Alaia Arabesque Tote, $3395 via Net-a-Porter

Whenever I write about an Alaia bag, I can more or less pinpoint the range of reactions that it will receive. The people who think that Alaia is, like, a totally important designer will ooh and ahh. The people who haven’t joined Azzedine’s cult of personality will complain that it’s either too simple or too similar to all the other Alaia bags. Portions of both groups will bemoan the price tag, perhaps justifiably.

That’s the thing about Alaia – he has more or less opted out of all the fashion industry hoopla, so it’s hard to get a handle on exactly what his company is turning out and how it compares to what everyone else does. It’s 2011, and the company still doesn’t have a website, let alone a Twitter or Tumblr. He recently got in to the couture business when other corporate-owned companies are bailing out. So what, exactly, is the value of an Alaia handbag, and what would you be willing to pay for this one?

One of my absolutely favorite bags that I own is my Balenciaga Giant City in Anthracite with Rose Gold Hardware. This bag took me what feels like eons to finally find and accept to be my first leather Balenciaga Bag. The reason for this is the color conundrum. While being known for their colors, Balenciaga has a way to find hues that literally change like mood rings in different lighting, and you need to see the bag up close to know that it is the color you desire. I thought I found the perfect BBag before, a Seigle Giant City, but I ended up returning it since the bag was more taupe in person than tan. But when I opened the box to unveil this Anthracite BBag, my heart was immediately taken and this bag has fast become one of my absolute favorite bags that I own.

The current Rebecca Minkoff NYC Sample Sale is still ongoing until Sunday, 5pm EST. If you are in town, we suggest you swing by and score your favorite bags below retail. The SS is located at 14 W 14th Street.

Below are a few impressions I collected on the opening night on Tuesday. Enjoy!

To me, a wallet is a nearly perfect gift. They come in a million shapes and sizes, chic ones can be had at nearly any price point, and most people don’t think about buying them for themselves. Almost all of us are in a constant state of “needing a new wallet,” and even if you don’t right now, it’s an easy gift to store for use at a later date. (Or, if necessary, to regift. It happens. No judgement.)

With that in mind, wallets are an obvious choice for the latest installment of our Holiday Gift Guide 2011. From $15 to nearly a grand, we’d like to think that we have all budgets and most personal styles covered. Have a mother, daughter or sister who has everything but still needs a Christmas gift? This is where you start.

This is one of those exclusives that I both curse and welcome at the same time: We have the first look at the Hermes bags that will be available on Moda Operandi later tonight! The sale begins tonight at 7 pm EST, but you have one hour to drool over the goods and possibly plan a purchase before anyone else.

The partnership for this sale is between Heritage Auctions and Moda Operandi, which decided to offer an exclusive trunk show of many rare and one-of-a-kind Hermes Bags. One of the highlights of the collection is the rare 30cm Violet Porosus Crocodile Birkin, a notoriously hard-to-find color in an amazing shiny exotic skin. This post doesn’t need more text, because, hello, we have pictures of Hermes bags. Shop Moda Operandi’s Hermes sale starting at 7 pm EST!

Prada Raso Jeweled Clutch, $2100 via Neiman Marcus

With Prada, resort collections are always a good indication of what’s coming when spring debuts, and the cutesy appliques on some of Prada’s Resort 2012 bags certainly belie the flames and cars we saw on the Prada spring runway. Among those very style-specific bags, though, are a few that will likely have a much broader audience.

My favorite of the group is the Prada Raso Jeweled Clutch above, which follows in the footsteps of previous Prada evening bags and covers its entire front flap in shiny, sparkly goodness. We have a sampling of the collection’s other distinctive bags after the jump, plus their price and purchase information. Not all of them have twee appliques, we promise. (Although we kind of like the lip bag? Maybe? A little bit?)