If this bag was made to appeal to anyone in particular, it was made to appeal to someone like me. I like buckles, I like industrial stuff, and I like copious amounts of black leather in whatever texture it may come. And just in case anyone was wondering - no, this does not extrapolate out to my personal life.
But the Jimmy Choo Bardia Shoulder Bag just isn’t doing it for me, and it’s mostly because the whole idea for the bag seems a little bit half-baked. Instead of really playing with the idea of a bag inspired by industrial style, it looks like the folks at Jimmy Choo merely took a really boring black hobo and but some nonfunctional buckles and straps on the sides. At best, it looks like a bit of an afterthought and at worst, it looks totally contrived. With so many outstanding bags of a similar style on the market for fall, Choo is going to have to try harder next time. Buy through Saks for $1750.
Doesn’t it seem like a million years since we saw the last season of Project Runway? Anyone remember who won that season? It was Leanne Marshall, the the mousy Pacific Northwesterner that made clothes with lots and lots of wave-like ruffles. Part of her prize for winning the competition was that she would make a collection to be distributed through BlueFly.com, and apparently she finally got around to doing that!
The collection hit BlueFly yesterday and it’s a rather limited line of skirts, tops, and dresses, some of which include Leanne’s signature wave motif. Prices for the items range from under $100 for t-shirts to almost a thousand for the evening gown that we have pictured here. I don’t mean to be a hater, but for how long it took Leanne to get this stuff released, it’s not all that exciting. Most of the pieces are perfectly serviceable and wearable, which is nice, but the limited range of colors and styles is disappointing, considering Leanne’s considerable talent. One nice aspect of the line, though, is that it’s eco-friendly; it looks like her speech about sustainable design practices on the season finale wasn’t just a lot of hot air. Buy through Bluefly for $98-$990.