things i want but can’t afford

For Gucci’s 5th annual holiday campaign to benefit Unicef Gucci will be selling limited edition “Snowman in Africa” bags and keychains by illustrator Michael Roberts. J’adore the python-wrapped snowman! The book costs $25, with 100% of proceeds going to the charity. The pieces will be sold through Dec. 31 at Gucci stores and Gucci.com, with 25% of proceeds donated to Unicef.

from The Moment

carry on

Q: While lost and dazed, in a tumultuous world of shiny, sparkly and misfit bags, I turn to you for assistance! I am looking for a spectacular messenger bag that can work both day and night, with fantastic hardware (like that found on older versions of Marc Jacobs) and noteworthy functionality (preferably a trailer home for the hard-working MacBook), and with delectable style… Most significant is the look of a cool hand bag with an across the body strap (or shoulder strap), with color taking a debatable stance. The most challenging aspect of all… is the price; although Balenciaga’s Arena Giant Covered City Bag and Proenza Schouler’s PS1 bags are most spectacular, emitting love rays to all those looking, they are sure to provide a “bread and water” holiday season- BAH HUMBUG!!! Alas, I turn to you, to dtangle me please with some enlightening sunshine! – S.G, Boston, MA

A: My dear reader, thank you for your amazing email. I love you. Moreover, I totally sympathize with your quandary. It’s so hard to find a beautiful bag that’s functional — but add in a low-cost caveat and you are really pricing yourself out of the best bags out there which are in the mid-level (not cheap, but consider them a value). I love a bargain just as much as the next girl, but as a professional-for-life, I will always need a luxe home for the stuff of my bread and butter. I’m guessing my girls out there will, too; so my advice is to spend the extra cash and get one you can love long time.

1.Gryson Olivia, $785– I don’t like to play favorites but if I had to pick one for myself, this would be it. I love the woven handles and Gryson uses the absolute softest pebbled leather which would be a pleasure to carry. The color works with everything and if you need to go from the office to a nice dinner no one would have any idea your chic bag was home to a pile of messy papers and a laptop! This bag is an investment but the versatility would pay off in the long run, when you no longer need to tote your MacBook around and have an assistant to take your dictation.

2.Tabitha Stardust, $400– I love the color and shape of this easy bag; it’s big when full and little when empty. Pale greys and ivories in winter are so luxurious and this would look great as an everyday carryall.

3.Matt + Nat Goldfrapp, $235 – A simple bag that will juuust fit your laptop and some files. Lots of pockets on the inside will keep you organized. This 100% vegan bag (23 bottles recycled!) will also win you some karma points.

4.Proenza Schouler PS1, $1,995– You are right – this bag is a fantasy! – but it’s so fabulous how could I overlook it? Doesn’t she look cute among all her little friends? The gold standard.

5.Coach Audrey, $798– My pal Coop has been rocking a really cute Coach from the new collection and I’ve been viewing the line with new eyes. I love the chain on this bag and it comes in a whole range of colors. Over at the coveted you can take a look at how great the bag looks when it is expanded and really get a sense of the size. This is a gorgeous bag and from what I hear Coach has got their quality issues resolved and is making classic, long-lasting bags once again. There are a lot of options here so make sure to check out their full assortment!

6. Kooba Jagger, $595– This was the prettiest ivory bag I saw, and although I see it getting ruined more quickly than some others, I like the details and this would definitely work on lots of different occasions. Kooba is worth looking into as a brand because their bags are comfortable, well-made, and fashionable without being overbranded.

7. Marc by Marc Jacobs Petal Tote, $498 – One of my buyers at Bloomingdale’s said the other model in this bag, the Sasha http://savvy.purseblog.com/images/Marc-by-Marc-Jacobs-Petal-to-the-Metal-Sasha-Shoulder-Bag.jpg, is totally sold out for them and that they are getting more in December. I like it, but actually prefer this Barney’s exclusive because it’s sturdier and looks like it can hold more. Not everyone will be a fan of the girly hardware but I am so sick of the push-buckles it’s refreshing to see something new.

le sac

She was glad of presents, however, and when I gave her, perhaps, a new little purse of red lacquered leather there might be two or three gold pieces inside it. As a matter of fact, she laughed at me over the red purse. It was charming, but a bargain, and no longer in fashion. In these matters, about which up to that time I was as little learned as in any language of the Eskimos, I learned a great deal from Maria. Before all else I learned that these playthings were not mere idle trifles invented by manufacturers and dealers for the purposes of gain. They were, on the contrary, a little or, rather, a big world, authoritative and beautiful, many sided, containing a multiplicity of things all of which had the one and only aim of serving love, refining the senses, giving life to the dead world around us, endowing it in a magical way with new instruments of love, from powder and scent to the dancing show, from ring to cigarette case, from waist-buckle to handbag. This bag was no bag, this purse no purse, flowers no flowers, the fan no fan. All were the plastic material of love, of magic and delight. Each was a messenger, a smuggler, a weapon, a battle cry.

Herman Hesse, Steppenwolf