Faux Handbags And Purses

Faux Handbags And Purses

The Traits Of A Designer Handbag Collector

 Designer handbag collectors are obsessed. Some people collect stamps, coins, butterflies or other weird things but some people have a designer handbag collection. These designer handbag lovers have developed a lot of knowledge about bags and have information about all brands at their fingertips.

BUY  ITALIAN LEATHER BAGS

 Designer handbag lovers have a few things in common:

1. Designer handbag lovers find their bags to be wonderful accessories which can brighten up any outfit and add a touch of class – they are in love with bags.
2. They love their bags to be the topic of conversation and admired by friends. Others may be a little envious of their designer handbag collection so they may tell them they got it for a steal on e-bay.
3. Collectors love to have the same bag in multiple colors, leathers or sizes. For a designer handbag lover this is not ridiculous or wasteful – it is common sense to like what you like hand have a variety, and sometimes you like a big black bag. Other times, you want the same bag to be little and pink.
4. Fancy leather is one of life’s little luxuries and once they have experienced it it’s hard for them to go back to enjoying things that are merely average.
5. A collector knows that a designer handbag can last a lifetime but they require proper care and storage.  Even if you’re not super careful with your bags, you know that they should be kept in their dust-bags in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight and feed leather regularly. If you’re extra careful, stuff them with tissue to maintain their shapes when not in use. Handbag maintenance requires more attention to detail than regular clothing, for better or for worse.
6. A lover of handbags will plan a whole outfit around their new bag. This is perfectly rational.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you buy a new handbag and don’t immediately plan an outfit for its debut, you should probably return it because you don’t like it enough.
7. Collectors believe that you can actually save money on the rest of your wardrobe by having a selection of great handbags. Okay, so the maths might be a little wonky, but hear me out: carrying a nice bag automatically makes everything you’re wearing look more expensive, so who’s to say that your Zara sweatpants aren’t actually Rag & Bone? We all have a finite amount of money to spend on our wardrobes, and if nothing else, a bag is a great diversion.
8. Designer handbag lovers truly believe that people really do treat them differently. Whether they realize it or not, everyone has little cues about social status, and they do it all day, every day. Even someone who’s not obsessed with fashion can usually tell when someone’s outfit is expensive and sophisticated, and high-status people tend to get better treatment in stores, restaurants–everywhere. Because the brand of a designer handbag is easily recognizable and usually carried prominently on the body, they’re a great shortcut.
9. Designer handbag collectors are passionate, and any argument about handbags being too expensive or fashion too shallow will not change their minds or their habits.
10. The experience of buying a new designer handbag is second only to the bag itself. Whether it is perusing the handbag floor at a beautiful department store or unwrapping the bag they purchased on line it is just a lot of fun. The anticipation is so worth it.

And the best thing of all is that a designer handbag will retain its good looks, style and value for a very long time. They are timeless and never seem to date.

Will Horological Enthusiasts Like The Smart Analog Watch?

Will Horological Enthusiasts Like The Smart Analog Watch?

Is Your Handbag Healthy?

There are three things to look out for in a handbag  which can affect your health

1) Some leathers can be toxic due to the type of tanning process used  - Check why in my blog 

2) You can harbor toxic bacteria in your bag  - Check what bugs could be in your purse 

3) You bag can cause you back pain - check why here 

Will China’s E-commerce Law Changes Make Luxury Handbags More Expensive?

There have been changes to e-commerce laws in China which mean that any Chinese buying goods on line will now face import duties. But will these changes affect the cost of luxury handbags and other items bought on line. Will these products now be subject to these duties? Since 8 April, 2016, goods that are purchased and sold online through free-trade areas will be subject to new duties. The new laws are not a ‘crackdown’ but are actually closing a loophole in existing regulations. Import duties will now be applied to goods shipped through free-trade areas such as Australia and NZ.

But, the description of the new rules as “e-commerce” laws is not quite true. First of all, they are not laws, they are regulations. Furthermore, the new regulations are essentially the application of duties that were up to that time waived or reduced for goods that went through China’s free-trade areas. These new rules are meant to make China’s tax regime more consistent, and are not aimed at increasing protection for the domestic Chinese market.

Previously, some parts of China had lower duties than other parts of China and this was unsustainable. It led to business loopholes that were taken advantage of by shrewd Chinese buyers and service providers. Hence, some type of rule change was inevitable.

The upshot of these import duties will be that Chinese consumers will have to pay additional costs for goods such as luxury handbags and other items if they purchase online from free-trade partners. The most imported products bought on line in China are luxury handbags, clothes, and shoes. But also popular products sold on line in China are food, milk powder, vitamins and drugs. In fact, the Chinese market for high-end, reliable, clean food and herbal products is huge and will continue to grow as China’s middle- and upper-class consumption spending grows.

Several Chinese e-commerce or duty-free services companies are not sure about how the regulations will be applied, so they have removed products from their symbolic online shelves, until future duties to be applied are more clear.   Yet, Murray Goulburn, a major dairy co-operative, has a pointed out that the new regulations are just the latest in a series of measures aimed at regulating China’s booming e-commerce market. They don’t think the new regulations will change its overall business, and said that they had anticipated the new rules “for some time”.

In September last year, the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced that it would be more rigorously implementing the 2010 Customs and Duties Law. This announcement made many e-commerce sites in China (or e-commerce services providers who supply Chinese customers) cautious about stocking foreign products.   

Imported products will probably always be more expensive to Chinese customers than domestic alternatives, as China’s cost of production is much lower. It is thought that there will be a 10-20% increase in the price of imported goods, as suggested in the new regulations.  It is unlikely to put off Chinese shoppers from buying a guaranteed clean and reliable product. Due to a number of deaths from tainted milk powder, Chinese consumers are not likely to trust Chinese dairy products for many years. Chinese buyer think that foreign products are cleaner and greener, and the many food safety scandals in China, makes it improbable that Chinese customers will switch to domestic alternatives, no matter the price rise.

But will the added costs of buying a luxury handbag deter Chines buyers? In a previous blog “The New Chinese Middle Class See LuxuryHandbags As A Status Symbol”, 

I reported that the Chinese people have a huge desire for luxury goods and the appeal of luxury brands is very strong. And it is not just Chinese women who are passionate. Chinese men are obsessed with luxury handbags as well. Men are in hot pursuit of luxury handbags like Gucci, Hermes, Burberry, Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton. In fact, men are said to account for 45% of China's $1.2bn luxury handbag market.  Luxury handbags are thought of as status symbols. It is estimated that more than half of the world’s brand spending will come from Chinese shoppers this year.

The majority of these luxury handbags and other goods are not bought in China, but overseas. The main reason why Chinese buy in a foreign country is the price. China has traditionally had high import tariffs and consumption taxes, as well as higher pricing strategies which can can raise the price of luxury handbags in China by 50%. According to LVMH, a French luxury conglomerate, a Louis Vuitton handbag costs 30% more in Beijing than in Paris.

So the Chinese travel overseas to purchase their dream luxury handbags. Actually, for around 80% of Chinese travellers, shopping is a central part of their travel plans. For those who cannot travel purchasing online has been their next option.

China has, in truth, topped the U.S. to become the number one e-commerce market. Its middle class purchase a wide range of products online ranging from baby formula, health foods, vitamins, milk powder, skin care products, Purina for their dogs, as well brand items such as luxury handbags. China's shoppers have grown more savvy and are now looking to buy top quality brands. And they are not worried about the 2-3 week delivery time when they buy on-line. In fact, they prefer the wait because it offers some confirmation the products are really are from overseas and are therefore genuine.

But it is this market that the Chinese taxman has been missing out on, so it is no wonder the regulators have moved in to close the loopholes. There has also been an official clampdown on corruption and extravagant gifting which has affected the import market.

Even so the new Chinese middle classes still see branded goods such as luxury handbags as a status symbol, and brand names such as Gucci and Rolex continue to be popular search terms on Chinese blogging sites. The Chinese shopping binge looks set to last, and China's Ministry of Commerce expects that China’s profitable cross-border trade to become a US $1 trillion market this year. Whether these changes to the e-commerce rules regarding import duties will affect these estimates is yet to be demonstrated.

Check out my luxury Italian Leather briefcases 

Does The “It Bag” Remain Relevant In 2016?

An “It Bag” is a vernacular term created by the fashion industry to define a brand or type of high-priced designer handbag by manufacturers such as Chanel, Hermès or Fendi that became popular best-sellers. These handbags were also known as status bags and offered women a status symbol which they saw as being very significant. The “It Bag” was perceived to be the must-have fashion accessory by celebrities and fashionistas who yearned to be seen as the stylists of the time.

The term “It Bag” gained popularity during the 1990’s and 2000’s. But, by 2008 the acceptance of the "It bag" was reported to be in decline. By May 2011, whilst acknowledging that there would always be a market for exclusive status bags, Celia Walden reported that the idea of the must-have "It Bag" was no longer fashionable.

Now, in 2016, brands must be ready and willing to diversify as a recipe for success in the current market. Brands have not given up on the desire to create an “It Bag”. They are always looking to design that one bag which will become the one that everyone is talking about, but realistically they are conscious of the fact that they can no longer put all their eggs in one basket. So does the “It Bag” remain relevant In 2016?

The history of the ‘It Bag”

One of the original designers accepted with fashioning the concept of a distinguishable "It Bag" was Giuliana Camerino who started the Venetian fashion house Roberta di Camerino in 1945.  Her handbags were distinct due to their artisan-made hardware and characteristic use of fabrics previously kept only for clothing. Her ideas had an influence on later luxury brand designs including 1) in 1946, bags patterned with a trellis of R's (predecessor of Gucci’s G's); 2) in 1957, woven leather bags (predecessor of Bottega Veneta); and 3) in 1964, she designed a handbag with a unique articulated frame (a design later used by Prada).

Long before the notion of the "It Bag" became popular, many fashion houses such as Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton had by this time fashioned handbags that became well-known in their own right. For instance, in 1935 Hermès created a top-handled leather handbag called a “sac à dépêches“, as part of their leather goods range. In 1956 this same handbag was renamed “the Kelly” when it became one of Grace Kelly’s favorite bags. In February 1955 (2/55), Coco Chanel designed her luxury quilted-leather Chanel 2.55 handbag, which was inspired by the straps found on soldiers’ bags, in order to free up her hands. In 1984, the infamous Birkin was created by Hermès who adapted another of their bags, the Haut à Courroies (originally created around 1900) to craft a bag for the actress and singer Jane Birkin. The Birkin has ever since become one of the most desirable, most extensively recognized bags ever made.

Devised in the 1990's, the term “It Bag” became prevalent with the rapid growth of the handbag market. Fashion houses strove to come up with a distinctive, recognizable flag-ship design which would become that season's must-have bag, likely to sell in large numbers. This required skillful marketing and endorsement by the fashion media. And obviously, as with “the Kelly”, one of the most sought after marketing advantages was for the bag to be seen being carried by a celebrity.

The 2000's

Since the 2000’s, fashion trends have been driven more and more by social media. An “It Bag” goes viral when pictures of celebrities carrying a particular brand are shared by fashion addicts, leading to a huge demand in the latest handbag design. But often this demand these days is short-lived and superseded when the next trend goes viral.

Designers such as Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Fendi, Hermès, Prada, Gucci, Vuitton, Chloe, Mulberry continue to be seen as creators of status bags. But the release of many of their newest designs creates a waiting list for orders, leading to impatient clients to knowingly buy fake copies. As well, must-have bags for the current season are often targeted by thieves and stolen to order, to be sold for considerably reduced prices to folks who want an “It Bag” without paying the true price for it.

In the 2000’s many inexpensive more contemporary brands moved into the market making designer handbags more affordable. But as the market for handbags becomes more crowded and competitive, some luxury brands are taking a more balanced, diversified approach to their product categories, rather than focus on an “It Bag”. They are looking at the more high-margin, low cost-per-wear status symbols that have been increasingly driving the luxury goods market for the last decade.

Despite the fact fashion accessories (which are typically made up of handbags) still accounts for almost 30 percent of the total luxury market, the handbag sector is now producing fewer and fewer “It Bag” designs. Many brands such as Valentino and Vetements, do not even have an “It Bag”.

Very few bags now earn iconic status symbol rights such as the Birkin and Chanel 2.55 did.  The lifecycle of a handbag is now shorter and brands are relying less on an “It Bag” to drive sales. Many brands are relying more on their “ready-to-wear” clothing categories as well as shoes and jewelry as revenue drivers.

Now-a-days, fashion consultant, Julie Gilhart says that there is a greater trend to build a full brand, and there is a shift in thinking away from a depending on an “It Bag”. She says “What's a best seller now may have a short life, and then what? Smart brands know to grow holistically and broad. They have to build a business through all categories.”

 An "It Bag" is an investment 

If you are fortunate enough to own an "It Bag", be thankful because it is a good investment.  They do keep their value and can even increase in price. The most expensive bag to ever sell at auction was a Birkin by Hermeswhich sold for over US $200k. It is made of bright pink (fushia) luxury crocodile skin and features an 18 karat white gold clasp and lock which is encrusted in real diamonds. The Birkin bag, which was designed in 1984 by French fashion house Hermès and named after the actress Jane Birkin, is seen as a fashion classic.

   

Designer Handbags Are Seen As A Status Symbol In China.

When I owned a café in the QVB in Sydney, it was located directly opposite the Coach store. During the Boxing Day sales there was always a line up outside the shop, similar to this image. Customers waiting eagerly to get their hands on bargain designer handbags.  I have to say that at least 80% of these potential customers were of Chinese decent. Coach is actually the 4th most popular brand of designer handbags in China in term of sales.

 Buy Coach on line

Any luxury retailer will now tell you that their most valuable customers are from China. The post 2008 years have not been the easiest for luxury brands, but China's addiction to luxury goods has made up for the slowing down of European sales. Most of the Chinese population have only just recently started making enough money to survive and to splurge on luxury items was once unheard of. However, the new Chinese middle class has grown enormously over the past couple of decades and the number of millionaires is soaring.

Buy Designer Handbags Online

The Chinese people now seek social-status signals such as branded goods, luxury items and designer handbags.  Travel abroad is high on many of the people's wish-lists, but for about 80% of Chinese travellers, shopping is a crucial part of their travel plans. They are happy to spend hours of valuable tourist time queuing for expensive bags and other luxury items. In Britain, alone, it is reported that they spend nearly £1,700 ($2,800) per person per trip which is three times the market average. And much of it is spent on retail shopping -  Chinese tourists have no problem buying Prada designer handbags by day but sleeping in two-star hotels by night.

The main reason why the Chinese prefer to buy abroad is price. China has heavy import tariffs and consumption taxes, as well as higher pricing strategies. This can increase the prices of luxury goods in China by 50%. According to LVMH, a French luxury conglomerate, a Louis Vuitton handbag costs 30% more in Beijing than in Paris.

The second major reason that the Chinese prefer European or American stores over their own is the guarantee of authenticity.   They feel more secure that they are not buying fakes. Many Chinese consumers prefer buying products from outside their home country because they're seen as less likely to be counterfeit. And they're not bothered by the two- to three-week delivery time if they buy on-line. In fact, they like the wait because it provides some confirmation the goods really are from overseas.

The Chinese also shop abroad for the “experience” and the stories they can tell afterwards.  Bragging rights are a crucial reason to buy abroad. Chinese people love to show that they have been abroad, so a “Made in Italy” is much more of a status symbol than “Made in China”. Bragging also takes the form of giving expensive luxury goods as presents. Successful men and women simply cannot return home without a sizable excess-luggage bill!

 The Chinese people have a huge demand for luxury goods and the lure of luxury brands is very strong. And it is not just Chinese women who are addicted. Chinese men also love their designer handbags and are in are in hot pursuit of top brand-name bags like Gucci, Hermes, Burberry, Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton. In fact, men are said to account for 45% of China's $1.2 bn luxury handbag market.  They serve as status symbols, 

Buy Man Bags Online 

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China is now the world's second-biggest economy, and it’s 1.36 billion people are the biggest market for everything from cars to shoes to smartphones and especially for designer handbags. In recent years there has been a huge change in the Chinese market. China is now full of globalized shoppers who took more than 100 million trips out of the mainland last year.  

In fact, in 2013, Chinese people bought an estimated 47% of the world's luxury goods, and mainly in countries, located nearby. By some estimates, more than half of the world’s luxury spending will come from Chinese pockets this year. The Chinese taxman, however, is missing out because nearly 33% of luxury products bought by Chinese are purchased outside the country. And the silly thing is that most of these products are actually made in China.

And the boon is not just the Chinese spending so much on luxury goods abroad. They are also spending online. China has over taken the U.S. to become the number one e-commerce market. Its middle class buys a wide range of products online ranging from baby formula, health foods, vitamins, milk powder, skin care products, Purina for their dogs and as well they splurge luxury items such as designer handbags. China's consumers have gotten savvier and are now looking to buy top quality brands.

In short, the Chinese market is now a more mature market with the new middle class having a lot of disposable income at their fingertips. Of course the huge multinationals have loved the size of this market and have profited from it. 

However, China's boom years symbolized by double digit growth could not continue forever.  The Chinese economy has definitely slowed down over the past year and this has affected the luxury market to a certain degree. There has also been an official crackdown on corruption and lavish gifting which has affected the luxury market. No longer will you see plane-loads full of $800 bottles of wine.  But the new Chinese middle classes still see luxury goods as a way to show they have made it and brand names such as Dior and Rolex remain popular search terms on Chinese blogging sites. The Chinese shopping-spree looks set to continue, and China's Ministry of Commerce expects China’s lucrative cross-border trade to become a US$1 trillion market this year.

 The psychology behind why the Chinese love luxury items so much is possibly linked more to aspiration and the images of wealth, sophistication and civility that brands from fashion-houses like LVMH represent. French and Italian fashion-houses permit the Chinese customers to enter into a world of elegance and opulence, allowing them to escape from grimy city-life, smog and poverty

  

The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has adopted a phrase for what's happening: the "new normal.

In some cases, of course, China's government has put a chill on foreign businesses. It built a Great Firewall that blocks most people in the mainland from accessing Facebook, Twitter and Google search, allowing local internet companies to thrive. And now local brands are making gains as their quality and marketing improves.

 The growth in online retailing into China has been a boon for countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the USA. But if you intend to export to china make sure you pass through official - "sunshine" - channels into China, rather than the murky so-called grey channels, often via Hong Kong, that are sometimes used. Supportive policies from the Chinese Government are helping stoke growth in cross border e-commerce, providing ways to avoid the dubious grey channels through Hong Kong.

When I was in Guangzhou just over a year ago, the brand stores were not flamboyantly displayed, but were found among the regular market stores The majority of stores sold cheap China made goods. When I did decide to but one of the designer handbags on sale, the merchant got out his calculator are started tapping away. He came up with a price more expensive than if I had purchased the same bag in Sydney, and no proof it was authentic.  Better to buy your designer  handbags online at www.largepurseshop.com

Did Your Boyfriend Spoil You This Valentine’s Day?

We all think of Valentine’s day as a time when our boyfriends or our lovers give us diamonds, flowers and chocolates. Well we all live in hope anyway. But many of us miss out and feel let down and get nothing! Is romance is dead for us?  But then again why has Valentine’s day become so associated with commerce particularly in the western world? When I owned my café in the QVB, the flower shop next to us were frenziedly busy on that day with flowers lined up the isles waiting for some starry-eyed lover to claim them for his girlfriend.

Valentine's Day is also known Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine which has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. In some countries is an annual holiday celebrated on February 14^th. But in point of fact, it originated as a western Christian liturgical feast day honouring early saints named Valentinus or (Valentine). In fact, several early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. Two significant martyrs linked with February 14^th are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).

Saint Valentine’s day did not really have any romantic implications until the 14th century which was a time when the tradition of courtly love prospered. Under the inspiration of Chaucer’s poetry about "Valentines" romance began to be associated with this day. Chaucer wrote the first recorded connotation of Valentine's Day with romantic love in “Parlement of Foules” (1382) which when understood says: "For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate." This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard the II of England to Anne of Bohemia.

But it wasn’t until the 18^th century, in England, that Valentine’s day developed into an event where lovers revealed their love for each other by exchanging gifts.  This introduced commerce into Valentine’s day, pretty much the same as Xmas day and Easter. It was at this moment in time that lovers began to give flowers, chocolates and sweets, and the custom of giving valentine cards started. In the beginning the cards were handwritten, but since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

The custom of signing cards with the phrase “your Valentine” is believed to date back to the legend of Saint Valentine of Rome. He was imprisoned for carrying out weddings for soldiers who were prohibited from marrying and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under roman rule.  The legend has it that while he was imprisoned, St Valentine healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a parting.

St Valentine’s day is still celebrated by various Christian denominations. It is a feast day celebrated by the Anglican church and the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox church celebrate St Valentine’s day but in July. It is also accepted as a important cultural celebration in many areas around the world, and now also seen as a commercial occasion by many.

There is also a suggestion that Valentine’s day was celebrated as the advent of spring and the fertility associated with it. In Ancient Rome, the festival of Lupercalia was celebrated between February 13–15, and was an ancient rite linked to fertility. There is some belief that the men and women in Lupercalia drew names from a jar to make couples, and anonymity associated with modern Valentine's letters originated from this custom. In Slovenia there is a proverb which says that "Saint Valentine’s day brings the keys of roots". Plants and flowers begin to grow on this day and birds begin to mate, which is probably why the giving of flower is so treasured even in these modern times.

In Europe, valentine keys are given to lovers as a romantic symbol and as an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart. Other symbols related with Valentine's day include heart shaped products, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid.  

Valentine poetry and verses have been written since the 15^th century and even Shakespeare spoke of it in Hamlet (1600-1601) when Ophelia sorrowfully said:

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.

— William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5

The modern Valentine's Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784):

The rose is red, the violet's blue,

The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,

And Fortune said it shou'd be you

In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man's Valentine Writer,  where sentimental verses were written for the young lover unable to compose his own. This was the commencement of the commercialisation of cards and by the early 19^th century, paper Valentine’s day cards made with lace and ribbons, had become so popular in England, that they were assembled in factories.

Valentine’s day customs have now spread worldwide and it is probable that about £1.5 billion is spent in the UK alone on flowers, chocolates and cards each year. In the US Valentine's day sales hit a new record in 2016, with people showering attention on their loved ones. They spent much more than the previous year. In 2016, Valentine's Day is likely to contribute $19.7 billion to the economy, according to the National Retail Federation. That's even better than last year's record of $18.9 billion. In 2014, only $17.3 billion was spent, which was even lower than the $18.6 billion spent in 2013.

More than half of the US residents celebrated Valentine’s day this year. This is comparable to 2015 but lower than the previous record of 60% in 2013. That means less people are partaking, but they are each spending more. Those who celebrated spent around $150 each. And as usual, men spend nearly twice as much as women: Around $200 per guy vs $100 per gal.

Young people, who are still trying to court potential lovers, participate more than older, more established people. Almost 70% of those between 25-34, and 60% of those between 18-24 will give on Valentine’s day. While less than half of those between 55-64 will celebrate it, and only 45% of those 65 and older.

It is interesting to note that more people give less expensive gifts, believing that it's the thought that counts. The top five gifts sent on Valentine/s day are candy/chocolates, greeting cards (often anomalously sent), dinner out, flowers, jewellery. I myself was spoilt with a massage which was great.

This year more shoppers went to department stores (35%) than discount stores (31%). Nearly 20% will go to greeting card stores or florists while only 11% will go to jewellers. But more and more Valentine’s day shoppers are now buying online each year. In 2016, nearly 28% shopped online, compared to 25% in 2015 and 16% in 2014. The use of mobile phones for online shopping is also on the rise with 7 out of 10 people shopping on their mobile devices sharing the love as they run.

So did your lover, boyfriend, partner, husband or the boy next door spoil you this Valentine’s day? If not, tell him to make up for it with a new handbag and send him to www.largepurseshop.com. A racy Italian made purse is a definite sign of true love and lasts a lot longer than chocolates or flowers.

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 [ME1]

Consider These 10 Tips When Choosing A Large Purse.

Celebrities are mad about a large purse. Indeed, the bigger the better. Celebrities want to be see with them and photographed with them, whether just out and about or going to the gym. In my opinion, it would make me edgy to bring a bag worth thousands of dollars to the gym and leave it out of my sight, but I am certain these elite fitness studios have luxury lockers to accommodate their patrons’ luxury items. Big bags are getting bigger and better They can be used for daytime wear, for travelling or for going to the gym. They are very versatile and can be used for several purposes.

BUY A LARGE PURSE NOW 

But then I believe that many celebrities are given designer bags for free or for publicity purposes. It is a low-cost way for fashion designers and high-brands to get informal exposure when the paparazzi takes pictures of the stars for magazines. These images usually end up on social media and quickly go viral - the large purse sported by the celeb is all of a sudden the new fashion icon of the time.

Social media is the new driving force behind exposure for brand-names, and the trend to carry a large purse is catching on and the typical consumer is now also fixated about them. Fashionista’s want to be seen carrying the same bag as their favorite celebrity. There are a few things that you should consider if you want to buy a large purse, and I thought I would share these ten tips with you.

1. Ensure the material it is made from is durable enough for carrying on a regular basis so that it will stand up to any hard knocks etc. Look out for bags with sequences or little beads or pieces that can fall off easily. 
2. Look for water resistant material which will protect your stuff from the rain, and will not watermark if the fabric gets wet. 
3. Pick a color that goes with most of your outfits. If the color is too flamboyant it could clash with all or some of your clothes.
4. Quality is a significant issue to think about when ordering a large purse to carry around. Check out the stitch work, fabric and pockets to ensure that it is durable and will not fall apart after just a few outings. Ensure it is not a fake!!
5. Check that there is room inside the bag to fit everything you need to carry. The outside of a large purse can be deceiving and not big enough inside. Some practices designers use to make the bag look bigger is pockets and pouches, the less of these attachments the better.
6. Check that the inside is well designed with dividers and pockets so that you can organize your belongings easily. 
7. Ensure that the weight of the bag is not too heavy for you. If it is too heavy, it could cause injury to your back or neck.
8.  Ensure that large purse is in proportion with your body size. Petite woman should not carry a large purse which is too big and too heavy for them. It may be tempting to get into the fashion of carrying a large purse but truly how big is too big? I for one think that over-sized purses do not look good on petite woman. They look out of proportion with the rest of your body. 
9. Make certain the bag is value for money – it is sometimes preferable to get a quality leather handbag from an up and coming new designer than to buy a low-end  bag from a luxury top brand. 
10. Select a handbag appropriate for the event. A large purse is not the best choice for every occasion. They are perfect for day wear, business, for travelling, and for the gym, but may not be right for evening wear, the races or for going to a wedding.

Fashion and style is to some degree the realm of pop-stars and celebrities. If you are a follower of celebrities you will notice that the current trend is to carry a big, a really big large purse. But do you actually need one so big? Pick wisely and do not get trapped in the fever. Resolve what you truly need to carry around with you – cell-phone, computer, extra pair of shoes, extra clothing, make-up, personal items, water bottle, snacks or even a baby!?

But be sensible. The more you carry the heavier your large purse will become and the more at risk you are of causing yourself an injury. It comes down to what you actually need to have with you at all times. Remember that not all fashion trends will work for everyone.

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Is Your Designer Handbag Genuine? Check Out These 10 Tips.

A brand new designer handbag is a delight, but to find out it's a fake is a very costly slip-up. When you want to get a new designer handbag, it is important to be able to spot fakes so that you can make certain that your expensive purchase is authentic. If you recognize the difference between a replica and a genuine bag enables you to make an informed choice about the purchase of any bag.

Click Here  To Purchase Your Authentic Designer Handbag From The Large Purse Shop

An authentic designer handbag is made by fashion houses, well-known brands and high-end designers. Nowadays many lesser-known designers and brands also produce top quality bags. However, many sham companies make imitation replicas of bags and sell them to gullible people as the genuine thing.

If you have just paid a large sum of money on that prized new designer handbag, you may want to establish the authenticity of it. This can be a little bit difficult, but if you know the essentials, you will be able to recognize an imitation immediately.

1.   Investigate The Brand

You must recognize the brand and what unique features make it special. Check to confirm the bag you want to buy is in a shape and pattern that the designer produces. Most brands have a signature style.

2.   Check The Quality Of The Material

One of the top ways to make sure your new designer handbag is genuine is to look at the bag itself.  A designer handbag cost as much as they do because they are made of high quality materials, such as Italian leather or branded canvas.

So check the material. If it is Italian leather it should look, feel and smell like leather. Be suspicious if it smells like glue, rubber or chemicals. If it is a heavy-duty canvas, it should be strong and well stitched. The material can tell you so much about the bag's quality.

Also check the lining inside of the bag. Often a genuine bag will have a distinguishing pattern inside which distinguishes it from replicas. If the interior sounds like paper rubbing together, then it's not the genuine thing. A genuine designer bag will be lined with leather or a branded high quality lining material.

Look for discrepancies in color in the material. Although some variations will be obvious, others may be very difficult to detect.

3.   Check The Quality Of Workmanship

A real designer handbag is typically handmade by skilled craftsmen. Branded bags will have quality stitching because it is part of the designer's reputation to manufacture a quality product.

So take a really good look at the stitching. Sloppy, slanted, and uneven stitching is a sign of a poorly made bag which well may be a fake. There ought to be no loose or missing stitches and the stitches should be evenly spaced. The color of the thread should match the main color of the bag.

Also check out the seams, the shape and symmetry. Seams usually do not have glue, except for perhaps on wallets. The symbols often mirror each other on right and left seams, especially on Louis Vuitton monogrammed canvas items and more recently on Gucci and Fendi.

Also check the stitching of the lining, and see if it is double stitched or not.

4.   Check The Quality Of The Hardware

The hardware on a designer handbag should be of top quality. Hardware must be heavy weight, quality pieces with no scratches or color variations, i.e., zippers, clasps and closures should all have the same color and finish. The only exception is the brand Chloe, which often makes use of mixed hardware. If it does not look like genuine top quality hardware, i.e. it feels light or has rough edges, etc., it may be a fake copy.

Zippers and clasps must open and close smoothly.

Some brand names put their logo on the hardware. For example, check the zipper manufacturer because generally the underside of the zipper will have a logo. 

Some manufacturers, including Gucci, Fendi, Prada and Christian Dior protect the hardware with a plastic cover that is removed only after it has been bought.

5.   Check The Logo Is Real

The logo should be straight and spelled correctly. Any engraving or embossing must be neat and accurate. Logos are often area where frauds slip up. The name may be spelt slightly differently, such as Carter instead of Cartier. Or the lettering may be incorrect. For example most imitation Chanel bags have interlocking "Os" instead of "Cs", which in point of fact makes it legal to sell but is, of course, still a fake.

Most designers have a unique way of using their logo. For example the brand name on an authentic Michael Kors bag will say either "MICHAEL Michael Kors" or just "Michael Kors," and have the MK logo on a hanging metal tag. The interior and exterior normally have the MK logo as part of a repeated pattern, rather than the full name.

If the designer handbag is leather, the logo will be engraved, not just printed on the leather. The brand name or logo will also be engraved, not embossed or simply printed on the hardware.

The bag's logo, charms, attachments, etc., are characteristic of the brand down to the precise positioning and number of such features. Tags, signatures or marks stating the designer's name are an integral part of the bag's overall design and authenticity.

So check the tags and labels. Check the inside tags to ensure they are stamped into leather or hand-stitched in the lining. A clear counterfeit will have no name on the inside tag. Check outside tags as well because many designers include authenticity labels on the outside of a designer handbag.

Instruction booklets should not have misspellings or be photocopied.

6.   Is An Authenticity Card Provided?

An true designer handbag will come with an authenticity which is a little card that usually has the manufactures logo embossed on the front and has some information about the product you bought. It sometimes includes a magnetic strip or bar code.

7.   Is There a Serial Number?

Not all manufacturers use serial numbers, but many do.  A serial number is a hallmark inside the bag which relates to the brand/style and other production information. Sometimes the serial number is also fake, but it will look different and be in a different font to the real product.

8.   Do Be Realistic About The Price

The price of a designer handbag is determined by what the purchaser is willing to pay for the brand. A real designer handbag costs a lot of money because it is well made from quality products by crafts men. They are a status symbol which reflects wealth and position. If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is and the bag is most probably an imitation.

An authentic designer handbag will cost anything from a few hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars depending on the brand and its availability. For example Hermes handbags cost on average around US $8000 and there is a waiting list to purchase one.

Be guarded of unrealistic deals. If a bag typically retails for $800 or $1,200 and someone is selling it for $100 or $200, you may be getting swindled. Or if you see very luxurious bags that you can buy several copies of, be cautious.

9.   Always Ask For A Guarantee Of Authenticity

Ask the seller if the bag is genuine, a copy, or a fake. Judge for yourself from the answer; keep your emotions in check and your common sense at the forefront. Traders who evade answering questions or are shifty have something to hide. Ask if you can return the bag if it's faulty or fake. As you would expect, don't assume street vendors will agree to this!

10.  Watch For Wear and Tear

.Even though this is post purchase, how your designer handbag wears can be a sign of its authenticity. For example, the leather on the handle, after a while, should look like a good worn leather coat does. It will have an "aged look". Stitching should not begin to fray and zipper handles or other embellishments that fall off prematurely may show a fake.

A real designer handbag should last a lifetime if cared for properly.

Learn About Fakes

There are many bogus brand bags on the market, particularly in Asian countries at street markets, and on the internet so be very cautious when you purchase. High-end brands do not approve of street vendors selling their bags or purses.

Illegal, counterfeit bags are put across as being the real designer's bag, right down to the very last logo, tag, charms, etc. Replica bags copy all the features of the brand, and they are passed off as the unique brand with no effort to make a distinction as look-a-likes. The cost of fakes can vary significantly from cheap to expensive. It is illegal to make counterfeit goods, and if you knowingly buy one, you are supporting illegal action.

Nevertheless, a legal imitation can be sold as "designer-inspired" if it is not a direct copy. As long as such a bag does not claim to be the genuine designer's bag and does not try to use the trademarked symbols, logos, or features it is legal. Usually the style and colors of an authentic brand bag can be copied, but some features must be altered in some way in order to avoid copyright infringement.   Even though the bag may be very similar to the brand that it's inspired by, it won't claim to be an genuine designer handbag.

To the unperceptive eye the "designer-inspired" bag can certainly be mistaken for the genuine one and you could be tricked into spending more money than it is worth, and therefore it is important to be able to spot the differences.

If you knowingly buy legal copies, be sure you don't pay too much and double check the quality!

Realize, though, that some "designer-inspired" bags can convey the blessing of the brand owner who lets lower-end knock-offs be sold by chain retailers, etc. Commonly the store will proudly say something along the lines of "as licensed by X brand for our store".

Summary

Counterfeits are more difficult to spot now than they once were. There are two main reasons: counterfeiters have become more sophisticated and manufacturers have become a bit slack. Even though no replica is perfect, there is certainly no bag that’s too hard to copy. The differences between the two are getting harder to spot. This is facilitated by the fact that workmanship in the real goods is not as good as it used to be. They’re not finished the way they were back in the good old days.

If you have reservations about your new designer handbag, take it to an authorized store. Staff of an official brand store can easily validate your new designer handbag. There are a number of factors that need to be looked into when determining whether or not a handbag is genuine or fake, but if you focus on the list presented in this article you will be a long way to making the right decision.

Discover all you can about a designer handbag if you're buying from estate sales, thrift stores or on-line auction sites. Apply the steps listed above to any acquisition of a designer handbag made at such places.

At the Large Purse Shop, we do not work for any of the valued brands that we offer, but we do guarantee that the designer handbag you buy from us is 100% authentic and new with tags and made exclusively by the fashion house. Any use of the terms Hugo Boss, Burberry, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Coach, Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci, Prada and any other brand are all trademarks belonging to those companies and we do not in any way claim to be these companies or work for them. We obtain all items directly from the companies themselves..