Sample Sale Report: Botkier November 2012

Last night I stopped by the Botkier Friends and Family sample sale to moderate crowds and plenty of bags as low as $50. I have been a longtime fan of Botkier handbags thanks to their lightweight nature and great design. I've witnessed the transformation from slouchy downtown cool to a simpler and more refined elegance and I'm still a fan.

Anyways as for the sale, it was held at Botkier headquarters in the showroom itself so it is a much smaller space than previous sample sales. The sale is set up into 2 rooms with many shelves of merchandise in addition to tables. The first room contained mostly stock while the back room held the one-offs and samples. Here I spotted mini pouchettes in metallic and camo print for just $50!

Sample Sale Report: Botkier, May 2012

The Botkier Sample Sale is amongst the small handful of sales I make sure that I never miss. If you get there early there is no telling what sort of delicious gems you can unearth on a sample table or what purse from stock is going to suddenly steal your heart and open up your wallet. Since I’m currently on the job hunt I am fighting myself against running over tomorrow morning to snatch up a few beauties.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at 260 Sample Sale I got to have a peek inside the sale tonight before the crowds are sure to attack the perfectly laden tables.
 
As per usual there is a photo pricing guide posted on walls that take you from $125 for smaller pieces like the Evans Clutch to the Turner iPad Case to Charlotte Crossbody. $150 will take you into the slightly larger Nicola and Stella clutches and the Leela Satchel.

Studio Time with Monica Botkier

I recently had the chance to pay one of my favorite handbag designers, Monica Botkier, a visit in her Soho design studio/showroom.  We sat and talked about life, her family (she is the mother of 3!), how she fell into accessory design while working as a photographer and she even doled out some life advice for me in the manner of a wiser older sister as she showed me her upcoming Spring collection.  While I can't share images yet I can tell you about a design shift away from the downtown slouchy bags which the designer built her name on to more structured, luxe new classics.  The result is definitely very lady-like but with always an element of fun - like a pop of electric color or unique materials like rubberized leather.

While Botkier has always embraced unique Italian leathers, one of the big changes is that going forward all of the hardware is customized.  In fact I just learned that all of the gold tone hardware that will be used going forward is actually gold plated!  This results in a rich tone and very even smooth finish.  Even the nameplate and zipper pull are also undergoing a minor transformation from an oval to a more square shape!  Despite the changes the Botkier core commitment to lightweight, functional, quality handbags remains the same.