And there’s an unending amount of handbag knowledge to be gained about the bags that the characters on Gossip Girl carry, so we thought we might drop a little on you today. It’s our job, after all.

In this week’s episode, we spotted Hilary Duff’s Olivia character carrying a bag by one of our favorites: the Rebecca Minkoff Fringe Darling Hobo. This bag is the slightly more complicated version of the lovely Rebecca Minkoff Darling Hobo, another bag that we absolutely love.

Any bag that’s carried on this show looks totally glam by association, and they do a great job of picking their wardrobe overall. But this bag is the real deal, we think. Buy through Luna Boston for $495.

We’ve covered Rebecca Minkoff clutches more than a few times, but the latest incarnation of the signature clutch, this Rebecca Minkoff Croc Clutch, has completely blown my socks off- if that’s not a legitimate expression, than it should be. That’s all not to mention that I heard about this clutch in an entirely new way. How, you ask? My mother called me to rhapsodize about it.

And it’s reasonable to understand why. Anyone looking for a classic black evening clutch but frustrated with the obsession over tiny, tiny, impossible-to-fit-anything-in-this-thing clutches can look at this classic prize and breathe a sigh of relief. The croc embossing transforms the oversized clutch from late night bright, as we’ve seen it before, to benefit party ready. And if your little fingers get tired, it of course comes with a sophisticated chain strap to hook on at a moment’s notice.

The texture gives it a bit more of an exotic, worldly feel, and that, combined with the unique hardware, rounds it out as an overall winner in the clutch/shoulder bag category. Let’s not forget the price, which is just peachy for such a sophisticated and versatile clutch. Buy through Shopbop for $340.

The Rebecca Minkoff Love Letters Shoulder Bag is functional, on trend, and completely appealing. It must be a fairly daunting task for a fairly young designer to be expected to come up with new shapes and ideas for every season with a fairly rabid following salivating over what may come next, but Ms. Minkoff has pulled it off once again.

I must say that this bag at first seemed slightly more trend-conscious than I’ve come to expect of Minkoff’s bags, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, it’s not bad at all – the purse still has the simplicity that we all know and love, with a slight bit of edge thrown in for good measure.

But because of the brand’s tendency towards simplicity, we don’t get anything too over-the-top, which is actually quite welcome. There are plenty of bags covered from tip to tail in zippers and fringe this season, and having a more muted option that still super luxe is something that I’m sure many women will appreciate. Buy through ShopBop for $495.

And, it may be strange for me to say, but I love when small things have a dignified air. Take for example Pomeranians. It’s a digression from bags, but these tiny dogs think they’re massively powerful, and aren’t afraid to bark up the big dogs. In the same way, this Mini Mini packs a punch in a shade fit for royalty. Plus this itty bag has all the same fun qualities in any Rebecca Minkoff Bag- smooth leather, bright hardware, and a color that pops, besides that recognizable little flap.

It’s a crayola color, people. And let me tell you- I adore crayola colors. Plus, I think Prussian Blue- or maybe now it’s called Midnight Blue- is only found in the 64-crayon box. None of that 48-box availability with this one. So what to wear it with? For me, cream comes to mind. I love the comfy happiness that oozes out of cream knitwear, and what better way to showcase this super bag? Buy through Shopbop for $206.50 on sale.

I know that many of you aren’t fans of the new zipper trend. So, perhaps this bag might not be for you, but it’s at least worth a second look. Like so many Rebecca Minkoff bags, the leather is soft and buttery. The polished gunmetal hardware with triple zip detail actually look nice against the pink leather. Clearly, this is more an edgy bag and won’t be for everyone, but even if it isn’t me, I’d love to see someone carry it! Buy through Luna Boston for $295.

It seems like just as soon as I’m feebly able to convince myself to not buy a particular bag that she makes, she comes out with another shape that I like and I have to start convincing myself all over again that I can’t afford a new bag right now. Rebecca, why oh why do you do these things to me?

For today, it’s the Rebecca Minkoff Tess Drawstring Bag with which I’m struggling.

And it’s…a drawstring bag. I’ve never been remotely interesting in a drawstring bag before. I think it’s something about the enormous tassels that dangle from the drawstring cord, I’m not sure, but the whole thing just looks so soft and luxurious that it’s sucking me in. And who doesn’t love a good black bag? I’m not 100% sold, but I’m very, very close. Buy through ShopBop for $595.

So, that’s the love part. What I hate is how they feel to carry for an extended period of time, and I can’t help but think that the Rebecca Minkoff Resin-Handled Nikki Hobo is going to fall into that trap.

Maybe I’m the only one that feels this way; I do have big linebacker shoulders, after all. But for me, these shoulder straps are usually molded a bit too narrowly and they never end up sitting comfortably on my shoulder. If I have anything of any weight in my bag, they dig in and make the bag impossible to carry on my shoulder. I haven’t tried on this particular bag in person, but based on the pictures, I think it probably works better in theory than it will in practice. Buy through ShopBop for $635.

Perhaps I have grown accustom to the “traditional” Nikki bag and therefore am opposed to something way outside of the box. Certainly the only thing that sets this bag apart from other Nikkis is the material used. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but the look fails, on all sorts of levels. Yet, all the issues I can see with it can be summed up in one word – sloppy. It looks like the material was just draped over the bag with designers certain it would work due to the popularity of the Nikki Bag. Not the case. This bag looks messy, unorganized and one that I would probably never throw on my shoulder. The other Nikki Bags are a completely different story, this one I’ll never look at again. However, if you think I am completely off my rocker, snag this bag through Luna Boston for $395.

We know a lot of people having been waiting for the Rebecca Minkoff Darling Hobo to make its debut in the beautiful Purple Haze color this month, and I’ve made my first sighting of it (if you saw it somewhere before this, boo, don’t pee on my glee): Bloomingdales.com has it up for immediate delivery! Not a pre-order. I carried a purple hobo for the entirety of last year, and lemme tell ya: it’s a good thing. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $495.

Sometimes buying the bags that we NEED rather than the bags that we want can be a little boring, but when a basic black evening bag is as well-done as the Rebecca Minkoff Snake Fling Clutch, buying what you need is anything but boring.

Rebecca Minkoff has made this clutch in a variety of finishes and colors over the past few seasons, but doesn’t everyone need black in their night-out wardrobe? A dark clam-shell clutch should be something that every woman has in her wardrobe, just in case an evening opportunity presents itself.

I hate buying something like this in plain leather, though, which is why I’m glad that this one is snake-embossed. Basics don’t have to be boring, and a little bit of subtle visual interest can elevate a clutch to from run-of-the-mill to fabulous, which is exactly what this particular bag is. Buy through Luna Boston for $265.