Style Bubble: Eyeing You Up

03 August 2012

Eyeing You Up

I've been OD-ing on Olympics TV coverage and feeling all fired-up and gutsy and any other sports pundit cliche that you can think of, thanks to the BBC. Therefore I'm just going to come out with this one bit of British sporting slang and say that Diane von Furstenberg pulled off a blinder with these A/W 12-3 Fetish Box bags that were featured prominently in the show. I say blinder because I really didn't expect them from DvF, who I know can turn out a decent print and a reliable handbag, but are hardly known for accessory showstoppers. Yvan Mispelaere, the relatively new creative director at DvF may have had a hand in instilling this cheekily surreal tone into the nine styles of clutches, which manage to combine Schiaparelli, Magritte and Dali and a visually arresting shape all into one boxy package. With the flick of an ergonomically pleasing (haven't used that phrase since year 9 design tech class) clasp, each bag also reveals an eye-shaped mirror inside.

Back in February at the DvF showroom in New York, I was instantly drawn to them, opening and closing them repeatedly and wondering whether they could hold the crucial essentials of phone, Oystercard, debit card, keys and a lip balm (the answer is yes by the way). Then Von Furstenberg herself gave me an irresistible heavy-lidded look and a big ol' smiley hug which is cause enough to salute the bags. I've given them a happy-HAPPY GIF-y treatment just in case you haven't quite realised that I'm currently riding on a strange and uncharacteristically patriotic high. Four of the styles have dropped onto DvF's online American store so I should expect the others will follow soon enough internationally. No sign of the beaded cloud or the jigsaw puzzle piece specimens though. Maybe I should "go for gold" instead or try and "beat the odds" (in reference to the gold beaded and domino clutches just in case you think I'm ending on a slightly loopy note)? How do I turn these cliches off again?

Louise Gray shirt