Kate Spade

I’m not one of those people who carries a big, travel-sized wallet at all times. On the contrary, I use a little European-style wallet barely big enough to hold dollars, or no wallet at all. I’m not even a big clutch person. But lately, I’ve been wanting a big wallet, that could be used for travel or alone as a clutch. This Kate Spade Union Square Travel Wallet is just the ticket.

It’s a travel wallet, with space for IDs, tickets, and a removable passport holder. But the design is simple and clean, with a bright aqua color that can’t stay holed up and hidden in your big travel tote for long. I’m imagining it with a summery dress, espadrilles, and a big floppy hat (if you’re into hats). At first, I had qualms about it not being all leather, but the more I think about it, the more useful nylon is. It’s a casual clutch, and would be perfect to travel to the beach with (sand won’t ruin nylon!). Sweet. Buy through Nordstom for $175.

Oh dear. It looks like I’ve finally found a beach-y, straw handbag that I don’t like. This is a big day for me, because I really thought that I liked anything that reminded me of vacation or sand or ocean. But I definitely don’t like the Kate Spade Hula Ida Shopper.

If this bag cost $15 at Target, I might think it was funny in a kitschy, literal way. And I hate to snark on Kate Spade, because their recent influx of new talent has turned out several good bags and has the whole company moving in a much-needed new direction. But with a price tag in the several hundred dollar region, this is just too silly and too ridiculous to be permissible. If the orange straw was all woven instead of like a hula skirt, then maybe. But as it is, no. Definitely no. Buy through Nordstrom for $295.

I love it when a wayward brand makes good. We’ve discussed previously that Kate Spade has recently taken on some new talent to right the ship, and while this season’s collection isn’t amazing, they have certainly come a long way from their relatively uninspired past.

If the Kate Spade Montclair Jacques Tote is a good representation of their new designer’s talent, then they’ve got lots of positive things to come. The things that strikes me the most about this bag is the apparent care and attention to detail that was taken when designing it. The edges are precise and well-thought, the folding and layering deliberate and painstaking. The contrasting paint that adorns the exposed leather edges gives the design a bit of depth and heft. The overall effect is high-end and expensive-looking, which is exactly what Kate Spade had been missing for a while. Keep turning out more bags like this, please! Buy through Nordstrom for $475.

Thank the heavens, Kate Spade, that you have hired new talent to guide your company’s creative vision. Because, if I’m being honest, things at your line were getting a bit played out. One can only see so many bags designed with perfect right angle corners before the square and rigid thing gets a little blah.

And the Kate Spade Westbury Opus Satchel isn’t exactly an opus of innovation, it does something that no other Kate Spade bag in recent memory has done: it slouches. And it looks soft and makes me want to touch it. To me, Spade’s bags have always been prohibitively rigid and uninviting, and that’s not the best look for a bag, particularly with the trends that we have going right now. I particularly like this color, which they call Piscine Blue – wouldn’t it look great against a white dress? Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $395.

Now, this is a shade of green that pops! I’ve never been to Ireland, but I have seen pictures. This is the shade of green I imagine everywhere I look, and I like it. Yet, the color might be the only thing I like about the Kate Spade Sullivan St. Sybelia Flap Bag. I am sure there are plenty of you who are going to disagree with me on this. I imagine that this is one of those handbags where either you love it or you hate it, with a sprinkling of maybes. To me, the bag looks dated. I don’t think there is a wide range when it comes to the age groups that would likely carry this bag. That’s ok, but again, I am stuck on how I think it looks dated. The ivory-hued chain strap and goldtone turnlock might be a little too much for the otherwise simple and delicate handbag. Although it is a no-go for me, it doesn’t have to be a no-go for you! Buy through Nordstrom for $425.

I wrote on Purse Blog not long ago that I wasn’t feeling the bicolor trend, and I may have spoken too soon. Although many of the bicolor bags this season feature the browns, tans, and dark greens that make me unhappy, I’ve found one that’s right up my proverbial alley. The Kate Spade Belmont-Malva Bucket Bag is in beautiful purple suede trimmed by ostrich-embossed black patent leather, a combination that I adore (although I’d rather the black patent wasn’t ostrich-embossed). The colors are deep and fall-like, and purple suede is a material that I need more of in my life. The bag is also uncharacteristically slouchy for Ms. Spade – her bags normally have corners so sharp and hard that they’d put your eye out. I fear that, once seen in person, this handbag may not look particularly expensive (something about the ostrich-stamped patent is throwing me off, and the corners are still a bit hard and poke-y), but from where I’m sitting right now, I’m mighty pleased with it. Buy through Nordstrom.

Animal print is back! I guess when I think about it, animal print never goes away completely, but like many trends, animal print continues to cycle itself back into popularity. Just this week, we all went to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant in a mall. As we passed stores and did a little window shopping it was certainly evident that animal print is everywhere right now. The Kate Spade Spring Island 2 Evan with Rose clutch is a perfect example of what I am talking about. This is a classic clutch with all the features you would expect: flashy purple interior lining, back wall zip pocket, top flap with a magnetic snap closure and for a little extra something, a yellow rose accent. I am not sure how I feel about the rose accent, but maybe it is something that would grow on me. Other than that, I think the clutch is quite a hit. Usually, I am cautious about animal print because I hate when it looks like too much; kind of like this Charles David Satchel. But, in this case I think there is just enough animal print to make the clutch a spicy addition to your outfit. You can buy this ferocious clutch through Zappos for $299.