Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer, and this year I was lucky to spend mine in warm and sunny Las Vegas. It was Vlad’s and my first time to Vegas, so while we enjoyed resort-hopping and shopping, we also took in the sights outside of Vegas. I knew it was going to be warm and wanted a new summer tote to carry with me that would transition from pool to the next adventure easily, and my new Juicy Couture Perforated Shopper Tote did the job beautifully.

When it comes down to it, we’ve all got a lot to schlep on occasion (or sometimes more like every day). Schlepping, by its very nature, is not a particularly glamourous activity, but there are things that can be done to make it a little less dreary. Lately, we’ve found a bumper crop of simple, functional tote bags in stores, and the best thing about a big selection is being able to get something that not everyone else has.

Very few things in fashion are genuinely underrated. We’re an industry that’s constantly chattering, and distinctive handbags get an inordinate amount of the praise because of their ability to telegraph luxury and expensiveness; there’s a reason that we talk about It Bags and not, say, It Scarves. Upon seeing my friend Danny’s new all-black Ralph Lauren Ricky Bag, though, it occurred to me that perhaps the Ricky is exactly that rare bird – the underrated, slept-on, yet totally gorgeous designer bag.

I’ve been anticipating the arrival of the Victoria Beckham Soft Victoria Leather and Watersnake Tote for almost five full months now. The bag first caught my eye when Beckham released the Fall 2012 lookbook way back in the spring, and it struck me then that perhaps the brand had found its handbag stride. It still feels that way.

The object of my affection is now available for further inspection, and I’m excited to say that I love it just as much now as I did then.

I hate it when designers do this to me. I rant and rave all the time about what a raw deal it is for luxury consumers when brands try to use the power of their name to sell us things like the Marni Printed Vinyl Totes. Vinyl is not a luxury material, no matter whose hands have touched it, and these totes’ leather handles don’t let them off the hook.