Marchesa Has Red Carpet Style in the Bag

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Marchesa debuted a new line of handbags along with the gowns it presented for its spring collection last week. There are no big surprises here; the hyper-feminine purses are pretty much exactly what you would expect from the phrase "Marchesa handbag" but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Women at awards shows need to carry things, too.

If you're already wearing one of Marchesa's signature red-carpet gowns, you're probably not looking to pair it with something ugly-pretty or avant garde. Marchesa's new bags are completely on-message with its gowns: The line so far is entirely composed of evening clutches with photograph-friendly embellishments like sculpted satin roses, pleats, beading, and jeweled closures. If you did happen to magically materialize at the Oscars in February, you could do a lot worse.—Elizabeth Licata
· Marchesa Spring 2010 Handbag Debut [Bag Snob]