Rachel Zoe's Bags and Style

Usually, stylist and reality TV star Rachel Zoe‘s handbags are pretty easy to identify. Usually, they’re Hermes. If they’re not Hermes, they’re Chanel. If they’re not Hermes or Chanel, odds are they’re from one of her own lines. After that, I usually have no idea. That’s the case with these photos of Rachel, out for a walk with her husband Rodger Berman and their infant son Skyler. Skyler, as we all know, is too adorable for words.

I haven’t been able to find this black satchel in any of Rachel’s upcoming collections and it doesn’t ring any obvious design bells in my head, so this is where you guys come in. Help me! Have I somehow missed it in Rachel’s line? Is it vintage? I both love and hate it when stars wear vintage. I love it because vintage is awesome, but then I hate it because it’s hard to identify and even harder to get my own hands on. If it’s vintage, this bag is in far better condition than most. View the Gallery →

For Fall 2010, basically trendiest, most must-have item in all of fashion was the Burberry Prorsum Shearling Bomber Jacket. Not only were they relentlessly sought after and unfairly difficult to find, but once you did find one, the prospect of purchasing it was so prohibitively expensive that only people who can write off these sorts of things on their taxes probably bought one. (Read: fashion people.) I say this all in the past tense because these jackets, like the one stylist and professional Fashion Person Rachel Zoe is wearing in these photos, are all gone.

You can probably still find the Givenchy Flap Shoulder Bag that Rachel is using to hide her baby bump in a few of these photos, though. Despite being a very nice bag indeed, it doesn’t have the cult following of Zoe’s Burberry jacket.

Bag Rachel’s Burberry Style via Saks! View the Gallery →

Some people love Rachel Zoe and some people hate her, but it’s nearly impossible to argue that she’s always loyal to her own personal style, no matter what trends and fad might be going on in the fashion world at large. She wears precisely whatever she feels like wearing, and her choices influence a lot of the industry as a whole, for better or for worse. If you like sequins, faux fur and enormous heels, you probably think it’s for the better.

Something else that Rachel keeps going back to over and over again is her black Chloe Python Paraty, and with such a beautiful bag, it’s not hard to understand why. An exotic skin fashion into a functional bag and rendered in a neutral color is a no-brainer no matter who you are and how vast your collection is, and hopefully Rachel will keep that bag around to pass down to her daughter (I’m assuming she’s having a girl, because how could she have anything else?) one day.

Bag Rachel’s Chloe Style via Saks! View the Gallery →

Despite the fact that these pictures of Rachel Zoe are likely just a well-placed marketing scheme for her brand, I still like it when I see a celebrity wearing or carrying something from the clothing lines that bear their names. If they expect us to shell out money for it, they should be willing to wear and use their products in public, for all to see. It’s only fair!

And that’s exactly what Rachel is doing in these photos with her Rachel Zoe for QVC Flap-Front Fringe Bag. And quite honestly, if this was a marketing scheme, it’s one of the best ones I’ve seen. These photos were taken at the height of Zoe’s pregnancy speculation and in advance of the bag’s QVC debut, and the bag actually looks great. I really didn’t expect it to be from Zoe’s low-priced line at all, and the price point (less than $200) and materials (real leather) are kind of great. If you like fringe, that is; it’s not my thing, but surely it’s someone’s.

Bag Rachel’s Style via QVC! View the Gallery →

As I said recently, it’s not all that hard to figure out what kind of handbag stylist Rachel Zoe is carrying – she sticks almost exclusively to Chanel and Hermes for daytime use.

Last time it was Hermes, but this time Zoe chose a (probably vintage) Chanel Flap Bag in what looks like black satin to wear while attending an event with her husband. I’m not sure that I love the suit that she chose – it overwhelms her very small frame – but the accessories, as always, are flawless.

Bag Rachel’s Chanel Style via Chanel.com! View the Gallery →

Confession: I absolutely love Rachel Zoe. I love her show on Bravo, I love the outrageously fabulous things that she wears, I love that she always seems to be on the verge of a panic attack. I particularly love her bow tie-wearing assistant Brad. I loved Taylor, but she doesn’t work there anymore.

I digress. What I love about these pictures happens to be Rachel’s utterly enormous Chanel XXL Reissue Bag. I don’t love that it’s vinyl instead of patent leather, but for a bag so huge, I suppose it’s possible that patent leather would have made it too heavy or too stiff. As it is, however, the oversized tote makes an impression that few other bags can make, and it says glamour and luxury (except for the part where it’s vinyl…that’s still bothering me). If it was leather and I had an extra $4000, I’d love to rip off Ms. Zoe’s swag.

Bag Rachel’s Chanel Style via Chanel.com! View the Gallery →

Ok, so, to call it a surprise might be overselling things juuuuust a little bit. That’s sort of like saying that Victoria Beckham wearing high heels is a surprise. Or that Lindsay Lohan being an utter and total hot mess is a surprise. So I guess “surprise” isn’t so much the word. “Thing that is totally obvious and that everyone could have guessed, had they tried” is probably a tad more accurate. And, of course, we strive to be accurate.

Anyway, if you’ve seen Rachel Zoe‘s show at all (and believe me, I’ve seen absolutely every last episode, most of them more than once), then you’ve probably seen her buy and/or carry multiple Hermes Birkins, but this olive green number is a new one on my radar. Hopefully with the fee she’ll collect from the next season of her show, she’ll buy even more awesome accessories over which we can fawn.

Bag Rachel Zoe’s Hermes Style via Hermes.com! View the Gallery →

Anybody catch the Rachel Zoe Project last night? Clearly, I am addicted to I was absolutely dying as Rachel walked into Coco Chanel‘s Parisian palace. I could not believe the class, sophistication and history that was found in every single nook and cranny of her place. Now, I hate to say it, but after watching that segment, I cringed when I saw Miley Cyrus carrying Chanel.

I understand that young, teeny bopping celebs like Miley have the means to afford Chanel, but at least attempt to look classy carrying it. But instead, she looks completely disheveled carrying her classic Coco Chanel bag. I can’t stand it. The bag itself is gorgeous. Classic and elegant yet a bit understated (minus the large double C’s of course) completely works. I don’t mind if young celebs carry Chanel, but at least make an effort to carry it the way it deserves to be carried!

Bag Miley’s Chanel Style via Chanel! View the Gallery →

Rachel Zoe is determined to not let us get a good look at her gorgeous black python Chloe Paraty. I don’t know why she’s being so secretive about it, since she has her own reality show and all, and that usually indicates a complete disregard for one’s own privacy. But for whatever reason, we haven’t seen it in its full glory.

First it was hidden against a black dress and now it’s obscured by evening shadows (both times, curiously, in a parking lot). But you asked to see more of her, so we found you more! And we will continue to do so in the future, hopefully with better camera angles.

Bag Rachel’s Chloe Style via Net-a-Porter! View the Gallery →

Bravo’s The Rachel Zoe Project is among my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. I watched the majority of the show’s first season and tried to convince myself to not watch the second, but I slipped and caught the first episode in a rerun last week, and now all of my intentions have gone to crap. I love it. I love the clothes porn and her bratty assistants and that one guy’s bow ties. The entire thing is so surreal and fabulous that I cannot look away.

I don’t always love everything that Rachel Zoe herself wears; a lot of it seems kind of ill-fitting for her notoriously tiny frame. But she quite regularly make fantastic bag choices, including the ultra-luxe black python Chloe Paraty that she’s carrying here. Between that and the perfect vintage Porsche that she gets into in the last picture, I may melt into a puddle of green goo from all the jealously that’s coursing through my body right now.

Bag Rachel’s Chloe Style via Net-a-Porter! View the Gallery →

I am always a bit interested to see how people become fashion icons and/or stylists. It’s like “who deemed you worthy to dress other people?” You know what I mean? I am sure that some people have flawless fashion sense, but isn’t everything left up to the eye of the beholder? Who knows. Well, Rachel Zoe is a stylist that is beyond heavily sought after. I don’t know what people talk about more when her name comes up, fashion or her lack of eating. What do you think? Here Rachel was spotted carrying a classic, iconic Hermes Birkin. To be honest, it is the only thing I like about her look, but hey, that’s just me.

Bag Rachel’s Birkin Style via Purse Forum. View the Gallery →