Clearly this is the kind of bag that is truly unique. I can’t remember the last time I saw a bag like this, can you? The embossed metallic gunmetal leather is actually the perfect pick for such a small bag. You can pull off the embossed croc and metallic look without seeming too over the top when you are dealing with a small bag (dimensions: 6″w x 6″h x 5″d). I think it is fair to say that this bag would be best used as an evening bag or a statement piece. There is no way that you can stuff everything you might need into it, so you have to be very selective as to what you would like to bring with you. Yet, there is something celeb worthy about this bag. I can think of quite a few celebs who would without a doubt carry this along with them. It’s definitely a fun, cute bag for a special occasion. My challenge would be trying to pull it off. Could you? Buy through Luna Boston for $275.

Botkier knows how to execute a lovely bag. The pebbled leather has just a bit of ruching and pleating to break up all the luscious leather. Zipper detailing along the wraparound banding is absolutely fabulous. I love that I continue to see some great zipper detailing added to bags. Of course, like every other kind of detailing, too many zippers can be over the top, but with this bag, they work perfectly. Buy through Shopbop for $595.

There are few things I love more. Using lambskin to make a big, black bag with some small, well-edited industrial details is one of the fastest ways to my heart.

And at a reasonable price? For a bag I’d carry every day? Just show me where I sign up.

Lambskin warms the cockles of my little Grinch heart. If everything I own could be made out of lambskin, I would be a happy girl. The world would be a better place. Or at least it would be softer and more supple – and isn’t that always better?

For now, at least, that dream is going to wait. At least until I become an eccentric, Howard Hughesian billionaire and am capable of commissioning things in the materials of my choosing. But I’ll settle for a beautiful and functional handbag from a brand I love if I have to. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $675.

If now’s the time for you to hop on board, may I suggest you begin with the Botkier Taylor Crossbody Bag.

I don’t think that a better opportunity for affordable lambskin awesomeness is likely to come along in the future, so if you’re thinking about adding something like that to your life, start here. I’d prefer it in a different color, as always, but I know how amazing that material is going to feel, and that almost makes up for it. If brown is your thing, I’ve found your new favorite bag. Thank me later. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $525.

The surprise factor doesn’t have a negative connotation, I am just saying if I saw it in passing, I don’t think I would instantly think Botkier. Ok, time to move on Shannon, time to move on. I am totally enamored with the Botkier Angie Satchel. If you took the shoulder strap off, you would definitely think that it is a Botkier bag: great, supple, gorgeous leather that you know will hold up well. Then add this fab shoulder strap and you have something just a bit better. I love the way the brass hardward goes with the soft lambskin leather. This is a fall bag I need! Buy through Luna Boston for $545.

But really, I don’t think my love for this clutch is a result of bias at all; I think it’s a legitimately beautiful clutch, and I’ve got a few reasons that I think you’ll agree with me.

First, the shape of the clutch is extremely clean, and the middle pleat gives it a bit of a retro (50s is the feeling I get from it) vibe without being too obvious or kitschy. It’s enough of a variation to keep it from looking like every other fold-over clutch, but not too much of one to prevent the sort of minimalist cool that it has going on. Call it mid-century modern for the handbag world.

Second, the choice of color and texture is perfect. The not-quite-white shade of grey is prefect for any kind of weather and with a variety of outfits. Pair it with a brightly colored sun dress in the summer or a charcoal crepe wool sheath in winter; it would look equally at home in either combination. Versatility is a highly prized trait in any accessory, and this clutch has it in spades.

Third, I’m not great fan of stamped croc texture, but the small size, the simple lines, and the matte finish of this bag manage to pull off the embossing. It’s a technique that can make a great bag look cheap fast, but the Ruffle Clutch doesn’t fall into that trap in the least. Buy through ShopBop for $350.

I even checked out the scale photo of the bag against a silhouette, and that really, really made it worse. It just made me think that this bag was made for some person to carry two really big bottles of water on each side- and who does that? Hey Botkier, a plain sports bag would do just fine.

The shape itself just doesn’t sit well with me, besides the fact that the bag is so large that any mistakes are instantly amplifies. Those zippers? Not tough little touches, but long and dividing. The “thin wisps” the bag is adorned with? They just kind of look strange, like they were put there for no reason whatsoever. And there are only two “wisps” so they look misplaced rather than a developed theme. And I’m a big Botkier fan. They usually have great, sumptuous leather that is perfectly accentuated by super little fourishes. I just don’t know what happened here. Buy through Saks for $645.

Monica Botkier has a history of using zippers and tassels to adorn her bags, and this one fits in perfectly with the look with which the brand is known. I prefer the bag carried as a satchel, but it also has a crossbody option and its sophisticated burgundy color gives the bag a chic look no matter how it’s carried. Despite the fact that the bag is glazed, it’s still made of lambskin (another Botkier favorite), which means it will probably still retain the soft, sumptuous feel even though the leather has been glazed. All in all, we’ve got a winner here. Buy through Luna Boston for $595.

One of the most recent ones to hit the internet is the Botkier Claudia Satchel. This is one of the few satchel/crossbody combinations that I think works better as a messenger bag, mostly because of the connection points of the long strap and how they poke up, even when the strap is disconnected. One detail that I love on the bag that everyone should take a closer look at is the subtle, studded latticework at the bag’s lower corners – it’s details like that that will set great bags apart from the BBB pack this fall. Buy through ShopBop for $595.

This one is no exception – the color is so sunshine-y and it’s the perfect shade of yellow to be able to wear in fall as well as spring and summer. I can only imagine how perfectly this bag will slouch when it’s broken in a bit – lamb leather is MADE for slouch, and this hobo’s shape was made for lamb leather. The tassles are an edgy touch and a signature of several of Botkier’s collections, and who among us doesn’t love a bunch of zipper pockets? I know I certainly do. Buy through Nordstrom for $595.