Samsonite Black Label 'Along' Weekender.

Source: Samsonite

Everything from the woven leather handles to the detachable shirt bag (bottom zippered compartment) is perfection on this Samsonite Black Label Resort collection travel bag. The perpendicular and parallel patterning compartmentalizes each section and makes this bag easy to "absorb" visually. There's a hidden water bottle holder and a detachable shoulder strap (not shown) as well as interior pockets for all your travel needs.

I might actually visit their store next time I visit San Francisco.

Samsonite Black Label 'Along' weekender available at Samsonite for $1100.

Bally Orange Leather Carryall.

Source: Bally

Like green, orange is not used too often on leather pieces. (Louis Vuitton's Castillian Red and Mandarin Epi leather come to mind, as well as the Prada orange saffiano leather.) Spring and summer are all about colors, but red can be overpowering, and yellow is sometimes too bright and cheery; it stands to reason that the combination of the two would yield a pleasant balance of warmth and heat. The hardware, of course, should be gold-toned, as is the case on this Bally carryall.

Available at Bally boutiques.

David Beckham's Jas MB Carryall.

Source: Just Jared

A commenter mentioned yesterday that Jas MB is one of his London favorites. Here's an old photo I found of David Beckham carrying a Jas MB bag. He kind of looks like he could be a Sinn Féin assassin.

Costume National Leather Weekender.

Source: Zappos

The leather kind of reminds me of my Balenciaga weekender that now belongs to someone in Texas. (For a good two months, I feared a fraudulent eBay/Paypal chargeback.) Had I bought this fabulous Costume National bag instead, I probably would've kept it for more than three months. The bag is streamlined for a structured look while maintaining its own persona and functionality. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a detachable shoulder strap.

Costume National weekender available at Zappos for $1653.95.

Marc Jacobs Leather Carryall.

Source: Marc Jacobs

The design isn't particularly novel nor is the color scheme eye-catching. It's a decent bowling bag-style carryall, but you can find something similar at various vintage boutiques or eBay.

Available at select Marc Jacobs boutiques.

Spotted: A-Z Collection Bag.

[Click for larger photo]



Source: The Sartorialist

I guess he doesn't mind the disparity in buckle length. Admittedly, the darker color seems to attenuate that point of contention.

Zac Efron In LAX.

Source: Dean M / Bauer-Griffin

He uses that bag for the gym as well.

A-Z Collection Mason Bag.

Source: Scout

I like the idea of a canvas gladstone bag, but one of the buckles is longer than the other. In this one episode of Little House on the Prairie, a girl was born with a deformity and her left leg was slightly shorter than the right, resulting in her having to wear a wooden contraption* to balance her body.

I'm just saying, no one likes a deformed bag.

A-Z Collection Mason bag available at Scout for $118.

* In case you are unfamiliar with this classic, wholesome television series, it was set in the 19th century.

Fendi Monogram Overnighter.

Source: Saks

I've been cramming for my final exam that takes place in less than two hours, and this monstrosity of a bag effectively purged my short-term memory -- ugh, now I have to read about intracellular signaling in Xenopus eggs all over again. This bag is like mental bleach. If you have painful childhood memories, stare at this bag for a good five minutes, and perhaps you'll be able to develop normal, healthy interpersonal relationships from then on. Lesbians may even start finding men attractive.

I kid. Sort of.

Why do they keep coming out with garbage like this? No one wants it!

Fendi overnighter available at Saks for $950.

Number (N)ine Fall/Winter 2008.

[Click for larger photos]



Do you know what's more heinous than denim-on-denim?

Shearling-on-shearling.

At least the net looks a bit more appropriate on that bag than on the Louis Vuitton Congo GM.

Marni Fall/Winter 2008.

Instead of the usual top zippers, they have all-around bottom zippers, which may be cumbersome if you want to quickly get something out of the bag. However, Marni is never "usual". Luckily these are double zippers so the pulls don't have to remain dangling on the bottom.

They also got the proportions right on these bags. On some bags, the external compartment is so bulky that it can literally be ripped off and be a bag all on its own, but the zipped pockets on these bags offer enough space and volume without looking like a Siamese twin that didn't develop to full term in the uterus.

One thing I don't like is the snap pull tab -- if you click and look at the larger photos, you'll see more clearly that they break symmetry. I wouldn't buy it just for this reason alone, however petty it probably seems.



These are flawless. They even appear to come with detachable shoulder straps.

Etro Fall/Winter 2008.

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Scarves belong around your neck, not on your bags. However, the black paisley is an elegant modification of Etro's signature pattern, which is more than I can say about Louis Vuitton's new Damier color.



Even though they're only croc-embossed, the mottled effect adds aesthetic value and creates beautiful shades of blue and indigo.





These are as interesting as microtubule dynamics of Chlamydomonas.

Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2008.

[Click for larger photos]



Those bags look like Jansport bags -- you know, the ones that cost 30% more because they have all those extra frilly things. Much like this Prada Sport compass, those bags, if they make it to production, will cost 1000% more than they should. The yellow strip makes it even more garish.

Would you spend extra for designer outdoor equipment?



Bottega Veneta did it better. (They're not exactly the same, but the two bags share enough characteristics to be compared.)

Jil Sander Website.

Remember when the Prada website was just a picture? Now it has, like, information and multiple pictures.

Jil Sander followed suit.



I remember that she is lesbian. Or am I making things up again?

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2008.

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This new variation of the Damier is lackluster. Literally.



Pharrell Williams disagrees with me.

Fendi Fall/Winter 2008.

[Click for larger photos]



I'm not sure what to call this -- clutchfolio? Portfoliclutch? Whatever it is, it doesn't yield much practical use, but neither do the festive national security threat levels. (Are we still orange?) However, exotic skin is not something I can easily resist.



Back when the Edith bag was popular among women, I wished Chloé would make a men's travel version. Although the only similarity is the trapezoidal shape, I'm going to tentatively say my wish came true. I really hope this bag goes into production. If only I had a rich sugardaddy to buy me the crocodile version...



The point of the messenger bag is to free your hands. The above look is a compromise: you don't want your jacket to get wrinkled by the shoulder strap, but you want to dress-down a bit with a messenger bag. Unlike the Three-Fifths Compromise or the war on terror, this actually works.

Photo Credit: AFP, Getty Images, Wire Image

Gucci Fall/Winter 2008.

Did Vera Bradley do a men's collection?



Foul.



I still believe having unnecessary studs makes the bag look cheap.

Photo Credit: Reuters, AFP

Jil Sander Fall/Winter 2008 Carryall.

Source: Getty Images

At first I was excited because of the possibility that the outfit was combining fashion with science -- doesn't it look like a transmission electron micrograph with unknown intracellular dense particles?

That's probably not the case, and the bag is ugly.

But fear not, the rest of the collection was wearable.

Bottega Veneta Canvas Carryall.

Source: eBay [Seller ID: postalconnections179]

The leather handle isn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. Perfect symmetry and the subtle parallel and perpendicular contrast stitching make this bag very tempting, especially at the eBay price.

Bottega Veneta canvas carryall available at eBay. [Current bid $250]

WANT Malpensa 24 Hour Travel Bag.

Source: Blackbird

If the Louis Vuitton Mini-Grimaud is out of the price range, the WANT Malpensa is a stylish alternative. The handles can be an inch or two shorter, but the all-leather construction, detachable shoulder strap, and the roomy interior make this an ideal carryon.

WANT Malpensa travel bag available at Blackbird for $1395 (free shipping).