Designers Handbags

Little to my mother’s knowledge, my dad actually likes modern art, modern homes, just mod style. Wow. Who would have thought that? Trust me, if you knew my dad, you wouldn’t. My mom on the other hand loves traditional comfort and coziness. For all the years they have been married, my mom just recently found out from my dad that all the while when she designed and decorated our homes, he actually liked something else. Wow, what a man. So when I spotted this bag I immediately began to wonder if my dad would like it, but my mom would not.

To many of us, Kate Spade manifests itself in clean and sleek designs. The Kate Spade Easton as Four Circle Bag puts the mod in modern. Because I didn’t know any of this info, I must let Kate Spade’s site explain it to you: “A jewel of the Chesapeake Bay, Easton is known primarily for its abundant waterfowl, Audubon Society wetlands, and, of course, the Easton Decoy Festival, a celebration of America’s beloved hunting accoutrement. The bright cotton canvas recalls the marine tradition that is at the heart of this historic bayside town.” Yep, I couldn’t have told you anything like that in my own words and made it make sense. This bag is completely modern, completely, edgy, and completely chic. I wonder if last weeks challenge on America’s Next Top Model could have been made a little more mod with this bag. This circle bag is line with Saratoga Springs print cotton. Available in either orange or hibiscus pink, I would definitely opt for the pink. I believe some of the most fashionable of us could pull this off- the question is do any of you want to? Buy this totally modern bag through Kate Spade for $225.

By the looks of the new fabrics coming out, it is evident that fall/winter 2005 is on its way. It seems like only yesterday I was looking forward to summer. Well summer is here and almost over (my 2 month vacation is reaching its half way point- dang). But the new handbags are making their way out- which we have all noticed- and it has me quite excited. Realizing that I haven’t featured enough evening bags, I wanted to find a fun one for the upcoming season. I got it! The Kate Spade Olivia Velvet and Gold Evening Bag intertwines a bright and bold color of summer with a fabric of fall/winter – velvet. I consider this bag quite bold for Kate Spade (although the designer has been making more statements lately than the older more plain bags). Made of pink gathered velvet and gold hardware, this bag is sure to brighten up any outfit. There is also a gold chain which you could opt not to use and simply carry the bag as a clutch or you could use it as a strap. The inside of the bag contains a small pocket and is lined in a taupe colored satin.

Anyone remember the song, “I don’t want to grow up, I’ma Toys’ R Us kid!” That song was my personal song for quite some time. I never wanted to be ‘old’. Gasp, it happened. Without me even knowing, I went through school and life and now I’m a grown-up. Somehow I’m not surprised that I didn’t dodge growing up. But with age came a job and a new look. A new look means new clothes and bags! I love being a grown-up (only for those shallow reasons really). Kate Spade has designed a new ‘grown-up’ bag that I have fallen in love with. The Kate Spade Glazed Calfskin Tote is a rich chocolate brown glazed calfskin tote with ring top handles. The bag is also has white topstitching, a stamped logo, and golden keepers. I don’t think I would carry this bag everyday (sometimes there are too many things that need to be carried thus I need the use of shoulder straps), but this would sure make an impression in the board room. Think of the scenes in the movies where the boss lady goes into the board room for an urgent meeting, throws her briefcase down on the table, lets out a loud sigh, places both hands on the table, looks at the room and says, “So where do we stand?”. My story may be far off, but just pretend it made sense, and just picture the lady carrying this Kate Spade tote. It works, doesn’t it?

Sometimes handbag designers seem to walk the ultra-thin line between beautiful perfection and extraordinary ugliness. Often this line is crossed just by the color options that a shopper can choose between. The Kate Spade Yoko Canvas Tote supports this statement in its entirety.
While the pictured natural tote looks stunning, featuring pretty whimsical line drawings by writer and illustrator Maira Kalman on the front and back, its close sibling in black with teal handles just ain’t cuttin it. Hideous! Fortunately, the pink handles harmonize very well with the beige’ish canvas of the natural color. The tote’s 14″ wide, 13″ high and 5″ deep; its straps are 22 inches in length.