Jezebel: Handbags

Does Queen Elizabeth Keep a Jacked-Up Spitting Cup in Her Purse?

Katie J.M. Baker — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:45:29 EST

Queens: they're just like us! The monarch's loyal subjects have been dying for a peek into 85-year-old Queen Elizabeth's classic Launer handbag for decades. But according to royal biographer Bedell Smith, the Queen's purse holds everyday items such as lipstick, a mirror, and a £5 note "to donate to the church collection on Sundays." (Sometimes she splurges as much as £10, if she's feeling really extravagant.) Smith says the purse also contains glasses, mint lozenges and a fountain pen, and that her ladies-in-waiting are responsible for other basics: extra gloves, needs and thread, etc. Seriously? There's not even a trashy romance novel or OK! Magazine stashed in there? More »

Margaret Thatcher's Handbag Is A Powerful Thing

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:32:00 EDT

Margaret Thatcher's black Asprey handbag is not fancy. It is, in fact, quite plain. Simple. Minimalist. Rigidly structured. Square. Devoid of decoration. But, as the Daily Mail reports, Margaret Thatcher's handbag holds an important place in political history. Thatcher used the handbag to carry important documents and state papers, and the paper notes: More »

Homeless Chic: Still A Thing

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST

Yes, it's a Louis Vuitton trashbag (though they're calling it the "Raindrop Besace") and it's $2000. Derelicte. [Refinery29, Earlier] More »

Police: Yale Murder Not A Random Act • Daily Mail: Big Purses Lead To Rape

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:40:00 EDT

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• As mentioned earlier, police believe they have discovered the body of Annie Le stuffed in a wall in the medical building. "We're not believing it's a random act" said a police spokesman. More »

No Brainers

Anna Holmes — Mon, 11 May 2009 09:20:00 EDT

Headline on advice column: "My oversized handbag is causing me pain." One recommendation: Stop using it? [Telegraph] More »

Snap Into A Chanel

Sadie Stein — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:40:00 EST

If you're anything like us, the first thing you'll think when you see this uncanny beef jerky "Chanel" bag is, Beware of Dog! The purse was made by design student Nancy Wu at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA; we'd really like to hear what Kaiser Karl would have to say about this one. (And yes, we do know that Slim Jim is actually spiced beef.) [Gigglesugar] More »

Huge Bags: Hot. Chiropractor Bills: Not

dodai — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:30:00 EST

Large bags were a ubiquitous fashion trend in 2007, and the trend for 2008? Bigger bags. Are we just getting used to carrying a ton of stuff? Poor Andy Rooney, who noticed this trend back in November, is going to be apoplectic. According to the Wall Street Journal, doctors say the recommended weight of a handbag should be no more than 1 or 2 pounds. With a wallet, keys, cell phone, camera, lip gloss, gum, notebook and business card holder, it's hard to carry a clutch that weighs less than a pound these days. Add a laptop, some magazines and bottled water and you're lugging a load. But the oversized purses keep coming: Michael Kors' Beverly bag is over 13 inches high and 17 inches wide; the YSL downtown bag is 17 inches high and 11 inches wide. And the Louis Vuitton bag pictured could easily transport a newborn child. More »

Expensive Shit

Anna — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:30:00 EST

Most 20-somethings we know can hardly afford their rent, not to mention an entire "transition wardrobe". No matter! Like so many other fashion magazines, Harper's Bazaar lives in an alternate universe; one in which merchandise is presented in order to please advertisers, not relate to readers. So maybe we shouldn't have been surprised when, scanning the January issue's "Fabulous At Every Age: Transition Dressing" feature, we came across a $31,000 Bottega Veneta handbag, which is $23,000 more than the second-most expensive, non-jewelry accessory. (That would be a $7,500, tangerine Lana Marks bag, perfect for senior citizens like Betsy Bloomingdale!) Click on the tag to see the expensive offender. More »

How Do You Rationalize A Luxury Purchase?

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT

Today's Financial Times reports that French luxury goods group LVMH had strong third-quarter sales, thanks in part to the Louis Vuitton "Neverfull" handbag, pictured. Additionally, Burberry also had revenue growth thanks to its line of handbags. In a video posted on the NY Times' website on Sunday, controversial Times columnist Deborah Solomon hits the streets of Manhattan and tries to figure out why purses these days cost so much. Well, not why they cost so much, but why people are willing to spend so much. More »

The Chanel "Diamond Is Forever" bag can...

Jennifer — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:15:00 EDT

The Chanel "Diamond Is Forever" bag can be yours. For $261,000! It's studded with diamonds and rendered from white gold. And hell, for that price it better be able to teach us how to speak Russian, too. But yet, it doesn't. It appears to be, uh, an ordinary handbag.So for the love of God, can someone please explain to us why this bag costs as much as a house?! [Forbes] More »

NYC Label Whores Are Suckers; Soaked

Anna Holmes — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:15:51 EDT

Fresh from our email inbox and courtesy of our friend Amelia (love that name!):

I was feeling super proud for rousing myself out of bed on this rainy Wednesday in order to attend a yoga class in Union Square (this close to achieving a headstand, woohoo!), but my efforts were totally overshadowed by the huge crowd of people lined up outside (and around the block) of the neighborhood Whole Foods. Was there a sale on the normally $6-bucks a pound grapes or something? I asked one of the many fashion-y girls waiting in line and clutching half a dozen shopping bags what the deal was. "I'm not a plastic bag," she snipped.

Bag Ladies.

Anna Holmes — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:55:13 EST

We love a nice handbag as much as the next person, but Jesus Christ, people! According to today's WWD, our obsession with luxury handbags has grown to such a fever-pitch that luxury retailers (and the well-preserved women who love them) are entering a proverbial arms race with regards to price and design. Says the paper: More »