I always look forward to Rebecca Minkoff’s runway show. Since Minkoff first took to Fashion Week, the buzz around her has grown, and her show and namesake brand have exploded as well. Rebecca’s downtown girl took a voyage into the future this season, when a trip to the moon combined with a sophisticated grunge attitude. Even though Rebecca Minkoff is known for her bags, her outerwear is a force to be reckoned with and comes in a close second as my favorite category from the designer.

New York Fashion Week has officially begun, and I’ve already got quite a few shows under my belt. Some collections stand out to me, and we’ll be bringing you news from the tents throughout the week. I always look forward to the BCBGMAXAZRIA show in particular because I’m comfortable and familiar with the brand’s look, but Max and Lubov have a way of staying true to the brand while reinventing themselves every season.

In all the hustle and bustle of getting through the end of the fashion season, we’ve still got a few collections that we didn’t get a chance to write about but we think you should see. The first, of course, is Hermes Spring 2013 – Hermes is essential viewing to any handbag lover, even if it’s not your style or anywhere near your budget.

My biggest complaint about street style photography has always been that there aren’t enough detail shots. Sure, it’s nice to see the overall picture, but so much is lost in the exclusion of the details – the grain of a piece of fine leather, the thousands of little crystals that make a piece of jewelry gleam, the subtle colors in printed silk.

Despite the fact that Loewe has increased its ready-to-wear and footwear presences over the past few season, the brand still knows very well which side its bread is buttered on: the handbag side. The Spanish leather goods house always makes sure to include lots of lovely, luxurious, totally wearable bags in its fashion shows, which makes us love them even more than we already do.

If you’re a Damier fangirl, you’re in luck. Prefer Louis Vuitton‘s monogram canvas or regular leather? It might be a tough six months for you, if you’re a Louis Vuitton customer. Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 was largely a riff on the company’s classic check print, with the square motif repeated over and over again in sequins, fur, piece leather and suede.

The fashion industry has been waiting with baited breath for months to see what Raf Simons would do in his historic first collection for Dior. The Belgian wunderkind has a penchant for minimalism and is known for his modern, forward-thinking approach, which many speculated would be difficult to reconcile with Dior’s midcentury heritage and strongly feminine identity. As it turns out, Raf did a pretty bang-up job.

Michael Kors is as traditional and classic a purveyor of American sportswear as you’ll ever find, so when even he is exploring modernism, you know it’s genuinely where the industry is headed. Kors is world-famous for his timeless, wearable separates and sleek evening dresses, and sleek is in fact a perfect word to describe Michael Kors Spring 2013. From striped knits to ensembles covered with digital prints of clouds and pools, the trim shapes in bold, preppy colors were clearly looking forward.

It was only last season that I attended my first Chadwick Bell show, and I felt like I found a little slice of heaven. While his shows are not absurdly packed – they’re shown in the intimate Studio setting at Lincoln Center – the entire vibe feels like you are going on a journey together. Perhaps coincidentally, Chadwick Bell Spring 2013 was all about a journey, or a “discovery;” for the lady who wears Chadwick Bell was looking to find herself.

Kate Spade has done such a stellar job branding itself that when you go to one of its presentations, you know approximately what to expect: bright colors, unrelenting girlishness and just a little dash of sass. The brand’s signature style of femininity lends itself well to retro references, especially those from the tailored, full-skirted American midcentury, where life was supposed to be just as idyllic as it is inside a Kate Spade window display.