Balenciaga Leather Sneakers.

Source: Balenciaga

Remember the Pierre Hardy Colorama sneakers that enthralled me with all their bright colors?

Well, I like the above Balenciaga more. The black outlines and the deeper shades of red, green, and blue give it a pop art look, as opposed to a hodgepodge of random colors reminiscent of the 80's that apparently no one wants back.

Were I a sneaker aficionado/collector, I wouldn't think two seconds before giving the boutique a call. (Or maybe Jeffrey carries it.)

Reader Submission: Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, And Dior.

All from Advocating Style...



Balenciaga greige weekender - The difference between the men's and the women's was the length of the handle (and the hardware, which you can't really tell).



Dior Baudrier - Might pass as a man bag if the D charm were gone...maybe...



Yves Saint Laurent Mombasa messenger bag - The deer horn is really what makes this bag. I'm quite tempted, actually. $695 at YSL.

Balenciaga Duffle.

Source: Balenciaga

I'll give you five seconds to guess what I don't like about this bag.

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Why of course, they're the metal studs! In particular, the way the handles are looped around and fastened just doesn't settle right with me. The rest of the bag is exquisite, and I love the huge zipper pulls.

Lenscrafters Ad Featuring Balenciaga.

[Click for larger picture]

I scanned this from an ad in the November issue of GQ, and it says, "That bag says as much as your business card. Do your glasses?" I say, "If you have a business card, you have no business carrying that bag around." Stick with a briefcase.

I'm guessing Lenscrafters didn't get permission from Balenciaga to use their bag in an ad, but then again, there are no identifiable trademark logos anywhere. Also, the tassel is conveniently missing from the front zipper.

If this ad were in any other magazine like Time or Newsweek, the Balenciaga bag would've gone unnoticed by most of the readers. I guess Lenscrafters did their research and picked a recognizable fashionable bag that wouldn't infringe on any trademarks.

I still say a briefcase would have been more appropriate.

These Shoes > Your Shoes.

Source: Hint Magazine/Andrew Burmeister

Do these Raf Simons shoes not make you want to take ecstasy* and jump up and down to happy hardcore? (I know there are people out there who still listen to it. Perhaps unemployed people but people nonetheless.)



Source: Unknown (Balenciaga?)

Who did gawdy-fab better, Raf or Nicolas?


* Carrying Contraption does not condone illegal drugs.

Yoox Summer Sale.

Yoox, the leading online purveyor of discounted designer goods, is having a sale, and I picked out a few things that caught my eye (not all in a good way).

[Click picture if you want to buy or get more information]


Costume National Homme blazer ($240)
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Costume National Homme blazer ($264)
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Malo sandals ($89)
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Click To View More Bargains (Please wait until the entire page loads before clicking)

Gucci casual pants ($168)
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Balenciaga t-shirt ($78)
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Raf Simons t-shirt ($48)
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Loro Piana casual pants ($105)
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Gianfranco Ferre sneakers ($152)

Balenciaga Suede Messenger.

Source: Mattotti

It's like looking at Tera Patrick or Belladonna completely nude with warm eucalyptus oil glistening all over their bodies - it does absolutely nothing for me. Perhaps I have inadvertently conditioned my brain to associate Balenciaga bags with beautifully distressed goatskin and subsequently, suede does not compute to anything meaningful. Moreover, the design is rather prosaic, and you can probably find something similar at Fossil.

Canvas Balenciaga Day Messenger.

Source: Diabro

Without the supple distressed goat leather, this Balenciaga Day messenger bag is crap. The cotton canvas does nothing for me. In fact, I thought this was a knockoff at first. Why isn't Balenciaga experimenting with exotic leather instead of making cheap cotton variations? They came out with a caiman weekender, but that's pretty much it for men's Balenciaga bags. I want to see some ostrich, stingray, lizard, and python!

Canvas Balenciaga Day messenger bag available at Diabro for $757.

My Black Balenciaga Weekender Bag Up For Sale.

If anyone's interested.

Click here for eBay auction. (Starting bid $1000, Buy It Now for $1200)

Let's Try This Again.

[Click for larger picture]

I'm putting this Balenciaga Day messenger on eBay again. Click here for auction.

Waxed Leather Balenciaga Duffle.

Source: Bluefly

I'm pretty sure these weren't faked. I like everything about the bag (waxed calfskin, peccary trim, simple shape, roomy size, and the lock & key); the only minor thing I don't like is the ID window stuck on the middle of the bag. Something about that just bothers me ineffably.

If spring has already arrived for you, you might want to consider canvas or something a little brighter.

Available at Bluefly for $1260.

Top Ten Atrocities.

There are waaay more than ten accessories that deserve to be burned immediately, but here are the ten most vile.

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Balenciaga wallet - Nice try.

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Yves Saint Laurent Downtown tote bag - A lot of people will disagree with me on this one, but I just hate the shape of the bag.

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Gucci - It looks a bit too much like the HAC. Putting a big Gucci logo on it doesn't fool anyone.

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Tumi - Gross.

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Fendi carryall - Put it out of its misery.

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Etro carryall - An indigent person wouldn't use this bag.

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Gucci duffle - It's almost like they ran out of ideas so they just wrote Gucci and expected people to pay for it. I bought Escada cologne once, and the free bag that came with it looked better than this.

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Paul Smith messenger bag - I, too, know how to use Krazy Glue and bottle caps.

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Bally messenger bag - The animal died in vain because I'm pretty sure all those bags collected dust on the shelves.

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Gucci whatever the hell this is - It's a monogram scrotum.

Balenciaga Makes Ugly Wallet.

Source: Diabro

I despise this Balenciaga wallet. OK, the buckle and zipper styling turned out to be successful on bags, but does that mean they should stick them on a wallet? It just looks cluttered and messy on such a small area. A wallet says a lot about that person, and I for one do not want to be seen with this obstrusive crap. In fact, I'd rather use a wallet made of duct tape that those emo kids seem to love. And I can put like...political statement stickers on it.

Thankfully Balenciaga makes normal wallets with the same gorgeous distressed goat leather.

Balenciaga Dilemma.

Source: Bluefly

It's a well-known fact that Bluefly has sold fake Balenciaga in the past. They denied it of course, but there were many who were duped.

But have counterfeiters faked the men's Balenciaga bags yet? I've yet to see a fake men's bag on eBay, so that's a positive sign.

Still, you should be cautious about this bag on Bluefly.

(Note: Bluefly calls this the 'Day', but it's actually the 'Besace'.)

Available at Bluefly for $820.

Writing.

Source: Balenciaga

If you like the distressed goat leather on Balenciaga bags, you'd like this wallet as well. Unfortunately, the color choices are limited, so you won't have a thousand permutations to choose from. I like the black and red combination above because it's discreet, yet the red adds a bit of vibrant character to it. This probably won't be a good investment of $390 if you're normally abusive to your wallets. In that case, I'd suggest Louis Vuitton Taiga leather or Prada saffiano leather.

Available at Balenciaga NY.

A Bag.

Source: eBay [averyc007]

Eventually, the whole motorcycle Balenciaga craze will die down completely, and the Le Dix fad will be a thing of the past. But if you want something that will be in for a lifetime, here's a chance to get a Balenciaga carryall that's not part of the motorcycle line. As much as I like(d) the long tassles, I think I'm going to retire my bags for a few years.

Click here for the eBay auction. It has a Buy-It-Now for $750, which is less than half the retail.

Tomato Bag.

Source: Balenciaga

It's very rare that you find someone who is completely bisexual - equal attraction to both men and women. If you offer a choice between a taco and a weiner, they wouldn't know what to do with themselves, caught in an infinite loop of indecision and jumping up and down on a couch.

That's how I feel about this F/W 07/08 Balenciaga bag. The orangey-red color definitely pops out and I like that, but at the same time, what color is it? It's neon but not quite, red but not really. I just can't register the color in my brain, and my visual cortex is going haywire. One moment I love the unusual color, and the next, I think it's an eyesore. I just can't decide, and I think I feel completely neutral about this bag.

I guess it was kind of wrong for me to tie bisexuality with ambivalence and psychosis. But just so you know, I'm bisexual, too. I like women...after a few shots of vodka and a gin and tonic.

Man Bag In Action. Balenciaga.

Source: Reader Submitted Photo

I think that's a Balenciaga. Actually, I'm pretty certain it is. I'm curious as to what that thing is that's attached to where the tassle should be.

OK, So I'm Selling A Few Things On Ebay.

Balenciaga olive green Day messenger: Click here for auction.



Fendi wool scarf: Click here for auction.



Gucci chocolate guccissima leather belt: Click here for auction.



Dolce & Gabbana leather belt: Click here for auction.

Man Bag In Action. Balenciaga Courier.

Source: tPF [Clake76]

Balenciaga Extra Courier