Making a Strong Impression

SHOPPING

Kristina George handbags are bold by design. But they’re also game for the heavy lifting.

Krassy Georgieva, left, and Kamola Taflan.

All geometric designs and assertive details, nothing about Kristina George, a collection of haute handbags that debuted in 2014, is soft. Save for the calfskin leather they’re made from, which is really, really soft. Krasimira (“Krassy” to her friends) Georgieva and Kamola Taflan, best friends since college, devoted two entire years to honing their designs, which are inspired by the architecture they’ve adored around the world, and tracking down the artisans to bring them to fruition. The crystal seen here on the Antoinette Clutch (above), a bag that made the awards-show rounds last winter with Patricia Arquette, it’s hand-cut. The bags themselves are stitched together by hand, too, at a family-owned atelier in Europe. Statements that they are, these are not glorified accessories. Not just glorified accessories. These bags, of course, are meant to serve a purpose, an obvious qualification that wasn’t lost on Georgieva, who lives in Wayne, and Taflan, both of whom spent the last decade working in finance, not ensconced in high fashion’s elitist circles. In turn, they’re loaded with smart features, like the detachable chain on that clutch and the studs that protect the bottom of the Andromeda Tote (also pictured, right). After all, a handbags make no impression shelved in your closet, which is what it’d be if it was just one more pretty thing to lug around. Kristina George bags can do the heavy lifting, too. —Christina Scordia

Photo Credit: Courtesy Kristina George