With all the bright bold colors of the season, I am starting to feel over stimulated. Which is why I am so drawn to this subtle shade of taupe from Jimmy Choo! It’s calm and neutral, and after my latest purchase- an electric blue Tod’s tote (my “Trend” bag of the season)- I really need a bit of settling down from all this color overload! While Jimmy Choo has not been my favorite brand in the past, it’s one that I am slowly becoming a fan of. From the Carolina eel clutch to the Malena above in contrasting leather and suede; I see huge improvements at Choo from its first attempt at bags as I am sure you have. Though frame bags in general may seem a bit mature and restricting, I love juxtaposing it with a pair of old faded jeans and a funky blouse. After all, it’s all about the attitude and how you carry the bag, not how the bag carries you. $1,975 at Net a Porter

Jimmy Choo Dessy Weekender $1,395 at Jimmy Choo.com 

To unwind from the longest week of my year so far, I am fantasizing about a weekend getaway with my hubby. Of course, he just announced we’re going to the Byron Nelson (what is that you ask? Exactly!) — and it is the last place I want to be on a Saturday afternoon. Well, a girl can still dream, and here is what I’d bring with me, if he surprised me and whisked me off to St. Barts for the weekend. First, I’d pack the Jimmy Choo Dessy weekender bag with a great dress and a pair of hot shoes. I just got these ultra fab white Louboutins. I know my hubby will love them, too, but he’d kill me, if I wore these on the golf course at the Byron! Anyway, continuing with my fantasy … the dress I’d wear to the romantic dinner he’d plan on the beach in a private tent would be this sexy Missoni wrap dress. It’s alluring without being too obvious–I am a mother after all. Come to think of it … I should wear this to the Byron! Maybe he’ll get the hint! Missoni dress at Net-a-Porter; Louboutins at Barneys. Have a great weekend all!
(Bag Snob Note: The Bag Snob hubby protests this entry and wants it on record that he is taking me to Paris for 2 weeks in June I told him about this entry to him and he is not amused, lol.)

This reminds me of those totally cheesy drawings you see at those old school hair salons. Or those useless books they give you so you can show your stylist how you want your hair. I worry about those people who actually choose from those books. This totally throws me off because Jimmy Choo has been doing such amazing bags lately. Like the Saba Bag, a welcomed departure from the usual heavy hardware. How does the Face bag even go in the same collection as the other bags? I really want to know the meaning behind this. Have there been secret meetings between the people at Choo and the people at Marc Jacobs? I don’t even know who would use this bag. George Michael? You know, so he can reminisce of his hay days cavorting with these models. And because it is so 80’s. At Saks for $975.

From Bag Snob Tina: Kelly is not a fan of Contemporary Art and does not know the history behind the bag. It is designed by Richard Phillips, a pop art painter known for painting exaggerated women faces (up to 100 inches high!). He often depicts the artificiality of perfection in the fashion world through these images. I am a fan of his work and in college I made dozens of similar paintings of faces like this. This bag is like the Prada Fairy bag to me, a whimsical piece of art to be collected by art and/or bag collectors alike. I wouldn’t carry the face bag around but wouldn’t mind having it in my collection to be displayed in my office alongside the Fairy bag.

I am planning the multiple trips I have coming up so this big carryall weekend bag from Jimmy Choo is of particular interest to me. I know I said canvas/linen is practical for being lightweight but sometimes you just want to look good at any cost (even to you back, shoulders and hands). But this is actually patent fabric so it is much lighter than patent leather but you get the same fabulous look. For a quick getaway to say, Las Vegas, how incredibly amazing would this be? I mean, anything you bring to Vegas is going to be small anyways so this will be all you need. I was thinking that this would even be good for the gym on those few occassions I actually shower there (I go to a nice gym and I still worry about germie shower floors, always bring flip flops!!). It comes with a shoulder bag that will be handy when traveling. At Net a Porter for $1075.

The exotic Spring/Summer bag collection from Jimmy Choo is designed for laid back sunny days and busy urban lives. In texture, shape and palette, the look is relaxed with sizes ranging from the small and cute to the super-large. We’ll be reviewing the new collection throughout the next few weeks so stay tuned!

The first bag that caught our eye from the Spring line is the Saba Bag, it has African inspired polished wood bangles adorning the strap, what a brilliant way to accessorize a simple tote! It comes in various skins, zebra printed ponyskin ($3,395- sold out!), brown or black suede ($2,450), and black or off white nappa leather ($3,050 for large, $2,450 for medium). I love the off-white version in medium, it is the perfect summer vacation bag to Capri or South Beach. I always carry magazines, several sunscreens for different parts of my face and body, and my son’s toys and snacks when I am vacationing and this will fit it all. It is a generously sized bag at 14″ wide and is ultra soft and slouchy, all you will need is a wide brim hat and a turquoise bikini and you’ll be ready for action! Oh, and a sexy pair of Jimmy Choo sandals won’t hurt either.
You can also get the medium nappa leather Saba in black at Saks Fifth Ave for $2,450

More photos of the Saba after the jump!

Simply luxurious, the Carolina Crocodile clutch from Jimmy Choo’s Cruise collection is just the sleek accessory you need for New Year’s Eve! We loved the eel version of the Carolina clutch but the crocodile is much more elegant and classic (and for a cool $15,000 it can be all yours!) I also found the fab suede platforms on the site that all of you were panting for but had sold out on Net a porter. It also comes in a full of attitude magenta which is totally hot! So check out Jimmy Choo’s site or call one of the boutiques! By the way, Jimmy Choo’s Autumn/Winter sale has been going on for a week, I’d also ask about the shoes on sale, you can never, ever, have enough Choos!

Jimmy Choo Alex suede shoulder bagWas $1,975, now $1,382

Jimmy Choo Clue velvet platforms Was $640, now $448

Net a Porter sales are hard to resist. Like these fab platform Jimmy Choos, they will get you through the party season in style as will the Alex suede bag!

This reminds me of Michelle Pfeiffer’s character in Scarface with her heroin chic appeal (it was cocaine actually which makes it so much more 80’s). This clutch would be perfect with everything she wore in that movie - the glistening metallic suede, gold hardware, even a wrist strap so she can properly seduce men on the dance floor. First you get the money, then you get the power and THEN you get the bags!! But you certainly don’t need to resort to drug dealing for this bag, it is only $995 (petty theft maybe but nothing major like organized crime). Seeing that this bag is able to bridge the gap between the 70’s, 80’s and today (this bag’s personality is too clear and collected to be 90’s), it is a safe bet that it will let you get along for quite a few years more with it. And who says this has to be strictly an evening affair? I would love to run around during the day with my girlfriends being carefree and chic without my giant tote with laptop weighing it down like a ton of bricks. I wish I had used clutches more before I had kids and a job, because now I feel like it is such a luxury when I do get to use a cute little feather light clutch (even giant clutches are light to me, anything less than 10 pounds is considered light). But I guess it just makes me love it and appreciate it so much more when I get a chance to use them. At Saks Fifth Avenue for $995. Free shipping with code HOLIDAY7.

We weren’t going to do an editorial on this bag line but have received over a dozen crazy harassment emails from the PR girl representing them so we decided to put it out there so you can stay clear of this line of horribly made and very cheap bags. Kelly first received an email two months ago from Zina Eva’s rep asking to participate in our monthly bag giveaway but after receiving the samples this weekend we decided the bags were not up to Bag Snob par and we couldn’t possibly endorse it let alone give it to our readers. (a bag that looks cute and adorable in photos sometimes doesn’t translate as well in person) So why didn’t we like the bags? First of all, they smelled heavily of plastic and looked and felt like plastic (fake embossed snakeskin is the one they sent), the handles were also very flimsy and felt like plastic too. Seriously, you could get better bags at Target for $39.99. (Bag Snob note: they maintain their bags are made of leather but they smell and feel like plastic to us)

We promptly contacted them and told them we’d return the bags and will not be able to include them in our monthly giveaway but the PR girl turned nasty and started sending us harassment emails with racist overtones. Let’s see, she accused us of using fake last names because our names are English/European yet we don’t look European (Basically non-white people are not allowed to have European surnames according to this genius PR girl) and then she accused us of trying to scam them of $150 (wholesale price) bags?!?!??! How is it a scam if we didn’t want to keep the hideous bags for our giveaway?

The false accusations are actually funny considering we buy Hermes birkins for a hobby and give away $2,000 bags on a regular basis (from real bag designers like Anya Hindmarch, Jimmy Choo, Devi Kroell, Sang A, Smythson, etc who have all been very pleased with our level of professionalism). Anyway, I actually feel sorry for Zina Eva as she has the worst PR firm on earth working for her. But not sorry enough to compromise the standards we have for ourselves and our readers so the bags are packed up and being shipped out tomorrow morning. I am also worried that if you, as a consumer, were to ever complain about a Zina Eva bag, would they harass you with a dozen of hate emails full of crazy racist remarks and general derogatory comments about your character JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T LIKE THE BAG?

Kelly and I often receive flak for our honest reviews but it is why our readers trust us. British Vogue, London Daily Mail and other esteemed publications have written about the power of an endorsement from Bag Snob and that is not something we take lightly. So even if a second rate PR firm calls us a “Lowly Blog” and that blogs are useless (then why did they contact us to be featured in our sweepstakes and offer us the bags to give away? We never heard of Zina Eva prior to that email!) we will continue to do what we do best. Which is honest reviews of the ultimate accessory, The Handbag.

I am impressed with Jimmy Choo for continuing to design bags that are current and good for everyday. This metallic suede may be trendy because metallic is hot now but honestly, metallic is not going away any time soon - it is a long lasting bag that can be worn for many seasons and pretty much can go with anything. It is perfect for those who only need (or must) buy only one or two bags a season. One thing though, I wish designers would start making all chain bags with leather at the shoulder, you still get the full chain look when it’s on and the comfort and ease makes all the difference in the world. Plus, this is suede, perfect for non slippage so why not go there? That’s just my $.02. The simplicity of this bag makes me really like the chain even though I’m not normally a chain lover, it’s fitting with the hardware and makes the bag come together very naturally. The silver metallic with the gold hardware is very much of the day so you are really getting an all around bag that is keeping up with the latest. I admit this is not a raving review but I see this as suiting the needs of someone who wants a bag they don’t need to think about on a daily basis, it is a grab and go bag. At Net a Porter for $1695.