How rare is it that you find out that someone you know has been quietly working on a side project, all the while that I’ve been quietly working on this blog, and then suddenly find each other out one quiet morning? Truth be told, handbag designer Alexandra Satine and myself used to work in the same office for quite a few years without knowing what the other was doing. So it was a happy re-union when I was invited to check out her Fall 2011 collection of handbags a couple weeks ago. 
Alexandra walked me through the collection and told me how she got started and how her handbags are uniquely convertible and can change from day-to-night in the blink of an eye. A satchel becomes a belt bag and a tote becomes a clutch. This was important in her development process personally because after leaving the office she hated taking a big bag with her to after work plans. She didn’t want to always be carrying multiple bags either so she thought, “How cool would it be to have one purse – and that’s it…My customer is someone who needs an accessory that can be adjusted at the last minute for a cocktail event, or a busy woman who has no time to purchase five bags, and instead, buys one bag that gives her five options”
For Fall she was loving Dark Green and Grey so that became the basis of her color palette. She uses an incredibly soft Italian Leathers and New Zealand Lamb leathers to craft her bags. Although there is a slight metallic quality to some of the skins, it’s very subtle and not at all in your face – making it totally appropriate to use during the day.
The original purse she started with was the Love My Bag (5-in-1) which comes with a separate chain strap that you can use to transform your bag into a variety of options and the front pocket comes off to create a mini bag or even a clutch.
Her newest convertible bag is the 7th Ave (2-in-1) which the front pocket pulls out easily to become a clutch. Alexandra says that, “This is perfect for Holiday because people go to more evening events”. I have to agree that the transformation of this bag in particularly really impressed me because it was almost seamlessly fluid.
The Brickel Satchel (3-in-1) comes with large outer pockets that can easily be transformed into a belt bag with the option to use both pockets or just one. You can also use the belt as a longer strap for the tote itself.
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While the Lexington Ave is not convertible I love the use of 2 textures of leather to create a sporty luxe bag that could probably fit an iPad.
The designer’s personal pick for Fall is the Rio Limon which she assures me was designed with a gusset on the side to allow them to expand and hold more stuff than you might imagine for their size.
The Michigan Ave is another gusseted clutch with bead detail to take you into the Holiday season. Although it’s not a convertible bag, it still comes with a couple of strap options to change up the way you carry it.
Alexandra Satine handbags are also very light - although there are some hardware and embellishment details, they still are light enough to carry around all day without weighing you down. Lightweight bags are always a selling point for myself personally! Women have enough to carry without having to carry an extra 5 pounds worth of hardware on some designer purses. The handbag collection is reasonably priced at $255-288 for a clutch, $380 for the Lexington Ave up to $495 for the Love My Bag and Metallic Brickel styles. Considering that you can get multiple looks for the price of 1, if you are on a budget and can splurge on only 1 bag, you have some great options. Alexandra Satine is available at Zoe Boutique in Alexandra, VA or at Fablogue online.
