Although long a brand that had some trepidation about its digital presence, Balenciaga seems to be opening up to the beautiful pastime that is Internet shopping. Its website recently got an overhaul that made shopping on it a much friendlier and more comprehensive experience, and yesterday, one of our lovely Twitter followers pointed out to us that the brand is now available on NeimanMarcus.com. Glory hallelujah!

Balenciaga bags have been sold via Neiman Marcus’ site once in the past; a few years ago, the Dallas-based department store and its website were the exclusive purveyors of Balenciaga’s limited edition designs celebrating the Motorcycle Bag’s 10th anniversary. It seems as though the line has come to stay at NeimanMarcus.com, though, and although it’s mostly basics right now, I bet that the offerings will expand if the venture is successful. Check out some of our favorites from the first assortment after the jump or shop the entire selection via NeimanMarcus.com. Squeal! Sorry, that just slipped out. I’m kind of excited about this, okay? (Psst…there are also a couple of shoes!)

Balenciaga Panier Basket Tote, $995 via Neiman Marcus

Balenciaga Giant Hip, $765 via Neiman Marcus

Balenciaga Giant Velo, $1895 via Neiman Marcus

Balenciaga Papier Tote, $1445 via Neiman Marcus

Balenciaga Giant City, $1895 via Neiman Marcus

It’s no secret that I am a BBag admirer and carrier and while I love the classic-sized City bag, the Balenciaga Arena Giant Hip is too hip to pass up. I’m always telling you how I love a crossbody bag, and more often than not, I go out and don’t need to carry that many items. For days like that, a small bag with a long strap is as perfect as it gets.

With every bit of Balenciaga in a smaller package, 6.5″ length x 10″ width x 2.5″ depth, the Giant Hip remains true to the brands aesthetic. There is a zip top that leads to the interior and a thin shoulder strap that has a 24″ drop. On this exact bag, Barneys offers an ideal winter hue of blue, dubbed “Light Atlantic,” and my favorite rose gold hardware. For those of you looking for a bag like this and hoping for a manageable price, the Giant Hip is priced at $815 at Barneys.

In case you’re already sacked out at home and your trigger finger is getting itchy (or you’re still at work for reasons that no one can really explain and absolutely bored to death and ready for some online shopping), we’ve got some exciting new collection news for you – Balenciaga Holiday 2011 is now available for your ordering pleasure from Balenciaga.com.

This collection is particularly handy if you’d like to get a jump on the pastels trend that dominated the Spring 2011 runways. With powdery shades of dove grey, lavender and baby blue, no messy ladies need apply. Just looking at these lovely bags in Balenciaga’s new, more matte Hamilton goatskin leather is forcing me to mentally push all my dark-wash jeans to the back of my closet; color transfer is not to be fooled with. Check out some of our picks from the collection after the jump. (Really, make the jump, if only to see the Gris Poivre bag. Swoon.)

Balenciaga Giant Silver Hamilton City in Glycine, $1945 via Balenciaga.com

Balenciaga Giant Silver Hamilton Velo in Gris Poivre, $1945 via Balenciaga.com

Balenciaga Giant Gold Hamilton Part-Time in Ciment, $2045 via Balenciaga.com

Balenciaga Giant Silver Hamilton City Rose Bruyere, $1945 via Balenciaga.com

I dare you not to call it “rose gruyere” in your head. DARE YOU.

One of my absolutely favorite bags that I own is my Balenciaga Giant City in Anthracite with Rose Gold Hardware. This bag took me what feels like eons to finally find and accept to be my first leather Balenciaga Bag. The reason for this is the color conundrum. While being known for their colors, Balenciaga has a way to find hues that literally change like mood rings in different lighting, and you need to see the bag up close to know that it is the color you desire. I thought I found the perfect BBag before, a Seigle Giant City, but I ended up returning it since the bag was more taupe in person than tan. But when I opened the box to unveil this Anthracite BBag, my heart was immediately taken and this bag has fast become one of my absolute favorite bags that I own.

Here is how my Balenciaga Giant City scores in our PurseBlog Purseonals ratings:

Aesthetics

The Balenciaga Motorcycle bags are cult classics. Since the bag’s inception, everyone who is anyone or wanted to be anyone has owned and carried a Balenciaga bag. They have the perfect touch of grunge with an overall feel of classical appeal.

I am a huge fan of the giant hardware, which my mother tells me resembles thimbles, but these studs bring the bag to life. There is so much happening on the front of the bag, but it’s not overwhelming. Some say they see a face on the front of the bag, but all I see is beauty. A front zipper pocket is found on the middle of the bag, and this helps break up the design and add functionality at the same time. The City size is perfect for everyday use and while there are double top handles with a nifty whipstitching finish, there is also an optional shoulder strap.

The bag is made to be slouchy, as it sits on a table it will loose its shape. But that doesn’t bother me at all, because as soon as you put it in the crook of your arm or over your shoulder, the iconic look of the bag takes form.

Usability + Functionality

The Balenciaga City is simple when it comes to its usability and functionality. I sometimes have a bit of difficulty opening the zipper closure when the bag is in use and still can not figure out why Balenciaga decided to give 6 inches of extra zipper track to either end of the bag; that’s precisely why it is hard to open and shut the zipper when not holding the other end to make the track taught. That being said, I can look past that flaw because the bag is just that great.

The next thing I would change on this bag is making the shoulder strap just a few inches longer. That way it would sit nicely on my shoulder even with a jacket or coat on. Many times when I put it on my shoulder, the strap slowly slides down my arm.

Even though I have the giant hardware version, I have never considered this bag to be very heavy. Some people complain about the weight, but compared to many of the bags in my collection, this bag is relatively light for leather plus lots of hardware purse.

When it comes to the inside of the bag there are not a plethora of bells and whistles. You have a nifty mirror (that I never use but always think is cute) and one inside zipper pocket. Much like other bags, this bag is accessible but not redefining the way we use our handbags.

Quality + Construction

I haven’t used this bag enough to wear it down, but for owning it and carrying it for nine months so far I have absolutely no complaints. The leather is really smooshy and only gets nicer with time, the hardware has not lost its luster or flaked off in any place. The stitching is still in tact (though Amanda told me after all the use she has given her 2007 Balenciaga bag, which she still carries regularly, the stitching on the handle has begun to fray).

Each aspect of this bag shows that there was great attention to detail and the bag holds up extremely well.

Value

For a high-end, highly-sought-after designer handbag, $1,895 is a relative steal. When we begin to talk about handbag classics and staples, brands like Chanel and Hermes and Louis Vuitton are thrown around. And in that sphere, there is no other bag that costs under $2,000 that is full leather and high quality like the Balenciaga City. Let me put it this way: you can have 5.277 Balenciaga City bags for the price of one Hermes Birkin.

When it comes to designer handbags and great values, one of the first brands that comes to my mind is Balenciaga.

The ‘It’ Factor

Over the past ten years, the popularity of this bag has never swayed. In fact, the ranks of the obsessive continue to grow along with the obsession. Much of the reason is because Balenciaga knows they have a good thing on their hands and they do not try to reinvent their staple designs again and again, instead they offer us a plethora of colors that change each season. Tell a Balenciaga girl that you have an Apple Green or Bubblegum pink bag from years past, and you can watch their demeanor change to full-out jealousy and envy. This bag has not gone out of style and will continue to stay in style for years to come.

Total Score

Shop Balenciaga bags via Barneys online.

…and then I saw the fur-trimmed version of the Balenciaga A4 Papier Tote, and I knew I had been mistaken all along. Today is a sad day in the life of this Balenciaga fangirl, PurseBloggers.

This bag…looks like it needs a shave. That’s the only accurate way to describe my feelings toward it. It looks like the regular Balenciaga A4 Papier Tote, which is quite lovely and minimalist, went on a three-week bender and came back all scraggly and unkempt and exhausted. It needs a place to rest and dry out for a few days, and it needs to stay off the sauce for a while.

If ever you needed proof that not all classic bags can be molded to fit current trends, this bag should provide that proof nicely. The Balenciaga Motorcycle bags have proven remarkably versatile over the years, getting everything from perforations to rose gold hardware to puffy quilting. The design handled all those modifications with grace (although some were better than others), but it looks as though we’ve found the one thing that the bag can’t do – fur. I don’t blame Nicolas Ghesquiere for trying, what with fur becoming something of an omnipresent fall bag trends, but this bag should have been vetoed at the sample stage. Buy through Barneys for $2795.

Wednesday has come and almost gone, but the only thing I have on my mind is how much I want this Balenciaga Motorcycle Jacket. I have always known of its existence and have always had a feeling I would like one myself, but this version of the jacket has my heart going boom boom boom.

And get this, I want the purple one. I don’t know what is making me want a purple leather jacket other than the fact that Balenciaga perfects colors and the hue is just enough to make the jacket totally interesting while remaining wearable. Perfect to pair with skinny jeans, a dress, maxi skirt, or just about anything, a Balenciaga Motorcycle Jacket would become an instant wardrobe staple. And this dear readers is why I want it oh-so-badly. Buy via Barneys for $2865.

I always feel good about buying a Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag for a couple of reasons, first and foremost because I’ve loved every one that I’ve ever owned. Almost as important, though, is that the overwhelming retail success of those bags makes it possible for Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere to do what he does without quite as much pressure to make a collection that will sell well at retail. He does his best work when he’s at his most conceptual, and conceptual clothes are usually not retail darlings.

I’d encourage all of you to take a look through the entire Balenciaga Spring 2012 collection because, let’s face it, Ghesquiere is that good, but you’ll get an idea of what was going on just from the bags. Half were ultraminimal two-tone shoulder bags and boxy shapes, and the other half were the kind of smallish bags that we’ve come to expect from the accessories industry in general, but with a very Balenciaga twist. Straps and buckles jut out from spots where you don’t expect, creating a counterintuitive look that still functions as you think such a bag should.

I know I’ve asked before, but seriously, where did summer go? School is no longer out for the summer; it’s back in session and the month of August is nearly gone. I spent much of the season traveling on short weekend getaways, and each time I began packing I ran into the same problem: I don’t have an overnight bag that I love. Large luggage with rolling wheels is in a very different category from spacious but efficient large duffel bags; one is much harder to find than the other.

Of course Balenciaga has an answer for my travel bag woes, and in a bright, eye-catching fluorescent color at that. With small details that are oh-so-Balenciaga, the Voyage 24H in Rose Fluo is a statement piece for every girl who loves a quick escape.

You know that moment right before you are supposed to load up the car and run out of town, yet you can not find the right sized bag to throw your essentials in? I know that moment well, because I always end up with a bag too big or a bag too small. I have a good feeling about this BBag and hope the 13″W x 16.5″H x 8.5″D will make a great overnight option.

Now let me talk about the color. With a brand known well for their wide variety of hues, this is one of my favorites to date. Neon, bold and almost too-in-your-face for most, I find myself wanting this bag in a major way. Make room for bold colors, because the pale and muted palettes are taking a backseat with many of our favorite designers right now. Buy via Balenciaga for $2,245.

We don’t often get a peek behind the scenes at the business and logistical decisions that go into making our favorite handbags a reality, but thanks to a recent Women’s Wear Daily interview with Balenciaga genius Nicolas Ghesquiere, we now know a little bit more about one of the most popular bag designs in the modern accessories world: The Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag.

Namely, we know that it almost never existed in the first place. Ghesquiere tells WWD that he made the prototype at the behest of company brass, and they dismissed it as too soft, too lightweight and too lacking in structure. As it turns out, all the things that they thought would make it unpopular are what make the design so beloved. Those of us who have loved and adored our fair share of Balenciaga bags over the years have one group of people to thank for it: Models.

That’s right; if it weren’t for the models, we wouldn’t have a single Motorcycle bag in our collections. Ghesquiere says that he convinced his corporate minders to allow him to produce the bags just for the runway show so that the girls would have something to carry while they walked, but the models (most notably Kate Moss) were so immediately smitten with the design that he knew he had a winning bag on his hands. When Kate Moss tells you that something is cool, it’s in the best interest of everyone who stands to profit to listen to her.

And so here we are, more than a decade later, many of us with multiples of the bag in our closet histories. Me? I’ve had four of them in four different colors and three different shapes. I doubt the one I have right now will be my last. Not by a long shot. Read the full (fascinating) interview via Women’s Wear Daily.

I’m a big lover of Balenciaga bags both familiar and lesser-known, and often, I find myself even more attracted to the non-Motorcycle styles that don’t grace quite so many arms. Don’t get me wrong, though, my favorite bag I’ve ever own is a Balenciaga Day Bag and I doubt that’s going to be changing anytime soon.

But I also have a lot of love for the bags like the Balenciaga Padlock Totes, which don’t drive revenue to the brand quite like the moto bags, but are beautiful accessories nonetheless. What I’m really loving about this design in particular is the little red enamel closure at the front, which got me thinking about hardware choices and how few3 of them we have as modern accessories consumers. Gold, silver, weathered, shiny. Maybe a little gunmetal or matte black, if we’re lucky. Why can’t we have more color?

I’ve been thinking about this question for a few days, and here’s what I’ve come up with so far. First, I think there’s probably a durability issue. When it comes to high-end bags, most of the hardware you see is solid, and the finish isn’t painted or baked-on. If you sawed it in half, it’d be a similar color all the way through. That makes it much more resistent to the appearance of wear, since the surface is the same as whatever’s underneath it.

Enamel, on the other hand, is painted on and heated into a solid over metal, which means that it’s usually softer and more likely to wear than what’s below it. And since the material underneath is a different color, that wear is more likely to be obvious to a bag’s owner, who may take none too kindly to those kinds of imperfections.

Second, there’s probably also a wearability issue. Since consumers are so used to seeing hardware in only a handful of colors, I’m betting that a lot of women will have a bit of resistance to the idea of bright hardware that contrasts with the color of their bags. Personally, I adore things like that, but I can understand why such a bold look might not have the longevity that many customers are looking for when they buy an expensive bag. It’s like neon shoelaces – I’ll wear them all day, every day, but I know I’ll get a weird look here and there. It will probably surprise no one that I like the green and red Balenciaga combination the best. Would you wear colorful hardware in general or this bag in particular? Buy through Matches for $2077 in both black and green.