When I was at L.A. Fashion Week in October, one of the most charming people I met was handbag designer Kara VanDe Hoef. Kara is the designer behind VanDe K, a small line of simple, all purpose bags. She is a graduate of LA's Fashion Institute and her vision is to create high-end handbags in performance fabric so that they can be everyday bags which won't fall apart at a moment's notice.

Her latest bag is the Urban Ultrasuede Hobo, a soft yet rugged bag with a inside zip pocket, hidden magnetic closure, satin lining and nickel hardware. The bag comes in four colors and sells for $365.