In case you’re already sacked out at home and your trigger finger is getting itchy (or you’re still at work for reasons that no one can really explain and absolutely bored to death and ready for some online shopping), we’ve got some exciting new collection news for you – Balenciaga Holiday 2011 is now available for your ordering pleasure from Balenciaga.com.

This collection is particularly handy if you’d like to get a jump on the pastels trend that dominated the Spring 2011 runways. With powdery shades of dove grey, lavender and baby blue, no messy ladies need apply. Just looking at these lovely bags in Balenciaga’s new, more matte Hamilton goatskin leather is forcing me to mentally push all my dark-wash jeans to the back of my closet; color transfer is not to be fooled with. Check out some of our picks from the collection after the jump. (Really, make the jump, if only to see the Gris Poivre bag. Swoon.)

When I try to think of ways to describe last night’s episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the only one I can think of is “awkward.” The show started with Russell being outed as a wife beater and ended with Taylor regaling 250 guests with tales of how wonderful her family is and how happy they make her. I can see why the other cast members are becoming tired with Taylor’s dual narrative.

I’m not an expert on domestic abuse (although apparently Faye Resnick is?), but I’m finding the scenes with Taylor or Russell increasingly difficult to watch. It seems inappropriate to view this kind of thing as entertainment, particularly since half the time, I don’t even like Taylor or find myself feeling particularly sympathetic toward her plight. Even grifters don’t deserve to be abused, though. I just have to keep telling myself that.

Burberry Leather Wristlet, $1195 via Net-a-Porter

In my mind, calling a bag a “wristlet” is a precarious thing to do for a manufacturer or retailer. The word “wristlet” brings about a very specific type of simple, relatively inexpensive small accessory; personally, I use a wristlet to hold the small pharmacy that I carry around inside of my real bag. I wouldn’t ever pay a thousand dollars for something like that.

While the Burberry Leather Wristlet is, in fact, a wristlet like its name would suggest, it’s also one of the nicer wristlets I’ve ever seen in my life, and a full-fledged leather clutch with multiple structured compartments. Don’t let the w-word fool you, this bag is a lot more than just an accessory to your accessories.

Reed Krakoff Soft Boxer Tote in coral or black, $1295 via Neiman Marcus

With my first six months in New York coming to a close, I’ve done lots of thinking about how clothes, shoes and accessories play into the very unique New York City lifestyle. For as long as I can remember, a handbag’s structure didn’t really matter to me; I could carry almost anything from a day clutch to a huge hobo rather happily because I always, without fail, had a car with me. Now that I don’t, my preferences have changed drastically.

That’s one of the reasons that I’m excited for the debut of the Reed Krakoff Soft Boxer tote, or the Shoulder Boxer, as I like to call it. I’ve been an enormous fan of the regular Boxer since its debut, but I simply can no longer justify buying a bag that doesn’t have an option for shoulder carry. This modified version of the Boxer design completely solves that problem.

SPOILER ALERT: Apollo didn’t take his shirt of at all during last night’s episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Not once! That means that our Shirtless Apollo account this season still stands at zero, despite the fact that I think I’ve seen both Nene and Kim basically shirtless. (Did anyone else catch the Boob Sling picture from last night’s baby shower?)

Anyway, as if our Jersey housewives hadn’t perpetrated enough almost-violence at childhood celebrations to last us all a lifetime, we had a near-fight at Kim’s baby shower last night. The only other notable thing about the episode was that Sheree thinks a ballroom is a must-have for a house. Oh, and Peter’s a jerk. But we already knew that.

The fashion world’s calendar confuses me. We are bundling up for all the cold weather and we haven’t even passed Thanksgiving, yet resort collections are slowly trickling into the stores. This only makes sense if you live in a tropical climate and I am certain that NYC does not qualify as that. However, while I may be confused, I still love seeing the bright colors and new arrivals hit Net-A-Porter.com.

New arrivals this Monday include inviting yellow bags from Burberry and Marc Jacobs along with a green Reed Krakoff bag that I adore.

Shop new arrivals at Net-A-Porter.com now!

Hermes Cup Cozy, $190 via Hermes

File this under: Things I Never Expected to See.

Hermes makes a lot of unexpected products; the company has done a great job transitioning from a leather goods brand to a full-on, ultra-luxury lifestyle brand, and with that comes unexpected pieces (flask, anyone?) to help Hermes devotees spread the French leather love into all areas of their lives. Now, with the Hermes Cup Cozy, you can Hermes-ify your day from the very beginning with your morning cup of coffee. After all, who wants to wrap their $5 latte in cardboard? That’s so pedestrian.