Celebrity stylist Robert Verdi designs new handbag

Fashion expert and celebrity stylist Robert Verdi has designed a new handbag that looks high fashion but is a serious workhorse. “I like to say that it’s the illegitimate child of a cheap beach bag and an astronomically priced Birkin,” says Verdi, who among others has styled the likes of Eva Longoria, Kristen Wiig and Hugh Jackman.

Dubbed the “Model M.,” the bag, fabricated of Fashion-Flex, a proprietary polymer (think Crocs), is water-resistant and lightweight (a mere 1.40 lbs.), and comes in lush jewel-tone colors such as emerald, tourmaline and aquamarine.

Its sculptural silhouette is slouch free and the design features a molded top handle, lock and key, side straps and stitching details -- all riffs on much pricier handbags.  

“Expect the Model M. to be perched on the laps across New York Fashion Week front rows,” says Verdi, who, himself, is a fashion week fixture.  “It’s the perfect bag for schlepping wet workout clothes, hiding ballet flats, or toting a few messy things from the market because you can just wipe it clean,” Verdi says.

The bag retails for $120 at www.greatbag.co