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.

 First Hermes (and then no more Hermes because they got sued), then Chanel and now Balenciaga – tote company Thursday Friday seems like it won’t be satisfied until every iconic handbag under the sun (except any made by Hermes because, well, you know…) has been immortalized on its Thursday Friday Together Tote Bag. This one, naturally, is called the “Moto.” Clever.

  I’ve heard no news of a lawsuit against Thursday Friday for its Chanel tote, perhaps because even though it was clearly meant to depict a Chanel bag, there was no outright branding in the photo – it lacked the interlocking C closure or the word “Chanel” anywhere on the tote. If that’s why the brand hasn’t tried to interfere, then perhaps Balenciaga is out of luck if it wanted to stop production of this bag as well; despite the signature hardware and design, there’s no explicit branding on the outside of a Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag.

 Come to think of it, that’s probably why we haven’t seen a Louis Vuitton version of this tote – not only is LVMH the most litigious of all the luxury conglomerates, but the most universally recognizable Vuitton bags are all in monogram canvas, the reproduction of which would make a lawsuit a veritable slam dunk. Has your opinion of these bags softened at all? Mine has a bit, if only because they seem to pretty clearly be going nowhere.

  I’ve already got Fashion Week on my mind and one of my favorite things about Fashion Week is bag stalking. Come February, editors, buyers, and miscellaneous cool people alike will be hitting Lincoln Center both wearing and carrying their finest.

   I have plenty of handbags in my arsenal, but sometimes an oddly different bag stands out and grabs my attention. This is precisely what this Valentino bag has done to me, lured me in and left me wanting more.

  However, I realize not everyone loves the urban jungle feel of this panther-print calf hair tote with serious stud embellishments. Help us out and tell us what you think!

 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.

  I used to associate black and blue with bruises, but going forward I will always think of this stunning Bottega Veneta Knot clutch instead. Leave it to Bottega to know exactly what I adore and design it in a way that has me going gaga. We have discussed their Knot clutch ad nauseum and my two favorite renditions have been their crocodile version and their intrecciato metal version. But now I have both in one place and that feels like Christmas came early.

With the perfect touch of sophistication, the Bottega Veneta Crocodile and Intrecciato Metal Box Clutch integrates textures and colors in a completely fashion-forward combination.

  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 !

  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.

 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

  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