Photos via Stylelist

Although Mulberry already has a very nice boutiques in the West Village and on the cusp of the Upper East Side, it’s no surprise that the brand that named its most famous bag after Alexa Chung would want to have a serious downtown presence as well. This week, Mulberry will be opening its first stateside flagship in Soho, and to commemorate the occasion, the brand has released the Mulberry New York Clipper Satchel in the shared colors of America and Britain – red, white and blue.

To further prove Mulberry’s commitment to America, the company teamed up with StyleList to shoot some photos of the patriotic trio around town. You guys know that we love a good bags-as-art photo as much as anyone else, so we’ve got our favorites after the jump. You can see the rest of them at StyleList and buy the bag, which comes with a special “Peace, Love and New York” luggage tag, at the new Spring Street spot once it opens. I haven’t been able to find a price for the New York Clipper, but I’d bet it’s around a grand.

A bag standoff between two Celine giants. In the blue corner, the Celine Cobalt Blue Mini Luggage. Entering the red corner, the luscious Celine Triptyque.

So different, yet both equally lovable. Which one captures your heart?

As the result of a rather hasty and informal Twitter poll yesterday, I’ve made the executive decision to recap this season of The Rachel Zoe Project. Although it doesn’t provide as many opportunities for derision and snark as Real Housewives, I’ve always found the series oddly delightful. And that’s so say nothing of the clothes porn.

And so we set out on journey through the…what season is this? Third? Fourth? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Rachel is knocked up and she’s launching a clothing line, so there’s a whole lot more going on than just the Oscars.

L’Wren Scott Lulu Python Satchel, $4307 via Matches

Admittedly, it’s two bags for the price of one still-quite-expensive handbag, but just look at ‘em! It’s kind of hard to find fault with structured dark grey snakeskin, in my very humble (ok, not-so-humble) opinion. The L’Wren Scott Large Lulu Python Tote echoes the design of L’Wren’s famous dresses – strong, modern and tailored to great effect.

I’m not even sure how to start this recap of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, except to say that in the grand tradition of the entertainment industry and famewhoring in general, the show went on as planned last night. Of course, that was in spite of the suicide of Taylor Armstrong’s estranged husband Russell, who had been featured prominently as part of one of the season’s major plot lines.

The premiere episode was recut slightly to feature a scene where all of the housewives gathered to discuss the death, but then things went on almost exactly as planned, based on what I’ve heard about preview episodes that had been sent out before Russell’s death. It remains to be seen how the rest of the season will handle the suicide, but let’s get to the business of last night’s episode, shall we?

I should start by saying that I’m not a tanner. I’m naturally very fair and have no desire to change that, and even if I did, the desire to engage in the sort of extended outdoor activity that creates a tan is also not really in my wheelhouse. Among the reasons that I chose to move to New York is that I’m comfortable having only a casual relationship with things like grass and trees.

That being said, I put on my best maxi dress and headed to watch the QuickSilver Pro New York surf competition on Long Island with some friends this past weekend, because who can turn down a trip to the beach on the last weekend of summer? Of all outdoor places, the beach has always been my favorite. But since I’m not much of a weekend warrior, my preparations for a day outside were…insufficient. For the next six months, everyone’s going to be able to tell what kind of handbag I carried this weekend.

Rochas Giallo Tote Bag, $1065. Rochas Borsa R18 Sporco Bag, $1695. Both via Saks.

Despite the fact that I have chosen maximalism as my overarching aesthetic theme, I have a healthy respect for those who do minimal and do it well. During the days of Olivier Theyskens, Rochas was never accused of embracing minimalism, but now that the brand’s creative vision has changed hands, the brand’s most widely available foray into handbags yet has lines so straight that my back aches just looking at them. Would you carry something like the Rochas Giallo Tote Bag (left) or the Rochas Borsa R18 Sporco Bag, or do you want your bags to be a little bit more detailed?