Milly's Spring 2011 Bags (L to R): Navy Luxe Leather flap bag, Rose Garden Print tote, Red Patent Milly bag. Photo: Milly
As reported on
StyleList in August, contemporary fashion house
Milly is branching into accessories for Spring 2011.
Following
Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, where the accessories made their official debut, a select group of editors got the chance to preview the collection of handbags and jewelry at the Milly showroom in New York City's Garment District.
Witty with a wink of glamour, Milly designer Michelle Smith gives fans what they have come to love from the ready-to-wear line: easy-to-wear pieces bursting with optimism and color. It's hard not to want to skip with joy and wish for springtime sun with vibrant colors on the Costa Bava resin and wood necklace and the '50s inspired Tomato Rattan bracelet bag.
"I set out in designing my handbag collection with the same philosophy and aesthetic as my ready-to-wear collection. The Milly aesthetic is smart, sexy, and glamorous. It's a modern sensibility with a vintage vibe that epitomizes uptown sophistication meets downtown cool," Smith told
StyleList.
The spring season was heavily inspired by
Peggy Guggenheim and her eccentric, art-loving, globe-trotting lifestyle. Colors are bold all around, jewelry has a tribal and worldly feel, and handbags are a bit more structured and finished in luxurious, full-grain leathers such as soft, tumbled napa lamb, shiny goatskin, and glossy patent.
Resin tortoise chains and custom-made hardware, particularly gold-button detailing, pepper an assortment of silhouettes.
Assortment of Milly Spring 2011 Jewelry. Photo: Milly
In addition to solid leather, the Milly must-have prints are all over the collection, including an oversize red-roses pattern that appears on a large tote with resin handles, ideal for work or the beach.
Other patterns include a Cubist print of tiled red, yellow, white, green, black, and brown bars going horizontally; a smartly rainbow Mallorca Print; a red/navy Chevron Print; a violet flower print; and an Ink Tribal Zig Zag Print.
Nearly all prints appear on the medium size, Milly flap-over shoulder bag with resin chain and leather handle.
The handbags, ranging in price from $250 to $525, will hit stores in January and be carried at
Bergdorf Goodman,
Saks,
Neiman Marcus,
Harrods, and upscale specialty stores around the world as well as
millyny.com.
The jewelry, which had a soft launch in 2010, will range from $88 to $325 for spring 2011.
In related news, read about
Kim Kardashian's jewelry line with Bebe.
