MbMJ Bag Bargains @ Yoox.com

There's some great Marc by Marc Jacobs deals at Yoox.com right now.

Here are a couple of the bags that are available.

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Large Denim Hobo ($94!) is a big and slouchy - the perfect bag for stashing all weekend essentials and running around town.

This Marc by Marc Jacobs Patent Leather Satchel ($132) is a sporty little satchel with itlis light green patent leather, stripes, and zipper closure that has turnlock.

Pretty Summer Bags

It's easy to get anthropologie addicted - everything is so adorable (and some of the brands are so hard to find elsewhere!).

The Rumpled Crimson Satchel is the color of a field of poppies. A great weekend bag that has exterior pockets for your phone, lipbalm, chubby change purse, or anything else you might need easy access to.

Adorable flowers adorn this Navy Blue Embroidered Convertible Bag making it unique and providing lots of personality.

White Leather Hyde Tote

This Steven By Steve Madden Hyde Medium Tote is great weekend purse.

The slouchy shape, contrast canvas trim, and gold-tone hardware give this casual-chic leather purse some attitude.

EDIT: Just found a great deal on the Steven by Steve Madden Hyde Medium Leather Tote at SmartBargains.com!

Leather Bags on Etsy

Etsy has some great handmade items and bags are definitely among them.

The Large Kimono Bag at left has gorgeous leather and a beautiful fabric inset from a vintage Japanese Obi.

Another great bag find is this Brown Leather Shoulder Bag in a simple hobo shape with a horn handle that makes it unique.

Bright Canvas Totes by O'Neill

O'Neill, the surf company, has some adorable canvas purses.

Canvas is a sturdy fabric that's not too pricey.

Left: O'Neill Cloud Nine Tote

Right: O'Neill Miss Sunshine Tote

These purses come in great colors and fun patterns - perfect for summer.

Red Purses

Following the same logic from the previous post (on "Red Dresses"), red purses are also perfect attention grabbing accessories.

The ideal pop of color for an outfit since red goes with a fairly wide spectrum of colors. For example, the teal tops shown with the red bags may seem like an unlikely combination, but it really makes the red pop.

Most people opt for neutral color bags that will go with everything and that's all very well and good, but it's even easier to work with a wardrobe full of neutrals and adding color with accessories, making a gorgeous red bag a great investment.

Left to Right:

Nubby Pleated Hobo (in Deep Guava),

Kenneth Cole New York Flap Down Small Satchel,

Cole Haan Aerin Patent Leather Satchel,

Steven Lady Lock Silver Hobo,

Marc by Marc Jacobs Krazy Kord Faridah.

Botkier Clutches on Sale

The Nicole Clutch (now $226.90, was $325) has some cool hardware like a chain strap woven with leather and a chunky metal zipper.

Mixing textures is a great way to create interest with the same color, like the Cairo Clutch (now $199, was $495) with it's lambskin and ponyhair combo.

Canvas Tote for Summer Essentials

I love the oversized bow on the side of this Cross-Body Tote.

This is the perfect toss-in-everything-and-go type of bag for when you're heading out to enjoy the warm weather.

Printed Canvas Totes

These canvas totes are fun versions of a simple work bag.

For something with a design that's not too crazy, check out the Rampage Print Canvas Tote Bag. The colors are not too bright, but there's still a cool print that makes a basic tote less basic.

If you prefer bright and eclectic, the Rampage Abstract Printed Canvas Tote Bag might be more your speed. The red, purple, and grey swirl print has a groovy 70's vibe.

Neiman Marcus First Call Sale

Hot pieces on sale that can be worn now.

Left to Right:

Michael Kors Debutante See-Through Wedge (now $161, was $230),

Cole-Haan Layla Patent Leather Clutch (now $225, was $158),

Marc By Marc Jacobs Lovely Clutch (now $174, was $248),

Isda & Co Gathered Dress (now $95, was $135),

Berek by Takako Sakon Beaded Sweater (now $64, was $128)

BR Loves Giraffe Print

Giraffe print has been an underrated animal print for a long time, and it seems as though BR agreed with that assessment and decided to do something about it.

Left to Right:

Silk Giraffe-Print Halter Dress and Giraffe-Print Cotton Hat (please don't wear these together as shown, the rule always is - 1 animal print piece at a time even if it is the same species)

Silk Puff-Sleeve Giraffe-Print Blouse

'Sally' Animal Print Flip-Flop

Giraffe-Print Scarf

Sutton Giraffe-Print Large Tote

Sutton Straw Large Wallet

Tano Bags

It's easy to find expensive, designer purses and their cheaply made, "inspired" versions. "Affordable luxury" is harder to find.

Tano has a huge selection of well-made leather bags with unique designs and reasonable prices.

Left to Right:

Buxom Buddy ($225.00)

Lipstick Traces ($218.00)

Kitty Crowbar (now $193.41, was $235.00)

Ruehl Lane Satchel and Store Review

I have never really thought of Ruehl as a place to shop, but became intrigued by their fairly classy bag collection whilst browsing their site.

So, I decided to test-drive the Ruehl Lane Satchel in Cream for a few days.

Pros: Sturdy construction with great materials (the washed Italian leather is beautiful), nice attention to detail (twisty leather zipper pulls, the o-rings have sections overlayed with a brass-tone metal), easy organization, great style.

Cons: $188 price tag is steep for a mostly fabric bag, looks very casual, still smelled heavily like the store (a.k.a. pre-pubescent boy wearing too much cologne) after a week.

In the end, the bag wasn't quite big enough for what I needed it for. The twill fabric body also made it too casual for my liking - I would have preferred it if it were an all-leather bag. Sadly, the all-leather version doesn't come with the contrasting trim and retails for $328 (way too much for me to spend at the overpriced A&F).

The store itself feels like a dark, brooding teenager and just as complicated. The maze of rooms is disorienting (have I been in this one yet?) and it's hard to check stuff out in the dim lighting. I realize this makes me sound like an old fogey, but I thought Ruehl was supposed to cater to a slightly older crowd than A&F, not A&F-ers who happen to have richer parents. Most of the store associates looked way younger than their target demographic of 22-30 year-olds which probably makes anyone in that age range feel out of place when entering the store.

On the plus side, the store did have a few items on major sale (pretty floral camis for $12, marked down from $48) so maybe once in a blue moon, I will stop by to see if I can score some steals.

A Bag that is the Color of Happy

This Latico Medium Rolled handle Handbag is a fantastic shade of tangerine orange.

The neat shape combined with the ruddy color make this a playful, casual bag with tons of personality.

MbMJ Bags On Sale @ Bluefly

Right now at Bluefly - 30% off some awesome Marc by Marc Jacobs bags!

Left: Marc by Marc Jacobs Cream Leather 'Lovely Behati' Tote

Right: Marc by Marc Jacobs Green Washed Leather 'Utility' Satchel

Nothing quite like finding a great bag on sale to start the weekend off right.

Bright & Pretty Florals

The weather here is just perfect and I found some accessories that would fit right in.

The Hype Monet Tote is a bag with a beautiful flower garden built in - without all the upkeep.

If you don't want to purchase a floral bag, just tie a colorful scarf like this Retro Tulip Scarf Brown to the handle - voila! A bag with lots of color.

Francesco Biasia White Shoulder Bags

Francesco Biasia has some great quality purses so I decided to check out their offerings for a white option.

The oversized zipper pull on the Francesco Biasia Adah Shoulder Bag (at left) really stands out. Plus, the colorful print lining is so punchy.

The Francesco Biasia Hip Colette Shoulder Bag boasts an impressive set of hardware with a solid, nickel push tab clasp and studs aplenty. Despite all the edgy hardware, this purse is maintains some feminine touches with its creamy white leather and pretty ruching.

6pm.com Sale Items & Site Review

Zappos rarely has stuff that's on sale sale. That's because the stuff that WOULD go on sale at Zappos actually ends up at 6pm.com.

A post on the Zappos CEO Blog notes that the "6pm.com is for customers that are looking for a large selection of products at deep discounts" whereas "Zappos.com is for customers that want the very best customer service and the very best selection."

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Core Fabric Faridah in Natural Linen and Printed Canvas is currently only $170.20, which is 49% off retail. I'd jump at this bag if only it had a zipper close instead of a snap.

One of the best pumps I own, the Steve Madden Excitte Pumps are now only $36.80 (50% off). They are so comfortable, true to size, offer some toe cleavage, and are the perfect heel height. Still available in Black Patent, Brown Suede, Grey Leather (shown), and Red Leather.

The frustrating part about 6pm.com is that the testimonials found on Zappos are removed (they do leave the "Fit Survey," however). Also, there seems to be a few bugs on the 6pm.com site. When I went to browse "Brands" to look at everything on sale for MbMJ, but couldn't get there because the site told me it produced no search results. At least typing into the search box works. I also found

All in all, 6pm.com is a nice place to find some great deals, but with a few too many sacrifices from the customer. Just because customers want a great deal, doesn't mean they shouldn't also get reviews and a site that actually works probably. A well-functioning site is to be expected of an online retailer and reviews? Well, those don't cost anything. Easy improvements for 6pm.com to make and hopefully we'll see that in the future.

PSA - HH Sample Sale 4/8 thru 4/10

The Hayden-Harnett online sample sale is happening April 8th thru April 10th!

Another White Bag

The clean lines and simplicity of this L'Autre Chose 3509 Off White Bag is somewhat appealing.

It has a nice balance of shape/slouchiness to it and the color is not a bright white and more of a cream-ish, which is nice.

However, the large goldtone studs look sort of like scary eyes and the boring plainness seems to get more boring the more you look at it - perhaps the reason this bag is now on sale for 51% (currently $223.10, down from $455.00).

Looks like the hunt for the perfect white bag isn't going to be easy.