Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan: The latest craze in Asia, especially in Japan, are these Gherardini bags made from an umbrella like material called moonsilk. It is smoother and lighter than nylon (if that’s possible) because it is ultra thin. Gherardini is an Italian line from Florence – the durable, light and functional material is the appeal for the fashion conscious yet pragmatic types. People don’t suffer so much for fashion in this part of the world. There is an all over monogram of sorts, it is the “G” with an elongated stem that makes it look like button mushrooms. People love monograms in Asia, thus the status symbol bags here are LV and Gucci. There are tons of designs, this tote is my favorite but they all have the monogram which is too pervasive to ignore. It also comes in various color options, some strange like a powdery plum pink, others like the light gold is ok but this silver is the best. The silver has metallic gray leather trim that is really beautiful, I just wish there was more of it. The entire bag is incredibly constructed, not a pucker in the seams even though this material is slick and difficult to work with. I could not find an international online boutique that carries this line, they are sold through large department stores and Japan has stand alone boutiques. This tote is around $550.