I have always had some form of a tassel adorning my handbags. I felt it added a second layer, another texture, and sometimes an additional color to the bags. They started simple.....originally it was a small bead which then evolved into very thin leather fringe. These tassels were all made by my mom, Sandra Blauch. There was a very short blip in time when I had a manufacturer in New York City make about 50 tassels, but other than that one collection, my mother has had her hands (and creative mind) involved in each and every one. Her kitchen was often covered in the leather dust that results from your scissors cutting 5mm tiny strips from a 20 sq/ft hide. Hot glue sticking her fingers together. One of the greatest assets of my mom is her ability to understand what assistance is needed in any given situation, and gracefully assert herself to fill in and do what is necessary to complete the task. All while making it look amazing and effortless. Hence the tassel making. She has elevated the latest C.Blau tassels into a new hemisphere. In the sense of a true artist, she took inspiration from what is around her. The beach. She sent me this photo from an early morning walk after she realized she had used up her previous inventory.........what better store than this.
The new tassels range in length, color and materials, but all carry a common organic earthiness. She has hand-strung, hand-knotted and strategically placed each and every element. Many times restringing when she felt the balance was off. There are no two alike. Each C.Blau handbag comes adorned with a tassel. I encourage everyone to mix and match their bag with their tassel. For online shoppers, I will be happy to send photos of different tassels so you can choose the one that fits your style.
I have added one of the long tassels to a favorite vintage Coach tote bag of mine. The length of the tote really compliments the long tassel. The removable clasp makes it easy to move it from one bag to the other (or keychain)
A sampling of a handful of the current tassels. The textures and colors are striking.
Below is my favorite picture of one of the tassels, it includes the artist herself......wearing it as a necklace. I plan on copying this look, and who knows, maybe I'll add two! I will have the C.Blau Winter 2018 handbag collection for sale on the website in the coming few weeks. Please email me with any questions or comments at christina@cblau.com
Fall in Southwest Florida is a bit different than fall in other parts of the country. We still have mid 90 degree days and monsoon type thunderstorms daily. It's hard to imagine pumpkin picking and spiced cider anytime soon in our future. While it seems like a preposterous idea to us in the South, everyone else will start feeling cooler days soon and start reworking their closets to make room for sweaters and boots. Make sure your arsenal of Fall accessories has at least ONE burgundy handbag. Whether it's a deeper maroon, a light cranberry or rich wine hued bag, it needs to make its way into your collection. I'm in love with the shade of my new Corby fringe in burgundy, a hue I'm calling rosewood. It's the perfect balance between red and brown with a hint of pink. You will be surprised with how easy it is to incorporate this color with almost everything.......and besides, every woman needs a bit of fringe in her life.
So cheers to Fall and all its bounty! As my gift to you, I'm offering a special 25% discount off EVERYTHING on the website, including the new sale bags. This offer will last through September 13th. Enter shopfall in the discount section at checkout.
Introducing the Emma bag, a versatile crossbody bag that can easily convert to a clutch. Even a girl like myself who has always had a love affair with clutches, realizes the necessity of a hands-free crossbody. Carting a toddler around isn't always conducive to a clutch. I needed something that could hold all my supplies (wallet, lipstick, keys, dump truck toy, garbage truck toy, race car toy......can you tell I have a boy?) all while allowing me access to use both my hands. Enter Emma...I designed her to appeal to both my fashion sense and my reality. I added two interior pockets to keep things organized and of course, a chunky removable tassel. Debuting in two colors, bright tangerine and black, she will quickly become your go-to-bag.
I was excited to speak with Jennifer Adams of The New Naples recently and share a little insight into the company and a bit about myself. The New Naples is a modern guide to what's happening around Naples and I'm thrilled that she's helping to promote my upcoming trunk show at the Naples Ritz Carlton this weekend. You can read the full article "People: Christina Bower, C.Blau" on their website.
Amy Lee from Vagabond Youth styled one of my color-blocked Harlow bags. See how she takes her bag from day to night. See more fashion and beauty inspiration on her YouTube channel and on the StyleHaul Instagram
A little while back I had the privilege of showing the Spring/Summer collection in NYC at Coast trade shows. It was a great opportunity to share the brand with a broader audience! During the trade show I was interviewed by Desiree Rabuse, founder and editor of StyleFox, a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog. It was exciting to share a little bit about the company and hopefully pass along my excitement about the handbags!
Last week a few C.Blau bags traveled to LA to attend a fashion convention. If only I was so lucky! They traveled on the arm of Sage Ladnier, an amazing woman I met at Coast NYC who heads Ladnier Group, a marketing firm out of Philadelphia. She was going to Simply Stylist LA and generous enough to give the Spring 14 line the exposure it deserves. Simply Stylist LA is an blogger/stylist event that features up and coming designers in the fashion and beauty world. It supports and inspires the next generation of startup businesses, stylist and bloggers. You can read more about the event and see other photos here.
So, for those of us who stayed home last week....here are a few pics she took.
The bag above is a black and white Mangrove snakeskin and citron leather with oyster pebbled leather on the back. This one got the most "oohs and ahhs". You can see more details here and pre-order yours before it's gone.
Don't you think the thistle fringe bag looks amazing with her floral blazer?
The Spring 14 line is now available for pre-sale at the online store. Do you have any pictures of your C.Blau bag that you would like to share? Send them my way! Email me at christina@cblau and I'll post them for everyone to see. After all, there is a stylist in all of us!
This month is full of change and firsts for C.Blau. I'll be premiering the new line of handbags at our first trade show in New York City at COAST. I'm excited for the exposure and the opportunity to expand more into retail.
The original foldover clutch is also getting a face lift! The new collection features a larger, more generous sized pouch. Now that I have a baby, I tend to need more luggage room to fit his many burp cloths, squeaky toys and diapers. I've found that a C.Blau clutch works perfectly to house your many necessary items and still drops neatly into a diaper bag. Which, by the way, doesn't need to be an ugly printed nylon zippered bag from Babies R' Us. I've found a large leather tote with pockets works just as well. It's hard enough to get your hair brushed as a new mom, let alone lose all your fashion dignity. A C.Blau leather tote is in the developmental stages and will hopefully premier next season.
The new crop of clutches features exceptional quality leather. I sourced a new leather company out of the UK that I found to have the best Italian skins with the richest colors. The collection also features python and mangrove snakeskins and a beautiful velvet fabric sourced from France. Most importantly, every C.Blau bag is hand cut and hand sewn in the USA. As always, the handbags are limited edition and will be featured on the website by next month.
I hope the month of February brings you some newness and adventure as well!
Happy Holidays from C.Blau! Whether you're staying warm by a toasty fire, or enjoying the cooling breeze under a palm tree like me......spend the holidays appreciating all the things you hold near and dear...your health, family and the little things that make you happy.
A "little thing" that I hold near and dear is setting a pretty table. Now that I have a "little one", I don't have time to set a pretty table....I'm lucky to get our dinner on a paper plate. Still, what better way to present the latest C.Blau handbag than on a holiday-inspired table setting.
This cherry-red, Italian calfskin leather foldover clutch is a stunning gift for the holidays but will live on throughout the season! It's the gift that will keep on giving long after the cashmere sweaters have been folded and placed in the closet. Shop this and additional NEW colorways at cblau.com
I hope everyone gets all they've wished for......and then some.
