Brian Lee is a good—scratch that—great boyfriend. When he saw his girlfriend, Kara Kurez, perpetually scrambling to find things in her purse, he teased her about the need for a well-lit handbag. Then, when the joke got old, he did what any problem-solver with an engineering degree and a knack for sewing would do for the love of his life: He figured out a way to string battery-operated neon lighting into a purse.
Thus, Solas Fashion was born, a godsend to all those who have ever scrambled through that insatiable black hole that is a dark, crowded handbag, looking for keys, a wallet or a ringing cell phone.
Three years and a lot of hard work later, Lee and Kurez have graduated from home-sewn to Made in China, much to Lee's delight. Kurez says he worked his fingers to the bone at all hours to get things done in the early days, but never abandoned his day job. The fabric and leather are imported from Italy, and Kurez, who was a reality television producer before she became a revolutionary designer, oversees the operation.
And in the great metaphysical tradition that all of us girls seem to embrace these days, Solas Fashion Handbags also follow the guidelines of color and healing. According to Solas Fashion principals, "the Blue Light bag is thought to enhance creativity in conversations, empowerment in work situations and liven up the language in romantic relationships." Other colors include orange, pink and green.
In the early days of Solas Fashion, Kurez scoured the vintage and thrift stores of Los Angeles for well-designed evening bags that would be fitting for the nightclub environs where her product performs best. This is where form meets function in a funky, conversation-starter kind of way, according to Kurez. "Everyone always asked about them as soon as they saw them," she says. The bags, of course, maintain that vintage quality.
Her celeb client list includes Cameron Diaz, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Ashlee Simpson and Britney Spears, to name-drop a few. The bags also have been featured in In Style and People magazines.
Solas Fashion purses soon will be available at Deetour, a locally-owned boutique inside the Fashion Show Mall that caters to those who are after the same look as the Hollywood starlet set. They're available now at Jacqueline Jarrot inside the Desert Passage, one of top best accessory shops.
Deetour, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. S. 894-9898. Jacqueline Jarrot, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. S. 731-3200.
Anne Kellogg is a native Las Vegan with a thing for purchasing stuff. E-mail her at
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