In my mind, calling a bag a “wristlet” is a precarious thing to do for a manufacturer or retailer. The word “wristlet” brings about a very specific type of simple, relatively inexpensive small accessory; personally, I use a wristlet to hold the small pharmacy that I carry around inside of my real bag. I wouldn’t ever pay a thousand dollars for something like that. While the Burberry Leather Wristlet is, in fact, a wristlet like its name would suggest, it’s also one of the nicer wristlets I’ve ever seen in my life, and a full-fledged leather clutch with multiple structured compartments. Don’t let the w-word fool you, this bag is a lot more than just an accessory to your accessories.

  Even the strap on this bag is pretty swanky. All the wristlets I own use a flat, thin piece of leather to secure the pouch to your wrist, but Burberry instead chose to go with a full-on rolled leather handle. That little touch goes a long way to explaining how unexpectedly luxurious the rest of the bag is, from the dual interior compartments with a cell phone slot to the tonal woven leather exterior.

 The tan strap and blue body of the bag go nicely together, and the darker aqua trim is a great finishing detail. If you were ever going to consider spending four figures on a wristlet, this one’s a good place to start. It’s actually a full-fledged clutch in disguise, and you can always remove the handle if you’d like the general public to see it that way.

I completely agree – but for majority of bags we cover in the designer category, this is a steal (oddly enough)!

  Do you hear the crickets? Our Burberry category has been quiet for quite some time simply because many of the designs I’ve seen don’t wow me. Sure, Burberry is known for its nova check pattern, but after you grow tired of checkered bags, there isn’t much to lure you in. And then there’s another problem: some designs that we see from Burberry are just… weird. All of this makes me sad because Burberry is a brand I adore, especially their Prorsum line of apparel (the jackets are KILLER).

With that in mind, it brings me great joy to show you the Burberry East-West Buffalo Tote, which not only offers an elegant style but is also priced very reasonably. The little sliver of my hear that wants so badly for Burberry to succeed at handbags is jumping for joy right now.

  With a slightly slouchy silhouette, this bag’s classic design shines through with deep plum buffalo leather and golden hardware. I love how unexpected and demure the color choice is, especially on a leather this thick and durable.

   You know me well by now, I am a sucker for shoulder straps and this bag has one with curb chain ends along with double top handles. The top of the bag has a zipper with a logo clasp and overall dimensions are 9.5″ x 15″ x 7″. And here is the second best part behind the appearance, the price: a mere $1,195 via Neiman Marcus, which in the handbag world, is a steal.

The bag is pretty enough, but it is not terribly remarkable. Although Burberry may have found its way back from “dreckitude”, it is still long way from recapturing its identity. What does Burberry stand for these days?

 I think the light grey gives it a little bit of mystique. The leather in this photo looks “squishy soft”, which I love. I’d have to see it in person. The only Burberry I have is a smaller gold leather bag with a stiff handle that you could hand hold or sling over the shoulder. If you didn’t see “Burberry” on the hardware you wouldn’t know the brand. I’m SO tired of the Burberry plaid bags. Like any brand, Burberry has created bags that I’ve both wildly loved and totally hated over the past few seasons. There have been moments of both happiness and confusion at the brand’s accessories, but based on the success of the bags in the Fall 2011 runway show and the beautiful Burberry Buffalo Tote from Pre-Fall 2011, I’m feeling nothing but optimism about Burberry handbags. Plus, I’ve seen a few shots of the brand’s Resort 2012 bags, so I have it on good authority that the dog days are over.