How much do I love the Marni Layered Leather Satchel, exactly? A lot. I love it a lot. There is nothing not to love about it. I was prepared to whine a little bit that there’s no optional crossbody strap, but lo and behold, there is one. Absent that, I can think of literally nothing to complain about when it comes to this bag.

If someone who works in fashion tells you that her job doesn’t have any perks, I personally give you permission to slap her, or at the very least, call her a liar (but also slap her, because how often do you get a chance to backhand someone in real life and then blame it on a fashion blogger?) Tonight, the perk wagon came around and dropped me off squarely at the Marni x H&M press preview.

A few days ago, PurseBlog friend BryanBoy tweeted that Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni would be the perfect replacement for Karl Lagerfeld once he’s ready to move on from Fendi, and I can’t help but completely agree. Marni’s signature retro-minimal approach gets better and more fully realized by the season, and Consuelo’s sense for accessories and embellishment keeps improving right along with it.

Images via Marni

My level of excitement for mass market designer collaborations always varies widely (and mostly wanes by the time that full lookbooks surface), but believe me when I say that Marni for H&M has been marked on my calendar since the day it was announced. Marni’s work is so modern and fun that I suspected that it would translate well to the fabrication of H&M – after all, materials like plastics and grosgrain ribbon are already a mainstay of the Italian brand’s aesthetic.

Marni Tote, $645 via Net-a-Porter

A couple of days ago, the fashion Internet exploded with news of H&M’s next collaborative partner – quirky Italian label Marni. Forget Versace – this is something I might actually consider standing in line for, particularly because a full menagerie of accessories will also be available, right along with the retro-modern prints and oddball color combinations for which Marni is known.

Images via Vogue.com

Perhaps improbably, Marni is always one of the handbag collections that I look forward to the most during Milan Fashion Week. The brand doesn’t have a reputation in the accessories world as a purse powerhouse, but I love Marni’s signature blend of girlishness and modernism. The end result is usually some great accessories that will withstand both the passage of the season’s trends and the passage of time, leaving you with a unique bag that people will ask about for years to come.

Marni Woven Leather Hobo, $2330 via Net-a-Porter.

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about the Marni Woven Leather Hobo Bag already, but somehow it seems to have gotten passed over in the spring shuffle. What I can’t figure out, though, is how that managed to happen – I absolutely love it. I loved it as soon as I saw it on the runway back in September, and my love for the slouchy-yet-stark design has only grown since seeing how soft and wearable the bag would be in real life.