Archive for July, 2009

Goodie goodie, it’s Friday!

Lets start off the weekend with some amazing sample sales! Here’s what we have for schedule today:

Friday July 10th
Over at HauteLook, where the sales begin at 8: am PST / 11: am EST we have:

• Plenty by Frock
• VIVRE Designer Handbags!!
• Mre Jewelry
• Boon kids

Also starting at 8: am PST / 11: am EST over at RueLaLa we have:

• Poleci
• VIX
• Matt & Nat

At 9: am PST / noon if you’re EST, the Gilt Groupe sales kick off:

• Accessories Final Sale – GONNA BE HUGE!
• ALIFE
• Children’s Final Sale
• Kidrobot

Also, over at ideeli checkout these sales:

• Tart
• bodhi

Danielle Nicole DiFerdinando, a designer everyone should get familiar with. Her designs are fresh and totally fabulous. Classic styles with a modern twist.

From an early age, Danielle had a great passion for designing. At first her focus was designing custom neckties, then later went on to handbag design.

She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and later went on to study in Europe, amongst design houses like Hermes, Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi and Prada. Danielle eventually went on to apprentice at companies such as Bergdorf Goodman, BE&D and Gucci.

Then in 2006, the young designer launched Danielle Nicole Handbags. Today, you can find the full collection of beautiful pieces, crafted in the finest materials such as Italian lambskin, crushed patent leather, and French embroidery fabric, by the 22-year old designer at danielle-nicole.com

And I recently got the opportunity to exchange a Q + A with this fabulous designer…

Jennifer: What was your very first handbag that you created?
Danielle Nicole: The Samantha Bag was the first bag I ever created. I made it while I was still a student at FIT. It took me over 20 hrs to make it by hand!

Jennifer: What’s your design philosophy?
Danielle Nicole: Function is key! Whenever my team or I are designing a bag we always think, “How is the customer going wear and use this bag”. All of my bags are lined with washable ultra-suede in anticipation of make-up spills. The make-up stains on the interior of the bag will come out with soap and water! Also, I love designing bags with adjustable straps. Many of our bags have straps that convert from a shoulder bag into a messenger. I try to incorporate outside pockets as much as I can so customers can have easy access to their keys, cell phones, and wallets. Another important decision I made a long time ago was to use light weight leather. Lambskin is soft and lightweight. With all of the things women throw into their bags, the bag itself shouldn’t weigh the customer down.

Jennifer: Tell us about your current Spring 2009 collection. And what was your inspiration behind this season?
Danielle Nicole: Spring is about waking up from winter. I used bright, bold colors so that my customers could stand out and feel good! It’s always fun to add a bright, fun handbag to your everyday wardrobe!

Jennifer: Any hints as what to expect for next season?
Danielle Nicole: Next season is a berry inspired collection; red and purple are going to be popular! I wanted to incorporate the signature earth tones of fall. The Lindsay Clutch is one of the new styles that I am introducing for fall. It was featured on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily this past April. I’m very excited to see the collection in stores!

Jennifer: If you were to pick one bag out of all the collections that you’ve created, which is your number one favorite bag of all time?
Danielle Nicole: I would have to say the Kristi Mini. It’s the perfect size. It’s not too big where you can’t find your things, but big enough to fit everything I need, and it is so light weight that it matches my lifestyle perfectly.

Jennifer: Who are some other designers that you admire?
Danielle Nicole: I love Bottega Veneta! Their quality is impeccable and their craftsmanship is beautiful.

Jennifer: If you weren’t in the fashion industry, what would you be doing instead?
Danielle Nicole: I would be working at my father’s company, Boardwalk Fries. They’re delicious!

Jennifer: Which handbag are you carrying at this moment?
Danielle Nicole: The Melanie. It’s ideal for New York women! It has the adjustable strap so I can wear the bag over my shoulder or as a messenger. The Melanie has a large extior pocket so I have easy access to my Metro pass, cell phone, and keys. The interior pockets help me find my wallet and other essentials, and the large main compartment allows me to throw in my extra shoes, book, and umbrella.

Jennifer: And what are some items that you can’t leave the house without?
Danielle Nicole: I always have antibacterial and tissues in my bag. I’m a bit of a germaphobe!

Jennifer: What’s next for the Danielle Nicole brand?
Danielle Nicole: We’re currently working on a vegan line called Elle Nicole. The collection will be made out of leather alternative.

Danielle Nicole’s Random Fav
Movies: Annie Hall, The Hangover
Animals: Dogs
TV shows: The Tudors, The Real Housewives of New York, True Blood
Vacation Destination: Amalfi Coast in Italy

Looking fabulously gorgeous Hayden Panettiere showed at a couple events wearing a gorgeous pink python Nancy Gonzalez clutch.

Left: On the 7th Hayden at the New York premiere of I Love You Beth Cooper. Panettiere looked amazing in her Andy & Deb dress. She accessorized her look with a Nancy Gonzalez clutch and Slane & Slane small bee omega earrings and ring.

Right: On the 8th she showed up at Live with Regis and Kelly. Panettiere was spotted wearing the same pink Nancy Gonzalez python clutch to the premiere of the movie. She wore a Zac Posen top and skirt and Christian Louboutin shoes.

Added to the long list of boutiques closing shop, FashionChateau has closed their doors for good, and merged with online designer boutique CoutureCandy.

If you’re a little sad by this news, look on the bright side, CoutureCandy is running a sweet promotion where if you spend $150 or more, save $50! Simply enter the code WELCOME at checkout. This promotion excludes a couple designers, which you can see listed above.

If you live in the New York area there’s going to be a Bulga planted in your neighborhood.

If you wanna be there on the opening day to check out the latest buttery soft bags and purses, stop off at 214 west 39th Street Suite 1000A NY on Wednesday July 15th.

Hours: open weekdays 10: am until 7: pm and Thursday from 11: am until 8: pm
Telephone: 212.334.9119

The store will offer a range of merchandise from small leather goods to special bags, that will be sold exclusively at the company store. All gift purchases will be wrapped and shipped at Bulga’s expense and dropped off same day (if purchased in New York, of course).

If you’re not in the NY area, as always shop for Bulga online at these locations: Shopbop, LunaBoston, RevolveClothing, Bloomingdales and on sale over at Bluefly and here on eBay.

While on a recent trip to Russia, First Lady Michelle Obama was photographed sporting a stunning little arm candy piece by luxury brand VBH.

From the picture above, it appears to be the initially reported by VBH, $6,000 alligator manila clutch by the designer, but the White House said that’s incorrect. In fact it’s the exotics cheaper little sister, the croc-embossed patent leather version, which fetches a more reasonable $875.

VBH is timelessly beautiful, and made using the finest materials, a VBH bag is an essential addition to every stylish wardrobe. Launched in 2000 this exclusive modern accessories line was created by, and named after, the ex-president of Valentino, Mr V. Bruce Hoeksema.

Shop for VBH at these locations: couple styles available @ eBay , coming soon to Net-a-Porter and on sale over at TheOutNet.

Who is the celebrity pictured leaving one of her favorite restaurants over in West Hollywood? It’s Mrs. Eva Longoria Parker and even casually clothed, the Desperate Housewife Star doesn’t fail to impress. Although she’s dressed behind her oversized sunnies, denim jeans and a rose top to fit in with the crowd; she failes to disguise her designer handbag of choice. Us Bagista’s admire the accessory styles of celebs, and from the pictures I can tell that the feminine floral tote bag hanging off her shoulder happens to be the Petale Tote by Valentino.

The entire Valentino floral line is absolutely stunning. The idea of quality leathers being shaped and molded into exquisite works of art, then applied onto a handy accessory is amazing. Some fear that the feminine petale collection would be too formal for everyday wear, but as Mrs. Longoria Parker demonstrates, this tote as well as the other petale accessories can be worn with your favorite denims or with any other casual outfit you please. Eva’s pick of the Petale tote happens to be the metallic bronze version, but over at Saks (dot com), you can find other colorful leathers such as this navy.

Receive Free Shipping on everything over $200.

Find it here @ Saks

image: splashnews

I tend to browse my local Pucci retail shop from time to time to feed on the latest prints and colors. Rarely they come simple and neutral, but most of the time Emilio Pucci’s infamous prints are pleasant as always. So it took me by surprise when I ran into the Denim Shoulder Bag, a newbie for fall. On this piece, the Pucci prints were replaced by dark denim lining, and the typical leather shoulder straps by chains. Grommets and links line the edges of the bag while light lambskin leather lines it’s interior. They definitely did a turn around with this shoulder bag, from the material of choice to every punk like detail.

Although this shoulder bag would add a nice rock star touch to your outfit, I have to say, I prefer elegant and fun Pucci prints to this denim shoulder bag. For the fans of this bag, I can see how those link straps fit nicely with the jean theme, and we all know how versatile denim can be. It’s something oddly different and new for the Pucci Fall collection.

You can preview the collection or preorder your very own denim shoulder bag for $1,295 through: Saks Fifth Avenue

The Chat: Pucci Denim!

Even though I currently do not own one, I’m obsessed with clutches. I’m usually one for extra large handbags but I love the fact that I can carry something smaller and compact at night. Face it, when you go to a nice place for dinner or perhaps a lounge it becomes an inconvenience when you are tugging around a big handbag. When you have something smaller to carry around it’s much easier to also carry around a drink and be social.

The MICHAEL Michael Kors Gansevoort Clutch is the perfect clutch to add to any collection. For one thing, the buckle accent really makes the clutch look different as well as unique. It literally looks as if the buckle was taken from a belt and put onto the clutch. Another great feature about the clutch, is that it may be small but it will carry your essentials. It’s got you covered if you want to carry around: cash; credit cards; lip stick; and a cell phone. Face it, what more do you really need to carry when your out for the evening?

I would personally only carry a clutch in the evening, during the day I carry around way too much that a clutch would just be useless. If you love carrying around clutches all the time, I would totally pick this one up to add to your collection.

The best part about the MICHAEL Michael Kors Gansevoort Clutch is that both colors are currently on sale over at Zappos: Vanilla White for $145.44 and Black for $130. The sale price is different for each color, but both are equally stunning!

The Chat: Kors Gansevoort!