Bottega Veneta isn’t one of the big, splashy, blockbuster spectacles of Milan Fashion Week to which the Italians are so preternaturally inclined, but that’s one of the things that makes me look forward to it every season all the more. During his tenure at Bottega, Tomas Maier has so expertly crafted the Bottega Veneta woman into someone who can’t be easily hemmed in by a few adjectives, as he mentioned in the run of show for Bottega Veneta Spring 2013.

I’m about to use a word to describe the handbags from Gucci Spring 2013 that I genuinely have never associated with Gucci or its bags in the past: simple. For the candy-colored clutches and petite shoulder bags that Gucci sent down the runway in Milan on Friday, the brand’s iconic horsebit hardware was back and nearly everything else was gone. Shown in two versions, Gucci’s pared-down flap bags were a notable departure for a brand know for its large, sometimes aggressive handbags.

I’ve been a bit critical about Mulberry (specifically its marketing tactics) over the past season, so believe me when I say this: the Mulberry Willow Tote may very well be the best new day bag we’ll see all season. That’s a hefty mantle to bestow before the handbag heavyweights in Milan and Paris have even finished styling their runway looks, and I may yet be proved wrong, but the the big bag reveal of the Mulberry Spring 2013 show might just be good enough to go the distance.

Before I had ever attended one of Oscar de la Renta’s shows, I never thought the designer’s wares would speak to me. As it turns out, that could not be further from the truth – Oscar’s offerings are so drop-dead stunning that I have a hard time keeping myself from bolting onto the runway and taking outfits from the models bodies look by look.

No one puts together a runway livestream like the Europeans, and Burberry has set an extremely high bar this season. I kicked off my work week by watching the show yesterday morning, and from the setting to the attendees to the apparel, the entire presentation, from start to finish, gave the fashion world something to talk about. The coats and jackets in particular, for which Burberry is known, shone (literally) as they walked down the runway.

As we mentioned last week, Proenza Schouler tends to put its most directional accessories on the runway instead of the bags and leather goods that actually fly off of store shelves. That’s the case for most designers, but Proenza is particularly notable because there’s such a wide gulf between the runway bags and the rest of the line; you needn’t look further than Proenza Schouler Spring 2013 for proof.

Tory Burch has come such a long way, and Tory Burch Spring 2013 proves that Tory has found her fashion groove. Of course, Tory has made a huge name for herself for years and filled an important gap in the market with her well-priced ballet flats, logo bags and tunic tops, but there is so much more Burch has to offer.

If you’ve spent any appreciable amount of time shopping for handbags, either online or in stores (and I think that it’s a pretty good bet that you have), then you’re likely familiar with the utterly enormous line of not just handbags, but small leather goods,
accessories, tech accouterments and any number of other tiny and not-so-tiny things that one can buy and put in his or her bag.

Let’s be honest: It’s been a while since Marc Jacobs had a huge hit handbag. The brand continues to put on the show of New York Fashion Week, and Jacobs’ influence the course of trends and the fashion industry as a whole cannot be understated, but when it comes to Jacobs-helmed brands, both Louis Vuitton and Marc by Marc Jacobs have done a better job of making handbags fly off the shelves over the past few years.

Diane von Furstenberg‘s clothes have maintained an almost staggering level of popularity for decades, largely because they’re so wearable. Diane has a keen sense for what stylish women want to wear in their everyday lives, and coupled with a somewhat attainable price point, she sells clothes, shoes and housewares hand over fist to exactly those women. The era with which von Furstenberg is most closely associated, though, is the 1970s – she launched her company in 1970 and introduced the iconic wrap dress in 1974.