Every fashion week the biggest highlight for me is entering the world of a designer whose aesthetic is so composed, his collections always so utterly beautiful I have a hard time leaving at the end of the show. I am speaking of Oscar de la Renta, a man that is a permanent fixture of both the fashion world and the American design world.

Images via Vogue.com

Unfortunate Lana Del Rey bag aside, Mulberry sent what seemed like dozens of fun, mostly awesome handbags down its runway for Mulberry Fall 2012 over the weekend in London. Not everything worked perfectly (I’m looking at you, trompe l’oeil flaps and buckles), but there were so many options available that it seems as though everyone should be able to find a covetable piece within this collection.

Images via Vogue.com

If you only look at one set of detail shots from New York Fashion Week, make it Proenza Schouler’s. Not even for the bags, necessarily; most of these pieces will come to retail in a very limited way, with the well-known PS1s and PS11s dominating the Proenza handbag landscape. No, look at these photos for the closeup of what’s around them – the cuff details, the immaculate and inventive weaving, the tiny touches added that make a garment so special – and you’ll see why so many people lose their breath praising the brand.

True to her brand’s aesthetic and identity, Rebecca Minkoff made sure every attendee of her fashion show not only had the opportunity to see her Fall 2012 collection but also made sure they got to rock out while the show took place. The talented and highly energetic Theophilus London performed while models strutted down the runway wearing Rebecca’s upcoming looks. The entire show had more of a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show feel than a demure and stuffy catwalk feel, which was greatly appreciated.

It’s become a seasonal tradition; immediately following the livestream of the Proenza Schouler show, the brand puts a couple of bags from the collection on its website for immediately pre-order. Sometimes they’re runway bags and sometimes they’re not, but for Proenza Schouler Fall 2012, they’re versions of the most eye-catching accessories from the show. And they’re furry.

The Proenza Schouler Akira Satchel and Proenza Schouler Large Chieko Clutch are both leather-backed bags covered in natural deer hides, the use of which represents something of a first for Proenza.

Images via Vogue.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs’ runway bags tend not to reveal a great deal about what the entire accessories line will look like when it comes out. For his diffusion line, Jacobs generally only reveals one or two shapes or ideas in the hands of his models; as you all well know by now, the eventual retail line will contain dozens of shapes, sizes and colors in a litany of different sub-lines.

Images via Vogue.com

In a season where several major American accessories designers have opted to go with straight-up whimsy and humor, 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012 took a much more intellectual approach. Building on the widespread critical success of his 31 Hour, Minute and Second bags from Spring 2012, fall’s runway collection marked a continued exploration of handbag structure and the ways that modern women interact with their accessories.

This morning Vlad and I attended the Ralph Lauren Fall 2012 Accessories preview at their Upper East Side boutique. Sometimes I forget the beauty that Ralph Lauren has to offer, but being there in person today reinvigorated me and reminded me precisely what it is this iconic brand is all about.

Very magical and elegant, Ralph Lauren’s upcoming fall collection is filled with exotic skins, furs and ladylike shapes.

Images via Vogue.com

First and foremost, if you haven’t looked at the full Marc Jacobs Fall 2012 show already, I’d encourage you to head over to Vogue.com and flip through it now; I generally prefer spring fashion week to fall because the clothes are so much more fun, and Jacobs managed to inject a healthy dose of whimsy and wit into his collection via all manner of ridiculousness, most notably outsized fur hats.