Thank you Valentino, for continuing to bring us beautiful feminine designs. Valentino handbags have become synonymous with floral and bow embellishments. Most of the time I see Valentino do this, they get it right. I was always a fan of the Rose Shopper but it never looked like it would fit as comfortably as I would like my handbag to fit.

But the Valentino Petal Leather Hobo Bag is hands down stunning. We saw Hilary Duff with this bag on Gossip Girl and it caught my attention. Nice, comfortable hobo shape, romantic ruffles: all the makings of a great handbag.

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In case you have previously considered the idea of wearing a $10,000 purse as a gym bag and ruled it out, Hermes would apparently like you to rethink that decision.

Jean Paul Gaultier’s entire Hermes Spring 2010 collection was a riff on country club chic, and enormous Kellys and Birkins as workout wear, replete with leather tennis ball carriers, were the icing on top of the luxe-prepster cake. Obviously the idea that a white travel Kelly should be slung around the local tennis court is in jest, but the aesthetic does work nicely with the ultraclean lines of Hermes’s signature bags.

Overall, though, I didn’t find myself nearly as blown away as I usually do when looking at a series of the world’s finest handbags. I have wondered before why Hermes doesn’t use more snakeskin in their line, and the oversized python Birkins and Kellys answered that quite nicely – it just doesn’t work. All of the snakeskin bags looked rumpled and, dare I say it, fake. Unless there’s a point that I’m missing, I’m surprised that Gaultier let them walk the runway.

Overall, I find myself a little underwhelmed. The exotic clutches were predictably drool-inducing, and the tennis influence that found its way into the accessories line is very appropriate for brand whose customers probably all count themselves as members of various country clubs. But with the resources and craftsmanship that Hermes has at their disposal, I was hoping for a bit more.

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Like the rest of Chanel’s Spring 2010 collection, the bags that we saw walk their runway (barnway?) were more rustic-chic than classic Parisian. Whether that’s your thing or not, Karl Lagerfeld certainly seems to believe in it.

The problem with Chanel, though, is that for better or for worse, they have a lot of aesthetic history to consider when a new collection is designed, and Lagerfeld usually chooses to acknowledge that history. What that means is that mostly, Chanel doesn’t innovate. They do something different here and there, and a lot of their bags are quite lovely, but rarely do we see them starting new bag trends.

I don’t know if that’s a positive or a negative – it just sort of is. If you like their aesthetic, then I’m sure you’re completely fine with what they do and how they do it. If you don’t, there are plenty of alternatives on which to spend your money. There are a few unexpected things in this accessories, but mostly it’s just the same bags we’ve seen with slightly frayed edges. I can totally understand if that’s what they want to send to retail, but I also can’t help but wish Lagerfeld & Co. would embrace the fantasy of the runway a little bit more in the accessories department.

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I must disagree, strenuously and vociferously, with the reintroduction of the wood-bottom clog to the high fashion lexicon. Even when these particular wood-bottom clogs are from Chanel Spring 2010. I will not stand for it.

What I do like, however, is smiling. Models smiling. When was the last time that you saw model after model, looking reasonably happy and human, in a major fashion show. In the fashion show of Paris Fashion Week? And do my eyes deceive me, or was supermodel Sasha Pivovarova talking on a cell phone on the runway?

And is that hay? Did Karl Lagerfeld turn the Grand Palais into a barn?

Yes and yes.

Quite honestly, regardless of the clothes (which were reasonably fabulous, but not the best of the week. Like I said in a previous post, Alexander McQueen already won), Chanel’s show appeared to be the most joyful. At my college, we had a saying: our team may occasionally lose a football game, but we’ve never lost a party. And that’s exactly what Chanel did this week: they won the party. I mean, they even had a live band! With Lily Allen! Was there a keg? If there was a keg, I bet it was really nice beer.

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Unless you weren’t already convinced of Alexander McQueen’s dark genius by the pictures of the clothing from his show, we submit to you: the shoes.

What we got from this collection (among other things) is perhaps the most ostentatious, progressive approach to footwear that we’ve ever seen from a major designer, at least in recent memory. The shoes were, on average, a full ten inches tall with huge platforms in the front to make them at least somewhat functional for walking. I pray for the models’ poor little ankles, but it was worth it to see these looks in their full form.

They came in three main varieties: first, ultra-high booties that looked more like prosthetic lobster claws than shoes you might see on the racks at Neiman Marcus, in keeping with the apocalyptic-aquatic theme of the show. These came in exotics, smooth leathers, and a variety of exterior embellishments, including shards of turquoise. The second type were booties that looked like something a resident in Wall-E’s post-apocalyptic Earth might wear. The heels were covered in an amalgamation of industrial metal, creating perhaps the most wearable shoes of the collection. The third type were intricately carved porcelain platforms that were reminiscent of a coral reef, held on to the foot by clear plastic straps.

These are the shoes that a mermaid would wear, if a mermaid had feet. Luckily, the ones in McQueen’s show did.

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IT IS HERE! The annual Neiman Marcus Christmas Book has arrived. Expect the expected holiday gifts from clothing to handbags along with over the top crazy expensive gifts and gift packages. This year I am a bit disappointed with the absurd. I have no use for a cupcake car, but I really want a tree fort built on a private island while Bono sings for me and Chef Ramsey cooks.

Included in the book are two new pieces from Judith Leiber. Judith Leiber found inspiration in the animal kingdom and designed the regal “Gobi” Camel and noble “Maharaja” elephant minaudieres. Both are hand encrusted with Austrian crystals as they open to store evening essentials. There is a 19″ tuck-away chains shoulder strap. Camel is 4 1/2″H x 5 1/2″W x 3 1/4″D; elephant is 4″H x 5 1/2″W x 2 1/2″D. Again, there is no way to label these pieces as anything other than art work, worthy of your china cabinet at home. These regal ornate pieces are fun to look at. I am not about to drop $4,995 for the camel or $5,995 for the elephant; however, I will continue to look for free and find beauty in her designs. Buy through Neiman Marcus.

Alexander McQueen. He wins. He wins at innovation, he wins at Paris Fashion Week, he wins at life. His collection was so mesmerizing, so totally awe-inspiring, that I don’t even need to see the rest of the shows to declare him the victor.

McQueen titled his show “Plato’s Atlantis,” and the aquatic, amphibious influence was clear from look one. Other designers this season have shown us visions of the world, post-apocalypse, but this collection may be the most fully realized of any of them. Not only do the clothes depict an eventual devolution from woman to sea creature, but so do the towering, sculptural platform shoes (more on those in a post later today), the prostheses that were applied to the model’s brows, and the molded, horn-like hair looks. When McQueen tells a story, he goes all out.

Regardless of the story, these clothes were nothing but mind-blowingly beautiful. The prints were some of the most interesting I’ve ever seen at Fashion Week, and they also represented a step towards fashions technological future – they were digitally designed. In greens, browns, teals and blues, they formed sculpted, architectural cocktail dresses that were unlike any you’ll find at a store near you.

The attention to detail that was paid – the ruching, seaming, pintucking, and beading – was worthy of any superlative that you can imagine. McQueen brings a decidedly couture sensibility to his pret-a-porter, and he continues to lead the way in innovation. This collection embodies what fashion can be, on its best days – fantastical, experimental, full of ideas.

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If the clothes of Christophe Decarnin’s Spring 2010 collection for Balmain were the costumes for a movie, that movie would be Beyond Thunderdome 2: In Da Club.

The clothes are straight from the closet of a post-apocalyptic party girl; they’re equal parts grunge and glam, which continues and builds upon the half dozen or so trends that Balmain single-handedly spawned with their Fall 2009 effort (if you’ve bought any daytime sequins or hard shoulders for fall, thank Christophe Decarnin).

This season was another one filled with military jackets, glitter, epaulets, and deconstruction to the point of near-demolition. But these garments were less glam-industrial and more dystopian-fabulous, which means we got them in shades of gold and bronze instead of silver and graphite.

The glittering tanks that looked a bit like ultrafine chain mail were a standout under the types of jackets that have come to be a Balmain classic under Decarnin – lots of embellishment on top of statement shoulders and a militaristic aesthetic, smart shrunken leather blazers, and a vague marching band vibe here and there. And it sounds ridiculous, and it was, but also incredibly brilliant.

And if you don’t like it, well, too bad. Much of chain retail is going to be ripping off this collection in every way imaginable in a few months, and you’re going to be hard pressed to find something on-trend that doesn’t look like it came from this runway.

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Salvatore Ferragamo is one of those brands that flies under the radar for so many of us. But it shouldn’t. Time and time again I find Ferragamo bringing us the most delectable bags. They are simple, understated, and elegant but there is always a wow factor. I will always reference the Ferragamo Carlotta, an oversized alligator bag that exuded brilliance with its exotic skin and shape.

Next up on our Ferragamo love list, the Salvatore Ferragamo Gathered Leather Hobo. From the moment I laid eyes on this bag I adored it. The red leather is showcased by gentle pleating. The chain link leather handle has a finely crafted twisted strap, which is the wow factor on this bag. This bag is great in red, but Ferragamo also has a black version which Eva Mendes was spotted carrying in Italy.

Every handbag collection needs a vivacious red bag and I find myself wanting to add this piece to my collection. Quality and craftsmanship is superb on Ferragamo bags. The inside features a zipped and two open pockets. Overall measurements are 16½”W X 15″H X 3½”D. Buy through Saks for $1,790.