Images via Vogue.com

For Fall 2011, Salvatore Ferragamo gave us handbag after handbag in black, white or grey, and the collection served as a stark contrast the use of color that permeated most of the other collections for the season. For Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2012, though, there isn’t a trop of black or grey to be found. You might as well entitle this collection Ferragamo and the Amazing Technicolor Handbags.

There were a couple of multi-textured neutrals, but the vast majority of the bags were bright, cheery colors in suede, exotics or some combination of the two. The aqua blue alligator day clutch in particular attracted my attention (and admiration), but how could it not? That’s the kind of bag that begs heads to turn.

We love the folks at Net-A-Porter and as their site continues expanding so does their imaginations. We have the first look for you all at their new Bag Guide which focuses on trends for the upcoming season. NAP labels Jewel Colors, Modern Minimalist, Snakes & Leopard, The 70′s, and The New Clutch as the major categories.

Best part is the amazing video is the Rube Goldberg sequence used to create the video. For every handbag related action there was a reaction, but they were all high-end fashionable ones.

Click here to watch and shop Net-A-Porter’s new Bag Guide!!

Images via Vogue.com

I have some relatives who live in South Florida. I haven’t visited since I was a teenager, but my memories of Floridian seaside kitsch are still very clear: pastel starfish and seahorses and shells. Lots of them. Adorning everything from t-shirts to upholstered furniture. If the bags from Versace Spring 2012 are any indication, Donatella Versace may have spied on my childhood vacations quite frequently. For a brand so inextricably linked to Miami, these designs make a certain amount of sense.

The starfish and seashells gave way to an endless array of studded, quilted satchels and crossbodies that reminded me a little bit of Marc Jacobs circa 2008, but considering the bags that Versace has made in that same period of time, these designs feel like an improvement. If nothing else, they look very Versace, which is something that the brand’s established customer base will probably enjoy quite a bit.

Last week, exotic handbag designer extraordinaire Carlos Falchi had an event at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Naturally, I had to pop in to say hi and see the newest designs from the master. His area at Bergdorfs was filled with fans and shoppers picking out designs and having Carlos sign them. With the shopping mood in full force, I began to examine every Carlos Falchi bag I could get my hands on. Everyone including myself were buzzing about the superb quality and the fact that his bag are made in the USA.

Right now I am coveting the classic Carlos Falchi Hobo in both python and crocodile skin. As fall attempts to set in, I find myself drawn more and more to brown bags and both of these are stunning options.

Y’all, last night’s episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was kind of lame, even if a new villain in a shirt that wasn’t quite big enough to qualify as a shirt was introduced. And really, I could spend the entire recap dissecting what exactly was wrong with Brandi’s top. She would have been more covered (and more stylish) had she simply taped coffee filters over her bossom.

Anyway, the episode. Kim was drunk on a private jet, thereby continuing in her quest to be the most depressing person on the face of the planet. (Taylor, for her part, lost some more weight and vied for second place from home.) Kyle held a charity party that no one really wanted to go to. Lisa became a busybody about both Taylor’s weight and New Girl Brandi’s relationship with Cedric. That was about it. Really, the most interesting thing was that weird top.

Images via Vogue.com

As I flipped through the images of Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2012, one song played in my head: “Be Italian,” from that movie Nine that no one saw last year. The film may not have been a masterpiece, but the spirit of its most famous musical number couldn’t have been any more dead-on for Dolce’s spring collection. From bracelets decked in miniature red peppers to handbag straps dangling with faux dried pasta, I’m suddenly jonesing for a big plate of fettucini bolognese.

For a side dish, I wouldn’t mind one of Dolce’s ladylike straw (…is that wicker?) top handles, preferably in baby blue. Raffia and materials like it are set to be a big trend for spring and there’s nothing we can do to stop it, so we might as well embrace the designs that do it best. Perhaps because the brand has used woven materials in many of its bags for a number of seasons, Dolce & Gabbana’s straw options are better than most, with or without the added pieces of penne.

Images via Vogue.com

Bottega Veneta never disappoints. I realize that’s something of a strong statement, but I honestly can’t remember a time when I’ve looked through the handbag images from a Bottega show and thought, “Eh, these are ok.” The bags are always utterly luxurious and usually quite functional on top of it. Tomas Maier knows where his brand’s strengths lie, and as a result, the bag lovers in his customer base always get something utterly lustworthy for their patronage.

Despite a design or two that doesn’t quite pass muster (riveting just make ostrich skin look strangely mottled on a few of these bags), Bottega Veneta Spring 2012 stands out as a very strong handbag collection in a season that’s seen a few stinkers from brands that are usually reliable. Ladies, Bottega is still the Bottega you all know and love.