Marc by Marc Jacobs

On my way to dinner last night, I drove down the the street where a huge portion of my town’s stylish female population lives: sorority row. At UGA, those are the girls with the expensive bags and cutest cocktail dresses, and some of them are surprisingly fashion forward for the sorority girl stereotype. And I noticed a gaggle of blond, tan sorority girls padding down the sidewalk in their gladiator sandals while I was in my car, and all of them were carrying tiny crossbody bags. This trend may have reached its saturation point among stylish young women.

But if you haven’t jumped on the tiny bag/long strap bandwagon quite yet, the Marc by Marc Jacobs Dreamy Logo Pocket Pouchette is a perfect opportunity.

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I spent a decent amount of time last Friday complaining about a particularly bad color choice that Marc by Marc Jacobs made for fall – lavender. It’s just not cute. I stand by that assertion!

But because I like the brand as a whole, and also because I like to give credit where credit is due, I have to point you all in the direction of one of his most fantastic color choices: the bright, saturated red of the Marc by Marc Jacobs Strippy Zippy Groovee Bag (try saying THAT three times fast…).

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I’ll be brief here, because we already all know that I adore the Marc by Marc Jacobs Dr. Q Groovee Satchel in general.

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Those of you that follow PurseBlog regularly probably know my mini-messenger obsession. But surprisingly, that obsession was not the reason why I chose to write about this simple but glam Marc by Marc Jacobs Twisted Q Derby Bag. It’s because it reminded me of a LeSportSac mini crossbody bag that my grandmother gave to me. I thought it was ever-so cool, and I carried it until the cotton strap (that’s how long ago this was- no nylon straps) broke and I deemed the tan color uncool.

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In all honesty, whimsy isn’t really my thing. Not just in fashion, but in any kind of art, music, literature, or film. I didn’t watch many cartoons as a kid and I’ve always hated science fiction and fantasy in books and movies. So cutesy little things really aren’t my shtick, but I still love the Marc by Marc Jacobs Owl Wristlet, in spite of myself.

I also loved the Marc by Marc Jacobs Flights of Fancy shopper from the same line, and for the very reasonably price of $98, I’m considering adding one of these adorable little wristlets to my collection. Not that I’m sure what I’d use it for, or what I’d wear it with, or how much it can hold, because I’m not. But the layering is so cute (it kind of reminds me of South Park characters) and the materials so clever that I can hardly restrain myself. Buy through ShopBop for $98.

Shhhhh.

Don’t tell my parents, but I’ve always thought tattoos were so cool. If I meet a guy I think is cute, he automatically gets cuter if I’m able to find a tattoo somewhere on his body. The more, the better. I love ‘em. I’ve toyed with the idea of getting one of my own, but have never gone through with it. I can hear my parents writing me out of the will now.

And the reason that I like the Marc by Marc Jacobs Petal to the Metal Sasha Shoulder Bag is because the gold-colored metal sparrows on the front will probably look familiar to any tattoo aficionado. They’re a retro throwback to old-school tattooing and I’ve thought about getting a similar design on the back of my shoulders. I’m probably too chicken (and too afraid of exclusion from the aforementioned will) to put it on my body, but I’d definitely wear it in a handbag, particularly something that uses it in an understated but fun way like this bag. The leather, as always, looks phenomenal and the bag looks entirely functional, so if the birds bit in to your personal style, then why not have some fun with it? Buy through Saks for $498.

Normally, I’m not much for gimmicky bags nor bags that have any kind of pictures or scenes on them. Jokes usually seem like a cop-out for more sophisticated design work, and I can’t think of a single pictures of anything that I’d want to carry around or coordinate with my outfits. The ideas seem cumbersome and aimed at a very narrow portion of the personalities out there, and my personality does not fall into that group.

Those ideas are what made me reticent to write about the Marc by Marc Jacobs Flights of Fancy Shopper; I’ve been eying it for about a week, wondering what to say. And the more I look at it, the more it become clears to me that, as they say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day. This bag may do a lot of things that I normally don’t like, but it somehow manages to do them all in ways that are utterly charming. The incorporation of different colors and textures to form the patchwork nature scene is well-done, and the colors offer a palette that someone might actually be able to coordinate to an outfit that would allow the bag to shine. I could see the college-student equivalent of someone like Zoey Deschanel wearing this bag: erudite, irreverent, and a bit of a hipster in the style department. On the right person, and only the right person, this could be a total success. Buy through ShopBop for $428.

Exactly how cute does a bag have to be before its good points makes up for one aspect that you really don’t like? That’s what the Marc by Marc Jacobs Dreamy Logo Busy Shoulder Bag is forcing me to decide right now. On the one hand, exterior logos, particularly those that cover a bag, are not my thing in a really big way. On the other hand, the rest of the bag is pretty awesome, and it might be enough to sell me the bag.

The first thing that hit me is the color – Marc by Marc Jacobs calls it “cordovan,” and it’s a burgandy-brown color that would look great as a winter bag without being too loud or too boring. They use gold rings to break up the brown leather strap and make it more interesting, and they also coordinate with the chunky gold pushlock on the front of the bag. I usually prefer silver, but the gold hardware coordinates really well with the color of the leather. I do wonder, though, if the rings in the strap would dig into the carrier’s shoulder – I had a bag that did that one time, and it was really unpleasant. I’d probably have to carry it for a day or two to find out, but at this point, it looks like a great bag for fall and winter. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $458.

Well, isn’t this just a cute little handbag? It’s not very often that I describe a bag as “cute” but this one really is. The Marc by Marc Jacobs Posh Turnlock Jazz Bag Satchel is a really big name for such a small bag. I guess it isn’t the smallest bag on the market, but I hope you see where I am coming from. Here, Marc Jacobs hit a home run.

A brightly colored bag, unique shoulder straps and a cute turnlock which shines beautifully against the leather. I don’t know about you, but I can definitely appreciate when attention to detail can be seen even in the smallest of ways. While it’s not a huge deal, I love the extra stitching on the handles. Plus, open up the bag and find more color – the print lining is bright and colorful! All in all, a bag I’d have no problem carrying around. Buy through Nordstrom for $298.

There’s one thing I really like and one thing I really don’t like about the Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic M Gathered Hobo. Let’s start with the negative – I’m having that sort of day over here. The attribute that’s making me scrunch up my nose at this bag is the color. It’s somewhere in an odd no-man’s-land between beige and tan, and I think the color could be best described as “oatmeal.” And I appreciate the need for neutrals in life, and I even appreciate the need for beige, although I don’t think I could ever convince myself to invest in it. What I do not appreciate the need for is this particular color. It’s sort of sallow and noncommital, and I’ve come to expect a bit more personality from Marc by Marc Jacobs

What I do like, however, is the combination of the leather and the structure. It looks like a soft, easy-to-carry, functional bag that still has a bit of style to it. The only way to achieve this sort of look is with thick, soft, supple leather, and when you zoom in on this bag, you find that that’s exactly what you get. I’ve long said that MbMJ uses some of the best leather that I’ve seen at this price point, and I don’t think you could look at this bag and disagree. This is the only color I’ve seen the bag in so far, but if it comes in others, I’d pick it up in a heartbeat. Buy through ShopBop for $438.