How? They’ve collaborated with the new creative director of Mulberry, Katie Grand, to produce a jersey fabric version of the house’s famed “Roxanne” handbag, in the name of “charity” for (Product) RED.

And I want you to turn red with outrage. Why?

(Product) RED, if you need a refresher, is a part of the AIDS awareness organization, Join (RED), and 50% of the profits from their products with Gap go toward the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. Oh - that must be why this (Product) RED Mulberry bag is marked up 50%, at £85, or $175. Except the purse is not available stateside, anyway, (only in Gap flagship stores in London and Paris) and will surely be marked up much further later on with either eBay bidding wars or profitable bid openers.

(That’s great, put out a highly exlusive handbag, so that unrelated parties can make profits without giving any proceeds to help! Ridiculous [and 150% foreseeable].)

What can we do, besides go along with this or ignore it?

First of all, Fashionistas must make being Patriotic mean we’ll support politicians who will turn our poor, laughable economy around. We also must create an uproar in response to designers catering to the fancy European cities (what about Anya Hindmarch’s original release of “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” only being available in the UK?)!

Then, when the bags start showing up on eBay, perhaps we should chastise the sellers and/or request they give 100% of their final listing value, minus fees, to the same charity. I bet they won’t do it! But we’ll hopefully leave an impression in some of their minds.

To sum up, and most importantly: Click for more (photos: angles, colors, etc.) »

We could get soo excited about model Lydia Hearst’s new bag for Puma, a re-do of last year’s now called the Lydia 2 Holiday Bag, a multi-function bag in either black with blue trim or silver. The bags aren’t too expensive at $120, and yet they are for “environmentally-friendly material” or pleather? (Unconfirmed.) Which actually isn’t eco-friendly, due to the manufacturing process of plastic. Hmm.

Right photo from TheRunwayScoop

Let’s get right to it. The bag looks totally cute and fresh with that very Miu Miu/Prada ruching, until one sees it from just the wrong angle (left). The ruching part sticks out in a trés poofy way. It looks weird, but it functions as an outer zipper compartment that even has its own zippered pocket inside.

The generously-sized bag is out today, and available on store.puma.com, just in time for your holiday business/exercise/shopping/gifting.

If you’re not sure, this video interview on FlyPaper with Hearst showing off both colors should answer a lot of wonderings!

When does the phrase “hand made” really mean something? “Designer bags” are “hand made”. Yeah, right — we can’t actually know the level of strictness that label really means for most brands (below Hermès). And then there’s the hand made for which straight stitching means it’s, well, “cute” straight - if-ya-know-what-I-mean. And that’s great! Nothing wrong with a little amateur purse making.

But when we get something hand made, and not in China, that appears to be the same creativity and quality as any high end brand, like Coach or higher perhaps?—and then .. it’s the same price point as those Coach bags. Well -

It’s certainly SOMETHING Special!

Take the bag above; look at the lines, the uniqueness, the leather, the hardware (and the symmetry, thank you)! This bag was made by an Etsy seller, and it sold (yes, it’s sold) for (only) about $200.

They’re not all bags this spectacular and luxe over at Cha Cha’s shop, but there is a nice demi flap purse going for $145. If you fell in love with the bag above, though, one other great aspect of indie design and shopping is that you may ask the designer to make another - and she probably will!

A tisket, a tasket, a gingham plaid picnic … duffle? Kind of cute is Dooney & Bourke’s new print for a Spring range of bags; Picnic. Featured here on the large new “duffle” shape, the fabric comes in Dooney’s usual array of colours.

The Large Duffle is truly large enough to use as a picnic basket alternative itself, at 19.5″ x 11″ x 9″. Think it’s silly to waste a handbag for that purpose? You won’t when you read the duffle’s price: $195! Oh yes.

The rest of the picnic shapes start at $125. Pick your colour, pick your shape. Then pick your friends up for lunch!

Polka dots make me happy, and that is the feel of Dooney & Bourke’s new “Mini Bubble” collection. In their classic shapes, they’ve miniaturized their “Bubble” circle logo and put them on different colours such as cream/black, sky, cocoa, multi (pictured) and more.

The mini bubble is cute and depending on colour can suit any age. It’s not in-your-face or tacky, no these tiny bubbles are just fine.

No surprise here, on the list of Top Ugly Bags is the new Dooney & Bourke: #3 Dooney & Bourke Bumble Bee bag.

The complete collection features bags with overly cartoonish bee drawings carrying “Ds” (the letters) but no “Bs”, for the bees are the “Bs” - get it? It’s a form of signature, then?

It’s busy, it’s corny and it’d be cute for the too young to afford $185.

The second week of our top 5s to ring in the new year is all about wallets: something else you can snatch up easily and quickly as presents.

Number 5 is a Vivienne Westwood key holder wallet in a gorgeous, colorful plaid. It individually holds more than 5 keys and keeps them securely under wraps.

4th & 3rd Top Wallet
2nd Top Walet
1st Top Wallet!

Okay, so the bag that tops off the list of Budget Handbags is a tad more expensive, and considerably smaller, but it really does pack a lot of style, quality and luxe detail into a small punch - er - pouch.

#1 Coach Signature-Leather Pouch

The small purse or travel case is embossed, then finely stitched with their signature C pattern. And the new versions have a longer strap drop, but I can’t say for certain whether it’ll fit on your shoulder. It’s perfect for the younger, just-budding fashionista. The thing that really seals the appeal of this bag is that Signature Leather was not made in anything larger!

The price? $138. Not so bad.

This is post #3 of our Holiday Gifts series, part 2 was on a Banana Republic Jewelry Roll.

Adorable, fun, and to me - so appropriate is the Louis Vuitton Multicolore iPod Suffle Cover with all the basic features a young LV/music fan needs - at only $140. Of course, this holds last year’s generation of Shuffle, not the new ultra, ultra mini one.

But if she’s got that shuffle, you may find other cases to be not much cheaper - so why not?! I’d love it … if only I liked the limited capabilities of this precise mp3 model. Humph.

It’s Thursday, which means it’s “Garbage Bag” day.

Sometimes, too much is well, too much, which is the case with this Bead Fringe Frame Bag from Jessica McClintock. Beaded fringe, beaded flower, large frame—we’ve probably all seen this type of bag everywhere. People carry them to proms, weddings, dances, etc., but I have to say I’ve never wanted one. They always seem so overdone to me.

I prefer my evening bags a bit more classic, simple and elegant.