Kooba

Kooba is a favorite of everyone on the PurseBlog team, no question about it. I’ve owned three of their bags in the past several years, and I know that Shannon and Megs have a couple between them. They’re durable, functional, made of great materials and reasonably priced. Yep, I’m a bit of a fangirl. And the Kooba Summer Tote makes me like them even more.

It would be great if more designers would recognize this simple fact: an expensive handbag is not necessary or appropriate in every occasion. Sometimes you need something that water will bead off of, sometimes you need something stain-resistant, and sometimes you need something you can sit down in the sand or grass without worrying. Summer is full of events that could potentially destroy a nice leather bag, and this is a stylish, functional alternative to carry in those situations. The design may be a bit predictable, but it has a few unexpected design flourishes (like the handle attachment at the top) and looks totally functional, plus the purple color is absolutely gorgeous and versatile and the price is right. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $150.

The finish that’s used on the Kooba Margo Tote and other in the brand’s forthcoming Fall ‘09 line gives me fits. I got the chance to see a few of the bags in person this weekend and they sit somewhere on the line between pleasantly 70s retro and too confused for their own good. Because not only is the bag really shiny, but it’s also really distressed, which are two concepts that, logically, don’t so much go together.

When I saw the bags in person, I looked at them for a while and was still confused afterward. They’re not bad per se, and this color is particularly lovely, but they were so glossy that they almost felt plastic and the way that the color treatment was applied seems like a bit of a non sequitur in comparison. I like my shiny bags to be glossy and refined, and my distressed bags to be slouchy and soft. Maybe I’m just closed-minded, but I’m not a huge fan of the combination. Buy through Saks for $595.

It is my personal fashionable/functional philosophy that every girl out there needs a card case to attach to their keys. I’ve been using them ever since I started college and there’s no way that I could ever go back to a life without one. Legally, it’s the best way to make sure you’ve got everything you need if you have to run out with only your keys and phone – your license and insurance cards are always with you, no matter what. I always know where my stuff is and don’t have to search through a series of wallets and bags to find it.

Which is why I’m so pleased to find out that Kooba has gotten into the business of making these useful little things with the Kooba Key Pouch. And they haven’t over-thought it. It’s brightly colored so it’s easy to find in that black hole you I call a bag, it connects easily to your keys, and it’s not too bulky but will still hold a bunch of cards. You can’t really go wrong here at all, particularly since the price is so reasonable. Buy through Luna Boston for $75.

Now, isn’t this just a precious handbag? For me, handbags need to be large enough to hold more than anyone really needs to carry, but hey, oh well. Of course, I make exceptions for clutches, because I LOVE clutches. However, the Kooba Joley Mini Bag is another small handbag (dimensions: 7″W x 6″H x 8″D) I am willing to make an exception for.

After I got over my “awwww, how cute” moment I noticed that per usual with Kooba bags, this one has amazing leather. It is soft and supple, yet durable. While I don’t think I will be attempting to put the shoulder strap on my shoulder per say, the strap will fit perfectly in my hand. And the bow, it is a perfect accent on this bag. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $325.

I’m not a wallet person. I have one, because I feel like I have to. I bought it before I really knew anything about high-end handbags and it was one of my first luxury purchases. I was a freshman in college. It still looks pretty much new because I rarely, if ever, touch it. Which means I’m always vaguely surprised when my friends pull out wallets that are busting at the seams with receipts, sticky notes, coupons, and all other sorts of things. All of that crap lives at the bottom of my purse, but for those that prefer to have a separate holder for it, I present the Kooba Large Tab Wallet.

It’s somewhere between a clutch and a wallet (if you have a very small cell phone, I suppose) and has lots of pockets for all your stuff in two different zip-around compartments. One of the best parts, though, is the faux-python finish. Wallets get tumbled around constantly, get bent out of shape, and rub against everything else in your purse. A wallet with an intricate pattern, such as snakeskin, is going to do a great job hiding any signs of wear and tear. Buy through Nordstrom for $295.

My personal belief is that Kooba is at its best when they’re using soft leather in a muted color and with limited hardware. Their designers have a knack for making the simple interesting, and if they’d stick with things like the Kooba Convertible Hobo and stay away from the gimmicks, then I’d be a really happy camper. This bag is beautiful in its simplicity – it’s not over-designed, and I think it would probably wear well. The leather looks exceptionally soft, as it does on many of Kooba’s bags, and a soft, slouchy hobo is my favorite kind of bag out there.

This bag does have a bit of a gimmick, though, but I think it’s a good one. The strap up there is convertible from a regular-length hobo strap to a longer, hip-slung hobo strap. I’m not sure exactly how that is, based on the limited pictures available, but if they say it can be done then I believe them. If you’re unsure about the long-strap trend, a bag that converts a single strap from one style to another is probably the best (and certainly the most elegant) way to explore it. Buy through Nordstrom for $575.

Here in the Internet fashion world, we largely rely on the pictures that we see to be accurate in order for us to make judgments on a product. We can never quite ensure that what we’re looking at is what a new bag will look like once we see it in a store, up-close-and-personal, but we have to suspend disbelief and play along in order to get anything done. And in most cases, a picture gives you a pretty decent idea of a bag’s proportions, texture, and color, which are probably the most important things to consider.

That’s not the case with the Kooba Liz Tote, however. When we wrote about it last week, commenters said that they wished the handles were longer so that it could be used as a shoulder bag. Well, several colors became available on Nordstrom.com over the weekend, and guess what? The handles are a good bit longer than they originally looked, and it can most definitely be used as a shoulder bag! Plus, in addition to the original green that we posted about, it also comes in yellow, white and black. Buy through Nordstrom for $595.

I love nothing more than when a designer realizes they have a good thing on their hands and acts accordingly. Too often, I find a bag I love and it’s gone after a season, never to be seen in additional colors or materials. Despite the fact that the bag sold out in its best colors the season before, some designers never seen to think, “Hey, maybe we should make this again in some different colors. People seem to like it.”

But thankfully, Kooba has not made that same mistake with their lovely Blake Tote. It was widely popular last season, particularly in its patent purple incarnation, and they’ve brought it back this season in patent black and white. And it’s just as good now as it was then – understated, well-tailored, functional, and versatile. I particularly like the white patent version because I have the (perhaps mistaken) belief that white patent is harder to stain and ruin than regular white leather, and I’m a white-bag-ruiner if there ever was one. Patent might stand up better to my abuse, and with how much I’d use this bag, it better! Buy through ShopBop for $645.

Every now and then, I see a bag that makes me sigh contentedly and go “Ahh, yes, there is someone out there that remembers how to make regular bags and do it well.” And usually when I say that, I’m sitting alone in my apartment, on my couch, talking to myself, so that probably tells you a lot about me and my life.

Anyway, the Kooba Liz Tote made me do just that. Even the name – Liz Tote – is simple and to the point. You guys may not think twice about a bag’s name, but I often have to type them repeatedly, so a name that doesn’t go on for an entire sentence is something I really enjoy. But about the bag: Kooba uses some of the most wonderfully soft leather available for what they charge for bags, and this bag is all about soft, beautiful leather in a season-appropriate shade of green. The website claims that the straps will fit over your shoulders, although I kind of doubt it, but I’d want to carry it in the crook of my arm anyway. It’s only exterior adornment is a cute-but-not-too-big bow at the side, and it’s got a bunch of pockets inside to organize your stuff. It’s not changing the handbag game or anything, but sometimes all you want is a good purse, am I right? Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $595.

Well, let’s start this off by saying that this bag is not my style. Many, many Kooba bags ARE my style, as any regular reader of this blog knows, but this one isn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the Kooba Ariel East-West Tote, though, because I could see it fitting in well with the styles of others. It’s a bag for someone with a more clean-cut style than my own, and possibly for someone that wears khaki (number of pairs of khaki pants in Amanda’s closet: 0). The lines of the bag are very crisp and have a bit of a modern edge to them that keeps the muted color scheme from making the bag appear overly retro.

As always, I’m suspicious of the usefulness of bicolor or multicolor bags, but I think the ladies at Kooba did a great job with the ones they selected – the crisp white of the bag’s body juxtaposes beautifully with the blue-grey and the soft yellow. The pop of the shiny silver hardware is also a nice touch. I’m not sure I’d have an outfit that would match this bag, but I know someone out there would, and for those ladies, it would make a great spring addition. Buy through Barney’s for $495.