Designer Handbags

Is anyone done with hearing about Chloe? My guess would be that some people are, but I sure am not. I can’t fall out of love with my Paddy- it is my baby. I wear that bag and my arm feels so privileged! Vlad even loves it; heck my dad even loves it! So if you like the Paddy but want a little bit of a different style Chloe keeps on inventing for you. The Chloe Large Paddington Hobo looks like that familiar Paddington, feels like that familiar Paddington, sports the lock of that familiar Paddington, it nearly is that familiar Paddington… but a little different. This hobo is made of ivory leather with brown edging and beautiful golden hardware and studs. The hobo, unlike its ever popular prom queen sister, only sports one shoulder strap. The hobo style closes up with a zip top and the coveted and ever signature padlock and extended tab. The paddy hobo measures 10 4/5″H x 14 2/5″W x 7 2/5″D. For the same price as the ‘regular’ Paddy, the Chloe handbag is on pre-order via Bergdorf Goodman for $1500. Tell us which bag you prefer!

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There is no need denying that every woman carries a lot of useless crap around with her in her precious purse. I’m sure tons of you all have iPods or some sort of other portables that you cram in there, too. Joe Hynek of Iowa State University developed a fantastic symbiosis of tech and fashion and made carrying that extra battery charger a thing of the past. More room for more junk in the purse, whee! The bag’s outside is completely covered with solar panels which convert the sweet sun light into energy which, in turn, is stored in internal batteries. Your portable can be charged via the complementary USB port. Ingenius! Why didn’t anyone think of that before? And at a price of roughly 300 quid, it’s not even that expensive.

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For those of you who celebrated Christmas yesterday, I hope it was a good one. Santa thought I was a nice girl this year so I am smiling. And Vlad must have thought I was really nice this year too, because he treated me with a beautiful Dior wallet!! (pics to come

). For those of you who got some money to spend, why not jump right into the search for a perfect bag (or for those of you who have yet to celebrate this holiday season). For those of you who love the classic check pattern of Burberry, but also love some simplicity, the Burberry Leather Hobo Bag is quite appealing. This bag shows off a small check trim which lines the leather hobo bag. The bag is available in black, white, and cognac. Personally, I really like all three options. The simplicity of this bag is pulled together with a leather tab with a snap and button closure. Keepin’ it classy as usually, Burberry uses brass hardware to accent this bag. On the inside you will find a zip pocket and canvas lining and a cell phone pocket. This bag is not too big, not too small: 10″ x 8″ x 3″. I do wonder how the bag will fit under your arm and hang, because we all know we don’t want some good looking awkward fitting bag under our arm. But I do know that this Burberry handbag is a classy option if you are looking for a practical leather bag. Spend that money you just got via Burberry for $650.

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Most of us are quite accustomed to two main styles over at Chloe. But little Miss Thang is all about having us get to know her other designs a bit better. Let me introduce you to the beautiful Chloe Ascot Tote. This vivacious green tote bag is made from dark green pebble-grain leather and adds a little more color with teal trim. The big green is taking off the handbag world and shines in the sun with its golden hardware and studs. The focal point of this tote are the top and bottom tabs connected with the shackle clasp which adds a new dimension to the tote. I’m a fan of green and a big fan of teal, but I’m a little on the line with the combination of these two colors in this bag. Either way, I find the bag different and alluring. This Chloe bag keeps showing its roots with the Chloe price tag: buy it through Bergdorf Goodman for $1875.

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While shopping today I realized that all not all logo bags are created equal. If any of you recall, I’m not a huge fan of logo bags. Actually my mom is even more conservative than me. If a bag has a logo on it, my mom runs the other way. She doesn’t want people to know what she carries. But then again when she is carrying Gucci, Prada, and Chloe some people will most definitely eye ball and recognize her bags (just don’t tell her that- she is living in a dream world

). Much to my surprise when we walked into Dior she immediately was drawn to a certain logo bag and liked it not just on me but also on her. The world gets a little funnier every day!

The Dior Flight Flap Tote shows off the new Dior logo denim canvas and is trimmed in dark blue calfskin. For any of you wondering what one of the next big colors out there is, my mom and I saw orange/rustic orange being shown by many designers (which my mom loves- hint hint dad if you are looking or anyone else who can afford a bag for my mom because I am officially broke!). To show off some aspects from the Dior Flight line, there is an orange canvas belt detail and an orange neoprene Dior Flight tag hanging. For a little more of that hip orange color, the bag shows off orange topstitching. On the outside there is a handy pocket with button details and a snap closure. The inside of the bag has a zip pocket and satin finished textile lining. Also a big perk of the Christian Dior handbag is that it expands a bit by adjusting the side belts. When I tried the bag on, the rolled leather handles with polished silver metal links fit perfectly under my arm and the bag just looked almost too cute to pass up. Then again, if I were buying bags because they were too cute to pass up today, I would be stalked by all major credit card companies starting right about now. The bag is a good everyday size of 16.5″ x 11.4″ x 7.5″. Available through the lovely Dior boutiques or eLuxury for $1425.

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While we continue to think about that frightful weight loss resolution, let’s think about a yoga bag. I am somewhat forced into low impact exercise after my shoulder surgery, so I figure I better get into yoga a little more. Any of you yoga people? I always had a hard time imagining that something like yoga could keep me in shape, but my mom is a new-found firm believer in yoga. She used to run about 3 miles a day (I know amazing woman!), but hurt her knee and needed some low impact exercise. Poof! Yoga made it’s first appearance into my family. So if downward facing dog is also your thing (get your minds out of the gutter people!!

), then you may like the Modern Union Yoga Bag. These bags are messenger style bags which are styled from codura fabric but with a stylish outer flap with a printed design. This bag wouldn’t be a yoga bag without the straps that neatly hang from the bottom which will carry your yoga mat. Just make sure you don’t turn side to side too quickly and knock people around. For all of your work out musts, this bag does its job. On the outside of the bag there are both water bottle and cell phone holders (come on those two things are necessities nowadays), there are also pockets to hold CDs inside the bag (this bag must have hit before the iPod revolution), and many other compartments for your doodads. Sizing up at 13″ x 17″ and available in 4 different patterns, this yoga bag can help get you or keep you in shape for $68 through Modern Union.

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As the new year approaches, it is inevitable that so many people’s resolutions for 2006 will be losing weight. If you don’t believe me, listen to what Women’s Health has to say:

An estimated 40 percent of Americans promise to lose weight in the New Year; however, almost 90 percent of those who responded to a nationwide survey reported either occasional or no success losing weight. In fact, nearly half of the respondents reported losing very little weight or, unfortunately, gaining weight instead.

Ok all of you, if you are part of the 40% why not actually follow through with that resolution this year. What better way to do it than in style? I have been an athlete my whole life and I still remember wearing my Juicy pants with a tank top on my way to competitions. Shh don’t tell anyone because I know that is pretty stupid! Vlad and I are both quite the work out gurus (seriously that man has been working out 3 hours a day lately!!) And while I am back on a lighter work out regime after my shoulder surgery, I have decided to take up some low key work outs. Since we are all fashionable we better look good on our way to the gym because chances are that we won’t look so cute on the way out. For you ladies that want to look super cute, check out the vintage looking Nike Ridgeline Sport Bag. This bag comes with a bit of history; it is inspired by the bags that Olympians in the ‘72 games carried. The bag looks sleek and chic but has practical use for the lady on a mission to a slimmer more toned frame. There are top handles and a zip top closure for easy access to your Volvic bottled water and iPod shuffle

. This beauty is made of premium leather and shows off intricate laser etched designs. Measuring 5.5″ H x 13.5″ W x 2.75″ D, this Nike bag doesn’t look too sporty for even the most fashionable of us all. Buy it via Nike’s online store for $220 and break that nasty not following through with New Year’s Resolution deal!

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While Chloe may be my homegirl, she has done a number that has turned my head away pretty quickly. The Chloe Python Hobo looks more like a horse saddle with chains than anything else to me. The only difference it has than the horse saddle is that it is a little more posh than rustic, with some metallic gold python blinging in your eyes. I don’t know if there is really a part of this bag that I like- I guess the only thing that doesn’t seem awful to me is the push-lock closure on the front flap. Other than that, I got nothing. I can handle exotic skins and I can handle metallic, but I sure can’t handle overly gold metallic python skin, golden hardware, and a chain shoulder strap with rings. Is it just me or is this hobo too much? Sizing up at 11″H x 13″W x 5 1/2″D, I give each inch of this thing a no thanks. If you are up for the gold rush, you can find this hobo through Neiman Marcus for $915.

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And Viewer’s Choice Monday is back at you! Actually, it never quite went away, but the thread got a little lost in space and noone was aware this was still happening. But it is, so smile and let’s see what some of the reader’s want to hear about today. One of our most loyal readers and quite the bugetnista herself, Chemlex, has pointed our way towards the Kate Spade Rivington-Gisele Handbag. For a perfect little handbag, Kate has implemented the chic use of mettalic leather with a matte finish. Bringing in two of our favorite shiny colors, this sleek bag uses both gold and silver matte leather and is accented with nickel-tone hardware. The bag closes via a flap closure and has an interior zip pocket to hide the little necessities we all carry. Keep in mind that the width and height of this bag make the bag seem like it would carry a little more than it truly till, because the depth is a mere inch (11″W x 6″H x 1″D). Grab this beauty via Nordstrom for $223.90 (of course a marked down price!)

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To my surprise, after being on Net-A-Porter for a few days, the 2006 Chloe Paddingtons still aren’t sold out! Usually it does not take not longer than 45 minutes for the hungry internet mob to buy out the whole store’s Chloe handbag inventory, but I guess NAP must have stocked up on Paddies for the Xmas season quite heavily.

Ladies, go get ‘em before they’re gone! Gentlemen, go get ‘em for your ladies before they’re gone! Available in light blue, delicious cholocolate leather, and whiskey!

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