SICKA THAN AVERAGE

I’m not one to declare that something is hot simply because it was spotted on a celebrity — heck, I despise Ed Hardy‘s gaudy baseball caps and tees, and it seems like one out of three celebrities owns one such atrocity. It’s one of the reasons why, when something is covered on Sicka Than Average, I focus on the product rather than some paparazzi shot of a celebrity wearing it — the product should stand out because of its own merit and not because some bankable celebrity donned it.  But, at the same time, I do recognize that celebrity status comes with plenty of perks — including access to the best apparel, footwear and accessories. I mean, hey, designers know that there’s no better exposure than having their wares spotted on a celebrity — especially when the celebrity in question has a reputation for being a style maven. So it’s undeniable that, if you follow celebrity style, you will spot some fashion gems: from out-of-this-world jewelry to gotta-have-them-now handbags.

Those monitoring celebrities’ style moves, then, had to do a double-take when they saw photos of British actress Sienna Miller walking her dog around New York City’s West Village last Friday, wearing the gray and silver, calf and lambskin Joyce Carry-All by up-and-coming Chinese handbag designer Katherine Kwei. The handbag has an haute Bohemian aesthetic, with playful fringe and Kwei’s signature “Eternity” knot motifs (a technique she learned from her grandmother) adding a fun-loving, whimsical vibe. I love how the silver strips along the front of the bag add a Mad Max-ian effect — it’s the type of bag you can wear during the day or pair with a chic black ensemble and some silver jewelry for a night on the town.

Katherine Kwei Joyce Carry-All, $625. Available at Saks Fifth Avenue and LunaBoston.com.