And when we talk about clothing, it is only appropriate that we mention accessories as well.    At the top of that accessories pile?  Handbags.  The ultimate accessory in utility and style, bags, purses, clutches and backpacks are items without which any woman should ever want to live her daily life.

Want to know what’s hot in handbags in 2010?  Take some cues here.

1.  Clutches

These festive bags are the perfect accessory for a night out on the town or a special occasion.  Though they’re not necessary the most spacious bags, they are roomy enough to allow for the packing of the basic essentials such as lipstick, mobile phone and keys.  There are a variety of styles and designs available, all of which are quite stylish.  Pretty embellishments such as sparkles, pearls and embroidery are great ways to spice up a simpler outfit, while solid coloured clutches are a great way to add a pop of color.

2.  Slouch Handbags

Slouch handbags are great for those who are on the go.  Comfortable and easy to wear, they are unstructured bags ideal for everyday use.  They come in a variety of fun colors and designs and are great for weekends of shopping or travelling.

3.  Gladstone Handbags

These bags are roomier than most – great not only for daily use, but also for overnight trips (for light packers).  More structured than the slouch handbag, their form indicates a certain level of class and elegance that many will enjoy.  They come in a variety of colours, such as sleek black or clean white.

4.  Grab Handbags

These classic handbags literally stand on their own – their usual smart and sleek structure giving them strong forms and pretty shapes.  Held in the hand or slung over the arm, they are probably your best bet for a daily handbag this year.  They come in a wide variety of styles and designs.  Straps can be leather or metal, long or short, wide or thin.  These bags vary in size depending upon the taste of the user.  With lots of compartments inside and sometimes a few on the outside, they are great to help a girl to stay organized as well.  The options are really endless when it comes to these grab handbags.  A wide variety of colors are available, ranging from basic black to popping red.  Styles and designs of leather should also be checked out.

The new year promises to be a good one when it comes to fashion and accessories.  Start checking out fashion magazines and grazing the aisles at local department stores to stake out the perfect bag for you!

The Mulberry Bayswater has become a new classic – in a range of colours from the softest bow embellished pastel pink to sassy black patent leather, you will be sure to find the bag to suit you, your style & your personality. If you enjoy the reminiscent, youthful quality of schoolboy tan, then you’ll love the stachel strapped varieties that were seen this week.

With on-trend celebrities like Alexa Chung & Fearne Cotton already seen loving the look, the Bayswater is bound to be just as much as an IT bag success as its predecessor the Roxanne tote was. And I’m sure I don’t need to say, these shoulder bags are far more wearable that many of the items seen on the catwalk over the past few days!

This trend has been given names like trading up, mass luxury, and mass affluence. This movement had women of the middle class sporting handbags pictured in the pages of Vogue magazine while driving their kids to football practise in the family car. The basis of this movement in consumption was the feeling of financial security and growing wealth. With good housing prices and rising wages people felt they could extend themselves a little bit beyond their means for a little taste of the good life. The onslaught of the global economic crisis and subsequent recession has had a tremendously stifling affect on this trend.

While women still covet the eight hundred pound Coach purses, they do not feel financially secure enough to splurge on items like that. More people are worried about being able to pay their mortgage, bills, and keeping their job than what direction the “C”s on a handbag are pointing. Even people whose personal wealth is stable and has not taken a big hit are not as willing to part with their cash due to the uncertainty of the future. The rainy day fund that people set their money aside for is getting bigger and bigger as individuals want to provide themselves with as much security as possible.

Another factor that can have a negative impact on the sales of designer handbags during a recession is the staggering amount of imitation purses that are available. The look and quality of a lot of the knock off purses is quite similar to the real thing but for a fraction of the price. For women who are looking to be a bit more financially savvy but refuse to sacrifice personal style, these imitation handbags are the perfect middle ground.

For those who simply cannot hold back from purchasing those must have designer handbags, there is certainly justification for their actions. Spending is something that needs to happen in order for this financial crisis to ever be remedied and no one ever said where the money has to be spent. While it would not be wise to go out and buy a designer handbag for every month of the year, curbing the appetite to follow the seasons is a good way to tailor in the spending while still satisfying the need for designer goods.

Opting for the lower priced luxury items is another good way to fulfill the need for a designer purse but maintain a reasonable budget. The whole idea of shopping on a preset budget is another great approach to shopping in times of economic woes. While the market for designer handbags will not be booming during a recession, it will not dry up completely. Fashion does not stop just because most people have to pull their purse strings a little tighter; it just means individuals have to exercise a little more creativity and flexibility in their spending. This creativity needs to operate on both sides of the relationship in order for the market to remain viable.

While consumers need to balance their budgets a little differently in order to set aside a couple of extra pounds for a designer handbag, those designers need to recognize the financial climate and react accordingly. This means providing bags that are based more on universal use rather than what is hot for that particular season. A person is much more likely to spend a large amount of money on a handbag if they believe they will get a good amount of use out of it and the purse will be appropriate for any season and almost any occasion. Selecting certain materials is another way that designers can work with consumers to reach a happy medium. Forfeiting some of the pricier materials, designers can still make beautiful handbags but perhaps with more reasonably priced materials. This amendment works in favour of both the consumer and the designer because the financial hard times are hitting on both sides of the counter.

More streamlined, classic looks should be making up the handbag market during these dismal economic times. People are not looking for glitz and glamour as much because each additional sparkle represents another dollar lost to frivolous spending. Subtle yet stylish is a good look for designer handbags at this moment because they do not make too loud a statement but will continue to look good as the economy slowly gets better. It is important not to skimp on quality of design however. People are much more likely to purchase a handbag that they know will hold up and serve them loyally for years to come rather than one that will come apart at the seems in only a few months time.

While a recession does spell bad times for the world of fashion, it does not mean that consumption will halt completely. People will undoubtedly curb back their spending on designer handbags, but the desire will persist and they will have to give in at least sometimes. Providing more moderately priced items that are a bit more modest is the best way for designers to meet consumers part way as they both try to make it through the struggle of a financial crisis. With some clever budgeting and a sharp eye people will be able to satisfy their need for designer handbags and keep the market afloat, even if it is only barely above water for some time.

Handheld

Clutch handbags are a key item for AW, which will take you smoothly into the Christmas party season. Chain handles are still an important look, although they will be wrapped around the hand rather than over the shoulder.

Don’t worry, for the hoarders among us, the oversized slouch is still very much about, but shorter, chunkier handles have evolved it into a handy grab – think doctors’ satchel look meets Mary Poppins’ capacity.

Tactile

It’s all about the look and feel, from butter soft slouch leathers, to squidgy quilting and studded hardware – you won’t be able to keep your hands off next season’s handbags.

Exotic Leathers

Whether it’s ostrich, snake or crocodile leather, expected to go safari next season with a range of exotic materials pioneered this season by Michael Kors. However, if you ask me, I’d much rather keep it mock-croc – blegh.

Vintage

Yester-year looks are still a big part of catwalk trends, although we’ll be travelling further back from the 70s & 80s inspired looks of S/S to the most sophisticated and classy styles of the first half of the 20^th century. Lanvin showed a beautiful collection of vintage box-shapes, while Hermes kept to what they knew best with a sumptuous Kelly & Birkin inspired range.

Quirky

Lagerfield at Chanel created a wonderful range of handbags complete with must-have contents (Ipod, headphones, perfume, lipstick, mirror & sunglasses) laminated into Perspex. Although, not the most practical thing to have graced the catwalk, I can’t wait to see how the clever people at Topshop translate the look into a wearable style for the High Street.

For the one lady we can always rely on for quirkiness, LuLu Guiness has released a new range to celebrate her 20^th anniversary, but for those of us who can’t afford the price tag, Accessorize at Monsoon do this cute alternative.

Embellishments & Detailing

I am overjoyed that those feminine touches that I’ve fallen in love with this season are here to stay for the rest of the year. All of you who invested in beads, buckles, pleats and bows have chosen wisely & if not, here’s the go-ahead to treat yourself to something pretty & girly.

80s Inspired Rock Chic

In contrast to above, faded denim, aged leather, buckles, studs and metal will all be red hot in Autumn & Winter. If you want to keep bang on-trend, inject your whole outfit with a laid-back Sienne Miller inspired vintage T-shirt & baggy jeans.

I’m sure that like me, after one glance at this thing you are wondering what on earth it could be. Is it a giant easter egg? No, it is the latest and most high-tech idea to come out of  Louis Vuitton HQ – The Lunar Travel Trunk.

This classy piece if space luggage is perfect for all those jolly jaunts that we take to the moon, it has a number of compartments & cubby holes to ensure that you are looking your best on any space exploration trip – just don’t forget to pack your sunnies!

The Lunur Travel Trunk was created to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landings on July 20th.

This juxtaposition of fashion meets science went on display at the American Museum of Natural History yesterday, if you want to take a look for yourself at the Rose Center for Earth & Space, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York. And if you’re lucky you’ll see Buzz Aldrin alongside Daniel Lalonde, LV’s North America CEO.

If you’re looking for something a bit more “down to earth”, visit our online shop where you’ll find a wide variety of gorgeous italian leather designer handbags.

Even though you may feel like you got a steal when buying a counterfeit, you are actually doing a disservice to your country and to those who put hard work into making legitimate products. And were you ever to want to purchase the real deal, think about what a shame it would be if the bag you paid a small fortune for ended up being a fake.  While there are people who have the means to buy handbags whenever the desire strikes them, there are still others who have saved up money for months or years even, to own a real luxury handbag; they don’t want to waste their money on a mere counterfeit.

So, how do spot a real bag from a counterfeit one? One big tipoff is where you purchased the bag. Knockoffs are easily had by the dozen on street corners and the internet. Authorized dealers for LV, Chanel, Fendi et al do not sell their wares out of a car truck, nor do they hawk bags from inside an old duffel bag. These are usually of significant poor quality and they are appreciably cheaper than what you’d pay for the real deal. For instance, if you pick up a bag on Canal Street in New York for $100, you’ve just been had. Real luxury bags are going to cost you a pretty penny; they aren’t going to be made from pleather with metal that chips and falls apart when you touch it. Also, consider the tag—if it says Made in Bangladesh or Made in China, it’s not real.

Inspect the bag carefully. One clue to a knockoff is poor stitching. There should be no loose or missing stitches; all stitches should be evenly spaced and perfectly aligned. The color of the thread should match the color of the bag. Real leather designer handbags should have the logo engraved and not simply printed in them. Many counterfeit bags have labels hanging from the handle rather than stitched inside the bag. Check the zippers too. They should glide easily along the zipper track, unzipping and zipping effortlessly.

Check for misspelled words. Make sure the bag isn’t flimsy and doesn’t bend in odd ways.

Look inside the bag. The lining shouldn’t be made out of cheap, flimsy material. Usually, the lining will be composed of satin or some other shiny fabric; most designer bags will have their logo imprinted on the lining as well.

Many bags have serial numbers on a tab or sticker inside the purse. In Fendi bags, the serial number is printed on the inside pocket. Gucci bags come with a small leather tag attached to the zipper seam of the bag which contains the number. Louis Vuitton tags never come attached to the handbags themselves. The serial number is usually also included in the authenticity card, which comes especially encased in a dark envelope. Authenticity cards are a whole other issue on their own. Many counterfeiters have become extremely adept at forging these cards. Usually, these consist of a little card with the logo embossed on the front and there should be a magnetic strip or barcode with the serial number below it. The serial number on the card should match with the serial number within the purse.  Usually, you should be able to enter the serial number online to find out if it is real or not.

Another way to find out if a designer bag is real or not is to look at the packaging. Most bags come with specially designed dust bags, which have the logo printed on them. It is easy to fake these, but you can look online to find out where the logo should be positioned and also if the drawstrings should actually tie at the top or not. Most designer bags are packed with packing material that includes tissue paper. If it comes in a box, make sure the box actually fits properly. The box should be of the same brand as the bag itself, obviously.

If you’re buying online, you have to be extra cautious. Remember that many high end brands do not do wholesale. They also have legitimate, authorized online dealers.

Many counterfeiters will pepper their product descriptions with words like authentic, genuine and real; if you find that the occurrence of these words is quite frequent, than it’s probably a fake. No real dealer with have to entice you with such ample descriptions. Also look for wording such as inspired by…this means that they are simply copying a design.

If you do decide to purchase online, do so with a major credit card. Document all transactions and keep receipts, and copies of auction listings as well as any emails from the seller. Don’t buy from a seller with low feedback. If you find something that is too good to be true, than it is too good to be true—do not buy it. 

If you do end up with a fake, report it. Remember, your best bet is to buy from an authorized dealer and avoid shady websites or back alleys. You get what you pay for.