If you’re not familiar with vintage powerhouses What Goes Around Comes Around, you should be. The New York-based retro aggregator, often abbreviated WGACA, searches out and resells some of the best pre-owned duds in the country, and today, that includes two lovely Hermes Vintage Crocodile Bags that are up for grabs via ShopBop. They’re very Betty Draper, right? Or maybe they’re more Trudie Campbell… ShopBop doesn’t list the era from which either of these bags originated, but they look an awful lot like the small, structured, elbow-carried bags that were popular among wealthy women of the Mad Men era – the late 50s and early 60s. Hermes was at the top of the leather goods mountain back then as well (and the brand often plays a part in the show, come to think of it), so these two bags, which both lack external branding, are among the finest examples of the period’s luxury handbags.

 Looking at these designs makes it easy to see where the inspiration for the currently trendy ladybags comes from, and then they’re Hermes croc on top of it. For $8000 apiece, you’d have the be a serious vintage hound or Hermes fangirl to buy one, but right now I’m missing Mad Men so much that if I were asininely rich, I might consider it. Then all I’d need is one of Joan’s dresses…well, and her hips. Buy through ShopBop for $8000 .But why notpick not real Cro leather one ,the calf leather with cro prints on Estylefocus.com store !

  In my mind, calling a bag a “wristlet” is a precarious thing to do for a manufacturer or retailer. The word “wristlet” brings about a very specific type of simple, relatively inexpensive small accessory; personally, I use a wristlet to hold the small pharmacy that I carry around inside of my real bag. I wouldn’t ever pay a thousand dollars for something like that. While the Burberry Leather Wristlet is, in fact, a wristlet like its name would suggest, it’s also one of the nicer wristlets I’ve ever seen in my life, and a full-fledged leather clutch with multiple structured compartments. Don’t let the w-word fool you, this bag is a lot more than just an accessory to your accessories.

  Even the strap on this bag is pretty swanky. All the wristlets I own use a flat, thin piece of leather to secure the pouch to your wrist, but Burberry instead chose to go with a full-on rolled leather handle. That little touch goes a long way to explaining how unexpectedly luxurious the rest of the bag is, from the dual interior compartments with a cell phone slot to the tonal woven leather exterior.

 The tan strap and blue body of the bag go nicely together, and the darker aqua trim is a great finishing detail. If you were ever going to consider spending four figures on a wristlet, this one’s a good place to start. It’s actually a full-fledged clutch in disguise, and you can always remove the handle if you’d like the general public to see it that way.

 With my first six months in New York coming to a close, I’ve done lots of thinking about how clothes, shoes and accessories play into the very unique New York City lifestyle. For as long as I can remember, a handbag’s structure didn’t really matter to me; I could carry almost anything from a day clutch to a huge hobo rather happily because I always, without fail, had a car with me. Now that I don’t, my preferences have changed drastically.

 That’s one of the reasons that I’m excited for the debut of the Reed Krakoff Soft Boxer tote, or the Shoulder Boxer, as I like to call it. I’ve been an enormous fan of the regular Boxer since its debut, but I simply can no longer justify buying a bag that doesn’t have an option for shoulder carry. This modified version of the Boxer design completely solves that problem.

 When I laid eyes on this bag, the first thing I thought was, “Oh, sort of like a Shoulder Birkin!” Although the modifications aren’t identical to the Jean Paul Gaultier-redesigned Hermes bag, the spirit is similar. Not only were the shoulder straps lengthened to accomodate a woman’s shoulder like the JPG Birkin, but they were also flattened, which is a huge advantage in a shoulder tote and something all designers should consider when adapting designs for shoulder carry. Double rolled handles always slip off, and they’re really only appropriate for bags carried in the crook of the arm.

  The body of the Boxer was also shortened, just like the Shoulder Birkin. This helps lessen the bulk under the arm and the likelihood that you’re going to have all of your belongings banging against your hip all day, which is essential in a structured tote meant to be carried this way. I’ll have to reserve judgment until I can try out the bag in person and see how it feels (I like a very long tote strap), but my hopes for this extension of the Boxer line are high

 Bottega Veneta never disappoints. I realize that’s something of a strong statement, but I honestly can’t remember a time when I’ve looked through the handbag images from a Bottega show and thought, “Eh, these are ok.” The bags are always utterly luxurious and usually quite functional on top of it. Tomas Maier knows where his brand’s strengths lie, and as a result, the bag lovers in his customer base always get something utterly lustworthy for their patronage. Despite a design or two that doesn’t quite pass muster (riveting just make ostrich skin look strangely mottled on a few of these bags), Bottega Veneta Spring 2012 stands out as a very strong handbag collection in a season that’s seen a few stinkers from brands that are usually reliable. Ladies, Bottega is still the Bottega you all know and love.

  This bag is not as egregious as the Balenciaga tote, for sure, but most Proenza bags are so effortlessly cool and (in my mind at least) perfect that to see one of the brand’s classics miss the mark is jarring, to say the least. I like the shape and I like the materials when considered individually, but together? Eep.I actually think the bag is “fun” , I would not buy it, since if I spend that money I usually buy something more classic and that I will use a lot more. But I really like the bag and the colors!!

 The issue here is one of tone. Proenza has done well with its canvas PS1s in the past, and this is the same warm beige material that they’ve always used. Layering that with leather or embossed python sounds like a great idea in theory, but with this trim, they chose a color story that has absolutely nothing to do with the base color that’s sitting under it. The foundation of the print is graphic white, cool gunmetal grey and ice blue, which could look more random against a warm neutral. The fiery yellow and red-orange are the final icing on the WTF cake.

 Proenza Schouler is usually a master at mixing colors and patterns in ways that make me swoon and endlessly re-plan my wardrobe budget, but I can say with confidence that this is a bag on which I will pass. That’s too bad, because with a few tweaks, it could have been quite beautiful

 I think this bag is a adorable, and I would totally use it for going to the beach and other outdoor activities. It even looks big enough to use for school, but $495 for rubber? I would never spend that much for rubber, ever. I’ve spoken enthusiastically of Anya Hindmarch’s upcoming designs recently, and the Anya Hindmarch Raw Nevis Rubber Tricolor Tote, now up for pre-order at Moda Operandi, is yet another chic, reasonably priced bag that’s I’m anticipating for spring. I usually don’t get particularly jazzed about non-leather bags for some fairly obvious reasons, but something about the matte translucent look of this tote has drawn me in. Do you think $495 is a fair price?

  Despite being Not Leather, and therefore at a disadvantage in the minds of most handbag shoppers, rubber does have its obvious advantages, particularly in certain seasons. Spring and summer are full of outdoor gatherings, picnics, hastily stashed water bottles, spontaneous trips to the pool or beach and any number of other fun but potentially bag-ruining endeavors. Sometimes, just having a beach bag doesn’t cover you, but having a regular handbag that can be wiped out with a damp cloth just might. If that sounds like something that might make your summertime life a little easier, you won’t find many options more attractive than this colorblocked Hindmarch tote