Sabrina Love totes have style in the bag

Many go abroad hoping to find love on foreign soil, a passionate tryst along the Riviera, or a certain kind of kissing atop the Eiffel Tower. For Seattle designer Sabrina Love Rodriguez, the two years she spent in France and Italy did indeed spark a torrid affair, though not with Jean Luc or Giovani, but with soft, supple Italian leather, and the classic handbags crafted from it.

Rodriguez, a former costume designer and fashion stylist, returned to Seattle ready to share the love (as it were), and began creating her own line of handbags. She sources plush Italian lamb leather and luxurious imported hardware from the countries where she once lived, and crafts her handbags right here in the states. Her creations -- dubbed Sabrina Love Handbags -- provide a refreshing balance to some of the more casual lines that are created in the laid-back Northwest.

While sleek and stylish to be sure, form doesn't eclipse function -- the collection is highly wearable while reflecting an edgy sophistication. Her classic designs employ a modern appeal that blends just as comfortably with silk and stilettos as with denim and flats. The handbags are available online and locally at Les Amis and Canopy Blue.

Rodriguez's spring/summer collection for 2008 sees three new and versatile larger bag styles boosting her already ample selection of chic and sexy clutches: the Marais ($398), a shapely bohemian, two-handled tote accented with adjustable buckles and a roomy front pocket (available in cream and dove grey); the highly modern Milano ($320), with its streamlined geometric shape and handle (in navy, white and chocolate brown crocodile); and the uber-feminine Sevilla ($398) shoulder bag with delicate, rounded handles in a distressed tan patent, lined with the signature pink suede.

Whether slung over your shoulder toting books and a baguette, or tucked discreetly under an arm, Sabrina Love's bags are the kind of foreign affairs that beg to be dabbled in. Now that's amore.

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