The Emperor's New Bag

In Milan there was the pink Prada turban. In Paris, the object of my affection and obsession is Chanel's "Naked" shopper. It's a riff on the classic rectangular chain purse, except in clear plastic. And it's 700 Euros, or $950. That's right, $950.

Now I'm not the sharpest stilleto on the rack, but I know that's a lot to pay for something that's "plaaaaastic," as my friend Robin said when I let slip that I had my eye on this invisible "It" bag. But I've intellectualized it. That Karl, so clever -- knocking himself off before someone else can, ever cogniscent that fashion is disposable, but it's what's on the inside that is really worth showing -- even if that is a Louis Vuitton pink Vernis wallet, Miu Miu sunglasses and a Chanel Glossimer. Any serious collector would buy into the irony, right? It's just too delicious.

Handbag heaven

Now that the British accessories meccas Smythson and Mulberry are in the same building on New Bond Street it's double trouble. I stopped into the showrooms today to see the lines, and everyone at Mulberry was abuzz about the Giles Deacon collection, designed in collaboration with the hotter-than-hot British designer who came from Bottega Veneta before starting his own clothing label.

For his spring S&M-themed runway show, which we saw in September, he designed several bags with studs so large and pronounced, they give new meaning to using your handbag as a weapon. They created an instant stir among the fashion crowd because they fit right in with the new, edgier mood and 1980s revivalism. They are available now only at Harvey Nichols in London and Colette in Paris, but come next month they will be in the brand new Mulberry store on Melrose Place in L.A.

Topshop: Epicenter of Cheap Chic

Stopped into Topshop today, which is without a doubt the best place in London if not the world to take the pulse of fashion. It was amazing how much of the inventory looked like maternity wear! I will be happy to see all these trapeze and babydoll shapes go, I have to say.

It was also interesting to see how the store's knitwear department has grown. This, of course, follows another huge trend. There were short sleeve sweaters, long sweaters, cropped sweaters, babydoll sweaters, etc. And this is something that looks to be moving forward to next fall as well.

One Last Shopping Trip

Managed to squeeze one last shopping stop in on Friday, between the Anne Klein and Ralph Lauren shows. And am I glad I did. I dropped into Te Casan, the new shoe store on West Broadway in SoHo. And store is not really an apt description for this fabulous place. It's more like a gallery.

Vals Take Manhattan. Totally.

I visited a little piece of home on the Lower East Side today, a new store named Valley, after the San Fernando Valley. The two gals who own the boutique, Nina and Julia Werman, grew up on Laurel Canyon between Mulholland and Ventura Boulevard, the daughters of heavy metal music producer Tom Werman, who worked with Ted Nugent, Blue Oyster Cult, Motley Crue, Poison and Twisted Sister among others.

Valley is an oasis of open space on Orchard Street just south of Grand, stocking such West Coast labels as Mike and Chris, Geren Ford, Harlow, Grey Ant and Ladies of the Canyon, along with T-shirts printed with photos by Leonard Nimoy, a family friend of the Wermans and an investor in their store.

Hitting the Ground With Proenza Schouler

Landed in New York and naturally, the first thing on my mind was shopping. The new Proenza Schouler for Target collection arrives in stores nationwide on Sunday, but there was a pre-shopping party Thursday night to open the pop-up shop in SoHo.

What a funny sight it was to walk in out of the 30-degree cold into this tropical wonderland of a party with giant photo murals of surfer girls on the walls and L.A. stylemaker Liz Goldwyn working the room. It almost felt like home.

The line is adorable -- lots of palm print sundresses and skirts (cut very short) in the $40 to $60 range, a bra-top cami that is remarkably like what the designers do for their higher-priced signature line and a cropped jacket that looks annoyingly similar to the one I spent my rent on at Barneys a few years back. Oh well, nothing a little champagne won't cure -- cue up my seasonal drip because its gonna be a long trip.

Daily shopping haul: $39.99 pink palm print Proenza Schouler for Target tote. I've got my eye on the matching cardigan.

-- Booth Moore