It’s no secret that I love New York but what I love just as much as New York is Shakespeare. He’s one of my favorite writers ever. His stories maybe tragic but they are also full of romance. Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are definitely my favorites.

I’ve written about the Kate Spade “Newspaper” clutch before but now I bring you the Kate Spade New York “Book of the Month” clutch. Another one of Kate Spade’s master pieces that I absolutely love. It suits New York well, because a majority of New Yorkers do love to read. It’s no surprise when you see hundreds of New Yorkers sprawled all over the city especially around the library and Central park reading.

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France maybe the ultimate fashion destination but in America New York is our fashion paradise. New York City is known for being a city full of fashion. Everyone walking down the street has their own take on fashion and pretty much every store you walk by is full of fashion in some way shape or form. For instance, 5th Avenue and Madison is pretty much an outside luxury mall. Each store is a high end designer and tossed in the mix are high end department stores.

The Kate Spade New York “Journal Newspaper” Clutch is the perfect bag for the fashion obsessed or the New York lover. New Yorkers are known for folding their newspapers as they walk down the streets or ride on the subway. I think it’s adorable how Kate Spade really did make this clutch look like folded newspaper! Very clever if you ask me!

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Kate Spade is known for her adorable and proper styling. She hails from my home town and holds a special place in my heart. Darling lady bags, precious pumps and flats along with a plethora of other cute products perfect for gifting are available by this designer.

This Skipper Flower Bag caught me by surprise as a little bit different! I simply had to drop all of my other plans and write out it! This bag is so adorable for the holidays. The best part, there’s still time to get it for your special events!

Typically, I do not gravitate to floral handbags, but this one is so pretty. I think the velvet material just adds a lot of depth and texture that makes it a statement piece. Rich in black or brilliant in Fuschia! The oversize flower is roughly the size of the bag and it’s done in a beautiful, not kitschy way.

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If your wardrobe consists of mostly black and white clothes, then you may just fall in love with the Kate Spade “New York Radcliffe Esti Bow Tote.” Face it, your outfit will always match with the black as long as everything you wear is black and white. Even if your not fond of the black and white look, this is a cute little tote that would go with just about anything. It kind of reminds me of a bag you would wear a trench or rain coat with. I can totally envision someone carrying this tote around on a rainy day.

The tote is pretty simple, but I think that’s what makes it fabulous. I love how the bow is pretty much camouflaged with the rest of the bag, instead of being the certain of attention.

The only “con” about this bag is that it has no closure. If you have this bag sitting somewhere, all of your belongings inside are exposed to everyone. When I’m looking to purchase a tote, I definitely want a zipper tote because it’s so easy for someone to walk by you and take something inside. Even though it doesn’t have a closure, I still think this is one of the cutest totes I’ve ever seen.

You can purchase the Kate Spade “New York Radcliffe Esti Bow Tote” at Bloomingdales for $295. That’s actually not that bad of a price for a designer tote. It’s just up to you to decide if it’s worth almost $300. I’d say it’s worth about $150, but I won’t deny the fact that it’s adorable!

See the Kate Spare “New York Radcliffe Esti Bow Tote” at: Bloomingdales

The Chat: kate radcliffe!

There’s another designer with a passion for owl critters on their designs. Upon viewing the Sherwood Owl Handbag by Kate Spade, it took me by surprise. What an unattractive handbag Spade created this season. I’ve seen critter accessories, and most are cute with head turning designs, but this top handle tote will turn heads in a not-so-great way.

The strong details and mixture of different textured leathers is admirable, but I wouldn’t want to carry around a tote sporting a vicious looking owl on it. It starts with those evil yellow eyes, and continues with that sharp metal beak. Grommets at each feather and those tiny-clawed owl feet at the base give me the creeps. Why so gloomy and serious, not cute and cuddly? We may never know. At least I’ll be passing by this piece at my local shops with no considerations for it at all.

Although its not my cup of tea, it might be the perfect find for the lady who can’t get enough animal prints on her handbags and clothing, and we all know somebody like that!

This funky Kate Spade tote can be purchased through: Saks Fifth Avenue for $425.

More reasons to shop at SAKS:
• Spend $150+ and receive a year’s subscription of Harpers Bazaar with code: BAZAAR
• Free shipping on orders of $250+ with code: FALLSHIP9

The Chat: Sherwood Owl!

If i see a handbag that is made in pink but also patent leather, I instantly freak out. My ultimate favorite color is pink, and my favorite type of leather for a handbag is definitely patent leather. When I spotted the Kate Spade Bon Vivant Mini Simone I was ecstatic. Not only was it pink and patent leather but it also had a bow to top it off. If you are a girly girl like me I think you would agree when I say, I don’t think a handbag can get anymore prissier than that.

The bag does come in two other colors, black and white, but I think I’m still more drawn to the pink version. The only “con” about the bag, is that it’s so hard to match anything with pink. I like to buy handbags that I can wear a lot. If I don’t get a lot of use out of a bag I feel like I have wasted my money. When a majority of your wardrobe consists of black and white, it’s kind of hard to match any of it with pink.

Overall though, this purse is absolutely adorable. It’s a perfect handbag to carry around all year long, and day or night.

The Kate Spade Bon Vivant Mini Simone can be purchased at Zappos for $349. I think $349 is a little too much for this bag. Yeah it may be cute, but there is nothing much to this bag for it to cost that much. If you like it though, then no price can beat that!

See the Kate Spade Bon Vivant Mini Simone Here @ Zappos

The Chat: Kate Spade Bon Vivant!

June 25, 2008
post written by Bag Bliss blogger: Jennifer

The Bag Forum five Bag Giveaway!

The 5 Prize:
> The Orange Pallie Bag. Retail $350. A delicious juicy orange tote, perfect for any daily summer mission.

> Kate Spade License Plate Canvas Shopper. Retails $245. Eco tote or day tote. Whichever you choose, this is a great choice for summer. Plus you have a chance to score this Kate Spade for free! How cool is that?!

> The next 3 “runners up” will receive whichever TBF eco tote of their choosing. The TBF eco totes are designed be fellow tbf’er, made with 100% eco friendly material, plus a portion of the proceeds are donated to oceana

How to Enter: All you have to do is finish the form HERE. By entering your info you will be automatically entered in the drawing pool to win one of these 5 bags!

Dates: The contest will run until July 8th, 11:59am pst. The winners will then be crowned shortly after.

Want to buy from the designers featured in this giveaway:
Shop Palie
Shop Kate Spade
Shop the TBF Modie designed Eco Totes (Portion of the proceeds to be donated to Oceana! Every dollar counts!!)

Current discussion: The Bag Forum five Bag Giveaway!

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! ]

May 4, 2008
post written by Bag Bliss blogger: BrS

Great Gifts for Mom
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, why not get mom something really special this year? What about a nice handbag? Whether she’s a bag fanatic just like you, or you simply want to share one of your many interests with her, no gift is more personal that a great bag that you know she’ll love! What a wonderful way to let mom know how much you care!

Now that you’ve decided to get mom a new bag for Mother’s Day, you’re going to need to pick one that suits her tastes. Oh dear, that could be a bit tricky. Maybe you don’t like the same things. Or worse yet, you do like the same things and you might end up wanting to keep the bag you pick out for her! LOL! Well don’t worry girls, I have picked out some mom-worthy gift ideas and I’ve included a little something for everyone (different mom’s have different tastes). And, since I know you girls would rather be putting your money towards handbags for yourselves, all of the bags I have here are less than $400!

For the casual mom:
1. Coach Signature Carly with Patent Trim – $348
New for Spring, Coach has put a patent-spin on their very popular Carly bag. It looks great with jeans and its big enough to hold everyday essentials.
2. Eric Javits Shop Hop Satchel – $380
This light and airy bag would be great for summer. This satchel gives the look of straw, but its very durable at the same time.

For the funky mom:
3. Elaine Turner Medium Gabby Shopper in Tahitian Dream – $345
Have a funky mom? Well check out this giraffe print! This little shopper puts a fresh spin on the animal print trend.
4. Kate Spade Fisher Island Small Devon Bag – $295
Zebra print… need I say more? Wait, why is it called “Fisher Island”?

For the mom that carries everything with her:
5. Longchamp Roseau Embossed Tote – $370
Great everyday tote that’s appropriate for both work and play. This baby will hold a lot too, thanks to its expandable gusset sides.
6. Juicy Couture Premier Carry-On Tote – $225
Huge size and durable PVC fabric, plus it comes with its own little zippered pouch to hold the little stuff.

For the workaholic mom:
7. Steven by Steve Madden High Society Large Tote – $185
This croco-embossed leather tote features a divided interior. It would be great for organizing folders and files.
8. Monsac Iris Gloss Tote – $398
Large enough to fit a laptop computer, this patent tote is sleek and sophisticated.

All of these bags can be found over at Nordstroms. And don’t forget that they offer free shipping everyday on all orders over $200. So hurry now, Mother’s Day is just a short week away!

[ The Bag Forum: Great Gifts for Mom ]