BagBible

Image from Smythson

Isn’t it gorgeous? Don’t you just love the soft quilted look? Quilted bags are definitely nothing new but this hand-riveted quilt is something that we don’t see everyday.  The usual quilted bags tend to look rigid and stuffy but this Nancy bag looks just the opposite. You can see that the leather is so buttery and pliable, which makes the bag looks slouchy.

I also find the choice of minimal hardware very attractive, as it won’t detract the main show of the bag, which is the soft quilt.

The Nancy bag comes in different sizes and styles, but this one is one of my favorites for now and definitely going to be on my wish list.

From Smythson for $1,140

Image from Rebecca Minkoff Facebook fan page

If you are obsessed with bags like I do, you will look at bags in a whole different way.  You will start noticing even the smallest details.  Right now I’m in love with this Rebecca Minkoff Delight Satchel.  The shape is nothing revolutionary, but I love the details: From the two buckled straps that lay vertically around the bag, the way the pocket is stitched to the small tiny round hardware that she put near the tip of the buckled straps. Everything just fall beautifully into place.

Besides the details, I also pay attention to the functionality. This roomy bag (15.5″w x 12.5″h x 6.5″d) has 3 exterior zippered pockets and a detachable shoulder strap, which is good enough for me. I can’t find any picture of the inside of the bag but I’m pretty sure it should have a zippered pocket inside too (just like the Morning After Bag).  I’m hoping that she uses metal interior zippers instead of plastic ones, because plastic zippers makes the bag look cheap (yes, even if it’s only on the inside).  This plastic zipper thing might be one of my weird bag pet peeves.  I have passed on buying bags that I really like just because they have plastic zippers on the inside.

You can pre-order this bag from lunaboston for $495.  Currently, they only have the color black.  I would wait around for the other colors, as I’m sure they will be pretty.  I love the blue one in the picture.

I have always admired Bottega Veneta’s designs. Most of them are very classy, simple and chic.  When you combine all those with impeccable quality, you’ve got one state of the art bag.  However, I cannot help but chuckle when I see this Frayed Woven Veneta Hobo.  Maybe my taste is not “haute couture” enough, but this bag is just not my cup of tea.  Hey, if I’m spending over $2000 for a bag instead of my mortgage, I definitely want to look “un-frayed”. Don’t you feel like taking out your sweater shaver and shave all the frays? Oh wait, they already have that style seasons ago. Never mind!

If you think you can rock this style, you can pre-order it from Neiman Marcus for $2,480

Last weekend I went to Nordstrom and browsed in the handbag department.  I saw this Michael Kors Hamilton bag but in the smaller size.  I tried it on both ways: using the shoulder strap and the handles.  Both ways looked great.  When I wear it on the shoulder, it looked a little bit more casual ( as casual as this kind of bag can be) and when I held it by the handles it looked more dressy.   This bag has a lot of attributes that does not make it casual, such as the combination of: the rigid rectangular shape, the lock, the handles and the quilted patent leather.  Even so, the addition of the combination chain leather shoulder strap makes the overall looks of the bag “easier”.

I would like it even better if the shoulder strap is detachable, so that we can have more “looks” out of the bag, but leaving the shoulder strap hanging there is nice too.

There was one thing that bothered me when I was trying on some of these bags.  When I tried on the regular non patent quilted version, the handles were kind of hard to move, they were stuck in the upright position.  However, when I tried on the quilted patent version the handles were more flexible, they can naturally go down when I put the shoulder strap on.  I’m not sure whether I just happened to find an irregular bag or that is the way they make the non quilted version.

This bag comes in different sizes, the one that I was trying on was the smallest size (13″W x 9″H x 5″D).  In my opinion, petites are better off with this size, especially with such a structured bag like this.  Anything bigger will not be flattering for your figure, let the taller girls wear the bigger size.

You can buy it from Nordstrom for $318 (smaller size) $348 (bigger size)