14 DAY TRIAL // The first pieces of Dona Karan's new pre-fall line of handbags - the brand's first such line after many years - will hit the stores next week and for the most anxious among you, here is a little peek at what's to come. If we were to use one word to describe this collection, that word would definitely be "classic". The new line of must-have Dona Karan bags offers its buyers quite a lot of choices: there is a daytime range of totes and bucket bags made from luxury ostrich, crocodile and goat skins, and a small evening collection of bags in python and satin. All the bags are hand-stitched and sport a classy, minimalist design.
"I'm a serial monogamist. I wear one [bag] to death before moving on to the next one - I carry far too much in it to change bags according to outfit", the designer herself reveals in an interview with Elle magazine. As a result, her range of bags is tailored for comfort and timeless longevity. All the bags are named after the astrological signs of the zodiac because, in Karan's own words, "each has a personality, a point of view that will attract a certain woman [...]. I didn't want a trendy bag collection. When you fall in love, you want to know you'll still feel the same in five or ten years", she added.
The Modern Aries and Modern Virgo tote bags, for instance, are the quintessential timeless bags. "To me, a bag defines a woman. It becomes a part of her, an object of love and desire that holds her world. Especially if you live in a city", Dona Karan stated. "You live in your bag. I want it to be [as] comfortable to wear and carry as it is luxe and sensual to look at", she added on her classic inspiration for these two totes. The Libra saddle bag is inspired by "a mix of personality and function" Karan revealed. "I want it to look and feel like a personal piece of sculpture that has a sensibility that speaks to me as an individual". The Modern Leo tote is also part of the same classic functional view, or as Karan puts it, a "forever bag". "Each bag is an object of desire" she says "and that's a timeless concept, not one that's of the moment".
