As we all know by now, Pantone announced last month that 2012′s Color of the Year would be “Tangerine Tango” – a vibrant, saturated, deep orange that looks almost hot to the touch. With so many blazing bright colors dotting the runways as of late, the declaration seemed like Pantone’s most accurate in a long time. When I clicked over to Bergdorf Goodman today and saw the beautiful, sunny Givenchy Antigona Tote daring me to get out my credit card, I knew in my heart that Pantone was indeed on to something big.

We’ve discussed this topic before, but why can’t stock photos look like this? THESE are the types of pictures that make people open their online banking info in a separate tab and start doing desperate handbag math. In this specific instance, the bag itself is pretty simple – with its east-west shape and slim straps, the Antigona tote looks like an all-leather cousin of the Louis Vuitton Neverfull. I’ll take this variation on the theme any day, though; ditching logo cavas for beautiful brightly colored leather is always an upgrade.

Actually, I take back what I said before. I’m thankful that more handbags aren’t photographed this way for retail sites. If they were, they’d have to reopen debtors’ prison just for me. Buy through Bergdorf Goodman for $1280.

Givenchy makes me think that Pantone was right about tangerine is a post from: Cheap Online Shopping

Back in October, we discussed whether or not the legendary Fendi Baguette, the first real It Bag and practically the fifth cast member of Sex and the City, might be poised for a return to prominence. Based on the Baguettes that are starting to surface for Spring 2012, I’d say that we might all be carrying Fendi in a year’s time. Can I request a crossbody version, please?

The simple, familiar shape of the Baguette has always lent itself particularly well to gobs of embellishment, and since fashion seems to enjoy gobs of almost anything these days, it’s perhaps no surprise that the bag would once again gain a certain amount of favor. The bright colors of the Fendi Python Baguette make for a perfectly trendy all-season bag that feels very now, while the modernist beading on the Fendi Optical Beaded Baguette appeal to those who appreciate the minimal lines and bold color choices of brands like Jil Sander.

With the wide-ranging design possibilities, it’s easy to see how the Fendi Baguette fervor began in the first place; they do have sort of a collect-them-all feeling, right? Usually those kinds of responses from me are reserved for box clutches, but the Baguette takes that same possibility for creation and makes it easier to carry during the day. Here’s hoping that the bag continues on its second wind.

Fendi Optical Beaded Baguette, $3340 via Neiman Marcus

Fendi Python Baguette, $2520 via Neiman Marcus

The return of the Fendi Baguette continues apace is a post from: Cheap Online Shopping

Similarly, when you consider a grocery bag, you probably have one material very clearly in mind – thin plastic, usually white or beige. The Maison Martin Margiela Studded Leather Grocery Bag, on the other hand, takes the expected shape and turns it totally luxurious with black leather and studs.

Thankfully, this incredibly expensive take on the grocery bag doesn’t seem intended to actually carry groceries, as some triple-digit bags of a similar shape seem intended to do. Instead, it’s a thoroughly modern design that takes a wink at another kind of bag that we all carry with great regularity but few of us every think about. Not only that, but because grocery bags are a little piece of everyday functional design that we take for granted, odds are that this bag would be pretty easy to carry. It may not fit everyone’s style, but for Margiela fans, this would be a pretty sound purchase. Buy through ShopBop for $1440.

Margiela makes the most expensive grocery bag ever is a post from: Cheap Online Shopping