If writing for PurseBlog has taught me only one thing, it’s that half of the handbag world thinks everyone is ripping off Chanel. Is the bag quilted? Chanel rip-off. Does it have a chain? Chanel rip-off. A flap? Chanel rip-off. And honestly, I think a lot of that is truly and utterly silly. Chanel may have used a lot of those things first, but the idea that until the end of time, every bag that uses any of those elements is just redoing their aesthetic is kind of extreme. Designers should be free to use reference designs of the past without being accused of purse plagiarism.

But then I see a bag like the Lanvin Amalia Shoulder Bag and wonder if maybe the Chanel conspiracy theorists are on to something, at least in some cases. This bag, admittedly, looks an awful lot like it could have been designed by Kaiser Karl himself, and I had to do a double-take when I first saw it listed online. The bag is soft, black and quilted, although the quilts are slightly bigger than Chanel’s signature. The handle is not only chain but also partially encases a ribbon that ends in a big bow, which I’m sure I’ve seen in almost the exact same iteration in Chanel’s famed costume jewelry. It doesn’t have a flap, but neither do all Chanel bags, and the overall effect is just a bit too close for comfort. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $3110.

Part of Sonia Rykiel’s charm is that her stuff is a little weird. A little quirky. A little eccentric. The company does its own thing, marches to the beat of its own drummer, and makes its own rules. Their aesthetic is unique and all theirs.

Nevermind. I’m not in a particularly charitable mood. The Sonia Rykiel Chou-Chou Frame Bag is just kinda odd looking, and maybe a bit 90s. I’m generally okay with the amount and color of the hardware – silver studs are cool and experiencing a resurgence. There’s a lot of them, but the bag is small, so whatever. I can get on board with that. What is bothering me is the balance and proportion of the bag. It consists of two kisslock compartments, one significantly larger than the other. The top handle attaches to each section on one end…but it’s not centered. So you’ve got a lopsided bag with no centralization to the body, and then also a handle that’s attached farther to one side than the other. I know that it was done intentionally, but it just isn’t visually appealing in the least and it’s…awkward. Awkward is the word I’m looking for. I think I’ll pass. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1530.

At first, I really wanted to dislike this incarnation of the Jimmy Choo Maia Hobo. It is, as La Gunn would say, a lot of look. It’s suede and animal print and color-blocked and wooden-handled. It has an extra strap that Choo is pretending makes it a hobo (ha, it totally doesn’t) and it’s got a center zipper that makes the bag larger or smaller, depending on how you use it. The Maia? She’s no shrinking violet.

And besides the extra shoulder strap (a message to the folks at Choo – an extra strap doesn’t suddenly make a satchel a hobo. This is a satchel), I kinda like it, but only if the zippered portion is left open (which is my feeling about almost all of the Choo zip-center bags). It reminds me of the Louis Vuitton safari aesthetic of this season, but executed in a more edited and reasonable way. The material means it would probably get dirty fast, but if I had a bunch (and I do mean a BUNCH, it’s way overpriced) of extra cash laying around, I’d rock it. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $2995.

And now for something completely different. It’s kind of a dreary Monday in my neck of the woods, and even if it wasn’t dreary, it’s still Monday, right? As a result, I thought we might do something a little different today and have a special non-handbag post to perk everyone up. So ladies and gentlemen, have you seen Stark Trek yet?

Because if you haven’t, you really, really should. Even if you don’t like science fiction – I personally hate it. And in this case? Doesn’t matter. At all. I couldn’t even tell you what happened during the movie. Why? Because of those two lovely gentlemen right over there. On the right, we have Chris Pine, who plays the brooding, sexy Captain James T. Kirk. On the left, we have Zach Quinto, who plays the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock. And those two, my friends, are why I have no idea what happened in the entire film. Pine is blond, blue-eyed and unreasonably, distractingly gorgeous. Spock is more of a dark, intellectual, thinking-girl’s heartthrob, particularly when he wears the space-aged movie garb. I’m usually one for the dark and quiet men, but I found myself a bit mesmerized by Captain Kirk and his perfect blue eyes. He’s not my type, but he’s so cartoonishly attractive that it doesn’t even matter. So I find myself torn – Kirk or Spock, Spock or Kirk? Megs and Shannon both vote Kirk. Tell us who you’d rather cuddle with in the comments.

It is that time again, Net A Porter is having their end of season sale that looks amazing. There are about 8 handbags that I have already seen that I am loving and would love to splurge on. We will share our NAP picks with you all later, but make sure to check it out now and grab a deal while you can!

I know, I know, we’ve been teasing you for quite some time now. I bet there are some of you out there who have been waiting for the Purse Blog/Belen Echandia handbag reveal! Well, today is the day folks. You’ve voted on the aspects of this exclusive bag. We’ve told you about the winning dimensions. Today, not only do you get a chance to see what this bag looks like, but you also get a chance to win it!!!

Now that the Purse Blog/Belen Echandia bag has been created, we’d like to give you a chance to win it! Yes, we love doing giveaways, but one of the best parts of this giveaway is that YOU helped design the bag! Belen Echandia is a very popular brand over at the Purse Forum. Known for the great leather, attention to detail and amazing personal touch, your first Belen Echandia will not be your last.

Keep reading to find out how to win this hobo!

Tomorrow Vlad and Shannon will be attending an intimate cocktail hour hosted by Daniel LaLonde of Louis Vuitton for online publishers. Louis Vuitton is slowly making its way into the online world of publishers and social media (last week Louis Vuitton announced that it is officially on Twitter). We are extremely honored to be invited to this event as we have been longtime followers and fans of Louis Vuitton.

Vlad was granted photography access as well, which means exclusive photos for all of you! While photos are an intricate look into this gathering, questions directly asked to the CEO would share even more information on the much-loved Louis Vuitton. We can make no promises, but what if we were able to ask the CEO of Louis Vuitton some questions? If we are lucky we may snag a few minutes of Daniel LaLonde’s time and if we like your questions, we may put them on our list!

If you could ask Daniel Lalonde, the CEO of Louis Vuitton North America, anything what would it be?

We are loving the J Crew Large Metallic-Leather Gallery Hobo [via PB Savvy]

This Week’s Fab Favorite: Kim Kardashian [via Fab Sugar]

PEOPLE.com Readers Sound Off on Kate Gosselin’s Hairdo [via Off the Rack]

Fashion Advice: Summer Wedding Outfit [via Budget Fashionista]

Win a pair of tickets to Beyoncé’s I AM…concert! [via My Fashion Life]

In response to some tough economic circumstances, Henri Bendel’s parent-company CEO Leslie Wexner has opted to eschew the luxury apparel market in favor of focusing their stores only on accessories, beauty products, and gifts. Bendel’s is one of the first major luxury retailers to make such a drastic move to improve their business models in the country’s current economic climate, and one has to wonder – will the risk pay off?

Read on!

Ok folks, it is Friday. And over at Bag that Style we do the best we can to identify as many bags as humanly possible. But sometimes we just don’t know what the heck a celeb is carrying. Perhaps the angle is bad or there isn’t enough of the bag visible to actually identify it. Other times, I’ll be honest, we just don’t know! So if you are anything like me, you are watching that clock tick and you are waiting for the weekend to start. Whether you have big time plans or you are simply ready to veg out, I have a way to help pass the time!

Head over to Bag that Style and check out some awesome celeb images. There are so many fun pics to check out and even if you can’t identify any of the bags, pass some time looking at celebs you love (or perhaps hate)!

Click here to get your daily celeb/handbag combo fix!!!