Zephyr gunmetal chain scarf (L) Tesseract handsewn antique brass capelet (R)

There are the occasional small, delicate crystals, but in most of the necklaces we saw they surrounded golf-ball sized crystals and stones. The pendants, chokers and jewelry scarves are attention grabbing in all the right ways. Despite the size of the jeweled clusters, the pieces strike a good balance with clean, modern shapes and intricate embellishments that never seem to be too much. As detailed as the images are, everything is really even more stunning in person.

Each piece takes up to 10 weeks to produce. While the time could likely be reduced by moving to factory style production, Valdes decidedly prefers to focus on artisan work and keeps production in her Manila based studio. Weeks long production and individual attention to embroidery style detail means that the resulting works won’t be in the trend or treat price range; but if you look up the definition of treasure, a picture of a Bea Valdes necklace would be more than fitting. Select pieces will be available this fall at Couture Lab.

Click the thumbnails for more images of the Bea Valdes Fall/Winter 2010 collection.

Gold Daphne bag from the Ball and Claw collection

Mackay is a Central Saint Martin’s grad (doesn’t it seem like 80% of the fascinating people in fashion are?) who honed his skills in roles at Loewe, Tanner Krolle and Samsonite. His website states that Mackay is “passionate about the true artisanal techniques” that go into high end accessories.

And indeed, when viewing the purses on display at the Quentin Mackay booth there was a bit of “love to look, but better not touch” hesitancy. It’s not that the heavy chain straps and quilted leather looked like they wouldn’t be able to handle a hands on viewing, but in the same way you’re never quite sure if you can interact with a piece of art on display, we didn’t want to risk being told to back away from the bags.

Fortunately, Mackay himself was on hand to walk us through some of the intricacies, and warmy encouraged more than a polite glance at his handiwork. And with good reason: while the structured bags are certainly easy on the eyes, the best part is being able to feel the unexpected combination of leather that’s at once sturdy and soft. At first glance, it’s easy to assume that bags like the Daphne, pictured above, are made of fabric. Upon touching them, you find out that they’re actually goat suede, given treatments that you won’t find in many lines. The shoulder bags may have tough looking hardware, but none of the bags feel heavy or seem to be weighed down by the fabrics or the details.

While it may not seem groundbreaking, that’s actually quite unique. There’s always a fine line between finding a bag that’s sturdy enough to withstand being knocked around during an active day to day routine, but light enough to not drag on your arm the entire day. Somehow, Quentin Mackay’s bags pull it off  in very stylish form.

The Persia day bag, Persia handbag and Jeannie GT from Quentin Mackay's Ball and Claw collection

Fatigue Gigi Bag (top) and Leopard Grace Bag (bottom)

First up, MZ Wallace, who we spotted at Vendome Luxury. Monica Zwirner and Lucy Wallace Eustice are respectively the MZ and Wallace of the New York based MZ Wallace. Before setting out to create a range of affordable, stylish everyday bags Wallace Eustice worked as an accessories editor at Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, and Zwirner traveled the world as a stylist.

Though the company’s been around for ten years now, it’s become pretty firmly established that even those who can afford the highest priced items, aren’t lining up to buy them in the quantities they used to. With words like “classic,” and “value” becoming more fashionable than “extravagant” and “luxury,” the shift in consumer preference certainly can’t hurt in the brand’s quest to become the luxury lover’s second bag.

With most styles coming in at under $400, it’s easy to see why the bags are finding a wide audience. There are a few core styles that come in various types of fabrics, but the one you’ll see most often is a durable nylon with leather accents and quality hardware. The combination is one that offers the right balance of structure and lightness so that aside from all of the day to day paraphernalia you lug around, the bag isn’t one more thing weighing you down. And while the shapes are simple, there’s a wide range of colors and patterns that allow you to have a bag as noticeable or low key as you choose.

Most of the styles we saw were large enough for a netbook, smartphone and a good amount of random purse stuff, plus enough pockets to keep it all organized and have hope of not losing everything to the great handbag abyss that makes finding keys a 10-minute task.

Fall colors include gold, olive, chocolate, cranberry and leopard print nylon.

One of our favorite shapes, the Bea bag