The holiday season is approaching, and so for each full week of December - and the first week of 2007 - I will do a different countdown of bags.

We kick things off with bags for bargain, budget bags might just be what’s on givers minds this week. (And don’t forget our whole series on Gifts the week of giving thanks!)

#4: Gap Foiled suede satchel

This bag is made of genuine suede, but moreover, it has a metallic flower print patterned on that suede. The shape is simple, although a little Spy-esque, so really what won me was the unique and luxe technique for the material. This bag is on sale, too, for $49.99! Great for a surprisingly large bag at 16″ wide.

Suede is oh so soft but difficult to keep nice, both which make it a rare luxury. Embossed-logo leather is also a rare luxury (Guccissima, anyone?). So when you put the two together, well I fall in love.

Coach has a new Beaded Tote in Suede Signature at 14″ x 11″ for $358, and I wonder … only one style of bag?!

Luckily for the care-scared or just for more Siggy-embossed, there are still Leather Signature “Hamptons” bags and accessories, like the wristlet.

Indulge!

I love looking at sites like Shopbop.com because I always find bags there that you don’t see at a ton of other sites, especially when it’s a Shopbop exclusive such as the Crete Bag by Emily by Emily. As an added plus, this bag is on sale for $236, down from its original $472.

This is a really beautiful-looking suede bag that comes in three lovely colors perfect for fall (Solid Sand, Solid Charcoal and Solid Oak)—love the Solid Charcoal! It measures 18″ l x 12″ h, so it’s a big bag, good for when you need to carry a lot. The braided handle is also a nice detail.

Okay, I’ll admit the chain detail is definitely growing on me. When I first started seeing the abundance of chains on the bags for the upcoming fall season, I wasn’t too excited. I’ve never been a big fan of chain handles or any chain on my bags, but I’ve seen more than one bag in the past couple weeks with chain hardware that I really like, including this Kate Suede Hobo by Tory Burch ($525).

I think this is a great bag! It’s classic, made from beautiful dark brown suede trimmed with leather, has a buckled shoulder strap and it’s all topped off with the gold chain/buckle hardware on the front—just the right touch!

Anyone who puts down Coach should check this bag—and its price—out.

Coach’s Chelsea Op Art Satchel has a body of brown suede with rectangular strips of metallic leathers and such. The Coach signature-styled corner stitching even gets a boost of the different style, with multi layers of 90° angles to match on the opposite end.

The body even has a new design, this particular satchel shape is unique to Coach, being—of course—rectangular. To match the newer Chelsea line elements, there’s a turnlock closure on the top of the bag: gorgeous, especially in this new satchel shape. To top it off, design-wise, there are round rings and buckles.

Sounds like perfection at 13 ¼” length. But are you ready for the kicker points? Those accessory strips are: suede, dusted suede, metallic calfskin, patent leather, & “lightweight” leather. Add a silk/satin lining and what have we got?

Are you ready?

Another rare expensive designer COACH price of $798!

Well, it is divine!

Want something similar at a more cost-effective pricepoint? There’s a matching wristlet for only $198 and several other satchels in this shape of different materials, including basic pebbled leather and Optic Signature, both at $358.

Embellished purses are everywhere these days, yet embellishment can be a trend that designers can sometimes miss the mark on, especially with beads. If you’re going to embellish with beads, you need to be careful not to overdo it, or your purse can quickly end up as a “what not to wear” item!

While this mosaic tote by Oscar de la Renta isn’t normally my style (well, okay, I couldn’t buy it anyway because it’s $1,875), I think it’s a beautiful example of bead embellishment done right. Look how the center placement of the stone and wooden beads at the bottom mirrors the rounded shape of the top handle and I love how the top handle flows into the body of the bag.

Made from green suede with brown leather trim, this bag is on pre-order, expected to ship no later than May 12, so if you’ve got the cash, go ahead and place your order.

When I was an interior design major in college, I had a professor that would occasionally dismiss class early so we could go get supplies for our next design project. Sometimes, I would go by myself to get them, but it was always so much more fun when two or three of us would go together. One of my design friends had a convertible, which was a treat to ride in since the rest of us didn’t have one nor had I ever ridden in one before college. There was something different and exciting about riding in a car that, with a push of a button, you could raise the hood up or down. That doesn’t seem so exciting to me now, but on a bright sunshiny day that I got out of class early, it did.

Well, this suede and canvas Acrobat Bag, available from Anthropologie, sure doesn’t resemble a convertible, but with the click of a couple clasps, it can be converted from a shorter handbag to a longer shoulder bag, which is exciting to me because that allows flexibility in how it can be carried. Selling for $228, it comes with two sets of removable straps that allow the convertibility. It measures 15″ l x 9″ h x 1.5″ d and has a nice fold-over flap that closes with a lobster clasp, giving this purse a relaxed, vintage feel.

Santa Claus probably already has a gift for Mrs. Claus, but if he doesn’t, I believe I have found the perfect present. Red, of course, is Mrs. Claus’s favorite color so the Charlotte Clutch by Lauren Merkin, number 11 in the “12 Handbags of Christmas,” would certainly be something Mrs. Claus would love to unwrap Christmas morning. Oh, I’d love to unwrap it any morning!

Made from wine-colored suede, it has thin stripes of metallic gold and is lined with pink striped satin lining; this color combo kind of reminds me of candy canes. It sells for $220 and since it’s 11.5″l x 6″ h, it’s the perfect size to tuck under your arm. The pleated detail adds just enough punch. There’s also a small interior pocket, just right for you to carry lipgloss or for Mrs. Claus to tuck away some candy canes!

By the way, be sure to mark your calendars to check back on Christmas Eve Day for the final installment of the “12 Handbags of Christmas” series—you won’t want to miss it!

Once again, I was reminded that your handbag makes a big impression on how others view you. My brother, who’s in college, recently remarked that a girl in one of his classes had a Prada bag and he automatically assumed she was rich. (Side note: Points to my brother for noticing the bag and knowing Prada bags are expensive! Obviously, he’s spent some time around me.) But, on with my story, it got me to thinking that handbags truly are just as important as your shoes and clothing in defining how people perceive you.

Sometimes, people put a lot of effort into their outfit, only to pull out a handbag that’s been torn and beat up from use, which in turn ruins the outfit. It’s just like with shoes—a great pair of shoes will turn a regular outfit into an amazing one and an ugly pair of shoes will destroy a wonderful outfit. You wouldn’t want to enter a corporate job interview dressed in a classy suit, only to be carrying a bright neon pink cotton tote with worn patches—would you? Okay, that might be a big exaggeration, but you get the picture. The point is that just as carefully as you decide what shoes you’ll wear with an outfit, just as carefully decide what handbag you’ll carry.

J. Crew is having a Fall Sale, which includes this Newbury Suede Bag, for $99.99. It sold originally for $158. Now is the perfect time to buy it—sure, it’s orange and definitely looks like autumn, but you can carry it for a few weeks now and then have an almost-new bag to pull out next autumn! Made of Italian suede with a printed lining, it measures 7″ H x 10.5″ W, with a 7.5″ handle drop.

Check out some of the other bags, like the Ludlow Small Leather Bag on sale for $99.99 and the Refined Plaid Chelsea Tote on sale for $129.99. I would hurry, sale items at J. Crew tend to sell out fast!