handbag blog

Louis Vuitton never ceases to amaze me. With their high end fashion and exquisite taste the Louis Vuitton Fall Fashion line would make any girl or guy envious. When you think of LV, you think of the classic monogram canvas, the dark brown leather background with the LV gold print.

The Fall line focuses on the famous LV pattern with some new and intriguing accessories. What I noticed and love was the emphasis on small hand totes, rather than over-the-shoulder bags. Although big bags are practical, a small handbag draws focus to the outfit and the girl!

Louis Vuitton Alma, I bow before thee in deep respect. With a capacity of a Sherman tank, and the discreet elegance of a Rolls-Royce Phantom II, this will be your best friend on the urban business battle grounds. Louis Vuitton shows that they can go even without the classic monogram canvas and still produce a fantastic bag. Like any war, this bag is also very expensive.

Takashi Murakami stikes again in full force. After creating the Monogram Cerises line along with Marc Jacobs, his creative talent gave birth to the new Monogram Panda line of bags and accessories. Don’t be fooled, this series is not new. Murakami released limited editions of monogram bags with Pandas and other characters a few years ago. However, the limited eds were only available in Japan. The line then included a variety of bags featuring the Panda, including the round coin pouch, agenda, billfold, the vavin and others.

To me, the Panda looks a little freakish. Not to mention, it might be cute on a different backdrop, but on the classic monogram…? More than questionable. But as long as it sells and the Vuitton fanbase is not revolting, Murakami must be doing something right. As about only online store, ELuxury sells the pictured Panda keychain for $140.

Searching online archives, I’ve managed to collect two images from the past Murakami Panda collection for you to appreciate:

Flower Hat Man, Panda and Onion Head:

I’ve said it before, and I am saying it again. I despise LV’s traditional monogram canvas. I don’t find anything pretty about it, and all the canvases that derived from it over the years look like Takashi himself puked his guts out on them… multicolore, panda, cerises, you name them. Me no likes. But that doesn’t mean that Louis Vuitton can not create bags that my eyes feast on.

The recent ostrich-trimmed Toile Trianon collection was introduced for last year’s spring-summer runway collection to coincide with Vuitton’s 150th anniversary and features details reminiscent of the first canvas-lined, embossed leather patch trunks the company produced in the late 1800s. The Louis Vuitton Sac De Nuit is a prime specimen of the aforementioned collection. Ain’t it to die for? A Toile Trianon cotton and polyester canvas, plated ostrich leather trimmings, along with the varnished polished brass buckle and nail hardware, they all contribute to this bag being the most fashionable way to sport a vintage Louis look these days. Striped cotton and polyester lining fill the interior, as inspired from the early trunk beds. This remarkable bag is destined to become a timeless classic, and sure the price tag does reflect its exclusivity. For almost $4,000 available through eLuxury.

Megs and I are very fortunate to be spending a few days at her home town of Fort Lauderdale, FL. The weather blows, lots of rain and red flags by the beaches. But fortunately, the area is a wonderful place to catch up on the newest and the hottest in the world of fashion. What place better could there be than the Bal Harbour Mall in Miami? With many of the most exclusive designers being represented with their respective stores, Bal Harbour ranks probably among the top malls in the US for doing your ridiculously expensive couture shopping. The stores enjoy a variety of very exclusive limited edition pieces that are very rare and hard to find - more on those items tomorrow.

First things first. We strolled into the Louis Vuitton store, just to get a hands on feel for their brand-spankin’ new Antigua bags. The line manifests the classic nautical spirit with supple cotton canvases and contrasting shades, creating versatile travel gear. First up on the top left is the Louis Vuitton Sac Week-end. The travel bag has its cotton canvas shaped into a classic weekender silhouette, with contrasting handles accented by the iconic Louis Vuitton luggage nails. A shiny, polished logo nameplate and cowhide luggage tag round up the package. The 29.1″ x 10.6″ x 10.6″ bag comes in red/purple or red/beige (pictured) for $925.

Top right reveals the Louis Vuitton Cabas MM. The brightly contrasting handles punctuate the supple cotton canvas exterior, while the roomy interior creates a beautifully versatile bag that’s made for travel. Finished with golden LV hardware, the logo nameplate, and a natural cowhide luggage tag. The 11.8″ x 3.8″ x 11.6″ tote costs $640 and is available through eLuxury. The Louis Vuitton Cabas GM sports the same shape, is slightly larger in width and height (16.5″ x 3.7″ x 14.1″) and comes with a black/white contrasting canvas. For $715 through eLuxury.

The Louis Vuitton Besace PM blends the best of classic LV messenger bags of elegant holiday style into a casually sophisticated city bag. The distinctive satchel shape is punctuated with brightly contrasting straps, a sleek logo nameplate, and polished golden hardware that recalls the vintage Louis Vuitton luggage nails. This bag can be yours for 715 dollars.

As my mom remarked to me about my dad earlier today, “Your father is the least close to a metrosexual in the world”, I realized I needed to feature a man bag. And going with my mom’s comment on my dad, I realize this bag is not for you dad! Sorry. But I know there are men among you out there that are totally hip and always nicely dressed and this bag is for you. I love Louis Vuitton and their messenger bags. I actually have one that I adore and used to use for school (when I went of course). From all of my travels I have learned one thing; the working man today loves a trendy messenger bag. They all have it. All the business tycoons in NYC carry them. The Louis Vuitton Bastille messenger bag is the perfect working bag for any man out there (unless you are also not ‘metrosexual’ like my father).

Louis Vuitton has so many styles that can meet any man’s need, and this bag is made of the city men out there. Made from the Damier canvas with brown cowhide trim and polished brass hardware, this bag calls attention to its style but also is not too over the top with logos. Don’t get me wrong. Almost everybody knows the Damier print to belong to Louis Vuitton, but the LV logo pattern is much more obvious I think. The messenger style bag has a full flap that closes with a unique brass and hidden-elastic “button” providing easy access to the spacious interior. The inside is packed with goodies including two deep pockets, one full-width inside pocket, and terracotta canvas lining. Now terracotta reminds me of some sort of outdoor patio, but maybe I’m just crazy and way off. Along with all of the inner goodies the bag features a zipped outside back pocket and an adjustable textile strap that may be worn on the shoulder or across the body. Whichever way you chose to wear this bag, you will know you are stylin’! The bag is a plentiful 13″ ? ” x 12″ ?” x 4″ for all you work junkies who wondered if you could fit all your necessities in there and can be purchased at eLuxury for $1,000 even.

I sincerely doubt there is any other company with as many shapes and variations of their own signature canvas as Louis Vuitton. As we’re approaching mid-summer, the frenchmen’s creative force pops out the Louis Vuitton Batignolles Horizontal. The Batignolles is meant as a versatile daily shopper or briefcase, with enough room to carry a laptop around, and yet still sport Vuitton’s elegance and luxury. The classic monogram canvas is finished with shiny golden hardware and sumptuous natural cowhide trim, while its inside is lined in canvas with an interior key ring, and holds zipped and cell phone pockets for storage. The side gussets are adjustable for when you feel like you need to carry around half the office with you around. The spacy 13.4″ x 11.8″ x 5.4″ tote goes immediately for a reasonable $750. Reasonable for LV, anyway.

That Louis Vuitton keep reinventing themselves and their seemingly endless collections of bags and luggage, that is no secret at all. New colors here and there, new spin-offs of the traditional and very popular Monogram Canvas come to mind. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I don’t dig the traditional canvas at all, I get sick of seeing it on the streets and having to automatically wonder if it’s a faux or not. While I do like some of the derivates that LV has released lately, some I totally still can’t stand at all, vis the Cerises for example. However, and here comes the big but, I really like the Monogram Mini in black. The black canvas with silverish LV monograms just does it for me. Megs likes it, too - I share her opinion that it looks much more sophisticated than the cerise shade, or any others that the MM had been released in thus far.

Prime example - the LV Cabas Mary Kate. The $1k tote sports a young and trendy look and can function well as a casual & daily tote for urban biz meetings or other work-related jazz. The double zipper adds convenience and quick access, and extra inner pockets give enough room for cell and misc bag junk.

You’ve made it in this world if you have a Louis Vuitton bag named after you. I guess I can stop believing that I have made it in this world, because there surely isn’t an LV named after me (I’d like to think that in the future there will be someday?!). The new Louis Vuitton Audra is named after an iconic Broadway singer, Audra McDonald, which gives a new appeal to the Monogram Multicolore canvas line. Best part of the bag for me is the heavy golden metallic hardware and links which gives way to the natural cowhide handles. The shape is also alluring, being not square but triangular. The canvas is the Monogram Multicolore with natural cowhide trim and golden metal hardware, which was of course designed by Takashi Murakami. The inside is lined in Ruby alcantara and has two compartments to hold goodies. I guess the day that I have a high end bag from a classic designer like Louis Vuitton named after me, it means I’m golden. Until then, I’ll be an insignificant bump on a log. If you want to wear another’s fame and fortune in a bag, the Audra is available for $1250 via eLuxury.

What better way to pair up a new bag than with new shoes? Now for me personally, LV bags haven’t been my favorite, for the mere reason (to some it may sound stupid) that the fakes keep being made and are so bad. But the shoes, I have always had a liking of. The Louis Vuitton Multicolore Open-Toe Mule is a sexy shoe with an unbelievably cute style. The shoe is trimmed with natural cowhide which is underlined by fuchsia patent leather. This of course matches the insoles, which are made of fuchsia suede goat leather and are accented with yellow topstitching. Some of my favorite parts are the violet velvet bow, and the angular heel which is 2″. You know why that heel is amazing, because it is short! Try being 5′10.5 and finding shoes that don’t make you tower over every man around you. Luckily Vlad is 6′3 so Ia??d be set with these heels. These shoes could make any outfit right for $490 through eLuxury.

We have all delved into the heated discussion of logo bags. To buy or not to buy. We have all discussed and even argued over the who/what/where/when/why/how of logo bags. Are they worn to be seen or out of the wearer loving the style and the brand. Many times I’m a bit in between, because I know many of us have differing opinions, but for this bag I’m going to go along with Bag Crazy and venture to say that this bag will be carried knowing that every onlooker including the man on the Goodyear Blimp will see it. Ok, and exaggeration, but you get my gist. Before you think I completely am ragging on this bag, I want you to know that I actually kinda like it. The Louis Vuitton Globe Shopper Cabas MM is one of the simpler canvas bags LV has but still screams out ‘Look at me! I’m a Vuitton!’. Hey, I wouldn’t mind being a Vuitton myself but I just couldn’t sport this bag.

The Louis Vuitton Globe Shopper Cabas MM shows off the Louis Vuitton logo that dates back to 1905 on a linen patch on top of this cotton and linen canvas bag. The bag is accented with brass hardware which gives off a little antique feel. The logo that you can’t help but miss is actually of the Historic Louis Vuitton Trunks & Bags logo. With that being said, this bag is actually simple and kind of cute, but again, I just don’t like the wham-bam-logo. Trimmed with natural cowhide and sporting two engraved buckles at each side, this bag does have some pluses to it. The inside is lined in polyester-and-cotton Monogram Mini lining and has an interior pocket plus and interior snap=hok closure. Sizing up at 13″ x 11.8″ x 3.1″, I feel like this bag will be a toss up between likes and don’t likes. If you are a liker of the bag, find it through eLuxury for $1280.