If you watched Newlyweds back in the day like I did (and I did it without shame, thankyouverymuch), then you know that Jessica Simpson is an inveterate bag lover just like the rest of us. She toted a lot of multicolore Louis Vuitton at the time because that was the hot new thing, but now that Jessica has gotten older (and richer – that shoe line she has is no joke, y’all), she’s made a bit of an upgrade: an orange Hermes Birkin. Although based on the rest of the photo, it’s kind of refreshing to see that Jessica sits around the house in the same pajamas she had back then.

Following last night’s episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey, I got into a conversation on Twitter about whether or not Real Housewives has run its course, as possibly indicated by the string of boring episodes we’ve seen lately. And maybe it has, or maybe this is just a normal summer slump, where all television goes to die a long, unentertaining death. It’s hard to say yet.

I still think that the Beverly Hills cast has a couple more good seasons in it, at the very least, and our Jersey broads have a way of being fun to watch even when what they’re doing is boring. When I think back on last night’s episode, I remember it as being more fun than it probably seemed while I was watching it, for some reason. Anyway, let’s have a recap.

Mulberry Clipper Leather Holdall, $1495 via Mr. Porter

Every time I see the Mulberry Clipper Leather Holdall, I sigh a little bit. It’s both a happy and a sad sigh – happy because the bag is both functional and simply gorgeous, sad because I don’t have one in my closet right now. And if I did, I think I’d probably take it out to pet it every now and then, even if I weren’t planning on a weekend away.

But with a travel bag like this, I think I’d be motivated to take more trips, which is why I’ve chosen it for the week’s Man Bag Monday. That’s right, Mulberry technically categorizes this weekender as a bag for its male customers, but I think it’s clearly unisex. And because I’m the one with the blog-posting capabilities, what I say, goes around here.

If there’s one thing on which we can all agree around here, it’s that fake bags are the opposite of awesome. Both eBay and the Council of Fashion Designers of America are on board that ship as well, and they’ve gotten together to start the “You Can’t Fake Fashion” tote bag campaign, which launches at 11 a.m. today on the eBay Fashion Vault.

To mark the launch of the $35 anti-fake tote bags, whose proceeds benefit the CFDA Foundation, eBay and the CFDA asked 50 American brands and designers to customize one-of-a-kind totes that will retail for $150 each. From a minimal, modernist version by The Row to appliqued black lace from Jason Wu to illustrations by Rodarte, the designers came through. Some of the designs are better than others, of course, but we’ve got pictures of all of them after the jump. Which one is your favorite? If you’d like to purchase one of the regular or customized totes to support eBay’s and the CFDA’s fight against fakes, visit the eBay Fashion Vault at 11 a.m. today.

Hats off to Amanda for holding down the PB fort as Vlad and I partake in a “vacation.” So far on this particular trip, we rarely check our email and keep swatting one another’s hands away when we see the other attempting to slyly work via our iPhones. But today, after a long day in the sun, we both caved and decided it was time to check in with you all. And this is a particularly fun check-in, because I come bearing handbag eye-candy.

Behold, this amazing oversized Salvatore Ferragamo travel tote. A few years ago Ferragamo caught my eye with its Carlotta tote and I was in love. I imagined it being my weekend bag in the back of my super cool imaginary convertible on our way to our imaginary Hamptons home. But I have found a replacement to drain my imaginary bank account filled with copious amounts of imaginary money, and it’s this exotic Salvatore Ferragamo Alligator Travel Tote.

Do we really even need to talk about last night’s episode of Real Housewives of New York? It was another filler episode of stuff that didn’t advance the season’s plot at all, but Bravo threw in some pasties (not on a Housewife, thank you sweet baby Jesus) and a song-and-dance routine to keep us watching. Sadly, that only took up a few minutes.

We also revisited a few of the mother-daughter story lines from last week’s show and got another visit from the utterly delightful Chris March, but even that couldn’t save last night’s stinker of an episode. But let’s have a recap anyway, because I’m contractually obligated! Don’t worry, I threw in a couple of jokes.

Photo via Style.com

I love a good print as much as anyone in the world, which means that things like Style.com’s recent feature on the resurgence of traditional scarf patterns are like crack to me, particularly when they they lead off with a printed handbag. As is likely predictable when the worlds of purses and scarves collide, Hermes is the culprit. As is also predictable with the brand, the price for the Hermes Catenina Silk Bag is astronomical. But at $5450, the number even caught this veteran accessories fan off guard. Is there any way that you’d plunk down that much for a bag that wasn’t leather, encrusted in Swarovskis or some combination of the two?