(Photo: Mitchell Feinberg)

The Best Bet
Alber Elbaz recharged the fading French fashion house Lanvin in the past couple of years by gently twisting classics: pretty dresses with threadbare hems, pearl necklaces bound in fraying tulle, trench coats cut full enough to catch the wind. He pulls off that trick again with this new, surprisingly practical shoulder bag ($1,085 at Barneys New York; 212-826-8900). Made in a ribbed silk normally used for neckties, it’s lighter than the usual leather, sporty enough for summer, and—most important—bound to impress.