The Accessories Wall: Cavalli's Apple Bag

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 by


Fashion Week Daily deemed it the new "It" bag

"Meet Roberto Cavalli’s latest It bag. It’s the Apple bag from his Fall/Winter 2008-2009 collection and the thing has already been scooped up by Jessica Simpson and Halle Berry. The hobo comes in black and metallic with patchwork details has a roomy unstructured shape, perfect for throwing in all that randomness. Cost: $2,995."








Enh. We thought the trend was moving away from those gigantic luggage-like bags, but it looks like the old girl still has some life to her. Ah, well. Fashion is a capricious bitch.

Seriously, though. What could Jessica Simpson and Halle Berry possibly have in those bags that their assistants and hangers-on couldn't carry themselves? It seems to us that the very women who can afford these gigantic diaper bags are the last ones who require such large ones.

Still, taken on its own, there is a fabulosity inherent. The texture and the shape are nice. It's just that we're a couple of clutch queens. Show us something so tiny that you can either take a tube of lipstick with you or a tampon but never both, and we swoon. Show us something with enough room to carry around a fax machine and we get quickly bored.

And you bitches?

[Photos: robertocavalli.com/celebutopia]

87 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heh. Glad you asked. As someone with a 14-month-old baby complete with diaper bag, there's no way I'd voluntarily carry this Santa sack unless I really did need to pack for the weekend. Plus, it's ugly. My diaper bag is cute.

Anonymous said...

y'know, I hated these ugly things when I was a kid, and I hate them now...all that blobbiness just distracts from the luxury that is supposed to be the point right? Give me a nice clean woven bag from BV for texture...
please? give me one?
LOL I do have a very groovy BV tote in translucent plastic that I picked up for $20 about 18 years ago, that will have to do...;-)

Anonymous said...

Can someone tell me why Jessica Simpson has money? What does she do? Does she sell that much fake hair on QVC that she can afford a $3,000 bag? She bugs me, majorly. And is forever dressed like a schlub.

Sewing Siren said...

I hate big squashy bags. Especially patch work ones.

Anonymous said...

I personally love the bigger bags... but if you actually put enough crap to fill them then it has lost its appeal. See, the key is to *make* it seem like you have a bunch of important stuff in there, but really you keep it relatively clean so that it still can hang off your shoulder without killing you.
I like the bigger bags when they're minimally adorned. I wouldn't pass up on a ChloƩ bag if it was offered to me, but those gigantic locks on most of them make it heavy as hell, even without stuff in it.
I actually hate little clutches. I like those mid-size to bigger ones, where they sit comfortably under my arm and I can still carry the essentials. Those tiny tampon holders have no use for me.

Anonymous said...

This bag is fugly - It looks like a diseased organ - Yuck!

Anonymous said...

Wow. A monotonous quilted and patchworked hobo bag. How innovative!

While it makes me minutely sentimental for my grandmother and great-aunt who carried "super-purses" everywhere, I don't think even they would be seen hauling such a big sack of fug in public.

Anonymous said...

i don't know about everyone else, but i love having a big bag. it's like my security blanket to carry around all that shit...i'm prepared for anything! that said, i do rock the clutch when i go out, but for everyday, i feel the need to lug around as much crap as i can comfortably hoist. this particular bag is okay, but i'll wait for the inevitable $40 urban outfitters ripoff, thanks.

Mom said...

"Roomy" and "unstructured" are, without a doubt, my two least favorite words when it comes to fashion, and most especially when it comes to purses. You can't find anything you've put in there if you use one of those bags! A purse should help you organize, not schlep!

Anonymous said...

By the way, it's funny that you mention the tiny fetish you guys have, because there's something quite different among our Eastern friends. My sister was teaching English in Japan a couple years ago and she was like, "all the girls here have bags that are half the size of them. Is this normal?"
I saw a couple pics online and yes, they truly do carry luggage on their shoulders every day. It's funny because you think they'd be into tinier things...
Guess not. When I was over there in March the trend still seemed to be going.

Beth said...

In some instances, I could justify carring such a large bag. BUT NOT AN UGLY ONE. Cavalli is struggling with designing knockout red carpet gowns. He should not be diverting his attention to shit like this.

Bill said...

Hefty Cinch Sack.

the dogs' mother said...

>>Hefty Cinch Sack.<<

bill, you got in three words!

Anonymous said...

how come this season on project runway you can't meet the characters on bravotv.com???? all the seasons before you were able to see who the contestants were waaaaayyy in advance, and bravo has not even updated the site yet.

GothamTomato said...

It's hideous. Absolutely hideous.

And that's an awful lot to spend on something that looks that cheap. It reminds me of those ugly patchy rabbit fur jackets from the 70's.

---GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

The big bag just means that when you're looking for something, it has ALWAYS gone to the very bottom, so you end up standing there looking like a complete ASS while you dig and dig and dig and dig. Not a useful tool for the gal on the go. Not useful at all.

Stubenville said...

Perhaps it could be repurposed as a cover for a Smart car? Oh, no - it would still look fugly.

Anonymous said...

That's a big NO!! I don't care who the designer is, it looks like a dyed cow udder. :::shudder:::
----StkrShock

TheNYCourier said...

Love it! What woman doesn't want to carry all her shit around in an overpriced garbage bag? Brilliant, Signor Cavalli.

Anonymous said...

I don't mind big bags but that one is hideous. And $2,995? I don't think so, with that money I can buy a fabulous LV or Prada bag.

Gail said...

I can't say I'm that fond of it. I think I'll stick with my Coach station bag if that's OK. ;-)

mjude said...

$3,000 grand for a purse, whatevah!

i bought myself a large purse cause i was trying to be "trendy" its so goddamn heavy that rarely use it. i am a medium bag kinda girl!

Anonymous said...

Fugly.

Anonymous said...

FUGLY!!! Hate them. I can think of a whole lotta stuff I'd rather spend $2995 on...

Anonymous said...

$3000 for that bag?

What a coincidence.

That's about how much it will cost to correct the shoulder problems that will inevitably arise from lugging that thing around.

Anonymous said...

gotham tomato said:

"It reminds me of those ugly patchy rabbit fur jackets from the 70's."


Thank you!

I wouldn't carry that thing around if you paid ME $3000. I hated the first picture of it, before I realized how big it was. Being that huge, it's fugliness is just...magnified.

Anonymous said...

I've seen much nicer bags at Target. I kid you not.

Anonymous said...

That's the OUT bag.

Anonymous said...

I really love big bags! I only carry big bags because I put so much stuff in them! One of my favorite bags is the Hampton tote, I have that in black and it is a great bag as well.

Anonymous said...

I don't like large bags but it has to be a reasonable size - large enough to hold a book or two.

Anonymous said...

There's nothing special about this bag and the handles are a little short.

FashionFanatic said...

I don't like big purses, it's too much like a bag lady. I'm all about keeping my purse little.

Brooklyn Bomber said...

I hate the enormous bag trend and they're murder on the shoulders. Give me a nice, reasonable medium-sized bag.

Sorry, boys, but except for very special occasions, a clutch is useless unless you're the sort of person who gets carried around in a sedan chair, has no keys, and never pays for anything. Try to fit a pair of sunglasses in a clutch. My one quibble with What Not To Wear is that they'll put a woman in a great looking skirt, blouse, and jacket, and then add a colorful little clutch, which means she'll be going to work with her clutch and two tote bags hanging off her shoulders.

And, also. . . is that really Halle Berry? It doesn't look like her at all.

Gorgeous Things said...

Bill said...

Hefty Cinch Sack.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Snort!

The only reason to carry a big bag is to schlep my Macbook, and that ugly beast won't work for it.

Ms Sangrail said...

Aaaargh!!!My eyes! My eyes!

I need to recover from seeing Jessica Simpson on this blog!!!








Somebody help me!

DolceLorenzo said...

It's an ugly bag like most of the godawful things Cavalli designs.

Anonymous said...

I seriously love a big bag (whether it's in or out), but this one, not so much. I rarely if ever call anything ugly, so, like others, I'll just leave it at fug.

It's like they took all the fug elements of design and smmooshed them all together for one gigantic, over-priced monstrosity and crowned it the "it bag."

- edina -

Lenora said...

Well, I am one of the big purse girls. I just have to carry everything with me; my sister and her girlfriend tease me about it but then when they need something, I almost always have it. However, I wouldn't go with this purse. First, it's ugly and I would never spend $3000 on a purse. Even if I could afford it, I don't think I would be able to bring myself to spend that much money on it.

Anne S. said...

They look like Hefty Bags!

Anonymous said...

I don't like carrying a big bag -- the bigger the bag, the more you put in it, the heavier it gets and you just cannot find anything in it!

This bag is really ugly. I don't care what name is on it. ugh.

No thanks -- they can keep them and feel good about themselves for carrying around a $3K bag (if they even paid for it).

Anonymous said...

big purse = black hole for your stuff. and what makes it worth $3K? if i saw a "regular" person carrying it, i'd think they probably got it at steinmart.

rahhhh☺ said...

Seriously though that style is dead to me

Anonymous said...

I'm all for practicality as well as a good look for a bag.

Which is why I have hated the seemingly decade-long mega-bag trend (and I agree, I thought this was kind of over). If you fill it, you can't carry it, if you don't fill it, it looks like this, which is like droopy old-man balls. Well, it does. What, you've never seen old man balls? In metallic?

SUS said...

I actually like that bag in black. I think it's the practical girl in me (practical, aside from the price tag). I'm old. I have a child. I have to carry a cell phone, glasses for driving, sunglasses, obligatory photos of child, a bit of make up--and on occasion a diaper or two, sippy cup, child's toy or change of clothes. So I carry the chic-est sack bag I can. Anyway, said bag does also hold a digital camerea and my Shuffle, so that's good.

Anonymous said...

A big bag is handy when going to the movies - you can carry drinks and popcorn and save a bundle.
But that bag is not innovative - I've been seeing it around for years now. Why pay $3000 for something you can pick up at Mervyns for $30?

-Wimple

Anonymous said...

"Old Man balls" aside, Halle, honey, when you're breastfeeding the heir...don't wear that kind of tank. You need a holster for "the girls" or they will really end up at your knees in just a few short years. Besides, you don't want one to pop out unexpectedly and cause a traffic snarl.

SisterZip

Emma P. said...

Bill said...

Hefty Cinch Sack.
LOL!!

Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy!

B,
You're the shizzz!

Re: The bag?
No.
Albeit huge, I'll take my Coach Legacy over the $3,000 garbage bag any day.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I like larger bags and I hate tiny clutches. But these bags are ugly and I don't understand why anyone would pay so much money for it.

Anonymous said...

Cows had to die for that?

Anonymous said...

Big bags are good, but this is nasty. It makes Hefty bags look good. Actually, it looks like it's made from the material of those things you put in the car to reflect sun rays so your car doesn't get too hot.

This looks like something one of the Olsens (Ashley?) would carry, not Jessica.

-burnsie

Anonymous said...

Here's how I handle it: Carry a bigger bag (but a cute one, not this sleeping-bag look-a-like monstrosity) and I use a small clutch as my wallet. Leave the bigger bag in the car, and I take out my clutch/wallet when I mean business. And DONE! You may applaud now.

Anonymous said...

Love the shape. Hate the texture.

I wouldn't say no to gift of a soft (non-tacky-textured) brown leather one.

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

i LOVE a big-ass bag.
Girls have a lot of shit to carry around

veruca salt said...

If this bag looks that bad with Halle Berry carrying it, what hope do the rest of us have?

Count me out.

On another note:
"GothamTomato said...
It reminds me of those ugly patchy rabbit fur jackets from the 70's."

HA! Total flashback! I had one of those coats and, man, I thought it was the bomb! Of course, I was seven and Barbie was my fashion role model, so I was laboring under some misconceptions . . .

Anonymous said...

Frigging hideous. I hate hate hate hobo bags. Give me a structured colorful satchel over a hefty sac any day.

Happy Mama to Three said...

It's not just those big, weight-lifting bags that confound me, but it's the fact that there has to be a new and different bag every twenty minutes. Damn, I don't want to change my purse that often. I like the middle sized ones that I can just use all the time. My current is a Coach Legacy that I got Christmas of 96. It's now really soft and I use it pretty much all the time. I'm not going to spend $2000 on a bag that gets passed the Goodwill three days after I buy it. Jeez.

Of course, a clutch for evenings out are a different critter all together. Function does not follow fashion. Make it look good, have hubby carry the important stuff in his pockets.

And GOD FORBID you tuck a cellphone in your cute clutch. If it's big enough to cram an I-phone or a Blackberry in next to your lipstick, kleenex, and oil blotting papers then it's too big. What makes it "acceptable" to go to events and sit and text? That's like sleeping in church.

Ah I got long winded.

C

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Anon 1:31 said, "I use a small clutch as my wallet. Leave the bigger bag in the car, and I take out my clutch/wallet when I mean business. And DONE! You may applaud now."

This works fine when you're traveling in your own car. But city dwellers often travel by subway or bus. . . or even cab, where things do get left behind, though usually not intentionally.

Anonymous said...

It looks like my grandmother's toaster-cozy to me.

Unknown said...

"It's just that we're a couple of clutch queens. Show us something so tiny that you can either take a tube of lipstick with you or a tampon but never both, and we swoon. Show us something with enough room to carry around a fax machine and we get quickly bored."

It's easy to say that as men. We're allowed pockets in every outfit we wear.

Levityinbrevity said...

I love it and I kind of have to have it! and I am not a bag girl I dont spend money on purses I make them. but that bag I may have to sell one of my kids for.
lol (I am kidding)

Anonymous said...

It looks like a giant prune. I hate it!

Anonymous said...

I HATE the ginormous bags, and I can't stand the teeny tiny clutches either. I'm a middle of the road girl, myself. I like a bag that will hold a reasonable number of necessities, and not require you to go to the chiropractor because you carried it around the mall.

kath said...

I'm also a big bag kind of girl. I'm usually on the go all day and pretty much carry my life around in my purse. I'm just not loving this bag. Not liking the patchwork at all and if you're going to carry something that size around all day, at least give it a shoulder strap. And $3000 for that? I don't think so.

Bittybis said...

If I had to carry around enough stuff to fill that bag, I'd use a backpack or messenger bag -- something that would not send me to a chiropractor. I prefer medium size bags that can be organized so stuff is easily retrievable. Also, if you were getting on public transportation with one of those things, it would wind up being a big, squashy, evidently uncloseable mess on your lap. Clearly these women never have to walk very far.

Unknown said...

I love carrying around a bag large enough for makeup, glasses, wallet, and books but at THAT price I had better be able to use it every single day for the next three years.

Stubenville said...

Anonymous said...
This looks like something one of the Olsens (Ashley?) would carry...


Or the bag could carry one of THEM!

Now which twin is the one who looks like a crack addict?

Anonymous said...

I seriously think I saw something similar at T.J. Maxx the other day for about $39.99. Really, just ugh. And yes, it does look like toaster and blender covers (orange and green and brown mushroom prints, anyone?)

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not, there's a waiting list for this bag.


Yes, there is.

Anonymous said...

I think I like the black one better, the metallic looks chip in a chip way. If I'm spending that kind of money on a bag I would go with something more classic and less trendy.

Anonymous said...

I don't like HUGE bags because I don't have much stuff to put in it but I don't like small bags either. I prefer medium sized bags that don't slouch easily.

Jen said...

I love a good medium-sized shoulder bag. Sometimes a handbag but I like having both hands free. That bag is hideous!

The only designer that I could see doing patchwork well is Jay McCarroll, as he has proven many times over. I would carry a Jay bag, for sure!

Anonymous said...

I'm a medium sized bag girl myself-- and some would say that my bag was small. A clutch? never-- you can't grab two kids running into the street with a clutch. Come to think of it you can't with RC's bag either....

Although you could knock both of them out before they made it in the road with it!

Anonymous said...

The bag looks totally different in the promo picture. It doesn't seem shapeless. But in the real-life photos it looks like a plastic garbage bag.

Suzanne said...

Screw the bag....look at Halle's post baby body! Holy crap! How do those Hollywood types manage to drop the weight so fast? Must be some sort of secret pill that their agents or Rachel Zoe hand out...

Anonymous said...

Looks like a knitting bag. An ugly, thrown-in-the-back-of-the-car-too-many-times knitting bag.

Unknown said...

Well, Halle Berry DOES have a baby, so it probably is a very fashionable diaper bag! (Man, I wish they had stuff that looked half that good when my kid was a baby. :-S)

Anonymous said...

Why would anyone choose to carry around what appears to be a giant wrinkly ball-sack?

Anonymous said...

omg, sorry, it's for the next haiku post but i had to write a comment.. the japanese handwriting on the plate is absolutely hideous. def written by a non-native, or a three year old. :/

Anonymous said...

Its big & it's ugly - that about sums it up!

Anonymous said...

I hate hobo bags. And that material reminds me of something used to costume "Thriller".

Anonymous said...

Three big ones for carrying around a big ole lump of patched-together pieces of animal skin? And getting shoulder tendinitis to boot? Mmmm...I think not.

Anonymous said...

Vulgar. I could buy all new appliances with that money.

Lisa said...

Fug, to the nth degree.

Anonymous said...

hate it.

lurker2209 said...

The only reason for a big bag is if you're toting a laptop for work and don't want to look like a bike messenger. But that one is way to unstructured for a laptop, so it's pretty much useless.

Mary-Frances said...

Ok, I'm sorry, I don't get it. It's HUGE - and the price, yikes! My flat screen tv was less than that.

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