Having just landed in Singapore this morning, the last 8 days or so in Paris have been magical as far as I’m concerned, catching runway presentations, going for re-sees and attending parties.

More importantly, I got the chance to see next season’s bags up close and personal, each collection more amazing and beautiful than the next. Here are some of my favourite pieces from Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton.

Held in the largest of all venues in Paris, the Chanel runway presentation always promises to be a show stopper, and the S/S12 collection proved to be no different. Held within the Grand Palais, the glass-domed roof was the perfect setting for the huge underwater scene in pristine white, complete with giant corals and sea shells.

Aptly, the bags that came out one after another each had some related theme, from clutches festooned with pearls in different hues to a small sling bag with a mermaid detailed on it. Other pieces included one resembling jellyfish, while another mimicked the clam shell.

Most interesting was the one that looked like the conch, and from what I’ve heard, it appears to be an actual clutch that should be included in next season’s offerings.

As far as Dior is concerned, Bill Gaytten decided not to rock the boat when it came to the bags, and instead chose to reinvent certain pieces for the S/S12 collection. Held in a huge tent on the grounds of Musée Rodin, he sent out Lady Dior bags with weaved leather bodies (yes, it does look look like rattan, doesn’t it?), complete with handles and side panels in luscious exotic skins.

Extremely lightweight (I had the chance to get up close and personal with them), the amount of workmanship that went into each piece was amazing. Other pieces I adored included the Lady Dior in patchwork tweed, and the Miss Dior in tweed with unfinished edges.

Opening to gasps from the audience was the S/S12 Louis Vuitton presentation, the all-white revolving carousel complete with models dressed in the prettiest of pastels. And if this were to be Marc Jacobs’ swansong collection, it was also certainly one of his best to date.

From the translucent bags that came with their own individual pouches to the drool-worthy handbags in delectable exotics, everything looked good enough to eat. Most surprising were the patent leather market baskets, that look to be perfect doubling up as next summer’s picnic bags. Available in two sizes and in a variety of pastel hues, they also came with their own interior lining that will prevent anything from falling out.

Any favourites so far?

Images: Style