Handbags

Travelling samples

January 30, 2012 By Belen echandia 5 Comments

Our creative team came up with a new idea this week. Well not exactly a totally new idea, in fact it is an idea that has been floated before and even suggested by a couple of customers over the years, but one that has never been considered as a part of our business before. The idea is…travelling samples.

Now bear with me before you start thinking about us sending our bags off travelling around to visit far away places… We’re not sending our samples on holiday, but we do recognize that it is very difficult for new customers to get a good idea about the quality and workmanship of our bags just by looking at a picture on the internet. We also know from feedback from our regular customers that it is equally hard for regular customers to judge the size and proportions of our newer styles online. So we came up with the idea of having one bag of each style available each season, for customers to request to try out before buying.

The bag would travel with swatches of the leather colours it is available in and details of how to place your order online. But right now, this is still just an idea. We would love to hear your feedback and any other ideas you have.

Wishing you a wonderful 2012.

The BE Team. XXX

Filed Under: Fashion, Handbags, Promotions

SS12 Preview: Belen Echandia’s spring collection – The Paris bag

December 20, 2011 By Belen echandia 6 Comments

The final brand new bag from Belen Echandia’s spring collection (see the full line sheet here) is the Paris Tote. The Paris is a sturdy yet comfortable lightweight shoulder bag with a top zipper and messenger strap. It looks and feels wonderful on the shoulder, the elbow and when worn as a cross body bag. We’ve had a few questions about whether this bag is extra heavy because of the decorative buckles on the sides – the answer is no.

The weight of this bag is just 950 grams, which is similar to or lighter than a lot of our bags. This bag has very little hardware and what it does have is lightweight, making it a very comfortable bag to wear. Here is a close-up shot of the Vermillion leather and the details on the Paris.

Here is an inside shot. *Please note* this is the first sample we produced, before we decided to add a top zipper. All Paris Totes produced after this one have a top zipper as well as the magnets, for added security. The buckles on the sides are merely decorative and not used to close the bag in any way.

We’ve called this bag a tote for want of a better word, but it is not really a tote in the “jute tote” sense, rather it’s a sturdy shoulder bag which has slightly more structure than other BE bags, whilst remaining soft against the body.

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags, Things We Love

Belen Echandia’s SS12 collection: The Florence

December 12, 2011 By Belen echandia 1 Comment

The Florence is a gorgeous little cross body satchel. It has a slightly more structured look than our bags usually do, but it remains comfortable and soft against the body. Since the first question we are asked with small to medium bags is how much can be carried inside them, we thought an interior shot of this bag would be useful. Here you can see that despite its compact size Belen Echandia’s Florence bag has 3 separate compartments to help you stay organized. Here’s what we put into the large compartment:

1. Python wallet;
2. Small 7″ (18cm) tablet computer;
3. Business card holder full of cards; and
4. Phone.

There was still a little space to fit a few more things in the inside zip and/or front pocket, and as you can see from the picture below, it doesn’t look at all packed out from the side, either. The Florence was another fashion editor’s favourite at our press day.

Here are a couple of our professional pictures to show you how it looks inside and close-up. There is also a spin shot on our website and we’re hoping to snap a quick picture of one of us wearing it shortly so you can get an idea how it looks ahead of our campaign shots.

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags

SS12 Line Sheet Preview – Cannes Satchel

December 7, 2011 By Belen echandia Leave a Comment

Our spring summer 2012 line sheets are now available for preview. We will add all the new styles to our website over the coming ays so you can order your favourite colour in advance and have it delivered early next year. The Cannes shoulder bag is the first to go up, here.

Disclaimer: this is not the BE official model shoot, it is just me on my blog showing how the bags hang on a real person.

Here is the link to the full SS12 line sheet: http://www.youblisher.com/p/209746-BELEN-ECHANDIA-SS2012/

Every day for the next 6 days we will upload informal pictures of each new style, discuss each one in detail and show how it hangs and can be worn. I took some pictures whilst previewing the new collection, so you can see how each one looks on a person of average height (5ft 5″ to be precise). Today’s first entry is the Cannes Shoulder Bag (full size) in whiskey chevre.

My first thought when I tried on the first prototype of this bag empty was that the rolled handles , which I designed for comfort, might fall off my shoulder. But as soon as I put in my wallet and cell-phone, they stayed put very comfortably. My second thought was – This bag is amazing! The Cannes is a lightweight bag. We made the handle drop long enough to fit very comfortably on the shoulder. You can open and close the side pockets whilst the bag is still on your shoulder, which is useful if you need your phone or something else close to hand. The front pockets are more for decoration, but they are also useful and deep enough to fit a phone or a couple of small items.

You can cinch in the sides of this bag with the drawstring, but this time from the inside of the bag instead of the outside. The bag also has two magnets, making it a very secure style. The Cannes is also really comfortable when worn crossbody. The handles fold down very easily and they don’t look at all awkward. As you can see, the bag is quite deep but moulds softly against the body.

The Cannes is available for SS12 pre-order in chocolate matte and whiskey matte calfskin as well as sand and whiskey chevre. If you would like to pre-order it in a different colour, please ask about the specific colour you want and we may be able to help.

Pre-order HERE

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags

Bright winter coats

September 17, 2011 By Belen echandia 2 Comments

This weekend winter suddenly and harshly arrived to Sweden. One minute I was walking down the street in a short-sleeved sweater, or heading out for a run in just leggings and tank, the next I was freezing. This happens to me every year – winter begins and I’m always surprised.

This year, thankfully, I’ll be heading to Greece in the middle of September for a lovely week of sunshine with the very good excuse of having to attend a close friend’s wedding. But there will still be plenty of winter in Sweden to wear warm coats – and this year I intend to wear bolder colours than I normally would.

Here’s a rundown of the coats I’m considering this season. Leave me a comment at the end and give me links to any winter coats you’re currently lusting after.

Vermillion

Those of you who read my blog often know that I am currently obsessed with vermillion orange. It suits my skin tone perfectly, is a wearable bright (unlike harsher or darker shades that can wash me out), will match with so many different things and best of all, I just love the colour. It makes me feel happy just to look at it.

Here’s one of my favourite vermillion coats for this season. Do you have a favourite?

Here’s our Madrid crossbody in vermillion orange, which would look so great with this coat!

Purple

Purple is a wearable colour for some, but tricky for others. It suits fair or dark skin tones set against dark hair best. Think Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. The darker/milder the shade, the easier it is to wear. Overly bright colours can look harsh in certain lights, so choose your colour wisely if you want this to be an investment piece. I love dark purples and aubergine colours like this one:

Red

Red is another wearable bright, although some people are quite scared of wearing it, or see it as an aggressive colour. I like warm reds the best, those with a slight pink undertone. Scarlet is too harsh for my skin tone and really needs to be made in an expensive fabric to avoid looking cheap. This season’s reds are mainly expensive looking colours, so it’s the perfect time to invest in a bright red coat. Our red chevre is an expensive-looking matte leather. Nicole Richie looks beautiful in this light red coat:

Belen Echandia’s red chevre Milan Satchel would look amazing with the right red coat:

Pink

I believe that a coat is really an investment piece and personally I would not spend a lot of money on a pink coat. But I am looking to be persuaded. Do you have a pink coat? Would you buy one? Please send me your tips!

Until next time.

Jackie XXX

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Colours and inspirations, Fashion, Handbags

Fashion Trends AW11

August 20, 2011 By Belen echandia Leave a Comment

We have only just started wearing our summer whites and already everyone’s talking about autumn – but as we’ve learned to our peril in previous seasons, the early bird catches the worm, or rather, the best clothes. I am always surprised when I do my last-minute seasonal shopping to discover that the best pieces sold out several months previously. But not this year, I won’t make that mistake again.

If you’re a last minute shopper like me, don’t worry because I have rounded up some of the hottest pieces for this coming autumn/winter 2011 that you can still get your hands on.

Androgyny

I love this season’s androgyny trend, because rather than being all about women looking like men in suits and men’s shoes, there is a big focus on details: I call it girly androgyny. An oximoron, perhaps, but the fur, the lace, the scarves and red shoes: it is undeniably feminine if not girly.

Block colour

Finally, my favourite way of dressing is flying high at the top of the fashion charts. Good news if you’re partial to a colour pop. The autumn runways started off where spring ended and sent a riot of bright colours to extend summer well into December and possibly even make it last until next spring. Red/blood orange was the clear favourite, from cardinal to vermillion, whilst greens, blues and pinks sat alongside the usual blacks and warm October shades. I think this Burberry trenchcoat from the AW11 collection is amazing.

Texture

Texture is everywhere this season, from fur to sequins to knits and suede. Of course, my favourite trend is textured leather.

Textured leather has been around for a while, but I still just cannot get enough of it. This season, textures and prints are hot news alongside block colours. Autumn/Winter is always my favourite fashion season, but this one is going to be my favourite for a long time.

I love texture on bags because it adds detail and distinctiveness without the need for big logos, which I don’t like at all. I love all kinds of texture, from subtle to strong, from irregular to regular, from soft to hard. My favourite combination is an irregular, soft texture, which is why I love our new super soft, black textured goatskin LA Tote. I love this style because it works just as well as a hand-carry (one of the coming season’s big trends) as a shoulder bag and it is just so comfortable and stylish as an elbow-carry, which is my favourite way to wear a bag. I also love the strength of this leather, its boldness. It also fits nicely into the androgyny trend and could be worn by both men and women.

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Colours and inspirations, Fashion, Handbags, Inspirations

Animal prints and pony skin – AW11

August 15, 2011 By Belen echandia 1 Comment

Animal prints and fur are hot news again for the AW11 season, but this time we’re seeing subtler prints like milky-white snow leopard alongside their flashier cousins. We’ve used pony skin for the Belen Echandia handbag collection before, but this is the first time we’ve ever incorporated leopard and zebra into our larger handbag range. Only a small number of pieces are available and we’re very excited with the results.

It has taken me a while to get here. I have never been keen on animal prints. But a couple of months ago, I was at a museum with my son when I spotted a woman wearing a velvet leopard-print crossbody bag which was a very similar shape to our Covet Me Mini.

The bag was quite simple, so I don’t know if it was the otherwise chic Scandinavian style that did it, or the fact that I could suddenly visualise a BE leopard print Covet Me Mini, but this woman rocked her animal print bag. Animal prints suddenly seemed very wearable.

And now for a few pieces from the up coming animal print collection:

1. Clutch Me in leopard with black super soft matte trim

2. Milan Satchel in snow leopard with black super soft matte trim

3. Covet Me Mini in snow leopard with black super soft matte trim

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags, Style, Things We Love Tagged With: 2011 Handbags, Autumn, AW11 Trends

Autumn Winter 2011 handbag and leather trends in pictures

August 12, 2011 By Belen echandia 1 Comment

Row 1, left to right:

1. The clutch – The Duchess of Cambridge, AKA Katherine Middleton, made the clutch the handbag of the moment. From weddings, to evenings out with the girls, to dinners and formal events, as well as just a date at the movies, we all need a clutch. Stuffing things in pockets is so last season.

2. The mini crossbody – If you think this bag looks too small, think again. If you like any of the following, you need a mini cross body bag: Travelling (this style is perfect for looking chic and keeping cool whilst strolling through markets/cities/tourist attractions, running through airports when you need to quickly access passports and tickets), strolling around your own city, going to concerts or cycling (are you seriously going to carry a shoulder bag?), doing anything with small children (hands-free? It’s essential). My stepfather once asked me why I had brought my “suitcase” to dinner – don’t make the same mistake.

3. Cuffs - What more to say? Leather cuffs are now. They are hot. I usually have trouble wearing them because my wrists are so small, but these are lovely and so comfortable.

Row 2, left to right:

4. Hand-carry/elbow-carry – If you like to hand-carry your bags you’re in luck this coming season. Luckily for those who don’t, our L.A. Tote has an adjustable handle that can be worn either way.

5. Red – Some people are scared of red. They think it is aggressive or difficult to wear. I think red is amazing. It can provide a drop of glamour in an otherwise monochrome colour palette in the shape of red nails, red shoes or a red bag. There is a shade of red to suit everyone, from cardinal to vermillion and back to scarlet. Our red bags with chains are made from chevre (goatskin) and they are amazing. You will feel like a million dollars.

6. Prints/black and white/pony skin – Three trends in one, would you expect anything less? Our snow leopard pony skin bags are of the moment but don’t worry about them being trendy, have you noticed that animal print are “in” roughly every 2-3 years, maybe even more often? This is a trend that never really goes out of fashion. If you’ve been hesitating like me, don’t hesitate any longer. Buy now!

Row 3, left to right:

7. Coin purses - Little coin purses are so cute and so useful: we all need them. They are great for loose change, for tickets, for receipts, for taking as a mini mini clutch bag on an evening out. An essential item in a woman’s wardrobe. I’m going for the anthracite or the zebra pony skin.

8. Texture – Textured leather is amazing, particularly if it’s soft and smooshy. I love the uber luxurious feel of Belen Echandia’s textured chevre leather (goatskin).

9. Colour – Ah, wearable colour… where have you been all my life? In the deep dark trenches of Scandinavian winter (my husband is Swedish) I survive on colour therapy. But thankfully, this season brings a lot of wearable colours and particularly colourful accessories, so I can wear my dark jeans and boots with this darling little colourful crossbody.

I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of upcoming handbag and leather trends. If you did and/or you have any comments, please drop me a line!

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags, Things We Love

Brightly coloured chevres

August 9, 2011 By Jackie Cawthra 1 Comment

Ever since I wrote that post (this one) we’ve been inundated with emails asking us about available colours of chevre. So we’ve started taking pictures of the chevre colours that are available now. Today, we’re posting the bright colours. If you’re looking for a brightly coloured goatskin bag, here’s a run down of what we have (please not that these colours are fully-stocked and available now, but leathers frequently go out of stock so if there is a particular leather that you know you want, the best thing is to put down a deposit on it):

PARIS

We’re calling this colour chart “Paris”. The colours look (on my screen at least) exactly as they do on the colour chart. This is an extremely soft, beautifully uniform leather. It does not show marks easily. The colours are saturated and deep.

DIXAN

This is a washed chevre, meaning that it is a little more matte and has a little more texture – and the colours are a bit less saturated than Paris and Guanto. These colours are my favourites, just because I like that “washed” look. Here is a close-up of the texture of that leather in red, with all our linings:

Here are the bright colours from the Dixan colour chart:

GUANTO

This is a glove-like leather, the most classic of the three and as saturated and uniform as Paris, just with a little more gloss. This colour chart is a little harder to shoot, but we’ve had a go!

Please email Janelle (@) belenechandia.com – removing brackets – if you have any questions or would like to know more about these amazing leathers.

Jackie XX

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Colours and inspirations, Fashion, Handbags, Style, Things We Love

Rock Chic Style for AW11

August 9, 2011 By Belen echandia Leave a Comment

Rock chic style by ILOVEHANDBAGS featuring short sleeve shirts

Otis Maclain short sleeve shirt
$128 - new.amrag.com

Oasis cropped denim jacket
£45 - oasis-stores.com

Balmain black leather pants
$3,020 - stylebop.com

Supertrash gladiator sandals
£94 - theoutnet.com

Black handbag – bag with messenger strap – Black Bubble Semi Glossy LA…
£550 - belenechandia.com

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags, Style, Things We Love

Inspirational women design their dream bags

August 6, 2011 By Jackie Cawthra 2 Comments

I recently read an article in the Sunday Times about girl power. Although female emancipation occured a long time ago and gender equality has been a hot topic since the 60s, it is only really now that companies are actively seeking a high proportion of women as directors and non-executive directors. “Girls, your time is now” the headline said.

I went to London to meet one of the fashion editors of Grazia recently for a new project we’re working on, which ties in nicely with the topic of girl power. With our all-girl team and our focus on customer interaction, participation and feedback, girl-power has always been a big theme for us. I remember how excited we all were when we first started offering custom orders, at the prospect of handing back some power to our customers to decide many aspects of their bags for themselves.

This ongoing project will involve championing girl power by working with inspirational women from various fields to design their dream bags, inside and out. We have always placed as much importance on the inside features of our bags as we do on the outside, with the aim of making them luxurious and as practical as a busy woman needs them to be. But of course, what you need from a bag will depend on your lifestyle, your job and what you need to carry around with you all day as well as what you would like it to look like. So instead of asking these women to simply design their dream bag, we are asking them to design their dream bag as a fashion editor, or singer, or lawyer… the bag that will fulfil their daily needs both in terms of aesthetics and practicality.

The meeting in London was fantastic and we can’t wait to show you the results later on this year.

Stay tuned!

Jackie XXXX

Filed Under: Belen Echandia, Fashion, Handbags, Inspirations, Style