Category Archives: Balenciaga

Askme – Best Bags to Buy Now

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Dear Purseholic

I am 48 years old, just recently got out of my 25-year marriage which with the exception of my two gorgeous boys (23 and 20), has turned out to be a complete waste of my life. I used to have many passions in life, including fashion and dressing up but had been paying very little attention to it for the past ten years due to the horrible marriage. To cut the long story short, let’s just say I managed to get out of it with a good settlement and I would really like to put my own life together again. This will involve me hanging out a lot more often with many ladies who lunch therefore I will need a wardrobe overhaul. Most of the bags in my collection are from the late 80s and 90s. I have mostly classic Chanel, Hermes, LV, Gucci and Fendi bags but I need new statement bags that are age appropriate yet current (I want to be seen fresh and current). Would you be kind enough to recommend at least 5 good models and some new designer names for me to keep my eyes on?

Best Wishes

Mandy (not real name), NYC

Dear Mandy (not real name)

Thanks for writing to us. Welcome back to life! You have certainly missed out many exciting bags over the past 10 years but I will try to fill you in. Some new and current brands to watch our for are Meredith Wendell, The Row, Victoria Beckham and Reed Krakoff. At the same time, some older brands which were hot back prior to or in the 1980s such as Celine, Nina Ricci, Givenchy, Valextra and Delvaux have recently re-emerged too. Besides the two groups, some heritage brands made a come back in the past decade, offering new classic pieces worthy of your consideration such as the Balenciaga Giant City, YSL Muse and Muse Two, Hermes Lindy and Tod’s D Bag. Here are the top 5 bags I recommend you getting immediately. They will be approved adored by most of your “ladies-who-lunch” friends and frenemies alike.

1. Victoria Beckham Structured leather tote, USD3,750 from net-a-porter.com in this beautiful Merlot color. Think of Victoria Beckham bags as the new Hermes/Valextra. They are new, incredibly posh and classy.

2. Hermes Lindy 30 or 35, price starts from USD7,000. Because Birkin and Kelly bags represent the old wealth while the Lindy represents the new. The Lindy is very versatile too, can go from casual to more formal events. We have one available now!

3. The Row Metal Frame Lizard Clutch, USD5,800 from net-a-porter.com. In your circle, showing support to new young talents is very important, no? On top of that, the clutch is super gorgeous too!

4. Reed Krakoff Bridle two-tone-leather tote, USD1,190, exclusive at the net-a-porter.com. Simply because it looks effortlessly chic and  stylish. The snakeskin version is even more delicious, if you wish to up the ante.

5. Finally, a Balenciaga City bag in either the classic version (if you want it light) or the Giant version (if you want it glamorous but heavy). Easily because the bag can be packed flat for traveling, it is really versatile and is one of the , if not, the greatest bag created in the past decade. Price is USD1,445 for the classic version and USD1,795 for the Giant version. Available in many beautiful colors season after season.

Please do not stop at here. You owe it to yourself to get as many gorgeous bags as you could afford. I say, the Luggage and the Box bag from Celine must be included in your list next.They are divine!

xoxo

The Purseholic Folks

Write to us at askme@purseholic.com

Balenciaga Classic City Dot and Cross

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The house of Balenciaga owes its revival to supermodels, especially Kate Moss for explicitly expressing her love for the motorcycle bag prototype that had actually been killed before it got made. Nicolas Ghesquiere finally decided against the management’s decision and sent the bag for a limited production. Inevitably it was the one decision that turned the fate of the house around as the bag became an overnight sensation, putting the name Balenciaga back on the map. The rest is history.

Over the past 11 years, the bag has evolved into many variations. I myself adore the classic Work bag I bought back in Fall/Winter 2009. It remains one of my favorite bags to date and I am even thinking of buying the classic Day some day. This perforated version of the bag is indeed very interesting. It is the classic case of “classic with a twist”, enough twist to make the classic interesting yet not compromising the heritage of the creation. The beautiful colors surely do not hurt either. My sisters will surely love these babies. Price is USD1,595 each. Still pretty good for a cool classic piece.

Images are courtesy of Balenciaga

Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2011 Bags

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The only bag you need for the next season is a gorgeous big clutch. It will not be comfortable for you to carry around but that is what the Parisian fashion authorities dictate. Balenciaga came to the rescue as aside from Vuitton and Jil Sander, everybody else seem to have missed out exciting bags in the Paris fashion week. For a designer who revived the house of Balenciaga with the iconic motorcyle bag, Nicolas Ghesquière made a bold move to present only big clutches for its bags line-up for the next season. While I do not normally approve, I have to say this is, IMO, the most “alive” collection in Paris this year. We do not normally see prints with Balenciaga and this collection could have been mistaken as a very strong collection from Prada. Then again, when you could have been mistaken as a Prada collection, there is  basically nothing to complain about.

Images are courtesy of style.com

Balenciaga Canvas Motorcycle Boston Bag

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It’s been 10 years since the house of Balenciaga created a the iconic Motorcycle / Lariat bag that possibly contributed considerably to the successful revival of the house. The bag is now one of the new classics alongside the Fendi Baguette, YSL Muse and Chloé Paddington and has been reincarnated in many different sizes, materials and variations. One of the Spring 2011 incarnation of the bag is the canvas Boston in red with green leather trims. I think this baby should have been issued for Fall/Winter 2010 as it goes well with Christmas. Why didn’t anyone think of that?

Image is courtesy of Balenciaga

Balenciaga Daim Alphabet Tote

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You might just be as surprised as I was to learn that this bag was indeed a Balenciaga. It is like Nicolas Ghesquiere woke up one day and decided to come up with something that looks like a Gap, except that the material and the price tag remains Balenciaga. Made entirely of leather and suede, the bag is priced at USD1,795. I don’t know whether this will just end up in the half-off shelves or will somehow be a hit. If it dioes become a hit, it would have taken a marketing genius to sell a story about it. It just does not look like a high fashion to me, not even high street.

Image is courtesy of Barneys

Balenciaga Chain Bag

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This reminds me of an old school bag. Mine was a back pack, actually but with two pockets, you can imagine. The bag is made entirely of soft lambskin that Balenciaga is known for. It might not be an IT bag material but it comes from a French house, so almighty that it banned the French Vogue and its venerable Carine Roitfeld from its shows and removed its ads and stopped sending sample over to the fashion bible. Balenciaga got some balls. This bag costs USD2,195.

Image is courtesy of Balenciaga

Balenciaga City Patchwork

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I am a big big fan of Balenciaga motorcycle bags, be it Work, City or Twiggy or most of its incarnations but I do not like patchworks in general so the City Patchwork bags never did it for me. The other problem is that the patchwork is even more expensive mostly then the other more beautiful bags so I don’t know who will buy them. Yet Balenciaga always offers a a few patchwork bags in their collections. The blue tones City Patchwork for the Spring/Summer 2010 though, is for the first time, the patchwork that does not hurt my eyes. Will I ever buy it? NO! But it is more bearable than most I have seen. It costs GBP1,475, almost 600Pounds more than the standard City.

Image is courtesy of Balenciaga

Nicole Richie with Balenciaga City

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Nicole Richie looks great here with her casual boho chic style. I love the dress and slippers paired up with the Aviator shades but the one thing that pulls the whole outfit off is the gorgeous Balenciaga City in Burgundy red shade. Get your classic Balenciaga bag from Barneys or the nearest Balenciaga store now! You could also check hgbagsonline.com out for discounted new or pre-owned Balenciaga items from time to time.

Image is courtesy of bagthatstyle.com

Balenciaga Plum Lambskin Patchwork Sunday Tote

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I do not really get patchwork anything. While some might view it as artistic, it always comes across as a representation of poverty to me. Well this Balenciaga does not look as bad as what I had expected maybe because the leather patches chosen are all in warmer tones so they do not scream “CHEAP”, which they better not because it costs USD2,345 before Bluefly’s 20% off to USD1,876. The bag is trimmed with wild boar skin.

Image is courtesy of bluefly.com