[Fall 2009, Holiday 2009]
Joy Gryson is quickly becoming a household name for chic, go-to handbags. Once a headmaster designer for Marc Jacobs, it’s no wonder that people are crazy for her hand-made, Italian leather bags. The only problem with the high-end Gryson handbags are their matching high-end price tags starting at $1000. However, at the Saks Fifth Avenue Accessories Breakfast last week, we discovered Gryson’s diffusion line called Olivia Harris. The line is named after Gryson’s daughter and carries the same quality, and most of the same silhouettes as the signature Gryson line but for hundreds of dollars less. The price point, even at Saks, is unbelievable: all bags retail for under $500!
While at the Saks event we were able to peruse through the recession-friendly line for Fall and Holiday but and also get a sneak peak at Spring/Summer 2010 . For Fall 2009, the Olivia Harris collection is colored in mostly black and dark blue but in a variety of styles including satchels, hobos, totes and clutches. Each bag though is a member to its own design group, like the Spider Group that features leather strap overlay detailing reminiscent of an arachnid or the Suede Group (I think you can figure that one out!). The Holiday collection features the same groups as the Fall line with the Zip Pocket and Tote Groups but it sets itself apart through the color palette, with warm browns and bright reds inspiring thoughts of hot chocolate and Christmas trees. And in the upcoming Spring/Summer collection there can be found groups such as the Studded Group and the Croc Knot Group, which come in the season’s colors of coral, blue, plum, papaya and black. The Spring/Summer line again has many of the same styles of handbags from the Fall and Holiday collections, but each with a different or updated stylistic change like pop-out handles and in much more vibrant colors. Enjoy!
[Holiday 2009, Spring 2010]
-Jaimie Sanita
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