Helene's Handbags

After playing supporting roles as a contributor to brands such as Swarovski and Notify, Helene Nepomiatzi's self-titled line of handbags have ushered her, quite literally, into the arms of the fashion set.

Inspired the 1954 French film Touchez pas au grisbi ("Don't touch the loot"), Nepomiatzi dubbed the first handbag of the collection "Grisbi." Made from natural lizard leather, the tiny purse boasts an outside pouch perfect for a cell phone, tube of lipstick or a set of keys, while the inside fits all the other necessities for a night on the town. And, of course, it comfortably hangs off the shoulder from a sleek, silver chain.

After working for labels such as Nina Ricci, Michael Kors, Karl Lagerfeld and co-creating 31 Fevrier and 69-96, Nepomiatzi's solo turn has, as she says, been "a comeback for my personal work. It's the beginning of something new for me, it's a rebirth. But you'll find the same spirit, humor, strange proposition and mystery, as in the brands I created before."

Nepomiatzi's latest accessory is set to make it big. She's selling at Maria Luisa in Paris and already adorns the arm of French actress, Julie Gayet. With new models of the bag set to launch in October, it'll be hard to keep fashion-hungry starlets' hands off this loot.

For more information, see www.helenenepomiatzi.com.

—Kyle Landman