Snob Essentials

Gerard Darel HB Tote in Elephant

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Gerard Darel finally has another online retailer, one that we know and trust, Luxcouture. They are still getting more in because they can’t seem to keep them in stock! This new tote is one I have not seen before – I am in love and must have it (actually already ordered it), especially in this Elephant gray! It’s the color of my favorite nail polish, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques =) The bigger size allows for more versatility so you can use it for travel, work, school, diapers, etc. But it has the same great styling that GD is known for. I know this will sell out quickly and at $725, it is a no brainer if you are looking for this season’s one purchase that will take you all the way to Fall, of next year! Gerard Darel at Luxcouture.

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16 comments

  1. It is strange how things are perceived by other people. Here in France, Gerard Darel is considered cheap, “sentier” as we say (sentier is the quarter where all the cheap fashion is made), it is bad quality andthe design is always a bad copy of real luxury stuf. I am very surprised that you consider it at the same level as Dior, Hermès, Prada or Balenciaga !

  2. Hold on Lola, my neighbor Virginie has just purchased a very similar Darel in purple. This model is no worse in quality than bags sold for HALF its price. I don’t know anybody that considers Darel cheap (if you mean price). I don’t think Darel bags are made in the Sentier, but I see what you mean by seeing them on everybody because they are so mass produced. Here in St. Germain where we have 7 high schools I get the impression that moms have passed down their Darel bags to their daughters. They are also copied widely by a lot of the chains of the Promod type. This bag is about the same quality as the Balenciaga motorcycle bags, which are quite a lot more expensive and use the same type of washed leather, fabric interior and then glaze it up a bit. By the way, I don’t think any editor on this website confuses the quality of HERMES with Dior or Prada and least of all Gerard Darel.

    Monica, St. Germain-en-Laye

  3. Hi ! When i say “cheap” about Darel I don’t mean the price and I don’t say that they are made in the Sentier (actually they are made in Romania) but the Darel fashion mentality (and family) is from the Sentier (they also have their office there), I have been working by Darel since two years ago. It’s a mass production as Monica say and is not intended to be a luxury good. By the way it’s a fantastic succeful story for Mme Darel and her husband. Do you remember who bought the Jacky Kennedy pearls necklace ? Mme. Darel ! You cannot compare Darel with Prada or Dior quality and invention !

  4. I agree, i do not remember Darel well, but for me as a very young girl in Paris it was Zara for older woman, a little bit more expansive, for 40 years old plus. BCBG, bon chic bon genre.i remember the necklace! my mother bought the Jackie Kennedy necklace copy by Darel. When you travel a lot you see that often, brand marketing, a cheap brand become expansive in another country, like Menard beauty products in China and Menard in Europe, the price difference is waouh!!.

  5. I went over to Darel yesterday to see this bag. It is quite nice and very light, which is not always the case with their bigger bags. It is casual and neutral in this color but the lilac is very pretty.

  6. i have to say i agree with lola 100%. Im so sick of seeing gerard darel bags everywhere i go in paris. Its true theyre considered cheap here i live in st germain (the neighborhood in paris) and most girls in my school use GD bags to carry their books and sometimes as a throw around bag. It is very sentier-style and mostly worn by teenage girls from the 16th arrondissement (no offense intended of course)

  7. I wish it were more affordable and easier to find for people in the US. I’d love to get a midday midnight 24 hr hobo, but it’s next to impossible to find one reasonably, let alone in the color I want.

  8. Every other girl in France carries a Darel bag. The brand has lost its chic. Darel’s bags are nice but really not exceptionnal, and the quality has nothing extraordinary. Brands such as Vanessa Bruno or Zadig & Voltaire, fare much better and will turn you into a real Parisian snob.

    It’s worth adding that in France, it’s totally vulgar to carry a Vuitton or Dior bag if you’re less than 60 year old, except if your boyfriend is a drug dealer. Everthing is about displaying a beautiful bag without showing off. Which is difficult with a huge “D” or 3LV” all over your bag.

  9. I am looking for this bag in navy- Gerard Darel HB tote.

    I saw it in a Gerard Darel boutique in Paris in February.

    I would like to know if this bag is available and where i can purchase it.