Bag porn.

I must tell you about a store L. ventured into last week: Hlaska in the Fillmore. The description on its website:

Born out of a love for science and design Hlaska combines elements of nature, science, architecture and engineering to create luxury wallets and bags. Each design is carefully thought out, with special attention paid to its inspirations, its functionality, and its beauty. Using only the best materials, including Italian leather, European fabrics and custom hardware, Hlaska products go through countless revisions to ensure the final product meets our strict standards for resilience, functionality, and aesthetics. Staying true to the original vision of founder Anthony Mazzei, each new Hlaska product brings with it a new way of appreciating both science and luxury.


Upon further research, apparently the owner has styled his showpiece bag after an archaelogist's bag, thus referencing his love for science. Another chestnut is that "Hlaska" is a combination of Helsinki and Alaska, two places he's fascinated with; as it turns out, "hlaska" is also czech for "communication".


So what differentiates this bag maker from any other of hundreds of fine bag makers? One word: Execution. I accompanied her to return to the store and purchase a weekender bag that she had eyed the week before. What followed was blissful enjoyment of a retail concept well-executed both physically and philosophically--the ambience and the soul is there. The store is tight. I felt like I was in on the ground floor of say, a Louis Vuitton in the making. This dude is passionate about one thing: a luxurious, well-designed, classic traveling bag made from the finest of materials, harkening back to when the well-heeled traversed the friendly skies wearing sassy neck scarves, valises in hand. Sigh. It was refreshing to see not one hint of trendy, faddy pandering to the transitory tastes of today's consumer culture. Kudos, Hlaska!