CHANEL HANDBAGS & PURSES

Confession: I absolutely love Rachel Zoe. I love her show on Bravo, I love the outrageously fabulous things that she wears, I love that she always seems to be on the verge of a panic attack. I particularly love her bow tie-wearing assistant Brad. I loved Taylor, but she doesn’t work there anymore.

I digress. What I love about these pictures happens to be Rachel’s utterly enormous Chanel bags. I don’t love that it’s vinyl instead of patent leather, but for a bag so huge, I suppose it’s possible that patent leather would have made it too heavy or too stiff.

As it is, however, the oversized tote makes an impression that few other chanel bags can make, and it says glamour and luxury (except for the part where it’s vinyl…that’s still bothering me). If it was leather and I had an extra $4000, I’d love to rip off Ms. Zoe’s swag.

While we’ve known Chanel handbags for designing bags that are utterly classic, sophisticated and refined, they also know what’s hot and not for the season. And since the spring is just around the corner, they’ve decided to use raffia, ribbons and fabric flowers to design their bags for the said season.

Looking at this Chanel Coco Country Top Handle Bag already suggests a spring vibe. It looks utterly beautiful and I bet carrying this would simply make one on-trend and very chic. This is structured out of woven raffia, and you know that such is a light material that is perfect to complement the season’s weather. There’s also a braided detailing that surrounds the bag near the base for a touch of accent and to give it a more interesting style.

Despite being a seasonal creation, Chanel bags  still manages to put on their signature style, which is the use of quilted leather. You can clearly see it on the handle, on the double C charm, and on the rim of the bag’s opening.

The thing is, this Chanel Coco Country Top Handle Bag is just a seasonal carryall and it will soon be out of trend once the vacation season is over. Now if you have all the money for this, you can buy this beautiful purse for a whopping $5,400.

It’s Hills star Miss Lauren Conrad, either she’s a fan of the diva talk show host Wendy Williams as it appears that she hit her souvenir shop or she just happened to be a guest on the show and that’s just a canvas goodie bag she received. Let’s part away from that tote bag and take a look at the French couture arm candy that’s hanging off her shoulder.

It’s an ultimate must have piece to the House of  Chanel bags, the Classic Jumbo flap in black Caviar leather. What a bag to have in your collection, Lauren Conrad demonstrates now and in the past how well you can dress this classic up or down and still look so chic. Lauren’s choice of gold toned hardware adds a vintage like effect to the shoulder bag, creating a nice contrast against the rich black leather.

I’ll also note that her lady companion back there is carrying some arm candy by Foley + Corinna, those gals sure do rock some style.

Sigh. I want to like this look, but I just can’t. I really can’t. Rachel Bilson is such a cute girl and she is usually spot on with her casual cool looks. However, there is something completely amiss with what she has going on here.

Rachel was spotted leaving a hair salon in Beverly Hills, CA carrying a gorgeous Chanel Flap Bag. It’s not often we see celebs carrying brown Chanel bags, so I give her a high-five for that. I also like her cozy looking sweater; it makes me want one too. But that is about all I like.

 Her boyfriend jeans make her look way short. I’m not quite sure if it is because she’s rolled up the bottom of the jeans or perhaps it is because they are too baggy for her petite frame. At the same time, if that is all I can complain about, seems like her outfit isn’t that bad after all.

With all the high-class breeding of a pedigree pooch comes Chanel’s Sharpei Tote Bag.

The canine inspired moniker comes from the purse’s wrinkled sides. This ruched detail combines with the buttery soft lambskin to create a slouchy, relaxed style. It’s soft and feminine, but I’m still not entirely convinced. It looks like the purse could easily collapse in an unsightly puddle of leather once it’s set down. I think I’d have to test drive this one to decide whether it’s got enough structure to impress.

The shoulder straps haven’t helped to sway me. That silver really pops against the black leather, but anyone who’s ever carried such chunky chains knows they’re not comfortable. The leather plaiting will do nothing to cushion your shoulders when using this as an everyday carryall. These straps, and the extra chain near the bottom of the bag, are also bound to make an already big purse even heavier.

But Chanel handbags fans know they sometimes have to suffer a little for those designer looks. At least the design is practical, with a zippered pocket, two open pouches for gadgets, and a leash keychain inside. With its $3350 price tag though, I’m still not sure there’s enough positives here to win casual Chanel fans like me over.