Mod Messenger

Check out our Bleeker Messenger cross-body bag in this month's issue of Nuovo. It's an extremely intricate design, with over 40 pattern cuts! Shown in Antique Burnished Lambskin with pyramid stud details, petrified wood zipper pulls, and an interior iPad slip pocket. Bleeker Messenger, $675.

We Heart Marie

Merci beaucoup Marie Claire, for featuring our Francke natural spotted haircalf clutch in your Holiday Gift Guide! $575, available at Henri Bendel.

Stripe It Up

We are thrilled to announce that the kelly locke collection is now available at the mothership of groovy shopping: Henri Bendel in New York! The collection will arrive on the floor during New York Fashion Week as part of a themed installation. Thanks HB! You made our day.

Trunk Show and Tell

We're almost finished with our whirlwind week in New York. Today marks the final day of our Trunk Show at Yuta Powell Salon. We had an amazing time speaking with customers about their favorite styles, colors, skins, and stones. Thanks to Yuta and her amazing staff for a fabulous turnout and to everyone who came by to say hello. Until the next show!

Pencil It In

We are thrilled to announce our first-ever Trunk Show at Yuta Powell Salon in New York on September 16-17, 2009. Our East Coast friends have been hounding us since our launch to come show off our wares. Yuta's salon is the perfect launching pad for our collection in NYC, as we share the same appreciation for detail, workmanship, and understated style. YPS is a stunning jewel of a boutique (right next door to Christian Louboutin), which offers truly personalized service to the city's most stylish and discriminating clientele with bespoke European designer lines such as Kiton and Azzaro. The entire kelly locke collection will be available, including our Limited Editions. Do stop by! kelly locke Trunk Show at Yuta Powell Salon, 967 Madison Avenue (near E. 75th), New York, NY 10021, 212.570.6889. 10am to 6pm.

Weekend in Capri

New for Fall is the Capri Bag, shown here in soft metallic lambskin with glazed Anaconda top handles and trim. The centerpiece of the bag is the natural Agate stone ring, which riffs on the Agate feet of the other bags in the collection. This is the perfect carry-all for everything from a laptop to an über-chic gym bag to a weekender. Capri Bag, from $695, kellylocke.com

Day Tripping

The Sharyn Bag was designed from the bottom up, literally. It all started with a chance encounter with Luis, a guy I met at Casas Brancas in Buzios who has his very own stone mine. I had been carrying around one of my sketches of a silver rope-edge rivet, and wanted to find a natural stone for the setting. When Luis showed me his agate stones which were polished to a brilliant sheen and cut to the size of a pea, I saw my sketch come to life. These became the "feet" of the Sharyn Bag and the rest is history. The Sharyn Bag comes in chocolate or black Caiman Crocodile, and matte or glazed Anaconda. Aside from being hand-crafted locally and having those amazing agate feet, it also has a natural petrified wood zipper pull, and a multitude of pockets so you never have to dig around for your cell phone again. Sharyn Bag, from $1,200, kellylocke.com

Clutch It

The Francke Clutch is perfect when you just want to grab your cell phone, keys, and your credit card. Who wants to lug around a giant bag that is virtually empty? When I was in Rio searching for materials, I noticed that none of the women in Ipanema carry the giant bags you see on the streets in L.A. What are they carrying? Chic little clutches, whether they are off to an aprés-beach power lunch at Gero or sipping Caipirhinas at Zaza Bistro. The Francke is entirely made by hand and is available in Caiman Crocodile, Glazed Anaconda, Lizard, or Baby Hair Calf. The silk stitching was inspired by the details used on Brazilian and Argentine artisanal crafts. My favorite du jour is the Glazed Anaconda in Silver - I love the sheen of the skin, and it goes with virtually any outfit or color. Francke Clutch, from $600, kellylocke.com

kelly locke Handbag Launch

kelly locke handbags and accessories have arrived! This understated collection of totes, day bags and clutches is entirely made by hand in L.A. using stunning exotics such as anaconda, caiman crocodile, lizard, baby hair calf, and premium leathers. Nearly two years were spent traveling throughout South America to source materials, and finding the best local artisans in L.A. to craft each piece to last a lifetime.

I created this line for people like me: stylish, sophisticated world travelers who want to carry something that is a reflection of themselves, rather than loudly advertise what brand they are wearing. The kelly locke customer has a closet filled with designer clothes, shoes, and bags. Yet she wants to start cultivating a wardrobe that is more personally curated, and less influenced by trends.

The kelly locke collection is available in L.A. at On Sunset, Inno, Avedon, Montage Beverly Hills, and Interiéurs.