Valentino Bow Flap Bag, $1695 via Neiman Marcus. RED Valentino Bow Shoulder Bag, $495 via Saks.

The similar aesthetics of the Valentino and RED Valentino handbag lines have always surprised me. Sure, a main line and its little sister should have some things in common, but sharing signatures – like Valentino’s bows, for example – always runs one of two risks. First, the less-expensive bags are too similar to the originals, which could mean that the “affordable” line cannibalizes some of the main line’s sales. Second, the comparison of the two might make the diffusion bags look incredibly cheap or childish, which could hurt sales and undermine the purpose of a diffusion line (to capitalize on the cache of the originals to provide an influx of easy cash.)

In the case of the Valentin Bow Flap Bag and the less expensive RED Valentino Leather Bow Shoulder Bag, we’re dealing with the latter issue. Sit them next to each other, and suddenly one has to wonder why anyone would pay $500 for the less expensive option.

Anya Hindmarch Raw Nevis Rubber Tricolor Tote, $495 via Moda Operandi

I’ve spoken enthusiastically of Anya Hindmarch’s upcoming designs recently, and the Anya Hindmarch Raw Nevis Rubber Tricolor Tote, now up for pre-order at Moda Operandi, is yet another chic, reasonably priced bag that’s I’m anticipating for spring. I usually don’t get particularly jazzed about non-leather bags for some fairly obvious reasons, but something about the matte translucent look of this tote has drawn me in. Do you think $495 is a fair price?

Image via Fashionista.com

At the risk of adding to the furious, endless, 24-hour Kardashian news cycle, the sisters have a new handbag line. A new handbag line in…Australia? Theirs is a global empire of PVC knockoffs, after all. Anyway, we caught them hawking a nearly detail-for-detail copy of the Botkier Clyde Bag via their Sears-based Kardashian Kollection a couple of months ago, and now it seems that the sisters (or whoever designs their cheap crap) are taking their “inspired” handbags to the land down under. Fashionista.com matched up the stock images of the new Kardashibags to their designer equivalents, and although some of them are a bit of a stretch, a couple are clear derivations. Does this tactic bother you? Personally, I was more irritated when they did it to Botkier, which is a smaller independent brand.

Check out one of the more egregious examples after the jump, or see them all at Fashionista.com.

It’s upon us, you guys. The holiday shopping season. It keeps starting earlier and earlier, but I refuse even to utter the words “holiday shopping” before Halloween is dead and buried. Today’s date is November 3rd, so I guess it’s time to stop pretending that Christmas isn’t barreling at us at top speed and start thinking about potential gifts. For those of you who refuse to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, I completely understand, but I like to beat the rush.

Today, I’d like to tackle the question of what you buy for a bag lover when your budget isn’t huge. Someone who regularly treats themselves to bags worth four figures is a hard person to shop for, after all, when your target price range for a gift is likely somewhat lower. For me, the perfect answer is a bag charm. All of the ones we’ve chosen can double as a chic key fob if the recipient would rather not hang anything on the outside of her bag, but I’d display any of these proudly. Sometimes it’s fun to make your bag your own.

When I think of Paco Rabanne, I think of drugstore perfume bottles, but that’s because I’m only 25 years old. Decades ago, Rabanne’s company was revered for its innovative techniques and forward-thinking costume design for movies as famous as Barbarella. After years of drugstore residence, the brand is trying to remake its public image and restore some of its former glory.

The Paco Rabanne Le 69 Icon Bag is part of that attempt, but I doubt it’ll help the cause. Although part of Rabanne’s signature was piecing garments together with rings, this bag looks like it was made from the little bits that fall to the bottom of my recycling bin, including plenty of pop-tops from Diet Coke cans. That’s why it’s the subject of this week’s Fill in the Blank, and you won’t believe the price – $10,400. Yes, you read that correctly.

Buy through Luisa via Roma, or finish the sentence we started in the comments.

Nina Ricci Liane Satchels in Python and Pleated Leather, $3750 and $1950, respectively, via Neiman Marcus

It always takes me a moment to warm up to a new combatant in the It Bag Wars. Nina Ricci is an extremely well-established fashion house, but its never been known for its handbags, and any brand charging well into the four figures out of the gate deserves a close inspection. Luckily, bags like the Nina Ricci Liane Satchel pass with flying colors.

Fashion’s most coveted site, Moda Operandi, will launch an exclusive trunk show tomorrow of the limited edition Roger Vivier Fall 2011 Couture Collection, dubbed Rendez-Vous. The first place you can see what will be offered is right here, thanks to our friends at Moda Operandi. The trunk show is made up of a small but entirely gorgeous collection of five shoe designs and seven bags. If you see anything you like, keep in mind that the collection has been produced in limited quantities and tomorrow will be the first time it is available for purchase online.

I’m going gaga for this collection, finding the pieces both demure and totally alluring. I would love both shoes shown here and the chain clutch would easily be the perfect addition to an evening outfit.

Click to join Moda Operandi now!