I’ve been toying with the idea of buying into this whole tiny-bag-long-strap trend, and the more time that goes by, the more convinced I become that it may be an idea worth exploring. Every time I see someone out and about with one, it strikes me how easy to carry and useful they seem to be. They’re small enough to be used for a night of bar hopping, but they’re also completely hands-free, meaning you wouldn’t have to constantly worry about where you put your bag.

With cross-body bags, I also worry about the weird boob-squishing effect that they can have, but these bags are so small that you probably couldn’t weigh it down enough to mangle your chest situation. So the idea interests me, and my favorite option recently is the Rebecca Minkoff Rocker Bag. Everyone knows I like industrial details in my black bags, and the evenly-spaced distressed gold rivets are a great touch. Buy through ShopBop for $330.

One of the main reasons I love Botkier is that they use more lambskin in their line than almost any other similarly priced line that I can think of. And as any bag hag knows, lambskin is the end-all, be-all of non-exotic leathers. It’s soft and supple and I can’t stop touching it. Which is why I think everyone should take a look at the Botkier Venice Hobo. I’ve written about a bag from this line in the past, but that was before the hobo came out, and everyone knows that hobo are easily my favorite.

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.

Fringe. Although I typically have a love hate relationship with it. However, I have been loving it more than hating it lately. Perhaps it is because fringe is everywhere or perhaps it is because of something else. No matter what the reason, you can’t simply slap on a bunch of fringe and have a stellar handbag.

The Juicy Couture Leather Hobo is a good example of a fringe bag I am on the fence about. At first glance, I like the bag. At second glance, I think the fringe looks a little sloppy. The brown leather looks really nice, while the touch of hardware helps draw the eye to something other than the fringe. I might actually have to say Juicy Couture did something good here. Buy through Saks for $378.

I know that the Rebecca Minkoff Morning After Clutch can be a hard bag to find at times, particularly in this season’s super-trendy neon patent, so I thought I’d be service-y and let you all know that Nordstrom has them in stock, including the adorable hot pink version. These clutches do a good job of embracing the 80s trend and the long-chain-strap trend without breaking the bank, but they’re still big enough to be really functional and would probably be a bag that you’d use repeatedly. Even if it is a tad, uh, loud. But that’s half the fun, am I right? If you like it, Buy through Nordstrom for $325.

One of my favorite things in the world is when a brand that I’ve hated on in the past starts to make a bit of a turnaround. I’ve seen a couple of decently cute new Tory Burch bags pop up on shopping sites lately, and I had been cautiously hopeful, but I wasn’t sure if I should say anything until I saw the Tory Burch Efram Hobo.

This bag made me sit up and pay attention as soon as I laid eyes upon it, and I could barely believe that it was one of Ms. Burch’s bags. It’s lines are so clean, it’s color so wonderful, and it’s branding so understated that I wondered for a moment if the website had mislabeled it. But they hadn’t – the very cool-looking rows of tonally colored enamel tiles running down the sides of the bag bare the brand’s logo, but in a way that is subtle and tasteful. I never thought I’d describe one of her bags as subtle OR tasteful, and this beautiful, functional hobo embodies both of those qualities. And the price ain’t bad either – Buy through Nordstrom for $550.

I am usually very anti cross-body bags. I hate how the strap cuts across my chest while drawing attention to it. There is nothing wrong with flaunting what you got, but for some reason, this “attention” doesn’t seem as cute as a great v-neck shirt. However, the Treesje Royale Monaco Satchel is one cross-body bag that I would be willing to give a shot.

One of the first things I noticed was that even if the cross-strap doesn’t seem very flattering, the bag itself could be carried in your hand without an issue. The quilted leather satchel boasts gunmetal hardware (which I love), plenty of pockets and great foldover detail. And the cherry color is simply divine. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $615.

Wow. I might be totally wrong here, but I like it, I actually really like it. The Rafe Blake Leather Hobo is a fantastic handbag with a bit of an edge to it. Italian waxed cowhide, shiny nickel studs and rivet details work well together to bring you that edge I speak of. I can see a real cowgirl (not just those of us who like to have a cowgirl hat and boots on every now and then) or a bad girl pull this look off perfectly.

So you know what that means, harness your inner cowgirl or bad girl and grab this bag as you run out the door. Come to think of it, I would grab this bag as I run out the door and hop on the back of a motorcycle for a ride around town. Yep, I like this bag! Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $575.

I’m going to come out and say it, no beating around the bush here, does this clutch look worn out? There is something about the colors used in the Foley + Corinna Fold Over Clutch that looks like it was left out in the bright summer sun for too long. I am all for pastels and light colors, but this one just looks a tad too warn. Do you agree? While I love the colors, I think I would appreciate them more if they were a little more bold and daring. I love the shape of the clutch; it screams easy going and fun loving. So tell me, what do you think? Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $390.

Before this year, I had never ever seen a high-end handbag made of nubuck. In fact, I had to look up exactly what nubuck was in order to write this post. I had heard of it previously, of course – mostly in the suede-ish bomber jackets sold at cheapy retailers like Wal-Mart during the winter – but was unsure if it was ACTUALLY an animal product. And as it turns out, it is. To be more precise, it’s leather buffed on the skin-side to look and feel similar to suede (which is, of course, made from the other side of a tanned skin).

It had been completely off my fashion radar until YSL made several bags out of the material last season, and now we’ve got the Jerome Dreyfuss Nubuck Billy Bag in the same material. We already covered this bag in a nasty 80s upholstery pattern, but now it’s in bright turquoise, and I’m feeling a bit differently about it. It’s far from love-at-first-sight, but the color is so bright and pretty that it make’s the bag’s awkward construction and unusual material work. Sort of. It looks kind of deconstructed and more hippy chic than hippy dippy, and it may just prove the old political adage true: the medium is the message. Buy through ShopBop for $848.

Sometimes, you don’t really need a fancy, gimmick-y handbag. After all, bags are supposed to be functional additions to a woman’s wardrobe, and sometimes overdone and over-designed bags become less functional as a result of trying to achieve a desired look. For someone that still wants something functional and purse-shaped, I’d recommend the Gianni Chiarini Side Zip Hobo.

It’s a big, colorful hobo made out of decent leather that will look reasonably stylish without breaking the bank. It also zips open at the sides, allowing the carrier to expand the hobo’s capacity to fit more stuff or decrease it for a slimmer profile, depending on that day’s needs. My one bone to pick is that I hate leather finished with the semi-glossy finish that this bag has, as it tends to make bags look less expensive and high-end than they really are. Because this bag is reasonably priced, though, I won’t count the leather’s finish against it too strenuously. I wish it looked softer, but for overall bang for your buck and carrying versatility, this hobo would be a good choice. Buy through Nordstrom for $248.