Juicy Loves Sephora / I hate Juicy

Besides hippie "chic," a pet peeve is Juicy Couture. Juicy's bags in particular are hideous: why one would want to carry a bag that screams "Juicy" is beyond me. Now Juicy has created a collection of cosmetics bags for Sephora.

Crowns and emblems have become cliche design motifs. The emblem with the schnauzers is not cute, but "cutesy," and overly precious.

Ugh. Go away, Juicy, just go away!

Absurd ...

I've written before about my pet peeve with the revival of hippie "chic," but this suede fringed pouch really takes the cake. At a cool $1,650.00 (one thousand six hundred fifty dollars), it's from Jimmy Choo. Can you believe it?

Silly fashion

I hate logo wear: it's ridiculous that the customers pays for advertising. This canvas tote from Marc Jacobs is even more ridiculous than logo wear: why announce "TOTE" when it's obvious that it is a tote?


MARC by Marc Jacobs Standard Supply Tote

$128.00 at Bergdorf Goodman

The return of hippie "chic"

One of the most distressing fashion trends (aside from Juicy Couture, baby doll tops, and leggings) is the revival of hippie "chic," if you can call it that. I've already written about hippie headbands.

In the late sixties, it was fashionable to bleach, patch, and embroider your jeans - and also to rip and fray jeans. Now True Religion has come out with its Bobby Destroyed Jeans.


Bobby Destroyed Jeans by True Religion

The price for these jeans is $240.00 (yes, two hundred forty dollars). This is ridiculous.

On the other hand, I like this adaptation of the fringed leather look:


cha cha Patience handbag from Lori Chalmers

The braided strap, semi-structured design, and dark blue leather give it class. It's from Lori Chalmers, an independent designer who's based in Toronto.

Hadn't I seen something like this at Michael's?

A bag that you can embellish. Only it's a Fendi Artist Baguette. This Fendi clutch, which is shown in its box, is made of white canvas and comes with 10 Pantone permanent markers.

Bring your fabric glue, sequins and beads, stencils, etc. to embellish it. Only $1,300.00 :-) Found through Needless Markup.

Cosmetics bags

I collect cosmetics bags. I haven't used them yet; the bags are lined up in my closet. Here are some selections from World of Good, which promotes fair trade handicrafts from around the world. You might have seen World of Good kiosks at Whole Foods Market or Wegman's.

silk Come Full Circle Cosmetic Bag from Cambodia


silk Udder Joy Pouch from India

The trim on this pouch is characteristic of the Indian decorative art of kalamkari, where artisans sketch designs with burnt tamarind twigs and then paint the designs with natural dyes.

Hipper Zipper Pouch from Brazil

This pouch is actually made out of leftover zippers! While I wouldn't put the silk pouches in my handbag for fear of getting them dirty, this bag is rugged enough for my handbag.

Sera clutch from Cate Adair

I'm a faddish shopper. Lately, I've had a craze for collecting small bags for stashing cosmetics, from quilted Vera Bradley signature print cosmetics bags to woven polyvinyl bags (which look like something Sandy Chilewich might do) from MacFABhome to nylon pencil cases from American Apparel to the Alisa clutch from Double Happiness. Now my heart's set on this Sera clutch from Cate Adair:



You may search The Style Page web site for links to Vera Bradley, Sandy Chilewich, and American Apparel. For links to MacFABhome, Double Happiness, and Cate Adair, visit Bags on MyWeb by Yahoo!

Alisa clutch by Double Happiness

Clutches are back, particularly for dressy holiday parties. The large mother-of-pearl accents and studding makes this clutch from Double Happiness look tough. This clutch also has a hefty detachable chain.

I found this clutch at Lusso in St. Louis, but it's now 50% off through the online store for Double Happiness.

Belen Echandia's Golden Ticket is back

Categories: Fashion, Bags, Promotion


Belen Echandia's Golden Ticket promotion
Chocolate/Gold

I received an Email from Belen Echandia about their current Golden Ticket promotion:

Belen Echandia’s Bag of the Season – will it be you?

Every season Belen Echandia selects a Bag of the Season and sends one lucky girl a Golden Ticket email. The Golden Ticket entitles its recipient to the Bag of the Season in her choice of colour. The Bag of the Season for AW 2006 is this unique cowhide metallic purse with removable chain strap. It is perfect for day and night, fits in all your essentials and looks fantastic, too.

This season’s Golden Ticket will be sent on 1 November 2006. The recipient can choose her favourite colour from cowhide from white/silver, white/gold and chocolate/gold.

To sign up, visit Belen Echandia's Invitation page and enter your Email address.

To see last season's Golden Ticket, please visit Belen Echandia's Golden Ticket.

World of Good: Jute totes and bags

Categories: Fashion, Bags

In Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), India, jute totes with bamboo handles are often used as shopping bags. These bags are often emblazoned with advertising for a particular merchant.

World of Good, an organization devoted to promoting fair trade crafts, is now marketing totes and messenger bags made of jute with geometric designs and webbed straps:



I spotted these at Whole Foods Market.