image: Velvetine ‘Steven’ handbag

Reading Dana Thomas’ Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Lustre, has opened my eyes to the state of luxury in our day and age. It’s practically on death row. I won’t regurgitate Thomas’ extensive coverage on everything from Louis Vuitton to Coach but I will recommend that every fashion-whore read it before slavishly purchasing the latest ‘It’ bag with next month’s salary. The book shores up the stalwart adage that fashion has absolutely nothing to do with style.

Last year I was introduced to the French handbag company, Velvetine, designed by Anne Cecile Couetil. The leather is sourced from a family-owned factory in Italy; the bags are then produced in Paris and Portugal. I first saw her bags at Zane Aburaneh’s store on Queen West, A2Zane – one of two retailers to sell Velvetine in all of Canada. This year, I think it’s time I invested in one of her gorgeous pieces.

The Steven bag is my favourite. It’s like a PS1 without the drama – and that my friends, is a very good thing.