With most popular bags available in a zillion different version ranging in size from “micro” to “weekender,” the shopping process can sometimes make you feel like you’re starring in your own private version of Goldilocks and the Three Bags. I had this problem when shopping for a Celine Luggage Tote a few years ago, and based on the rapturous reaction I saw to the advent of the mid-sized 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Medium Tote on Twitter a few days ago from a few friends, it would seem as though this design has been giving people sizing fits as well.

Compared to fall, spring’s textures can be a bit…down-market. We love raffia and canvas as much as anyone else, but naturally, we love snakeskin and leather even more. So what’s the secret to incorporating successfully what might feel like a heavy material into your warm-weather wardrobe? Why, a mini crossbody bag, of course. (That’s the answer to a lot of spring and summer bag problems, trust me.) The only other problem with exotics in particular, of course, is that it’s a look that tends to cost an arm and a leg; fortunately, it doesn’t have to.

I lamented not long ago that we don’t see a lot of fun color in men’s bags; beyond the most traditional of neutrals, mainstream designers don’t give dudes a whole lot to work with, even if warm weather. Thankfully, the market is starting to diversify, and it’s happening just in time for beach season with a bag like the Jack Spade Ombré Coal Tote.

Spring might not quite have sprung outside (at least in New York – you may be luckier than we are), but it has definitely sprung inside Saks Fifth Avenue, circa the Diane von Furstenberg handbags. DVF’s spring bags have arrived in stores and online, and with materials ranging from raffia to lizard-embossed leather, they’re just the thing to get you through the seasonal transition and onto the right track for the weather ahead.

Anyone who’s ever been on a budget (which is pretty much all of us) knows how hard it is to find a fashionable bag at a relevant price. Lately, though, that pursuit has been a bit easier. Not long ago, we rounded up a group of sub-$300 bags that are worth your attention, and the Coach bags we featured earlier this week are all pretty wallet-friendly.

Yesterday, it was full-on sunny in New York City. It was also fairly frigid, but the sun made all the difference; for the first time in weeks, maybe months, it feels like spring might really come and all those bright skirts and dresses I’ve been hoarding since last summer might actually see the light of day again. Naturally, that means it’s time start season-pushing with my handbags as well, and right now, no brand’s bags make me want to carry something bright and cheerful as much as Coach’s do right now.

Every now and then, I see a bag and immediately know that I definitely, without a doubt, need to have it and would love it forever; that happened for me during the 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2013 show. The bag was the 3.1 Phillip Lim Ryder Satchel with a thatch of olive rabbit hair on the front, and luckily for me, that piece is available during the brand’s Moda Operandi pre-sale, which runs through March 5, along with a lot of great pieces from the collection.

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Clearly Crossbody has had me intrigued ever since it appeared on the MbMJ Spring 2013 runway. This is far from the first high-end clear bag to hit stores, but many of the others were novelty items meant for a relatively small number of consumers. On the other hand, Nordstrom is carrying this bag in two colors, both online and in stores, and it’s at a price point that lends itself to a far larger consumer base than, say, a clear Chanel Classic Flap.

There’s perhaps nothing lovelier in the fashion business than watching a young designer blossom into one of the industry’s great talents. If 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2013 is any indication, that’s exactly what we’ve done with Phillip Lim; I remember when he first started making bags (there were bows involved), and to see him find his footing in luxurious modernism brings me great joy.

If you’re sick of oxblood (as people insist on calling it – looks like burgundy to us), then go ahead and take a seat for Fall 2013, or at least for Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2013. The contemporary powerhouse showed lots of rich fall colors on the runway – tan, navy, charcoal – but the most arresting accents were those in rich shades of wine.