designer q+a | Kelly Locke handbags

words_dena rochelle

I am a sucker for a beautiful handbag—definitely my number one fashion addiction. Kelly Locke is among the latest designers to catch my eye and make me wish for more space in my closet. I’m obsessed with the Bleeker Messenger and Mini Bardot clutch  [above]. His wife and business partner is one lucky gal. Here’s what Kelly has to say about their incredibly glamorous line:

Dena ~ What is your best-selling clutch style?

Kelly ~ “Our current best-seller has been the Mini Bardot clutch. This studded clutch is our smallest style, designed to hold just the evening’s essentials: keys, money, Blackberry or iPhone, and lipstick. It fits in the palm of your hand and comes in a large variety of colors and skins… from anaconda to fish. I love that it’s dressy enough for the red carpet but looks equally great with jeans. Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere + Hailee Steinfeld have all been spotted carrying it to recent red carpet events.”

Dena~  Is there a style that you like to carry?

Kelly ~ “I carry the Thurston Tote [below] in natural hair calf with me virtually every day to the studio, the factory, meetings, and even when I’m traveling abroad. I have literally been carrying this bag around for 2 years now. When I need to carry more of a “hands-free” style I carry the Bleeker Messenger in a traditional distressed black Lambskin. It matches my motorcycle jacket, which I’m still quite attached to. My business partner (and wife) Sharyn has been carrying the Carolyn Hobo [above] in black glazed anaconda for the past few months. She loves that it’s lined in velvety-soft red suede and it’s big enough to hold all the stuff she insists on toting around. At night she usually switches to the Mini Bardot clutch. She is obsessed with the black matte fish skin version with hand-painted gold edges, which I have coming out in the Fall 2011 collection.”

Dena ~ What’s in your bag?

Kelly ~ “My life and my work are carried with me daily….at least one Marie-Papier folio containing my developed design sketches and production notes, Blackberry, Margiela zip-up wallet, lip sunscreen, tape measure, pencils and various sized markers, Paul Smith sunglasses, and my trusty orange Hermes agenda which has my traditional datebook and notepad for design ideas, sourcing notes, chance encounters, etc. My iPad (inside a Kelly Locke iPad Slipcase in black flat matte crocodile, of course) is usually part of the ensemble.”

Dena ~ Tell me about some of your favorite new colors/skins that you used for Spring 2011.

Kelly ~ “I’m in love with the flat matte Caiman crocodile, which is actually garment-quality and buttery-soft. You can almost feel it melting in your hand—and as you wear it gets even softer! The other skin I am in love with is the natural hair calf, which are hand-selected from a small supplier in Brazil. What makes these skins so unique is the shortness of the nap and the silky fine hairs. I’ve also developed a garment-finish lizard that adds a new dimension to the unique patterns. Currently we are most excited about our new fish skins, which are coming in Fall 2011. I can’t tell you more just yet, but it’s really special and beautiful.”

visit KellyLocke.com for more info and shop online at Vivre.com

This entry was posted on Monday, February 14th, 2011 at 8:57 pm. It is filed under designer interviews, fashion, handbag haven and tagged with kelly locke bags, kelly locke designer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.