Gucci Hysteria Bag

I fell head over heels in love with the ultimately expensive Gucci Crocodile Hysteria Bag. The price is not practical for me at all, but the color, the feel, the shape, was beautiful. I kept staring at it and studying it and I truly think the SA thought he made a huge sale that day. Unfortunately I was just an oogler, not a real buyer. And last week I went to Gucci Bal Harbor and fell in love again, but this time that bag is more affordable, relatively speaking. The Gucci Hysteria Bag is designed with yellow/white patchwork on the front of the bag with black leather on the back. The leather is ultimately sumptuous. I mean super soft, the kind that just melts as you touch it. I kept grabbing the bag thinking it was from Bottega Veneta, not Gucci. This bag has me back on Gucci’s side, in love with a bag that is absolutely fierce. The body is very slouchy, actually allowing the bag to fold over if you carry it with the messenger strap. The Hysteria bags feature Gucci Crest detail. There was still one more of these available at Gucci Bal Harbor but you can also find it online via Bergdorf Goodman for $3150 or plain patent via Saks for $1790.

Gucci Crocodile Hysteria Bag

The craze over the Gucci USA Flagship opening was unprecedented. Many people wanted to see the store, but most wanted to grab one of the coveted Gucci Loves New York bags. This limited edition line of bags are completely sold out, but the excitement surrounding the store still exists. Today we wound down with a trip to Gucci, as it is about half a block away from our hotel. The store is HUGE. Floor one carried many bags, but floor two and three did not disappoint either. The thing is, lately I have not had much love for Gucci. The brand is one of the most recognized luxury houses in the world, and while their ready-to-wear has been amazing, the handbags have been lacking that special touch that I need. The Hysteria line brings a fresh touch to Gucci, giving it the extra nudge that it needed to get me back on board. The Gucci Hysteria line drops the expected Gucci GG logo and brings in the family crest. The emblem adds the perfect touch that is not expected but much appreciated. And with New York being the new US Gucci flagship, the handbag selection is to die for. I have never seen so many exotic Gucci handbags. Everywhere we turned there were ostrich bags, python jackets, and crocodile skins. My absolute favorite was the $300,000 Gucci Crocodile Trunk. The trunk is a taupe crocodile and a stunning collectors piece (not to mention it is the only one of its kind). Going along with the crocodile craze, Gucci took one of its best bags of the season and dressed it up in yellow crocodile, creating the Gucci Crocodile Hysteria Bag. This is unlike any other Gucci bag I have seen in the longest time. The crocodile is buttery soft as it is taken from the belly of the crocodile. The inside is lined with goatskin that is even more supple. In fact, if they could make me a big pillow out of this exact material that would be heaven. This bag had the perfect slouch, the perfect chic feel, and the color was stunning. Only problem (for me at least) is the $37,500 price tag. I love this bag, love it so very much, but the price tag is way out of my range. Instead I could settle with the goatskin version ($1950). Saks also offers a python version for $3990 and a patent version for $1790 via Saks.

Gucci 8-8-2008 Special Edition

For this year, Gucci announced a special limited 8-8-2008 collection of just 8 fashion accessories that will be available exclusively through Gucci Hong Kong and China stores. The special edition pays homage to competitive sports and is supposed to epitomize sporty luxury, according to Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. Cornerstone of the campaign is the new I-Gucci watch, which is unique to the 8-8-08 campaign in both coloring and sporty appearance. It also happens to be the first digital time piece Gucci has ever released - its digital face is capable of displaying both numerical and clock-hand formats. Other specs include a 44 millimeter steel frame casing, a red monochrome rubber strap (embossed with Gucci’s iconic GG pattern on its inside) and selection of multiple time zones.

The 8-8-2008 collection also features an unlikely accessory in form of a bicycle. The bike is built for leisure and sports bold red double GG leather details such as the seat and the handle bar grips. On a personal note: Being somewhat of a bike fetishist myself, I feel like the Holland-style bike defies the whole concept of the campaign. If the collection is conveying a sporty spirit, why not collaborate with a real competitive race bike maker such as Specialized and give Gucci lovers a real sport toy for their money’s worth? I suppose my perception of “sports” are quite a bit different than the creative department at Gucci envisions. Judging their frail Chinese campaign model, his stature and lack of sporty appearance, entirely justifies my criticism of the nature of the campaign. In my humble opinion, this collection’s ties to competitive sports should have been dropped for the sake of real athletes around the globe.
Moving on from an athlete’s rant, the limited collection also features two pieces of luggage in the bold red “La Pelle Guccissima”. The first is a study leather duffel bag and the other a soft-leather messenger bag with Gucci’s Green-Red-Green web on its shoulder strap.
You can view the full limited edition here, while this page offers an exclusive video, giving insights into the shooting and creation of the campaign pictures. As mentioned, most items will only be available through Gucci boutiques in HK and China, the I-Gucci watch will be available globally.