METAL ON METAL

These welded clutches by Anndra Neen are super cool and reminded me of the bag my friend Maya brought to our Christmas dinner, seen HERE.

Anndra Neen is a line of jewelry and accessories designed by sisters Phoebe and Annette Stephens from Mexico City. I find the chunky metal and exposed rough welds to be quite interesting compared to most other stuff out there in world of accessories/jewelry. And they have really cool matching striped ponchos. Photos from ASVOF and Refinery29.

METAL HEAD

These are cool. From Jennifer Behr.

Photos from Refinery29.

NATALIA BRILLI SKULLS

Natalia Brilli FW08/09 photographed by Thomas Lillo

And the new molded skull bags she's designed. Reach into the cranium to find your cell phone. Wrap the skull around your wrist.Photos from Natalia Brilli and Refinery 29

THEM N ME

Call me a narcissist, but I really like this D&G bag.
Dolce & Gabbana

Claflin, Thayer & Co

TOP HAT BAG

Borsalino top hat bag. Looks smart.

NEOPRENE

Neoprene things by Alexandra Cassaniti are pretty cool. I like the bra in blue best. I never really surfed much, even though I am partial to getting around on boards and I lived on the beachfront in Santa Cruz for years. Maybe if I get one of these neoprene sets, I'll have no choice but to take up surfing.

DEATH AND TEXAS

More handmade in the USA bags. My new favorite - total killer bags from DEATH AND TEXAS. I found this shop while browsing Etsy and was blown away by the quality and craftsmanship of these bags. Grace was a sculptor and graphic designer before she picked up sewing and designing accessories again recently. Her bags are beautifully made, simple, practical, and thoughtfully designed with careful attention to detail. If you ride a bike or motorcycle, you NEED to get on of the little bags that strap on your belt or handlebars. I can't say enough about her work, it's totally a cut above all the other bags on Etsy. I can't wait to see what's to come. You rule, Grace. Let's be friends! Check her Esty shop out HERE.

Plaid Hip Pouch with vegetable-tanned leather and collar pin closure (my favorite kind of closure).
Weekender Tote. Cotton ticking stripe and brass hardware.
U-Lock Holster. This thing totally kicks ass. No sewing here. I love when the hang tags are handmade and personal as well.
Handlebar bag. I think this is my most favorite, though I really love them all. Embossed logos are the best. Everyone should have a bag like this, they are so useful!
With the longer strap, you can carry it as a regular purse. Cool!
Hip Pouch
Basically, I'm totally fanning out on you're stuff, Death and Texas. Keep it up!

BILLY KIRK

Next up for leathergoods I like - Billy Kirk. The brothers spent a few years learning leather working from an old seasoned pro and eventually started their own business just the way I like it - small, personal, hands-on, and made in the US of A.
Small wallets are my favorite - so simple and practical but still look cool.

Laptop bag with cotton ticking and leather.
Oh look, it's my own wallet. Only the best wallet ever. It's nice and thin and fits perfectly in my back pocket. And there is room to stuff a bunch of bills if I want to fatten it up. There used to be a painted and embossed indian on the front, which has faded away with time.That's my Morel Mushroom Hunting Club membership card poking out of the top there. Yep, it is.
I love any kind of little bag thing that you can put on bikes, motorcycles, belts, whatever. This one is great.

PRINTED STUDS

Alex Wang, taking studs to the next level...printed. I was looking at Jayne's blog and saw these images which, of course, I think are great. Studs are on everything right now - so how to make them different? This is a thoughtful fabrication, I quite like it.

MAKR

In the next few days, I'm going to post about some leather companies I like a lot. First up, MAKR. Check them out and support your USA handmade leather workers. I love everything these guys make - super simple little wallets and money holders. All handmade. Great aesthetic. Cool BLOG too. Maybe Jason Gregory will marry me and we'll sit around 'til we're old and gray with calloused hands making leather things and drinking beers. Cool interview with him HERE.
I always love to see how things are made. I makes me have a greater appreciation for the product and it's interesting to see how things morph from raw materials to a finished leather good. All MAKR good are made by a small family-owned factory under the designer's supervision in Florida.
I love industrial machines. Hand sewing.Cut pieces ready to be sewn.Edge painting.Keep it up, MAKR. When I have cash money to spend, I'll keep it in one of your wallets.

DEADLY PONIES

It's not very often that I find bags I really like. It's part of why I began making my own. I don't like a lot of tacky hardware (I know that sounds contradictory since I make so many studded things right now), I don't like complicated design, and I especially don't like materials that don't feel good. So it's exciting when I find a brand where I like almost everything.
Deadly Ponies, coming out of New Zealand, is a great new handbag line. Everything is made by hand and the leather quality looks awesome. Check out some of the little photos I pulled off their website:
Cool belts...Look...they even do painted things...Deadly Ponies website here.

RACHEL COMEY FALL 2009

Leopard print with color is okay with me.

SUNO LOVE

Mind-blowing. I LOVE these clothes from SUNO New York so much. I would love nothing better than to travel the world collecting incredible textiles to turn into outfits like these. I want to live in a world where everyone wears bright colors and geometric patterns all the time.

Note the cell phone/feather print:I made a series of leather bags lined in African cotton prints a few years back. I'll post some photos of those soon.

EYGLO

I love the idea of a necklace bag. This one by Margret Larusdottiris of EYGLO is beautiful, I love the boldness of the woven leather. I think I'll have to try something like this soon.

HIDDEN GOODS

I'm not normally a very big ruffle girl, but I was intrigued when I saw these bags by Icelandic designer Hrafnhildur Guðrúnardóttir (ya, I copy&pasted that name). Hidden Goods is total rufflemania. My best translation of the trippy, midevil-inspired mystical "ABOUT" section on the website revealed, well - not much, but I still think it's pretty cool stuff.