The above is a vintage YSL bag, called the Nadja Rose bag, which debuted in spring 2003. It was - for a while - a major design obsession of mine. I thought the buttery leather was so beautiful, as was the concept. Fast forward to 2008.
Above, Valentino's Fango Nappa Blossom Petale. available at Saks for $2,395. Valentino's bag is beautiful, no doubt. But I MUCH prefer the YSL variety. The beautiful, fluffy YSL rose looks squashed in the Valentino design, and the annoying hand stap with a 4" drop makes the Valentino bag much less convenient to carry than the YSL one, which comes with a shoulder strap that includes some pretty hardware. Also, I prefer the soft caramel brown of the YSL bag to the sheeny clay of the Valentino. All in all, this lesson shows us that if you can't beat the original, don't copy it!
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