May 27, 2008
post written by Bag Bliss blogger: Vanessa

Madonna’s $471,000 Chanel Bag
Now we all love a good Chanel bag, but do you think you could you love one enough to pay $471,000 for it? Well that is how much somebody paid for Madonna’s Chanel bag at the annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS benefit when it was auctioned off. The bag features alligator leather and a clasp studded with 334 diamonds. It was the bag that Madonna carried to the benefit and included everything she carried in the bag including, Shu Uemura blotting paper and lip gloss, lip balm, a magnifying mirror, and throat lozenges.

Now I guess this bag has a lot to offer. First off, its simply a beautiful Chanel bag….alligator leather and a diamond clasp. That is definitely a one of a kind bag that not everyone can get. Secondly, this is Madonna’s bag! Madonna! The queen of pop! I mean owning anything of hers is pretty awesome, let alone a Chanel bag with all of her belongings in it. Lastly, the money went to benefiting an AIDS charity.

Now, not many of us could pay $471,000 for a Chanel bag, but I guess overall this was a pretty good buy that benefited a great cause. Go Madonna!

[ The Bag Forum: Madonna’s $471,000 Chanel Bag ]

May 15, 2008
post written by Bag Bliss blogger: Jennifer
Kate Spade Summer Bags on SALE!
I can’t believe it’s finally summer. Today, in Emerald City it’s expected to get up to about 75*, and this weekend a heat wave is going to roll in at about an average of 86*! Hard to believe that we had a couple snow showers and rain storms all within the last month. Actually, I was talking about this in TBF. The weather has been so depressing and dark, that I had to put all my white, light colored spring bags back in hibernation. Very disappointing. White bags + rainy weather.. I just can’t do. Now with the dramatic weather change I had to drag them all out again from their resting closet. I’m hoping that the weather stays nice at least for a couple more weeks, or well until I receive my new lavender Pa-tou-tou purse from HauteLook. That bag is so summer. Speaking of summer bags, you have to check out these cute Kate Spade purses… oh they are on sale too!

Kate Spade Hugo Poppy Canvas Griffen
A spring-ago Kate Spade joined forces with British artist Hugo Guinness, known for his lovely pen and ink drawings primarily of flowers, plants, and vines, created this unique illustration of poppies to create the Kate Spade Hugo Poppy Griffen tote. The super lightweight magazine tote features the artist’s beautiful poppy illustration printed on a lightweight canvas and boarskin leather trim. These bags are so cute and perfect for summer. The clear one gets my pick for beach life, and the other canvas gets my vote for an every day’er. Measures 14.5″ height x 13″ width x 3.5″ depth. Both bags available @ ebags.

Price: $225 $169.99 (canvas)
Price: $195 $144.99 (pvc)

Kate Spade Orchard Street Jocelyn Green Clutch
What’s in the name? Once the site of a bustling outdoor market that served manhattan’s tenement population, over the last decade orchard street has attracted artists, designers, and upstart eateries to the lower east side. now at the center of the downtown artists’ scene, orchard street reflects a rich mélange of cultural influences and a cutting edge sensibility.

An unstructured handheld clutch made of patent finished calfskin with oil slick finish and topped off with 14-karat white gold plated hardware. The mouth of the bag is secure with a zipper closure that slides open to reveal the custom printed dot lining on 100% sateen lining interior. Measures 6.8″ height x 10.9″ width w/ a 3.1″ drop length. Available in green or petrol @ KateSpade.

Price: $325 $244

Kate Spade Bilbao Quintessa Vertical Tote
What’s in the name? The spanish city of bilbao became a cultural destination in its own right when it was chosen as the site for frank gehry’s spectacular titanium guggenheim museum. since then, the city has become a hub for contemporary art and design. these handbags reflect the graceful, confident design found in bilbao.

White bags in the summer are a must! This bag is created out of a smooth, soft, patent calfskin and trimmed with mirrored metallic silver cowhide, and accesssorized with nickel hardware. The mouth is a wide-open style, revealing the classic custom printed dot on 100% cotton twill lining which features an interior center zip pocket, double slide pockets and zip pocket. Measures 14.4″ height x 13.3″ width x 3.7″ depth w/ a 3.1″ drop length. Available in white @ KateSpade.

> The black patent version of this bag is on sale for $397.90 over at Nordstrom’s!

Price: $595 $446

[ The Bag Forum: Kate Spade Summer Bags on SALE! ]

February 5, 2007

Chanel Metallic Gilt Leather Bag
Ever wonder what looks best with your silver-tone or gold-tone hardware designer bag…

Gold metals:
> Beige and olive-toned complexions.
> Hair colors range widely, from dark brunettes through pale blondes, but tend toward honeyed and red tones – from rich chocolate browns to pale honey blondes.
> The eyes may be any color, but are most often darker shades and tend toward shades of brown and hazel.
> Looks best in rich, warm colors of clothing and accessories. Yellows, oranges, browns, reds, even warmer shades of purple can look good. If lighter shades of color are desired, it’s best to go with bright shades as opposed to pastels.

Silver metals:
> Ivory and cream-toned complexions.
> Hair colors tend to be cooler, ash tones, although the hair can range from dark (blue-black) to very pale blondes (platinum or bright yellow blonde).
> Eye colors can, of course, vary through the normal spectrum, but do tend toward pale blue and green.
> Look best in cooler colors of clothing and accessories. Blues, greens, soft grays, and cool violets. Light shades – pastels and muted colors – are especially flattering, although deep jewel-tones of Emerald green and Amethyst violet are great choices for festive occasions.

What looks best with Chanel’s new Metallic Gilt Leather Bag? Everything! I don’t know about you guys but I never mix gold and silver jewelry together – like a gold hardware bag and silver jewelry, I could not do. Which is why I am so in-love with this bag, it features not just silver but gold as well. Price: $2,700

January 23, 2008
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Video clip: Interview with Takashi Murakami by Jonathan Ross on Japanorama. Skip ahead to 2:10 for a good laugh. The reporter obviously doesn’t know how to tell the difference between a replica on the street (literally) and the real deal.
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Video clip: Marc Jacobs, artistic director for Louis Vuitton, discusses his collaboration with Takashi Murakami in advance of the exhibition. At the very end of the clip designer Marc Jacobs reveals the new limited edition handbag collaboration.. hmm, makes me dying to know what’s blurred out in the background behind Marc-ey Marc!!

I for one am not a camouflage fan, however this new addition will have a creative bold pop-design twist to the look – it’s will be designed by prolific contemporary Japanese pop artist, Takashi Murakami!

You know T.M., he’s the creative mastermind behind many of the limited edition Louis Vuitton designer bag lines: The smiling pink Cherry Blossom Flower line, the super adorable cartoon Panda line, the delicious red Cerise cherry line, MOCA LV, the Eye Love You line and of course the Monogram Multicolore made up of 33 different vibrant colors on a white or a black background. All of the collaborations with Takashi Murakami are all highly sought after valuable collectors pieces. So I can only imagine that the monogram camouflage bag collection will be as big as the previous limited edition bags.

Date still unknown, but rumor has it the new line is due out sometime this year.

Working on the occasional collaboration project with Louis Vuitton isn’t his only creative venture. Murakami, who attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, works in both fine arts media, such as painting, as well as digital and commercial media. He founded the “Kaikai Kiki,” a studio where Murakami formulates the ideas but then has his 100+ assistants produce his work. In addition to producing art works for exhibition in galleries and museums, KaiKai Kiki is responsible for the design of an enormous range of mass-produced products featuring Murakami’s signature images: figurines, plush toys, keychains, t-shirts, posters, and more. I still can’t wait until the Takashi Murakami & Dream Works animated film to be released. Disney is so out.

In the mean time, shop Louis Vuitton designer handbags & purses @ eluxury.

January 8, 2008

Designer Jerome Dreyfuss Bernard Handbag
This bag is super cool and is dressed in textured-leather, 3 main compartments, lined interior with a 6″ zipper pocket and key ring, plus if you need a little extra room, simply unzip the wrap around zipper and whalah, increased capacity.
Price $745 @ Shop Bop

Designer Jerome Dreyfuss Twee Mini Cross Body Bag
The super supple Twee Mini is designed in the signature textured leather with a patch pocket on each side, magnetic-snap closure at front flap with a mirror under flap, adjustable shoulder strap for cross-body or shoulder bag style, and a lined interior with 3 card slots and key ring.
Price $409 @ Shop Bop

We here at Bag Bliss have fallen head-over-heels for french designer Jerome Dreyfuss. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this designer, below is a great interview with the handbag designer that was published some time ago in Elle. A member of thefashionspot was nice enough to translate it from French to English.

Your first fashion desires?
I got into this career to flirt with girls. I was super shy and asked them if they wanted to come try dresses at my place. One morning, I got to my office and it was incredible, Naomi, Claudia, Nadja Auermann sitting in the stairs and waiting to try on clothes and I hadn’t even booked a meeting.

Your beginnings?
When I begun, we were immersed in the minimalist era, an austere fashion, very dark, a little gothic, anyway hyper minimalistic and here I was with my images of fashion that made me dream when I was a kid, and that was Alaya, Mugler, Montana.

Why bags?
Accessories were a desire. I thought girls’ consumption habits had changed. Bags became the silouhette’s essential element, which it was not before.

Innovations for the spring-summer collection?
The shapes are still a bit “loose”, bags that slouch, all soft, in which you can put a lot of things, that are rather large. About the range of colours, there is an emerald green that works really well.

Your sources of inspiration?
I work for my wife and my friends, for girls of my generation who are on the go, work and have children.

A slogan?
My leathers are as soft as a baby’s buttocks, and babies’ bottocks are really soft!

January 2, 2008

New Pauric Sweeney Spring ‘08 Bags
Our friends over at Net-a-porter just alerted me that they have a new handful of fresh Pauric Sweeney designer purses ready for the picking.

About Pauric Sweeney: The one-time architecture student, Pauric Sweeney, launched his designer handbag collection in 2005 out of London’s Brick Lane, but in the summer of that year the designer moved his atelier to Florence, Italy, to work closely with prestigious Italian tanneries and master craftsmen. Now his signature pieces of arm candy can be spotted in the hands on hollywood’s fashion-conscious customers, such as Lindsay Lohan, Kate Bosworth, Kate Winslet and Madonna. Lindsay Lohan was our first starlet to be spotted with a Pauric Sweeney bag.

Here is the list of the latest bags by designer Pauric Sweeney:
Saffiano Patent Shoulder Bag – Dressed in an intense high-volume olive green patent with silver hardware and contrasting brown leather straps. Also features a top zip closure, contrast suede lining, contrast patent detailing on top and has feet on base. Price $1,470
Basketweave Shoulder Purse – Dressed in a cream-and-off-white woven detail with silver hardware and contrasting leather straps. Other features include the top zip closure, weave detailing and tassel on straps, a contrast suede lining, patent detailing on top and interior and has feet on base. Price $1,465
Embossed Leather Shoulder Bag – This newbie comes in a pale yellow, corn check embossed leather with silver hardware and contrasting adjustable leather straps, a top zip closure, contrast suede lining and feet on base. Price $1,425
Metallic Leather Shoulder Bag – Eye catching pieces of patent finished anthracite colored squares with matching silver hardware and contrasting leather straps, a top zip closure, contrast suede lining, contrast leather detailing on top and interior and has feet on base. Price $1,365

Discover the New Pauric Sweeney Spring ‘08 Bags

December 19, 2007

Zagliani designer Mauro Orietti-Carella
“Zagliani was founded 70 years ago as a company that specialized in exotic skins bags. We are not following a fashion moment. We do not make as much as the market demands because we are concerned about the use of too many skins, and will only work in an ethical and environmentally responsible way.â€? – Zagliani designer Mauro Orietti-Carella

Mauro Zagliani creations can now be spotted on the arms of dozens of our favorite starlets and purse enthusiast fashionista’s all over the globe.

What makes his designer bags so special? All exotic skin bags, designed by dermatologist Mauro Orietti-Carella, have been injected with silicone for the most buttery-soft, luxurious feel.

The bag pictured above is the Zagliani Metallic Python Puffy Bag. It’s the new it-bag of this season. This piece is the “signature bagâ€? of the Zagliani family. The body of the bag is designed with gentle pleating, which adds textural interest to this generously sized frame bag. Right now the shimmery ivory color is available exclusively at Saks for $3,385.
(Ehrrm, fyi last month it was $2,800)

Zagliani designer bags are sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.

December 12, 2007

Gaby Aghion creator of Chloe
Designer fashion fact of the day, did you know that Egyptian-born Parisienne Gaby Aghion created the French luxury fashion design house Chloe in 1952. History has it, Gaby felt her name sounded as though it “belonged to a fortune-teller,” so she borrowed the name Chloe from a friend (a faux fur manufacturer) for its warm feminine appeal.