The Diane Von Furstenberg Hayworth Tote is a fresh new take on the traditional tote bag, and one that will serve you well into the new year.

This bag won't arrive in time for the holiday parties, but it's just as well -- this bright white tote with rainbow stitching should be saved for 2010, when white (as well as beige, brown, and silver) will be everywhere and the splash of color will be much needed. We love the candy colors, the structured shape, and especially the eyelet details (but we'd leave that shoulder strap at home).

This bag would make a smashing holiday gift for someone who has everything; it's colorful and cheery, and there's something inherently luxurious about this much white leather.

The Diane Von Furstenberg Hayworth Tote is available for pre-order from Neiman Marcus for $725.00, and expected to ship no later than December 17 (just in time for Christmas).

If Jared Paul Stern's $2 Million Scotch Whisky Gift Experience (with Glenfiddich) was a little too rich for your blood, an $85,000 experience with The Dalmore might be just right for you.

We've covered various Dalmore bottles with prices as high as $58,000 over the years, as well as a tasting led by the colorful third generation Master Distiller Richard Paterson (above). With the once-in-a-lifetime Dalmore Experience package, you can combine all that -- taste the best bottles, spend a day with Richard and even get your hands on a custom-blended bottle of The Whisky Dalmore.

The $85,000 price tag gets you first class transportation (including airfare) to the Scottish Highlands, a city and country tour, four nights in a five-star hotel, a private barrel tasting of resting casks, a day of falconry with Richard Paterson, and a bespoke bottle of scotch whisky hand-created for you by Richard himself -- after he gets to know you, you personality and your preferences. The bottle will arrive in a handmade case a few weeks after you return to real life.

This extravagant package is so exclusive, it's only available for those in-the-know. Comment below and indicate your interest if would like to be contacted by a representative (or contact Annie.Scott-at-weblogsinc.com), and the Luxist team will pass along your information. You're welcome.

When you think of Abercrombie & Kent, you may think of tours and safaris. Did you know that they also have villas?

Well, they do. A&K owns and operates villas all over the world, including in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy. The villas vary in size and style, but all bring that old world A&K glamor to the table, as well as the A&K expertise -- they can arrange excursions for you like balloon rides, wine tastings, cooking classes and more.

Two new properties have recently opened in Italy, La Fornace (Tuscany, above) and La Castellina (Chianti).

La Fornace, scenically located near Arezzo and Cortona, has a heated swimming pool with a view of the countryside, a pizza oven, a gym and spa, grand stone fireplaces, bikes, a volleyball court and a soccer field. Does that just about cover your whole family? There are 5 en-suite bedrooms (sleeps 10) with satellite TVs, two kitchens, a game room, a cinema, a piano and central heating and air conditioning. Get a few friends together and rent it for $11,744 to $16,224 per week (high season).

Alternatively, La Castellina has six bedrooms (sleeps 10 +1) and lies in the heart of a small wine-producing estate. There's a large swimming pool, table tennis, badminton, WiFi, a bread oven and the sitting room is a rustic-chic converted hay barn. It's available for $9,744 to $14,432 per week (high season) -- and you can have A&K arrange a personal chef for you, transportation to nearby vineyards, whatever you'd like.

Visit akvillas.com to see galleries and floorplans of their villas worldwide (and to book -- be sure to invite us if you have an extra bed!).

The Dior Cannage Shoulder Bag is a terrific holiday purse for merry days of shopping and candlelight dinners alike.

This Italian patent lambskin bag is ravishingly quilted in Dior's Cannage pattern, and not over-designed -- the shiny red is enough. While this would look great with black, we'd love to see this on the arm of a lady bundled up in a pretty white coat.

The bag features bright silvery chain links and a push-lock closure, and will be available in ecru with goldtone hardware in 2010. We love the leather detail at the top of the strap to protect your shoulders, hands and clothes from having to touch the hard metal -- how very considerate.

The Dior Cannage Shoulder Bag is available from Neiman Marcus for $1,750.00.

The Lauren Merkin Diana Galaxy Clutch is a perfect holiday party purse. We challenge you to find something this season that it wouldn't match.

If you've recently discovered you have no good purses for this year's holiday parties, this is the ultimate solution. Its pouch-like, gathered shape in head-turning metallic golden-and-them-some leather and simple chain shoulder strap make it easy to wear and quite fetching.

The bag is 5"H x 9 1/2"W; just large enough for your necessities, and its scrunchy-soft texture makes it easy to carry, even without the chain.

The Lauren Merkin Diana Galaxy Clutch is available from Neiman Marcus for $195.00.

The Dior Ruffled Flap Shoulder Bag is an unmistakably luxe choice for your spring wardrobe.

This fresh new design in a bright poppy rouge features generous silver chain links, oversized diamond stitching and dainty, only-from-a-French-design-house ruffle trim. The bag and logo hangtag are crafted from the finest lambskin, and the flap-top closes with an engraved silver push lock.

This spring, expect to see lots of silver, khaki, white and pale neutrals ... and this, as it will surely stand out if you see it coming down the street.

The Dior Ruffled Flap Shoulder Bag is available for pre-order from Neiman Marcus for $2,050.00 and is expected to ship no later than January 6.

Designer Tracy Fredkin (right) launched Tucker Paisley in Los Angeles in 2006, and since then, the line has been skyrocketing.

Beginning with six signature bags covered in her very own paisley print, she has garnered celebrity fans like Jaime Pressly, Hayden Panettiere and Katherine Heigl and expanded her range to include accessories like scarves, and now, clothing.

We met up with Tracy at a BagTrends event at Blue Bag in NYC.

Luxist: So, your paisley print started it all?

Tracy Fredkin: Yeah, that's what started it all. We came up with what we thought was a modern, fresh take on a paisley, and created it, copyrighted it and trademarked it. It was the inspiration for our signature line, which was all paisley. Our six signature bags were all prints, and then we moved styles that were really popular forward and started doing leather more, and using different textures and different colors, using the paisley as an accent. Now, you'll see it in a pocket, on a zipper, as the lining for a bag; that's sort of the direction we started going. In our Beach collection and some of our new accessories, we brought the paisley back to be the focus of those items.

L: How did you create the paisley pattern? Did you draw it?

TF: We went to tons of fabric stores and looked at old patterns, new patterns, different things that we liked in all the different colors, and then just started playing on a computer; making it bigger, making it smaller, whether we wanted it to be repeating, all different things.

L: Was it always intended for handbags?

TF: It was always going to be for handbags, yes. We wanted to do the handbag line. We had the shapes of certain bags in mind. That was the plan.

L: I love the different textures you're using, and there are metallics, patent leather, all sorts of things.

TF: Yeah, we're trying to bring in all different things. We have some soft lambskins, we have different metallics, we have heavier cow leathers, we brought in some raw silk in some of our things. We try to keep changing it up and have groupings of things for different people.

L: Cool. I heard you have clothing coming out for summer.

TF: Yes, we're doing a Beach line with some accessories and some dresses, light silk dresses in different silhouettes. It's all [the Tucker Paisley] look. Classic, chic -- what we're going for is very easy, timeless stuff that you can wear to different things, that are versatile.

We love her fresh paisley print and easy-chic style, as well as the free shipping on her website (though you can probably find Tucker Paisley at a store near you. Check out the gallery for photos of more bags, including the ones celebrities have been spotted carrying -- or, for shopping shortcut:

• Katherine Heigl wore the Molly Tote ($108)
• Jaime Pressly has the Thomas Hobo ($225)
• Hayden Panettiere has been seen all over the place with this gorgeous Emma Clutch (normally $215, on sale for $105) -- check the gallery to see the paisley inside

The Beau-Rivage Palace has just what you need to heal your soul from all that holiday stress (and eating and drinking). The palace, adjacent to Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps (see above) on ten acres of private, wanderable gardens, has a new restaurant featuring France's only female chef with three Michelin stars, as well as two other restaurants, two bars with sweeping terraces, and the Cinq Mondes Spa, where they will fix you up for 2010.

The three-night Boost Your Immune System Package, available through March 19, 2010, starts at approximately $1,437.00 (based on double occupancy) and includes:

• Accommodations in a lake-view room
• One-hour session with a personal trainer
• Welcome glass of freshly squeezed Vitamin C-rich orange juice
• Daily buffet breakfast with a wide selection of freshly squeezed juices, fresh fruits and vegetables and home-made yogurts (among other options)
• Special antioxidant-rich lunch or dinner at Café Beau-Rivage
• Daily in-room vegetable and fruit basket, freshly squeezed juices and a selection of herbal teas
• 50 minute body massage at the Cinq Mondes Spa
• 20 minute facial massage at the Cinq Mondes Spa
• Free access to the Cinq Mondes Spa, fitness room and tennis courts

Now that's a getaway. Wait till you see the rooms.

Ritz-Carlton is coming to Cairo, with the ritzy, 160-room design rendered above. OBMI Resort Design is working to make this hotel not just grand, but green, with the help of 13 LEED certified professionals.

The new Ritz-Carlton Palm Hills (not to be confused with the Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo, also on the way), will feature spectacular views of the pyramids of Giza (!!), a huge spa, a golf clubhouse, two ballrooms, and the fabulous swimming pool you see here (we love those little islands).

"It is our privilege to lead such a remarkable project in one of the world's most iconic destinations. Egypt offers a perfect canvas for us to create a timeless yet contemporary resort that greatly incorporates regional materials and historic traditions. Our holistic approach reflects the principles of sustainability as well as our dedication and attention to the sensitivity of local customs," says OBMI's CEO Doug Kulig. The resort will feature "metal columns designed to resemble the structural elegance of the papyrus plant," as well as "various water systems, inspired by ancient irrigation canals settled along the famous Nile Basin." Guests can also look forward to multiple courtyards and views of the Cairo skyline.

We'll let you know when they're taking reservations (after we make our own)!

Bette Midler is more than a woman -- she's like an army. We're not just talking about the power of her singing voice; she's also a dancer, an actress, a comedienne, and a well-known humanitarian, and a champion of both the arts and the Earth.

Since 1995, she's been working on her New York Restoration Project (NYRP -- she founded it), which has been helping NYC get greener and cleaner. Just recently, Bette herself planted the 250,000th NYRP tree in a Queens neighborhood and unveiled a new garden near Yankee Stadium. Now, she's auctioning off some very unique experiences with celebrities on CharityFolks.com, experiences which would make unbeatable holiday gifts.

Among the current gifts available are:

• Meet John Stamos Backstage at Bye Bye Birdie & Enjoy 2 VIP House Seats - $1,500.00
• Private Lesson with Tennis Great John McEnroe & Roundtrip Travel on JetBlue Airways! - $2,750.00
• Meet Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood, One of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time According to Rolling Stone, with 2 VIP Tix to a 2010 European Show Date - $1,500.00

Those are current bid prices; buyouts are available at higher numbers. All the proceeds will benefit NYRP, which plans to plant 1 million trees by 2017 (and totally will). Other items include a chance to meet Cher, a walk-on role with Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd, a getaway to Richard Branson's Necker Island, and more. She's convinced nearly 100 of her celebrity friends to contribute, so keep your eye on the NYRP CharityFolks page to see what's up for auction next.

"We've turned 55 vacant lots into beautiful community gardens and planted more than 250,000 trees, and we're just getting started, so I hope you'll join in the merriment by placing a bid today!" says Midler.