In fashion, sometimes the right color makes all the difference. I’ve held off on buying many a handbag because the color wasn’t just right; sure, the bag came in purple, but it was a blue-based purple, and I like it red-based. Or the bag was beautifully designed, but it only came in black or tan, and I just don’t see the fun in that.

The best things about Louis Vuitton, in my view, are the sheer volume of handbag designs the company produces every season and the enormous leather goods history on which Vuitton has to draw. For the Louis Vuitton Monceau BB, new for Spring 2013, both of those uniquely Vuitton elements come in to play; the result is a beautiful, modern take on an old favorite.

We’ve known that a serious holographic trend was coming for some time now, but now that a brand as chic and venerable as Lanvin has chosen to embrace the trend in handbag form with the Lanvin Happy Holographic Python Shoulder Bag, we thought it would be worth a second look. The finish is inherently futuristic, but this bag is nothing but ladylike and pretty.

Recently, we’ve talked about both the best ways to carry a clear bag and how to organize your belongings in a big bag, so it only seemed appropriate that we get down to the nitty-gritty of both of these subjects eventually. PurseBloggers, today is that day – we’ve scoured the Internet for the coolest small accessories, from sunglasses to iPad cases, and we’ve assembled them for easy judgment.

Brace yourself, kids: Nicky Hilton’s bag collection is about to make your head explode. You should probably ask friends and loved ones to move out of your immediate vicinity, lest they get any on them. If you don’t heed that warning, well, it’s not my fault. None of this is my fault. It’s all Ms. Hilton’s. I’m just a middle man.

If you peruse PurseBlog articles on Proenza Schouler, you will see that the entire team adores Proenza, and we say so often and without reserve. Right now, though, I’ve got a bone to pick with the brand; all I want to know is, why did they ruin a good thing with their beyond crazy hit, the PS1, by taking a tomboyish satchel and trying to turn it into a ladylike, chain-strapped shoulder bag?

Today we have Olivia Wilde, walking her adorable, ginormous dog with a gal pal in NYC’s West Village. Her tiny little black bag is a Proenza Schouler PS1 Pouch. I love this micro-bag – it’s dainty, yet somehow slightly masculine; hardly bigger than a large wallet, yet strangely practical. Plus I’ve never been able to avoid the oversized bag/black hole trap, so a pouch is my ideal bag size.

Another season has come and gone, and before we dive into what the Europeans have to offer in the coming weeks, it’s time to look back at what we learned about Fall 2013 during New York Fashion Week. First and foremost, things aren’t going be be quite as busy and boisterous going forward as they have been over the past few seasons.

There’s an inherent luxury to a day clutch. That a woman is free to carry her bag in her hands implies all sorts of privilege, chiefly among them that the woman in question has other people at her disposal to worry about all the things with which the contents of an oversized tote might otherwise contend. It doesn’t guarantee that someone has a driver, personal assistant or nanny, of course, but I can understand why a certain breed of woman likes the implication that the look, when well-executed, provides.

While at dinner with a few friends the other night, the subject of buying a new bag came up. My friend Jessica is in the market for something shiny and new, and her budget is $2,000. Naturally, I volunteered my recommendations…until I realized I didn’t have any. I can easily tell you which bag you should spend $3,000 on, or which bag you should impulse-buy for $500, but between those two extremes, things get a little murky.