in a variety of colors, five of which are shown above. They're a wee bit on the pricey side, but a perfect option for a beach wedding.
Tory Burch Rattan Clutch
$275 at Bloomingdales

Yet Another Bag from Zagliani

You've probably gathered by now that I'm a big fan of Zagliani and their puffy, exotic, silicone-injected leather.

Well ladiez and gentz, today is not different. I recently came across the Shiny Croco puffy bag, and it is a beauty. It's the same shape as a Zagliani bag that I already posted, but this time it's made of shiny! croc! skin!, rather than python.

Another major difference between this bag and the python version: the price. The croc version is kind of insanely expensive, as in, buy a car or make a down payment on a house or take a 5-star cruise through the Mediterranean expensive.

Yeah folks, this black beauty is gonna cost you a whopping 14.5 Gs. Makes my current object of lust seem downright cheap in comparison, no?

Available at Saks.

I Need Your Help!

I really really really really want this bag. It is so amazingly beautiful. I already established that I like the shape when I talked about the bronze version from Mulberry. The color, also, is to die for. I can just envision wearing it around with a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Since this describes approximately 1/2 of my wardrobe, you can bet I'd get a lot of use out of it.

It's also made out of ostrich leather. I don't own anything made out of ostrich, but it's a leather I've always loved, if from afar - mostly because of the great texture it adds.

An added bonus: the bag is on sale! And I love buying things on sale!

So then, what's the problem? The price, of course! This bag clocks in as just over 2 grand (normally costs around 3K!), which is more than I've ever spent on anything that I own - by a HUGE margin, no less - including rent and vacations and other bags.

Since the bag is on sale, you can bet it won't be around for long. The logical part of my brain is thinking I'm crazy for even considering buying this bag, but the impulsive, bag-obsessed part is lusting after this coral beauty oh-so-much.

Sigh...what's a gal to do?

A Fun and Creative Time Waster

Are you working too hard? Does the left side of your brain need a break?

Then hop right over to Elemental Threads and get started on designing your own totes, pouches, and clutches.

It's easy as pie. Step 1: Select a shape. Step 2: Choose the fabric / pattern from over 50 options. Step 3: Select a zipper color and nylon lining.

And then you're done!

See below for some of my creations (click on image to enlarge).

Want to share your design? Send it over to bagsforb.tches@gmail.com

Label Whore

Dear Marc Jacobs,

Please stop insulting my intelligence. Unless of course you want me to tattoo "ego-maniacal fashion designer" on your forehead. In which case, label away.

Best Regards,
Handbag Blogger (at least that's what my t-shirt says)

$128 at Saks.