Vlad and I took a moment out of Fashion Week madness to stop by one of our favorite cafes and get a delicious hot chocolate together for Valentine’s Day. The majority of our day was spent attending fashion shows with some talented designers, including Tory Burch and Oscar de la Renta, but we wanted to make sure to take a moment out of the madness for ourselves.

As much as I know that Valentine’s Day is blown out of proportion, I am a true romantic so I find myself a bit in love with this holiday. I’d like nothing more than to spend Valentine’s Day with my hubby and then be presented with a small arsenal of whimsical Chanel accessories. When it comes to the perfect Valentine’s day gift from the handbag world, I say opt for feminine and elegant, which is precisely what Chanel is known for.

 So I remember how I said earlier this morning (and practically every day before this since god knows when) that brights are the thing that everyone’s thinking about? Well, people are also thinking about pastels. That’s right, Spring 2012 is so manic that it can’t just have one color trend, it has to have ALL THE COLOR TRENDS. Since brights have been en vogue for several seasons, though, it’s nice to get a small respite from the furious din of neon. As long as the respite is as awesome as the 3.1 Phillip Lim Lark Small Duffel, that is.

I’m not a girly girl by any stretch of the imagination and pastels have never been my thing; I tend to err on the side of black with bright accents. The pastels going down the spring runway didn’t exactly thrill me for selfish shopping reasons even if a little restraint can be lovely sometimes, but I’ve softened to the idea in the past few months. When accessories are involved, trying new color trends can be very easy – you don’t have to worry about making sure a shade is flattering to your skin tone or wondering if you won’t feel like yourself when covered in lavender silk. (I would not, I know that already.)

With something like this genius little Phillip Lim bag, though, the risk of trying something new is relatively slim. Soft butter yellow can be worked into even the darkest of spring wardrobes, and because this color still has a bit of intensity to it, the chances that you’ll feel like you’re carrying around a big leather Easter egg are low. Lim’s signature minimal construction and modern design keep the bag from edging into preciousness. I told you that Lim’s spring bags were among the best collections in all of fashion!

  The month of Valentine’s Day, Fashion Week, and my anniversary is upon us. This month also holds all February birthday babies, whose birthstone is a gorgeous, deep purple amethyst. Purple is one of my favorite colors, as it works as a deep neutral in place of black or brown. From the chicest Beats by Dr. Dre headphones that I have ever seen to a luxurious phone case to the best purple bags out there right now, I have nine birthday gift ideas for the February birthday girls in your life.

Bottega Veneta Relaxed Lambskin Satchel | $3,400 via Neiman Marcus

There is something very different about the shape of this bag, but the extremely supple leather is sure to grab your attention from the get-go. Because of its shape, this bag is meant to carry everything and anything one might need.

Fendi Zucca-Flap Baguette | $1,520 via Neiman Marcus

As we said earlier, Fendi is trying to bring their Baguette bags back. I love the ornate versions, but a simple leather Baguette may be just what a February birthday baby needs.

 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

  As is probably to be expected of anything that’s received as much press attention as this little bag has, naturally.

  The Huffington Post is reporting that The Row’s $34,000 black alligator backpack has sold out, but that appears to be the result of a misinterpreted quote that one of the Olsen sisters gave to Women’s Wear Daily during a party for their newly launched handbag line in Paris. My suspicion is corroborated by the fact that Net-a-Porter still has the bag in stock well after its debut, but the point still stands – people are buying this bag. Who are they? As always, I have a few theories.

  First, though, it’s important to understand that this bag was likely made in extremely limited quantities, which means that it wouldn’t take a whole lot of units for it to “sell out,” which the Olsens don’t even seem to be claiming that it has done. If you read the linked WWD article, Ashley Olsen merely says that the bag was “the first thing to sell off the shelf.” That’s a little different than claiming a complete sell-through of global inventory, at least to me. It does indicate brisk sales, though, at least relative to available (small) supply.

   Second, there’s a sucker born every minute. If you’re a regular watcher of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, then you know that someone was on the show this week, bragging about buying a $25,000 pair of sunglasses. Because this bag has been all over the press for its high price tag, women who have more access to cash than self-esteem have likely taken to this design like ducks to water. All of their friends will already know how much it cost on sight, and then the bragging can begin.

  Third, I’m willing to allow that this is actually a fairly attractive bag for those who dig The Row’s modern-minimal aesthetic. The brand’s pieces have been super pricey since its inception, so The Row’s devoted clients are those with money to burn. It wouldn’t shock me if one or two of them were up to the challenge of burning it on this bag in particular. Also, Mary Kate and Ashley likely have lots of rich friends, so maybe a few of them who aren’t close enough (or famous enough – think about all fashion issues from a PR perspective, always) to be gifted with a bag this expensive put their money where their mouths were.

  This is speculation, of course, but I’m betting that some combination of those scenarios occurred to sell a few stupidly expensive alligator backpacks over the last month. If someone wants to, you know, give me one, I wouldn’t say no. Just in case someone with a billion dollars is out there, reading this, and wondering if I’d like one as a gift. My birthday’s coming up.

   Perhaps improbably, Marni is always one of the handbag collections that I look forward to the most during Milan Fashion Week. The brand doesn’t have a reputation in the accessories world as a purse powerhouse, but I love Marni’s signature blend of girlishness and modernism. The end result is usually some great accessories that will withstand both the passage of the season’s trends and the passage of time, leaving you with a unique bag that people will ask about for years to come. If you’d like to add that sort of accessory to your closet this season, you’d be well advised to go with one of the three-dimensional woven bags from Marni Spring 2012.

   Different fabrications and sizes of leather were woven together to create a pattern that looks a lot like tactile plaid, and the end result is kind of mesmerizing. Part of me would like to take one apart to see how it was constructed, but the rest of me would much rather tuck these bags safely away in my closet. All of them. Right now.

About Designer Replica Handbags
   Designer replica handbags are created to resemble the look of popular, typically high-end, designer bags. Designer bags range in price, with even the mid-level purses possibly costing several hundred dollars. High-end designer bags can cost thousands. Add the banner of exclusivity to the brand (since many designer purse styles are made only in limited quantities and carried for a certain period of time), and the purse becomes a tempting target to replicate.

While at a glance replicas may seem the perfect answer to paying the high price tag of a famous-name bag, there are downsides to purchasing designer-inspired bags. The bag will not typically have the high quality and durability of a high-end designer purse. Although designer bags are costly, the care that goes into the design and craftsmanship are part of the reason for that high cost.