Rebecca Minkoff

I complained a lot about the long strap/small bag trend when it came out. I remember it clear as day – I didn’t like crossbodies, I needed a bigger space for my stuff, I didn’t want a bag that was going to cut through the middle of my chest and make my boobs look weird. Well, I’m eating crow now, and have been for the last month or two. I’ve started to love those little trendy bags, and the Rebecca Minkoff 3-Zip Morning After Clutch is my latest obsession.

I’m normally also not a fan of glazed leather, but on a bag of this size and structure, it totally works. This isn’t the time or place for extreme slouch, and the same thing that makes the leather shiny gives it a bit of stiffness that works to shore up the bag’s structure. The triple zippers give the bag an edgy, hipster-y feel that plays right in to this winter’s heavy hardware trend, but that’s not even my favorite part of the bag. I can’t stop looking at the color – the deep, moody purple reminds me of Balenciaga’s 2008 sapphire color, and the slightly lighter webbing around the zippers provides just enough contrast. My only complaint is that the hardware is gold and not silver – if I could get a hardware change, this bag would be well nigh perfect in my eyes. Buy through Luna Boston for $295.

I have not always been a fan of small bags. A clutch is one thing, but a small bag to wear always seemed like a misfit on a tall gal. But I instantly fell in love when I first saw the Rebecca Minkoff Stud Rocker. A perfect studded accessory that you can wear cross body without it looking silly, this is a huge hit for Rebecca Minkoff already! Lauren Conrad has worn this clutch ad nauseum and each time she wears the bag it continues to grow on me more and more. Buy through Singer 22 for $350.

I’m kind of confused, folks. Well, not so much confused as undecided, I guess. That sounds more accurate. And what I’m undecided about is the mix of colors and textures in the Rebecca Minkoff Modern Times Morning After Bag. Being indecisive is not a normal part of my personality, so naturally, I find this a little disconcerting. And I need your help deciding.

On the one hand, the combination of black and other dark colors – deep purple, navy blue, etc. – is decidedly modern and more interesting than combining black with lighter shades. I also like purple quite a bit, and the color variation in the purple sections of this bag is subtle and beautiful. I guess my main issue is that embossing the purple sections with a faux lizard pattern makes it look sort of rough and shiny but not like real lizard skin, and therefore not particularly high end. Also, combining colors on a bag this large is always difficult since it will undoubtedly limit the number of ways the bag can be worn. So I find myself stuck in the middle – some of it is good, some of it is not so good. What say you? Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $550.

Something that I require in every shoulder bag that I buy is what I like to call “elbow clearance.” That means that if I were to swing the bag onto my shoulder with one hand, my forearm would fit underneath the straps without hitting my elbow on the top of the bag and without any extra jostling or wiggling to get it onto my shoulder. It’s harder to find than you’d think, and it always excites me when I see it.

So I find the Rebecca Minkoff Love Daring Zipper Hobo very, very exciting. It looks like you could swing it onto your shoulder all day without any uncomfortable wiggling to get it into place, and the leather is likely to be the thick, soft stuff for which Minkoff is known and praised. Because of my own habits, though, I worry about the closure – I tend to leave my bags unfastened, and if I did that with this bag, the zipper-accented strap that wraps around the bag would probably dangle all the way down the side of my body. It’s probably a small price to pay for a comfortable everyday bag, though. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $495.

To all fashionistas who dread working on their laptop away from home because it requires them to carry an icky black nylon padded laptop bag: you can worry no more! The Rebecca Minkoff Virginia Computer Sleeve is the reason why. It’s an adorable way to carry your laptop, provided that it’s smaller than 10”H by 14”L by 1.5”D- for fellow Apple fans, the new 13” MacBook Pro will fit with a bit of wiggle room, but the 15” MacBook Pro is too long.

The bag is sleek, with a simple design that eludes many laptop bags today; without external pockets or flaps, the only embellishment comes from the ostrich embossing on the leather. This makes for a lovely bag, except of the fact that you’re going to have to carry another bag for your charger, unless if you travel sans charger (brave!) or have huge pockets. And while we discuss setbacks, the strap lacks a shoulder pad, so be prepared for the thin strap to pinch your shoulder- but the strap is removable. Carry it alone for a streamlined look, or tuck it in another bag for added security. Either way, this sleeve gets points in my book. Buy through ShopBop for $150.

You all know that here at Purse Blog, we love Rebecca Minkoff. So while we’ve reviewed many of her bags, especially the MAM (read our view of the MAM in Deep Purple here) I still wanted to write about this Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Striped Linen Bag. I adore this bag! To me, it pretty much screams “SUMMER!” but in a nice, sophisticated way, not in an obnoxious, ripped-booty-shorts-showing-off-your-bikini kind of way. When you think of the styled jet setter, with her espadrilles, white linen pants, and silk headscarf, this bag fits right in.

The linen combined with the leather is an interesting combination, yet it looks totally perfect, noticeable yet refined. Plus there are little details, like the protective metal feet on the bag’s base. But even though I get this cosmopolitan, upper echelon-type vibe from this purse, it would also fit in perfectly with any flowy summer dress and sandals. And massive sunnies, of course. Buy through Nordstrom for $440.

Consider this a PurseBlog Savvy PSA: the Rebecca Minkoff Nikki Hobo is being made in the ever-popular wine color again!

Back when Ms. Minkoff’s line of bags was just beginning to really take off, Lauren Conrad was seen carrying this bag in this color and demand for it (and other bags in the line) started to spread like wildfire. It was impossible to find, backordered for months, and tons of girls wanted to get their hands on one. Well, better late than never – if you were one of those girls that didn’t satisfied your desire back then, now you can! Rebecca Minkoff is remaking one of the colors that made her famous and the only think standing between you and this classic bag is several hundred dollars. Buy through Shop Bop for $595.

Seeing cute little tailored bags like the Rebecca Minkoff Straw Fling Minaudiere always makes me wish I had some sort of fancy business dinner to go to. And I don’t, and I probably never will, because I’m a blogger, and that means I don’t shower very often. I’m all about saving water, y’all.

Anyway.

This seems like the perfect understated clutch to straddle the line between business and pleasure. The colors are neutral and the woven pattern reminds me a bit of uber-business-y houndstooth, but the shape is tailored and formal and the material is summer-appropriate and casual. This clutch could potentially be all things to all people, but I think it would be perfect for a summer business dinner, possibly where a smart linen suit is involved. Buy through Luna Boston for $235.

I’ve been toying with the idea of buying into this whole tiny-bag-long-strap trend, and the more time that goes by, the more convinced I become that it may be an idea worth exploring. Every time I see someone out and about with one, it strikes me how easy to carry and useful they seem to be. They’re small enough to be used for a night of bar hopping, but they’re also completely hands-free, meaning you wouldn’t have to constantly worry about where you put your bag.

With cross-body bags, I also worry about the weird boob-squishing effect that they can have, but these bags are so small that you probably couldn’t weigh it down enough to mangle your chest situation. So the idea interests me, and my favorite option recently is the Rebecca Minkoff Rocker Bag. Everyone knows I like industrial details in my black bags, and the evenly-spaced distressed gold rivets are a great touch. Buy through ShopBop for $330.

I know that the Rebecca Minkoff Morning After Clutch can be a hard bag to find at times, particularly in this season’s super-trendy neon patent, so I thought I’d be service-y and let you all know that Nordstrom has them in stock, including the adorable hot pink version. These clutches do a good job of embracing the 80s trend and the long-chain-strap trend without breaking the bank, but they’re still big enough to be really functional and would probably be a bag that you’d use repeatedly. Even if it is a tad, uh, loud. But that’s half the fun, am I right? If you like it, Buy through Nordstrom for $325.