a cut above; The smart design team behind Be & D has high expectations for their cool, handcrafted handbags . . . and every intention of exceeding them.(Brief article)

Byline: Jane Herman

It's love at first sight: A woman sees a

bag she likes, and seconds later she's examining every inch of it from the inside out, as if

her most personal belongings were already tucked precisely into its many pockets. Handbag designers Be Inthavong and Steve Dumain have seen it many times before.

"It's really fun to watch a girl figure out a bag," says Dumain, who with Inthavong launched Be & D, a rich collection of modern, even masculine, totes and satchels. "She notices everything-the hardware, the way a zipper feels-

and she'll tell you what's missing instantly."

Inspired by a simple burlap market bag, which Inthavong found while the two were in Beirut-a plain tote, silk-screened with traditional graphics-they started designing these lush but also supremely functional leather and ...