Jelly Belly
I seriously just cannot take how freaking cute this Veneta bag is. It’s so cute I just want to grab it and squish it and bite it… if I owned this purse there would be a very serious danger of my eating it, leather or no leather, because there would constantly be a battle between my head telling me it is NOT edible and everything else saying, "But it <i>looks</i> so yummy!"
Anyway it’s leather (not candy!) on the outside, beige suede on the inside, braided strap and a funky little criss-cross pattern on the front. I don’t need to tell you that Veneta leather is second to none and that it’s a gorgeously decadent bag… those are things that are already evident, plus it’s so very purple, isn’t it? Crayon purple, my favourite kind.
And have I mentioned how very delicious it looks…?
Too cute to bear. <3
Fit For A Fyodorovna
You may recall that the last Botkier purse featured on ArmCandy was the deliciously pretty little thing known as the Clyde Bag.
Today, we’re Botkiering again but from a totally different angle. Forget delicacy and femininity. Forget softness and sweetness. What we have here is the Emily stirrup bag, (funny really, the Clyde should be called Emily and vice versa, right?). It’s a slightly stern, serious purse, not quite a tote, not quite a shoulder bag — metallic in colour and very KGB in style.
Now, how on earth does such a purse avoid masculinity? And what kind of woman would own such a thing?
A woman who works in a male-dominated field, that’s who. For example… oh, say, a female Russian secret agent. Cold as ice on the outside yet warm and strong on the inside, this is the perfect "I could kill you with my bare hands and a stilletto" purse. A fine example of a purse taking on the characteristics of the owner, no?
Or if not a Russian agent… well, a fifteen-year old goth kid with a more than generous trust fund. It’s a very small world when it comes to purses.
Botkier, you’ve surprised me!
Jacobean Theatre
If all the crazy crap and carols haven’t given it away yet, you’d know we’re close to the holidays just because of all the holiday-themed purses that are popping up everywhere.
‘Holiday themed’ usually means kitsch with a vengeance — aggressively warm and happy and seasonal, lord love you.
Now this purse here from Marc Jacobs is a very good example. I’ll say right now that I like it very much — I adore satin. I especially adore purple satin. The problem with satin is that it’s not the most durable of materials, and can be very hard to clean once stained. This purse manages to sidestep that down point by being made <i>mostly</i> of leather with the satin as a nice, gentle covering. Just keep it away from your drink, ok?
I’m not sure what this purse is trying to be — it’s a very funny mix of delicacy and camp humour. Whatever it is, it works for me… and not just because I’ve put a complete ban on Scrooge-like snobbiness towards anything holiday-related this year.
May all your Thanksgivings be purple!
Frosty Fun
Now I know this bag is not *really* meant to carry a bowling ball, but wouldn’t it be so cool to use it as such anyway? I’m not the biggest fan of bowling but I could really see myself becoming more into it if I got to swing a ball around in a stunningly cool bag such as this one.
It’s a vintage Miu Miu bowling bag in supple silver leather, with silver hardware and nice comfy shoulder straps (after all, bowling balls are heavy! Why strain your shoulders unnecessarily?).
Seriously though, it really is a very beautiful, unique tote… I can’t think of anything like it in this style, so you’re guaranteed to stand out of the crowd. It can be dressed up or down for evening or daytime depending entirely on your outfit — fun because usually the purse is what dresses the outfit up or down and not vice versa.
All in all a lovely piece of work from Miu Miu, perfectly seasonal with It-Bag potential.
Two thumbs up!
Kawaii & Hawaii
It is very, very cold, and the sky is grey, but I have to practically avert my eyes from this lovely little purse from the Dior saddle-bag collection.
Now it has to be said that I have not been the biggest fan so far of the saddle-bags from Dior; I always thought they were a little boring. But now there’s this Hawaiian purse: all shiny bright leather with silver hardware (I wonder if that trademark Dior ‘D’ is removable…?)
It’s kind of sweet that even in the midst of winter these beautiful, summery purses are being made… and after all, don’t people go on cruises in winter? Then there are places like Australia where Christmas Day finds you sunbathing on the beach… and if this isn’t a perfect beach purse, I don’t know what is.
Thanks to the Hawaii purse and the Japanese-styled one also pictured, I’ve developed quite an affection for these funny-shaped little things.
Very nice!
Back atChoo
Right here we have a perfect example of a retro-purse done right.
Not only is it all pink and buckly, but someone took a disco ball for inspiration and the end result is this mesh tote from Jimmy Choo. The handles and lining are made of leather, and the hardware is gold. The lining is soft beige suede with satin trim… perfect for a night out at a very swanky nightclub or restaurant.
Verrrry funky…
Pick Me!
Some things in life are just not fair. Like, just imagine you were born into a family where Angelina Jolie was your sister. Wouldn’t it just be such a nightmare? No matter how well you looked after yourself, you’d always be the ugly sister. All your boyfriends would get stolen, you could go missing for weeks and no one would notice.
I imagine this is what life is like for any purse in the Balenciaga family that is <i>not</i> the le Dix. No matter how beautiful and well formed, no matter how perfect your curves and licky your colour — you simply aren’t the le Dix, and you’ll constantly be overlooked.
Well, here on ArmCandy we like to think we’re a little more fair than that. This purse pictured here is not the le Dix, but dammit it’s still gorgeous. It’s the Balenciaga Twiggy bag in Seafoam, beautiful leather, classic Balenciaga tassles with both short handles and a nice long strap for all your carrying needs. What more could you ask for?
After all, non-It Bags need love too!
The Italian Job
Still just a baby in the big ol’ world of fashion houses, Marni has a very interesting approach to business. Instead of taking out full page spreads in all the top fashion magazines to show themselves off, they would rather <i>you</i> tell <i>them</i> what they stand for. This way, women can make Marni mean whatever fits their personality best as an individual. Very intriguing, as a similar approach is causing Coach to sink in the UK.
Marni’s quirky attitude is reflected in their design: very cutting edge, very bright and funky and feminine, just the right side of artsy and unorthodox.
The purse pictured is a very sweet fabric purse with beading, a bow-design/chain handle and a coin purse clasp. Very seasonal, very pretty, very unique. The Castiglioni family clearly know about fashion — Marni’s rise over the past eleven years is testament to that.
Here’s to another eleven!
Klein O’Mine
It is with great pleasure that I introduce ArmCandy’s first Calvin Klein post, with what might be one of my favourite bags this year.
I am talking, of course, about this extremely covetable tote — black leather and… black leather and… well. It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? No frills. No tassles. No pouches or pockets or obscene logos or embroidery or glitter…
Just one simple buckle either side, a nice comfy strap and tons of room.
It’s extremely challenging to find a bag that is both clean and simple without being… well, boring. This tote is perfect because it manages to look look edgy without trying too hard — and understated cool is beyond rare. And it really <i>is</i> that cool… a perfect black suits-everything daytime purse.
Calvin Klein, welcome to ArmCandy!
What Ho, Mulberry
There’s this long running joke in the industry that you can always spot the Brits at international fashion shows — they’re always the ones with the big, solid, no-nonsense Mulberry bags — nothing like the French with their sleek little wristlet purses (seriously, where on <i>earth</i> do they keep their hairbrushes? In their garters?).
Mulberry is different to Burberry or Asprey because they are so very old-fashioned, so very dismissive of whatever it is popular fashion is dictating. They know what they like and by George, they’re sticking to it, come hell or high water.
The purse pictured is called the Blenheim — it’s in oak brown (English oak, no doubt) leather, with brass hardware and enough buckles and pouches to guarantee a good few "Oh damn I’m in a theater and I would turn off my loudly ringing phone if I knew which part of my purse it was hidden in" moments.
Anyway, I just love Mulberry. It’s <i>so</i> gloriously Enid Blyton: all jolly hockeysticks and midnight feasts and French lessons and country walks and being sent to Coventry… I probably will never be English enough to justify ownership of one of these bags, but it’s enough for me to know there are people out there who feel that Mulberry is <i>their</i> kind of purse…
Top shelf!
