In the South, we’re a little weird about college football. If any of you grew up or went to college south of the Mason-Dixon line, you’re already aware of this phenomenon. Not only do our college teams garner much more ardent support than any of our professional teams, but people devote themselves to their Alma maters with an emotional vigor that is rare to find elsewhere in all of sports. So what’s this got to do with handbags, you say? Well, today is opening day of the 2008 college football season, and although most of the games aren’t until Saturday, a few will be televised tonight and kick off (literally) the happiest 12 weeks of the year for this sports fan. Not only that, but this time of year brings about an odd dressing conundrum for all female football fans that support schools in the South. Because here, you can’t just wear *anything* to a game. We dress up for football like some people dress up for church – and we do it in our team’s colors. Some schools (particularly those where orange figures prominently, bleh) have a harder time of it than others, and I like to think that my school chose wisely. I am an alumni of The University of Georgia, and our colors are red and black. If you’ve never seen the windows at an Hermes flagship store, I would highly recommend making it a priority if you’re ever in New York City, London or Paris. The brand’s designers and merchandisers go to great lengths to make the visual presentation of the store’s goods captivating and unique, and the Paris store at 24, Faubourg Saint Honoré in particular has seasonal windows that are the stuff of legend. Hermes Window Design Director Leïla Menchari has done a nearly magical job of turning displays of handbags and silk scarves into fantastical dreamscapes that sit right at the intersection of art and commerce, season after season, for more than three decades. Hermes recently uploaded more than 50 photos of Menchari’s Paris windows to its Facebook page, and we’ve got our picks for the best after the jump.

Not everyone is in a torrid love affair with Louis Vuitton‘s seemingly omnipresent monogram, but when the brand’s design minds really hit overdrive, occasionally they find a creative and appropriate use for it that I can’t help but like. Already a celebrity favorite, the Louis Vuitton Antheia Hobo is clearly one of those occasions when the monogram mania feels oh so right. It doesn’t hurt that the monogram in question is embroidered on top of luscious lambskin, the kind of leather which could make any design fantastic. The choice of tonal thread instead of a contrasting color is the detail that puts this bag over the top for me.It appears as though a major designer is finally getting real about what the economic downturn might mean to their handbag business, and not in any small way. The Burberry Leather Messenger Bag is part of a line of several bags that the brand has put out this season with price tags dramatically lower than their normal leather offerings would be. This one, for example, is priced at staggeringly low (for a brand like Burberry) $375. And although the bag may be fairly simple in design, it doesn’t seem like an afterthought to me. The finish of the leather reminds me of the crinkly bags that Prada has released this season, except this bag is slightly more matte and the shoulder strap allows it to be worn as a very chic oversized shoulder bag or across the body. Good design doesn’t necessarily mean extra complications, and based on this line from Burberry, it also doesn’t mean exorbitant prices. This may not be the most exciting bag that any of us have ever seen, but I think the price point is cause to celebrate indeed