Dallas-based blogger-mom Tina Chen Craig and her best friend Kelly Tsou Cook love handbags. Crave them. Obsess about them. On their site, they write as the connoisseurs of the perfect posh purses. The new python Devi Kroell Carlyle clutch at Barney's? They declare it "delicious" even at $1,100. The $600 ruched Kooba tote? A "cheap thrill." But thumbs down for the Paul Smith Violet, which the Bag Snobbers say looks like a "melted rainbow sherbet ice cream cone." These trend-spotters, who've already spun off five other fashion blogs, including
TotSnob.com, are filling their pockets with earnings from their pocketbook critiques, thanks to advertising from big-name designers and retailers. They're now invited to major runway shows, and they create fashion industry buzz that's been noted in French and Japanese
Vogue, the
Times of London and on the E! channel. Fashion editors everywhere now count on the Bag Snobs for the final word on what to tuck under those skinny arms each season.