I'm always surprised that Oscar de la Renta's bags aren't featured more. They are so often truly amazing works of craftsmanship and textiles, that they really do deserve to be in the category with other trendy, more "youthful" labels like Chloe, or Fendi. Perhaps the label simply missed the boat on reinvention which so many other older design houses (Balenciaga, Givenchy, Lanvin...) have sailed on.
For anyone who is busy wondering where they will fit all their stuff in the new smaller silhouette bags being shown for Fall, look no further...Oscar is your man! This amazing Kelly style satchel is breathtaking. It looks like tiles inlaid in leather, intricately cut in a geometric pattern. The pattern is echoed in the gold toned clasp. Of all the bags in the shows I've seen, this is the one I really can't wait to see up close and personal.
Other large bags did incorporate at least 2 other big trends, metallic, and skin. The frame bag on the left is absolutely sumptuous...it just looks so luxurious. The top of the frame appears to be enameled in black, and the hardware is all brushed so as not to be so shiny it competes with the body. The soft satchel on the right appears to be a bit shinier, but it is the same gold snake skin. It's fairly simple, and the only hardware visible is the tortoise buckle for the handle.
This was another great style, though it does remind me of a Chloe style from a few seasons back...I think it's the chain. While the fur is a bit out there for my taste, the leather version with it's patent accents (chocolate patent leather...love it!) has a certain modness to it, and is extremely wearable.
These 2 remind of another bag designer experiencing something of a renaissance, Carlos Falchi. Both appear to be a patchwork design of skin set into leather which makes the skin sparkle. In black on black, the effect is fairly subtle. The round handle on the left is a little too stylized for me, I like the hobo shape on the right more. It has that vintage timelessness I like.
Coming full circle, back to a more classic shape, these frame bags are elegance incarnate. The left is a buttery black leather, with tortoise accents. It could easily hold it's own against any bag already deemed a classic. The version on the right is a bit more fanciful, with a mix of croc, patent leather, and what looks like a stenciled leather (though it looks like ostrich here, it is in fact the same pattern as the bag at the top of the post). It has the same geometric gold closure as several of the other bags do, and the hardware is also a brushed gold. With so much going on, this bag could be very busy, but it's done so well that it totally works.
Finally, lest it seem that nobody is in tune with the trends, there was a clutch featured, but it almost seemed an afterthought.
While done in skin, and with a crystal on the clasp, it just didn't seem as fresh as the other clutches I've seen to date. Though it was necessary as an accoutrement for evening wear, since the majority of the bags were strictly day wear.