If I’m being accurate, this post actually comes to you via my mom. A few days ago, she emailed me a link to the Marc by Marc Jacobs Totally Turnlock Python Shine Messenger with the message, “Doesn’t Marc know that Proenza does this bag better?” And, well, yes. Marc probably knows that! In fact, the Proenza Schouler PS1 Pouchette just debuted in a very similar color of acid yellow. If you’re on a budget, though, I think that the Marc version is a pretty reasonable alternative.

   The Marc by Marc Jacobs option, of course, isn’t real python. It’s also a more juvenile design – the edges are rounder, the overall effect a tad cartoonish because of the combination of finish, trim and color. Proenza’s pouchette is sleek, matte and totally grown up, which means that it carries the bold color a bit better by comparison. With a difference in price of over a thousand dollars, though, it’s difficult to find fault with the less expensive option.

  Although I wasn’t a huge fan of Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2012 runway bags, his Resort 2012 collection has been on my radar for months. The mid-season line has some of Jacobs’ chicest designs in quite a while, mostly because the bags are without gimmicks. Instead, what you’ll find is clean lines and supple leather in the kinds of color combinations that feel very current.

  The other notable thing about these bags is the return of the Marc Jacobs Venetia, but in an altered state. Back in the mid-2000s, the Venetia and its iconic buckled pockets were a staple of Marc’s in-demand accessories line, and now the shape is back, without its pockets, for a second tour of duty through the handbag wars. Check out more of the bags after the jump and let us know if any of them tickle your fancy.

   The picture on NAP makes it look like a shoulder bag, not a cross-body. I like the look and totally agree about the color – much better in a bright.My enthusiasm for the Marc Jacobs The Ace Messenger Bag comes from one thing and one thing alone: My ability to imagine it in other colors. Not that there’s anything wrong with greige, per se, but I prefer the statement-making ability of a good bright bag, particularly when it offsets the tendency for a crossbody to hide within an outfit because of its usual place on the back of a woman’s hip. Because Jacobs almost always makes his leather bags in multiple colors, I trust that a bright version is forthcoming. And if it isn’t, it should be.

Marc-Jacobs-The-Ace-Messenger

   What Jacobs was able to capture in this bag is the luxurious simplicity that has made the line an accessories success in the past. The Jacobs signatures are there, like the gold lock hardware, but mostly the lines of the bag speak for themselves with relatively little unnecessary adornment. Based on the Net-a-Porter modeling shots and photos of the opening of the bag, it looks like it’s a very useful size without being too big, and I could see myself using it in a lot of situations. So it’s your move on the brighter color options, Mr. Jacobs. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1150.

  Why hasn’t Marc by Marc Jacobs done more neon bags before now? The world may never know. It seems like the brand’s young, hip client base would have been the perfect people to embrace the trend early and often, but MbMJ has so far relegated its fluorescents to trim and accents. But no longer – Marc by Marc Jacobs Resort 2012 looks like it’s going to be full of Day Glo neon goodness.

We only have a couple of pictures to show you, but they’re worth a look. The clear winner of this small group is the black and highlighter yellow clutch at the top, and I’ve already mentally moved $350 from my checking account to my savings account to wait for its debut. If only it weren’t going to be six months. Two more shots after the jump.