The contemporary market is full of cute little crossbody bags, and for good reason – not only are they functional weekend pieces for the market’s young customers, but because of their diminutive sizes, they’re at the lower end of the brand’s price range, which helps entice new customers to check out the brand’s wares. The problem, though, is that not all designers are particularly creative when it comes to these pieces – there are a lot of zipper-topped rectangles out there right now.

I always look forward to Rebecca Minkoff’s runway show. Since Minkoff first took to Fashion Week, the buzz around her has grown, and her show and namesake brand have exploded as well. Rebecca’s downtown girl took a voyage into the future this season, when a trip to the moon combined with a sophisticated grunge attitude. Even though Rebecca Minkoff is known for her bags, her outerwear is a force to be reckoned with and comes in a close second as my favorite category from the designer.

The buildup to the release of the much-anticipated and highly collaborative Rebecca Minkoff x PurseForum bag has finally reached its peak. After months in the making, with input from Rebecca and thousands of PurseForum members, I am happy to tell you that not only has the bag been created, but it’s also being carried exclusively at Nordstrom.

If you weren’t part of the design process, let me give you a little background info about how this bag came to be.

Making an expensive-looking bag at an attainable price point is the eternal challenge of designing for a contemporary brand. Customers who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a handbag are likely aware of what handbags that cost thousands look like, and brands are forever in competition with those ideal images. Sometimes the contemporary designers succeed, but often, the best they can hope for is a solid contemporary look.

Over the last five years, contemporary bags have largely taken their aesthetic cues from the It Bags of the mid-2000s. There have been plenty of oversized satchels, fringe-y zipper pulls, stud embellishments and an overwhelming number of over-embellished options for people who love a lot of look. As the upper echelons of fashion have changed toward a more modern look, though, contemporary lines have started to tentatively move that way too.

If you’ve been following along, you know that our Rebecca Minkoff x PurseForum collaboration bag is nearly ready to hit the shelves! We are so thrilled with this partnership and of course the bag came out absolutely amazing. The coolest part, though, is that we’re now turning to you to help name the bag. We have five names that users submitted, and we need your votes to decide the winner!

I’ve been a Rebecca Minkoff fan since the moment her brand launched. After seeing her Morning After Bag, I was hooked, and even more so, I adore Rebecca as a person. It’s crazy to think that seven years ago both our companies were just getting started, and today we both have expanded massively in our own ways (ok, hers is so much larger).

You might remember reading a few weeks ago about an awesome jewelry event that we were planning with the Rebecca Minkoff team. While it was unfortunate that we had to postpone due to Hurricane Sandy, we have some exciting news: We’ve rescheduled the event! Not only have we rescheduled the event, but there is also still a chance that you can attend!

Rebecca Minkoff continues to expand her ever-growing empire, and her latest venture is jewelry, which aligns perfectly – Rebecca loves accessories and has an enviable jewelry collection. The launch of her jewelry line has been a long time coming, and with it, Rebecca and her team are hosting an event just for PurseBlog and PurseForum readers. That’s right, she loves you that much (and we love you that much) that we’re putting together and event just for you.