Let’s call a spade a spade: This episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey was simply the run-up for the main event, which shall be next week when Caroline’s head explode and she goes into a rage black and tears Kim G. limb from limb. And because I love Caroline and her occasional “Let me tell YOU something about MY family” outbursts almost more than I love life itself, I don’t mind a little buildup.

But that means that we have to get through this episode first before we’re allowed the good stuff, even though the Very Jersey Christmas wasn’t without its charms. They weren’t exactly numerous, but they were there, even if talking about Christmas in the middle of a July heatwave is enough to make me have my own personal rage blackout.

Valentino One-of-a-Kind Satchel, $2895 and $1995 via Neiman Marcus

Much has been made by me (not to mention the fashion press at large) over Valentino trying to find its path after the retirement of its namesake and longtime leader. The design team put in place since the transition has made some wonderful pieces, but is also responsible for its share of missteps, many of which we’ve discussed in this space.

But Valentino’s recent couture show, one space where the new designers have struggled mightily, received roundly positive reviews and there are some indications that the brand has righted itself and regained what seemed to have been a lost plot. The Valentino One-of-a-Kind Satchel is one of the best bags I’ve seen from the brand in several seasons.

A Roger Vivier Spring 2008 archival bag via Vogue.com

Roger Vivier is a company that never does quite what’s expected when it comes to handbag an shoe design, and for the launch of its online store, Vivier has chosen to go a bit left-of-center from your standard online shopping outpost. Instead of vending current-season pieces like every other brand on the planet, starting in September, RogerVivier.com will allow fans of the brand to shop must-haves from seasons past that are still available in the Vivier archive.

According to Vogue, all the pieces will be new and unworn limited-production items from seasons past, so if you’ve been kicking yourself for half a decade about a beautiful brocade evening bag that you should have bought in 2006, this might be your second chance for fashion redemption. But the better question is, why don’t more brands do this?

Let’s just get this out of the way now, before we commence with this week’s recap of Real Housewives of New York, ok? I really don’t like LuAnn. At all. I really, truly don’t like her, not even in a Camille Grammer, I-love-her-because-she’s-so-entertaining way. I just think she’s awful and she makes my upper lip do this weird, involuntary snarl-y thing, and this recap reflects that opinion. So, you know, you’ve been warned.

Ok! Now that we’ve addressed that, let’s get on with it. Last night’s episode was actually pretty entertaining, compared to what Bravo has been giving us recently, although that’s faint praise if ever I’ve given it. But somehow, enough happened to make me write 2200+ words between last night and this morning, so think of this as your regular recap, but with 25% extra for free!

Image via Balenciaga

I’ve always been appreciative that Balenciaga sees fit to sell its most popular products on its website, because for a long time, that was more than many similar brands were willing to do. But in this time of exponentially increasing digital investment from fashion brands, just selling motorcycle bags and leather jackets alongside a few of the season’s campaign images isn’t going to cut it anymore.

And now we have a shiny, new Balenciaga.com to explore, complete with a fully stocked retail outlet, all of the images from the current-season campaign, historical information on the brand and a very cool behind-the-scenes video from the ad shoot that features some good close-ups of the season’s bags and shoes. You can see the rest of the Fall 2011 campaign after the jump or check out all the cool new features at Balenciaga.com. (Really, watch the video. We can’t embed it here, but it’s worth a look for the closeups.)

Photos via Coach

In my experience, most people other adore Coach Poppy Handbags or they hate them, there’s not much of an in-between. And that’s true of most lines that really go for it when it comes to having a point of view – the more personality a bag has, the wider the gulf between the lovers and the haters becomes. With their bright, in-your-face, pink-and-sparkly persona, the Poppy bags were about as divisive as it gets. They were also less expensive than other Coach bags and positioned to appeal to a younger customer, which clearly worried some lifetime Coach devotees.

It looks as though the brand might be trying to establish a little bit of middle ground with the new Coach Poppy Pushlock Collection. (Not to be confused with Mulberry’s similarly named Polly Pushlock bags.) These monotone leather designs are still something of a steal compared to average Coach pricing, but the feel is a bit more chic and upmarket without losing the line’s youthful appeal. More photos of the line and prices after the jump, or you can shop the line via Coach.com.