Botkier Carlyle Satchel, $545. Botkier Carlyle Crossbody, $395. Both via ShopBop.

Any longtime reader of this blog should be able to easily invision the archetypical Botkier handbag – a slouchy, soft leather satchel, usually in a dark color like black or chocolate brown with vintage-inspired touches. Those are the bags that have made the brand tick from the beginning, and although I love them, I’m still incredibly excited for the more colorful and structured options that the brand has created for Resort 2012. We already told you about the Botkier Eden Satchel, and today we’d like to introduce the Botkier Carlyle Bags – whether you’re looking for a satchel or a crossbody, a bright color or a modern texture, this line has you covered.

Christian Louboutin Bikini Pouch, $995 via NAP

I searched PurseBlog and realized we only have a handful of posts on (most likely) my favorite color: cobalt blue. Blue has always been my color, but there is something about a bright shocking blue that is not overly aggressive but still lures me in so strongly. Celine did this wonderfully and I count myself as one of the few and one of the lucky to own a Celine Cobalt Blue Luggage Tote.

On the other hand, I’m in a love-hate relationship with Christian Louboutin bags, but the Bikini Pouch immediately caught my attention. The royal blue stands out beautifully against the watersnake zip top pouch which is offset by a silver-tone chain link strap. The interior of course features a red grosgrain lining with a slip pocket. Many times I show a bag that I think is absurd for our Fill in the Blank category, but this week I am changing it up by showing you a bag I adore. Do you too? Buy via Barneys for $995.

Fill in the blank: The Christian Louboutin Bikini Pouch is ___________________.

To say that last night’e episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was dramatic would probably be a bit of an understatement. Even in this always-melodramatic series, knowing that the entire hour was leading up to Taylor being confronted about the violence in her marriage was enough to set my teeth on edge. I’m going to send Bravo my dental bill.

It happened almost exactly as you’d expect it, with Taylor trying to divert all the negative attention to Lisa and another member of the group having to step in and refocus the attention on what was really happening. Taylor, even if she’s a grifter or a liar or a fraudster, is flailing around wildly for a very good reason. But first, before we get to that, we need to talk about the other 55 minutes of the show.

Proenza Schouler PS1 Keep All Small Satchel, $1250 via Net-a-Porter

It’s been a rough week already and it’s only Tuesday. First Balenciaga, makers of my favorite handbags of all time, decided to desecrate one of their classic bags with inexplicably bad fur trim. Now Proenza Schouler, another of my can-do-no-wrong favorites, has made a version of their usually lovely Proenza Schouler PS1 Keep All Small that I just…don’t like.

This bag is not as egregious as the Balenciaga tote, for sure, but most Proenza bags are so effortlessly cool and (in my mind at least) perfect that to see one of the brand’s classics miss the mark is jarring, to say the least. I like the shape and I like the materials when considered individually, but together? Eep.

Anya Hindmarch Big Ben or Corgi Headline Totes, $295 each via Net-a-Porter

Oh, the Brits! They’re a funny lot, aren’t they? They brought us Monty Python and Benny Hill and Eddie Izzard, and for that, the rest of the world is eternally grateful. British humor is renowned the world over for its special brand of biting dryness, and it only makes sense that a London designer would be pursuing the art of handbag humor.

Anya Hindmarch is often witty, but the Anya Hindmarch Headline Printed Canvas Shoppers take things to a new level. Using iconic bits of Britannia like Big Ben and the Queen’s beloved corgis, Hindmarch gives you a funny way to haul your daily necessities. Plus, they have a little surprise on the inside.

Some of the most comfortable shoes both Vlad and I have ever owned and worn are Cole Haan. I may not turn to Cole Haan for the most trendy and stylish pieces for me, but for the men’s spectrum the brand delivers. Many of our Man Bag Monday posts have featured bags that cost well over a thousand dollars, but today’s post is with price in mind while not forgetting about style.

Cole Haan is not a brand I follow closely for women’s bags, but the Cole Haan Merced Briefcase shows that for the men there are beautiful bags being made at a reasonable price.

Last night’s episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta was a little dull compared to the premiere, but still better than almost any other episode of Real Housewives that we could have watched instead. Nene’s delusions about her wealth and Kim’s moaning about her pregnancy are enough to keep me entertained for at least an hour on any night of the week.

Which is to say nothing of Phaedra’s insistence that funeral directing is going to be the thing that finally makes her really rich, or that she prefers to work with the dead rather than the living because they’re so quiet. For a few minutes there, I thought I might be watching Dexter instead of Real Housewives, but then Nene’s nipple popped out of her bathing suit and I snapped back to reality.