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

How gorgeous are these clutches? I admit that I’m not the type of person who wears skull as an accessory, but these Alexander McQueen Ornate Clutches are simply beautiful! I love both available color combinations: Red and Gold as well as Black and Silver.  If you take a closer look you will see that the eyes and teeth on the skulls are encrusted with black swarovski crystals.  Out of all the Alexander McQueen skull clutches, I like this design the most.  It has an old world feel with a touch of coolness (thanks to the skull), and to top it all off, it’s also very feminine. Love it!

Buy if from Alexander McQueen for $2,735

Buy YSL Easy Y Studded from Diabro.net for $2,152.17

This Bottega Veneta Sculptured Tote is literally a woven bag with a twist.  Instead of doing their regular weave the designers decided to twist some part of the leather to achieve a more 3 dimensional look. This definitely adds more substantial texture to the simple woven bag. However, I still prefer the original woven version without the gimmicks. Sometimes, less is more.

Pre-order from Bergdorf Goodman for $2,480

If you look at many bags every day, you’d think that after a while you’ll be able to recognize which design belongs to which designer, right? However, when I saw this Versace Patent Shopper, I did not think that it was a Versace.  First of all, it is not outrageous enough. Second of all, there is no huge name plate or the famous Medusa head stuck anywhere prominently. I love it!

There are a lot of elements that I like about this Versace Patent Shopper.  I like the gold hardware and red leather combination; it adds a little more of a luxury feel compared to silver hardware.  The elongated shape will definitely flatter shorter and rounder body types.  I adore the look of long bags, however it’s harder to find things in a long bag compared to a wide bag.  With this Versace bag, you will get the advantage of the long bag look without sacrificing its practicality. This is surely a smart and thoughtful design.  I also love how the designer did not forget the sides of the bag just like many other designers.  More often than not, we see bags with plain sides.

One thing that I don’t like about this bag is the price.  It is $3,705.  I don’t understand how they price their bags but I honestly don’t think it is worth that much. It is not even made of exotic skin. If you must have it, I strongly suggest to wait for the sale.  Buy from Nordstrom.

When I look at this bag, I don’t know where to focus.  Do I focus on the studs or do I focus on the zebra print?  The top part of the bag looks so messy, that it makes bottom part look so unflustered. I never thought that I could consider zebra prints unflustered.

In my opinion, zebra prints and studs don’t go together. However, if you must have them both. You can perhaps put the studs only on the black part of the print.  That way it won’t look like you just slathered glue on the top, sprinkle some studs, and hope that they all stick.

I’m sure it will require more detailed craftmanship to put the studs on small sections, but if you are charging $3,795 for a bag, superior intricate craftmanship is expected.

There is another version of this bag that won’t make people cringe when you wear it.  It is just plain black with studs. Buy from Jimmy Choo for $2,995

Yesterday, I went to P.C Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, which is supposedly the most expensive shopping street in the Netherlands. Naturally, I went to look for bags. Since stores in the Netherlands close very early (6pm), I could only go to some stores,  of which one  was Bally.

In that store, I found a gorgeous deep green suede python hobo. I love the suede finish python; in my opinion, it looks more subtle and luxurious than the regular shiny finish python.  I observe that more and more designers are producing bags with suede python.

The bag was so light and fell so beautifully on the shoulder. Two sets of double gold-tone rings connect the strap to the bag. Knots that end with metal tips decorate the sides of the bag. You can’t see them from the picture but they’re there and they played up the sides of the bag really nicely. The side of the bag is the one that you see first when you see someone wearing a hobo bag on her shoulder. That’s why I think it is important that the sides show something attractive.
This bag is from the Fall 2009 collection.  It is priced €1500 Euros.

I think what makes this bag tolerable is the soft and slouchy Balenciaga leather. However, for $2,825 I don’t want to get something that is only tolerable.  I always like to get the biggest bang for my buck.  For that kind of money I expect something astoningishly beautiful.

Here you can see how the bag looks in real life.  I like how the bag owner paired her bag with a neutral outfit. I think it’s the only way not to make the bag look overwhelming.

Since super slouchy bags are my current obsession, I clicked on bags that I would not normally pay any attention to; like this Christian Louboutin Saba Water Snake bag here.  If you look at the first picture, there is nothing really attractive about it. I thought the shape is kind of odd. Luckily, being the curious person that I am, I clicked more.  I actually have faith that Louboutin is very capable of making drool worthy bags.

This is a very casual and easy looking bag.  The one that you can wear and instantly have that effortless chic look, even though in reality it takes you an hour to get ready.  The color of the bag is very neutral, even though it is not eye popping, it is still very suitable for summer.  You can always tone it up by pairing it with bright outfit or tone it down with neutral outfit like the model is wearing.  You can pretty much wear this bag all year long.

One concern that I have is the stiff looking shoulder strap.  I think it is taking away some of the slouchiness effect of the bag.  I would prefer a flatter and supple shoulder strap.

Did you see how Louboutin is applying his signature on his bags? Notice the shoe charm and the red lining; I believe that the red lining is representing the red sole from his shoe line. I must say it is a smart marketing strategy. Given that Louboutin already has one sucessful shoe empire why not remind people of how good he is and how he also is committed to deliver the same level of satisfaction to his loyal customers.

Buy from Net-A-Porter for $2,097

I’m pleasantly surprised with this tote. I always thought that exotics are best to be presented as it is: meaning no weaving and no complicated pleating.  I thought doing all those would hide the beauty of the exotic skin. Obviously, I was wrong.

The intricate work on the snake skin does not hide the beauty of the leather at all.  You can still recognize that the tote is made of snake skin.  The weaving technique gives the bag a faceted look which makes it like a piece of art. And do you notice the zipper pull? It totally reflects the shape of the bag. Genius!

You can buy this from Vivre for $2,800, they also have the eel version of this bag. I know it is an expensive bag, but if the recession doesn’t stop you from buying luxury goods, go ahead and buy this bag and help the economy. By the way, that’s how Paris Hilton justifies her shopping habit.