Guess who is back on my radar majorly? Gucci. It is not that I lost love for Gucci, I just wasn’t as enthralled. I would be happy to find a great bag but was not searching Gucci’s website expecting to find it. Their collection right now for Spring/Summer is eye-catching and has quite a few pieces I am loving.

One of my absolute favorite bags is the Gucci Jungle Shoulder Bag. It is just what I have been looking for: small shoulder bag with a long chain strap.

Tons of designers are releasing these more compact shoulder bags with a long strap, a-la-Chanel-Flap. This Gucci bag has all of the Gucci accents including bamboo detail and metal beads. I would totally go for the orange version (more of a tan orange than orange orange). I love pairing a tan bag with khaki’s or white jeans and a crisp light summer top.

The single strap has an adjustable knot and a 16″ drop, which is fairly long. Then there is the detachable chain strap, which I adore, because I always love a little chain strap on my bags. The inside is made to be functional with a zip, cell phone, and additional pockets. Overall dimensions are 14 1/5″H x 16 1/10″W x 3 3/10″D.

I totally adore this bag. Buy via Bergdorf Goodman for $1,850.

The Real Housewives of New York City just aren’t much for subtlety or tact, are they? Last night’s episode was all about messages delivered badly, and when these women screw something up, they go whole-hog, so to speak.

Whether those messages came from soulless gossip bloggers, toothless psychics or Alex, blinded by rage and on a kamikaze mission to humiliate Jill publicly, they were all delivered with a lack of finesse that would have been more startling if only we didn’t already know these awful people so intimately. And, for once, none of the verbal diarrhea came from Ramona. In that regard, last night’s episode probably counts as a minor miracle. Someone get the Pope on the phone.

There was no stupid dog poop scene to start this episode, so the drama began immediately. Bethenny’s pregnancy, which had been a secret so far, was outed well before the end of her first trimester by soulless, sniveling gossip merchant Perez Hilton. One could make a very convincing case that he is among the worst people on the face of the planet and you wouldn’t find much in the way of disagreement from me, so suffice it to say that I was suitably horrified (but not at all surprised) that he would do something like that.

Bethenny isn’t exactly 25 anymore, and any pregnancy is at risk before the end of the first trimester. That risk only increases as the mother gets older, and it’s positively cruel to announce a woman’s pregnancy before she’s even comfortable letting the baby’s father tell his parents. Not only does it violate her privacy, but it sets her up to have a public miscarriage. If there’s an afterlife, he will rot and he will deserve it.

I’m not sure how he (I don’t even like typing his name, we’re going to try to stick to pronouns) found out, but my completely random, unsubstantiated, speculative theory is this: we know that members of Bravo’s production crew knew about Bethenny’s pregnancy because they filmed her taking a pregnancy test, and from there, it’s not unfathomable that one of them either might have tipped him off or mentioned it to someone that did. Like maybe someone else that they were filming. And who do we know that’s buddy-buddy with Perez? Well, all you have to do is think back a few episodes to answer that question. And also, who broke the news to the other girls by getting a Google alert that somehow no one else happened to get?

Speaking of Jill, she wants to have a party. A holiday party! With ice-skating. I can’t wait until this party actually happens because I already have the best picture EVER to use for the recap, but until then, I guess I just have to tell you what’s going to happen at said party: Iceskating. Pigs in a blanket. Lamb chops, but only so that she can feed the extras to her dog. Chicken fingers. Cupcakes that she’ll strong-arm someone into giving her for free. Jill is so classy. In order to prove that fact even further, Jill later went to a talk that LuAnn was giving about manners and heckled her from the audience.

Also exuding class is Sonja, of course. Her on-camera visit to a plastic surgeon to remove an objectively tiny “pooch” made me think that there must be some sort of contractual obligation that requires all new housewives to appear at a plastic surgeon’s office early in their first season on the show. We saw Alexis getting Botox in her second episode as an OC housewife, and Tamra got her boobs re-done in her first season as well. I guess until they have established personalities, the new women are required to perform stunts for the cameras in order to get camera time.

Among Sonja’s stunts was a visit with a psychic named Roberta. Roberta may or may not have had all her teeth, and, uh, I’m going to err on the side of “may not.” Sonja loves her because she feels like Roberta doesn’t take advantage of her in the same way that, like, plumbers and lawyers do, because psychics are always on the up-and-up and it’s totally safe it give your money to one. In fact, Sonja offered to get her a deal with her surgeon for a boob lift, but did not do the obvious and offer her, you know, some false teeth. Also, if she’s psychic, why didn’t she know that her teeth were going to fall out? That is only one of the many questions that I’d like to ask of the toothless psychic.

Wait, wait, we’ve gotten away from the point of this episode (to be fair, however, the episode got away from the point of the episode for a while. Not my fault!). Bethenny’s baby is the point. Given the opportunity to share a bit of the glory, Jill apparently commented to the press about the rumors and Bethenny found out about it, which pissed her off since they’re not even friends anymore. She called Alex to let her in on the “secret” and vent her frustrations with Jill’s media-whoring, and also to ask Alex to give her a message. The message, unsurprisingly, was that she’s done with Jill forever.

I’m not sure exactly why Bethenny felt the need to reiterate that message, particularly since Jill’s idea of mending their friendship involved making sure Bethenny isn’t invited to an upcoming charity event that LuAnn is throwing, but whatever. Sshe asked Alex to do the honors of delivering it at an upcoming event, and from that moment on, Alex was like a woman possessed. She would do her duty and she would do it well! And publicly! And it would sting.

Alex delivered Bethenny’s message in the most horrific and awkward way possible: in front of all the other housewives (and half of Kelly’s butt, since it was hanging out of the bright orange underwear that she was wearing as shorts) at the launch party of Ramona’s skincare line. Alex delivered the line so loudly and with such build-up and fanfare that I thought she as going to require Jill to play charades to figure it out. Knowing what was coming, I started to feel bad for Jill for like a second and a half, but then I didn’t, because it’s physically impossible for me to feel bad for Jill anymore.

If you’ve been following along at home, however, you know that Alex’s delivery of Bethenny’s message had a lot more to do with Alex than it did with Bethenny. Instead of the aside that Bethenny intended, it turned into a public evisceration because Alex hates Jill and her fake-niceness and passive-aggressiveness and behind-your-backness as much as all of us do. Not only that, but Jill has insulted her children, so a little bit of rage is probably merited. It didn’t make Alex look great, but I get the idea that Jill has pushed more than a few people as far as they need to be pushed, and she’s one of them. I’m glad she grew a backbone, even if she grew it in an way that was probably a little unfortunate.

Come to think of it, that’s probably the best word for this entire episode: unfortunate.

In the first Sex and the City movie there was the pivotal moment where Lily, Charlotte’s daughter, takes Big’s call on Carrie’s cell phone and then places the phone in her Judith Leiber cupcake clutch. Soon after it is evident that Big has cold feet and can not get out of his car to go through with the wedding. The Judith Leiber Cupcake Clutch was not only the cutest accessory we have ever seen on a flower girl but also was part of the chain of events that lead to Carrie being stood up at the altar.

But you all knew that, and you all knew that the infamous cupcake clutch was a Judith Leiber creation. Of course Charlotte’s daughter would carry that to a wedding. And I don’t care what dream world Sex and the City is in, that clutch is amazing. And it was amazing on Lily. And it is still amazing to this day. All kinds of amazing I tell you!

With Sex and the City 2 being released in theaters soon, I am getting a little nostalgic about the first movie and overly excited about the sequel. Of course the plot will bring us twists and turns (hello! Aiden showing up in Dubai anyone?!) but also the fashion will be something everyone will have their eye on. We will be looking at the fashion, namely the accessories. Because really, how could we not?

Buy the Judith Leiber Cupcake clutch via Net a Porter for $4,295.

As I mentioned over on PurseBlog Savvy this morning also, I went to Kelly Cutrone’s book-signing in Atlanta (look for a post on that on Monday) and had a lot of fun scoping out what everyone was wearing. The girl carrying the Rebecca Minkoff Loveletters Leopard-Print Morning After Mini Bag was clearly the winner, at least for me – she did such a great job making a leopard print bag look like a wardrobe staple that I couldn’t help but mention it to you girls.

Her outfit inspired me so much, in fact, that I wanted to talk about another leopard bag that I had mostly ignored until now – the Alexander Wang Millie Leopard Bag. Although I love animal print, I had written it off as too busy and too difficult to fit in to the wardrobe of anyone who doesn’t find themselves constantly wearing solids. I wear so much black that I could see myself using it regularly, but I wasn’t sure that anyone else would find a use for it. Well, I’m no long unsure.

Not only is an animal print bag great if you tend to stick to one color palette, but it can coordinate really well with other patterns as well. Mixing prints is an enormous trend right now, and animal print of any kind is so familiar to most people that it can function as a quasi-neutral against a almost anything – my preference would be something retro-modern and with a warm color palette.

This look will be too bold for many, there’s no doubt about that, but if you’re creative or adventurous, this would be a great way to set yourself apart from the pack. Alexander Wang is the designer of the moment and his leopard pieces are some of the most coveted of the season, so now would be the time to take the plunge. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $875.

When Apple floods the market with another ingenious mainstream product, the launch guarantees two things. Firstly, it will be tremendously successful. Over 300,000 sold on the first day attests to that. Secondly, a plethora of accessories is going to follow very closely. The mobile device accessory market pulls in massive millions in sales annually and it is only logical that the big fashion houses will try to get a piece of the pie.

Louis Vuitton is usually very quick to follow suit with their own line of luxurious tech accessories. Like with the iPhone, LV now released their own variety of cases for the popular iPad. The Louis Vuitton iPad Cases are available in classic Monogram and Damier canvas flavors at a price of $366.

Personally, I am going to stick with the light $30 Apple case for my iPad. I can not justify paying nearly as much for a case as I paid for the hardware it is supposed to protect.

Running an online fashion magazine about handbags can be tricky at times, since handbags are only a sliver of the fashion world. Luckily, women (and men!) love handbags as much as we do and designers continue bringing us new purses to talk about. Even with the vast array of designs, there are slow slumps when we wait for more new bags to arrive and we must scour the internet looking for something different.

That is why I am happy to stumble upon the De Couture Chain Strap Hobo. The brand has only been covered three times on our site, the last post being from a year ago. There may not be many bags from the brand, but this is one that I want to cover.

It is simple why I like this bag. It is large, slouchy, and has a funky cool metal chain strap.

Some handbags have so much going on that I can review them for paragraphs. This, however, is not one of those bags. All else I can tell you is that the soft frame is made with calfskin and the shoulder strap is actually a leather strap covered with chains. All I hope for is the leather to be as soft and supple as I imagine, and then I can say that this bag is a great buy. You all know how I love a slouchy bag, so really, what more could I ask for? $963 via Luisa via Roma.

Everyone remembers my Alexander Wang Rocco love and letdown story. My returning this bag still haunts me a bit, as I rarely *rarely* return bags and this one held such a special place in my heart but fell short when it came to my expectations. Either way I will not ignore this bag or stop showing support for a design and idea that I love.

What I don’t love is this version of the bag. I don’t know why designers attempt to add luxury to PVC. It is like adding nice a set of $10,000 rims to a barely functional beater car.

Alexander Wang, why did you do this to a bag that we all adored? The this that I am referring to is the Alexander Wang Rocco Duffle in PVC, a small clear PVC body bag with leather accents and studded bottom. Let me give credit where credit is due: this is one of the least appalling PVC designer bags I have seen. At least the leather accents break up the PVC and at least this isn’t a super oversized bag.

But really, PVC bags on a classic design that has already made a name for itself is entirely unnecessary. And while the price comes down $300, paying over $500 for a plastic bag is absurd. Of course there is the entire discussion of who wants their handbag innards to be shown to the outside world. This discussion could just go on and on. If you like it, go for it via Alexander Wang for $525.

I think it’s important to look at this bag for exactly what it is: a novelty item, designed to get attention and make people talk, and also a good collectible for those that love Fendi and want to add something really unique to their stash. Evaluating it like a regular bag is sort of besides the point.

The Fendi DIY Baguette Bag is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a woven, unfinished Fendi Baguette with everything you need to embroider your own bag. It’s sort of an opportunity to have your own one-of-a-kind designer bag, which is kind of cool, when you think of it that way.

But realistically, it’s a bag that’s unfinished and sold to the consumer in parts, which is a little weird. Or maybe genius? I suppose it might be genius if, uh, you know how to embroider. Which I don’t. But it comes with everything I would need to get started – multicolor thread, needles, thimbles. It doesn’t come with a “How to Make Your Own Fendi Bag for the Low, Low price of $995″ instructional DVD, but maybe next season’s version will. Something to think about if you’re listening, Fendi. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $995.

Fendi pairs sassy with classy for a powerful and super chic bag. In fact, it speaks to me so much that I seriously want it. The last time I seriously wanted a Fendi bag was a long time ago, I actually have not purchased a Fendi bag since my Spy, which was a good 4 years ago. But now I am sitting here finding myself looking at a massive array of Fendi Peekaboo bags and getting a true and serious handbag itch. I assure you we will cover many more of the Peekaboo versions, but the one I want to share with you all right now is the Fendi Leopard-Lined Peekaboo.

I only have one qualm with the bag that will hold me back from buying it (aside from the fact that I have been trying, without avail, to cut back my bag shopping habit). The faded tan stripe down the center of the bag distracts me. It almost appears like the bag was folded over and the crease got dirty. I have seen Fendi use this on a few of the Peekaboo designs and I personally just do not get it. But if we took that stripe out, I am sold.

The body of the bag is made of milk (off white) leather. I love that hue. It is white, but not. More of a creamy, warm hue of white, hence it is called milk. And then the peekaboo part of the bag is the leopard-print haircalf lining. How wicked is that?! Fendi found a way to incorporate the inside of this hit bag to the outside world. And rather than overpower you with a total leopard print bag, Fendi just has it peeking through and set against milk leather. This is so me. So me minus that stripe. Maybe if I saw it in person I would be more forgiving, but I just find it distracting. Pre-order through Saks for $3,500.

This is not the first time Victoria Beckham has tempted me with her gorgeous Hermes Crocodile Birkin. In fact, this seems to be one of Victoria’s favorite Hermes bags from her collection (rumored to be in the hundreds of bags).

Let’s talk about why this bag works. First off, it is a timeless classic, the Hermes Birkin. Not everyone loves this bag or understands the cult-like status it has garnered, but it is hard to find this particular version anything short of fabulous. Hermes uses premium exotic skins, and their crocodile skins provide an additional level of beauty. The color is what has me in love with this bag the most. You see, it is the most stunning hue of red. A shade that is not shockingly in your face but not dull or bland. Without being overly cliche, the color is perfect. Because of its deep saturation, it can work for nearly every outfit imaginable. And what I love to see is Victoria wearing a top and jeans from her collection with this gorgeous handbag.

Because of everything listed above, Victoria Beckham is carrying my bag for this week’s Want it Wednesday.