I’ve always wondered how buyers for boutiques decide which designers to carry each season. Some trends fade faster than a candle in the wind so spending $600 on a bag that will become a fad in one season is a little hard to chew. It can be a jungle out there in the bags and accessories world so when someone comes along and does the job of painstakingly going through all the designers to pick the right bags for the season, you can only say, “Whew! I’m glad you it’s not my job.” Say hello to Luna Boston, an online retailer of posh handbags and accessories with a boutique in Boston, MA who’s sole purpose is to bring you the hottest designers season after season. I came across Luna Boston two months ago and quickly fell in love with EVERYTHING and I mean everything they in their store. They carry some designers I had never heard of and bags that I cannot find in stores. I am the type of girl that cannot spend over $300 on a handbag without physically touching the product for quality assurance; however, shopping on the Luna Boston website was as easy as blinking.
That is a closely guarded secret! We look for lines that look modern but not overly trendy, that are wearable for women of many different ages and lifestyles, and a certain “je ne sais quoi” that our buyers have honed over the years. We also like to work with designers who really care about their product and their customers – we are trying to build long-term relationships with our designers, so there is a personal element to it too.
What sets Luna Boston apart from the other hangbag/accessories retailers and online merchants?
Service and selection. We carry a larger selection of most of our lines than most retailers, including some collaborations with our designers that can’t be found anywhere else, and we are very focused on the customer experience. This starts with our inventory — we have real-time inventory, so when you buy something from us, we have it in stock and you don’t have to worry about having your order cancelled. We ship same day for all orders placed before 3 PM, so our customers don’t have to worry about processing delays. We also include a little surprise with every order! If an order doesn’t work out, we pay for returns and issue credits immediately. We are also very happy to answer questions via phone or email at any step along the way. Overall, we just try to treat our customers better than anyone else does and to bring them the best selection of the products they want!
What trends are hot for spring/summer?
1) Tropical colors are super hot: oranges, blues, and bold pinks are flying off of our shelves. We can hardly keep Rebecca Minkoff’s tangerine colored bags in stock and Foley + Corinna’s
fuchsia and electric sea colors have been super popular as well.
2) Patent leather — still hot! We love the way Botkier’s patent bags (especially the Marine colored mini Sasha ) and Badgley Mischka Platinum and Cynthia Rowley also brought us extensive patent collections this season.
3) Modern neutrals. This season, lots of designers came out with neutrals that are much more interesting than classic tan or white…. we love the shimmery champagne and mocha leathers from Treesje, and new colors called dusty and stone from Rebecca Minkoff.
Color is big this season, how can the ladies incorporate that into their style using accessories and handbags?
The good news is that handbags and accessories are such an easy way to work color into an outfit! Colored bags are often more versatile than brown or black — it’s just a matter of breaking out of the black bag rut. Look for a color that works with blacks and browns, and one that you don’t wear on your body too often. That way, you can wear it with lots of outfits without worrying about your bag being too close in shade to your outfit. A colored bag is also a great way to incorporate a color that is trendy but hard to wear — for this season, it would be yellow — tough to wear near your skin, perfect for a bag.
What is the one thing we can do to protect our handbags?
Condition them before using them; this will help to seal the pores of the bag and make it more dirt-resistant. Always use high quality products, and always spot test on the bottom of the bag and let it sit for 24 hours — just to be sure that it won’t change your bag when you treat the whole thing! This helps, and be careful about wearing newer jeans, especially dark ones, with light colored bags that may hit the jeans — denim dye transfers onto bags very easily! For patent leather bags, you should always store them in their dustbag or a pillowcase, as patent can pick up other colors if it’s stored right next to another leather bag or colored textile.
Who is the Luna Boston Woman? What does she do? What is her personality?
The beauty of this is that there is no single Luna Boston woman! Our customers are diverse in age, occupation, and location. The one thing that they all share in common is that they are on the cutting edge of fashion, they are confident in their personal style, and they love to express that confidence and style through their handbag.
Any new designers coming to Luna Boston?
For fall, we are concentrating a bit on expanding our product offering, so we are really excited about “new to us” shoe lines: Chie Mihara, Le Due by Due Farina, and Botkier and Goldenbleu shoes. We’ll also be carrying Gryson for fall, and have our eye on a few other lines that our customers keep asking about – stay tuned!
1) Treesje Asher satchel 2) Rebecca Minkoff Nikki hobo 3) Botkier Small Sasha Duffle 4) Foley + Corinna City Clutch 5) Jenny Yuen Gatsby Shoulder Bag 6) Lauren Merkin Eve Clutch 7) Rebecca Minkoff Morning After Mini 8) Foley + Corinna Jet Half Patent Jet Setter Junior 9) Treesje Luna Hobo 10) MZ Wallace Bea Shoulder Tote
