At first glance, I thought this was one of those Gryson bags at Target, but was surprised to discover that it’s actually made by Brazilian designer Elisa Atheniense. Atheniense’s roomy handbags are made in Brazil of luxurious leathers and her Big Weave Bag represents her decadent design aesthetic. Though it’s a bit of a Gryson rip-off, the Big Weave features weaving (duh!) – ...

One of my favorite online boutiques, Shop Jake, has the most carefully edited selection of affordable luxury goods. I love the clean feel of the site along with the cosmopolitan chic-ness of the items. Jake already carried a cool mix of designers but I’m excited to discover that they now carry Pauric Sweeney handbags too! I’m a lover of all things python and Pauric Sweeney is the master ...

Living in New York City brings out your fashion competitiveness. There are so many fashionably dressed women everywhere that it makes you want to shop all the time just to keep up! Along with the fashion comes especially enviable accessories, shoes and bags. But in a sea of ‘It’ bags, logos and tons of other bells and whistles, simplicity still seems to stand out. I’ve been noticing ...

Here’s a great summer clutch (if summer would ever come…) – the Celine Patent leather clutch. The bright turquoise patent leather is blended with tan leather trim and the combination looks stunning. Silver hardware edges the flap closure which also features a turnlock fastening. A silver chain handle can be tucked in or carried on the shoulder. I love that it looks dainty but it’s ...

So, it turns out that yellow isn’t as big as predicted this season. I’ve seen yellow fashion being sold all over the internet and in the mall but not so much on human beings. The reason? It’s hard to wear, and hard to pair. Yellow is a bright, somewhat harsh color for most skin tones, but if paired the right way with another color, it can work. The pairs a softer yellow tone with ...

Prada debuted it’s Fairy bag earlier this year in a simple cream deer skin base but did you know it’s also available in a plum color? The catch? There’s only one available! The bag is offered through Prada’s Prototype Auctions so unless you’re really lucky, it won’t be yours. Sorry. Image via Fashionising  Read More →

What’s Haute is a friend to Handbag Designer 101 so I was honored to join the preliminary judging panel for the 2nd Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards. Over 600 photos were submitted and I, along with Handbag Designer 101 founder Emily Blumenthal and several others, pored through all of them to select five finalists in each of the following categories: Best Green Handbag, Best Handbag ...

I’m in love with python. Some people don’t like the scaly feel of snake skin but python is just so luxurious to me, but pricey. So anytime I can get my hands on an affordable python piece, I grab it! LuxCouture has one of the best selections of luxury bags (thus the name LuxCouture!) and they have an enviable selection of python bags. This one in particular caught my eye. I was surprised ...

I never thought I’d see the day I put John Paul Gaultier on a ‘Not Haute’ list. But designing a women’s clutch inspired by men’s boxing shorts? That’s not haute. Every time I look at this clutch I feel like pulling out my boxing gloves and hitting the speedbag. Ok, he gets points for creativity but really, what woman wants to carry her stuff around in a pair of ...