Choose a Colored Designer Leather Bag to Add Pizzazz to Your Outfit

Designer leather handbags are among the most functional, hard-working accessories in our wardrobe. They carry all our day-to-day items, shielding our personal and valuable items, and not-so valuables from inclement weather, damage and theft — and, in most cases, they help complete our polished look. But what I love is an accent color bag - fabulous  designer leather handbags in a glorious range of colors covering all the spectrum of the rainbow.

Now more than ever before there are so many choices. Designer leather handbags are available at so many price points and in every fabrication and colors known to womankind, it’s almost overwhelming to understand what is — and isn’t — worth the money.

The Color Bag

Black is always the classic staple. It goes with anything and it can go everywhere with you. Black is the signature color of sophistication (hello, little black dress), it dominates high-end handbag market and can even make inexpensive bags seem more upscale.

But sometimes you’ve just got to give in to the joy of color, especially when it can so greatly affect your mood. One mistake that a lot of women seem to make, when it comes to color bag is thinking that they are restricted, when it comes to colour. People think that they will be offered colours like black, brown and grey. However, this is certainly not the case. If you start looking at the different options that are available to you, then you will see that there are actually hundreds of colours to choose from. Look at the different colours that are available to you, and choose one that matches your outfit perfectly.

How do colors make you feel?

It is well known that color is a determinant of human behaviour. Color influences perceptions that are not obvious, such as the taste of food and a person’s perception of temperature. Designers, including top fashion house see color as an important part of marketing and design because color can be used to influence consumers' emotions and perceptions of goods and services.

Different colors make you feel different emotions. Colors can evoke emotional responses ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Color may also influence a person's mental or physical state.  Warm colors – such as red, yellow and orange – can spark a variety of emotions ranging from comfort and warmth to hostility and anger. Cool colors – such as green, blue and purple – often spark feelings of calmness as well as sadness.

Brighter colors such as yellow and orange represent warmth not only with emotions but also with temperature. Cool colors are blue, green, black or any color with a dark shade. When someone is feeling down or depressed, it is said they are feeling "blue." When someone is angry they "see red."

Here are how a few basic colors make you feel:

• Red. Passionate, Aggressive, Important
• Orange. Playful, Energetic, Cheap
• Yellow. Happy, Friendly, Warning
• Green. Natural, Stable, Prosperous
• Blue. Serene, Trustworthy, Inviting
• Purple. Luxurious, Mysterious, Romantic

Colors can brand you

The colors you choose to wear and even brand yourself with say a lot about you individually. Take a peek into your closet and notice what colors are most prevalent. Let’s take a look at what those colors might say about you, according to the psychology of color. Imagine your designer leather handbag which could provide an  an accent color to brighten up your outfit.

• Black is the color of authority, power, sophistication, and strength. A sombre color, it also conveys intelligence—that’s probably why most graduation robes are black. Black is probably one of the most popular colors to wear, but depending on where you live, black is also associated with grieving. It’s a serious color that can be overwhelming if you wear it head to toe—you don’t want to look self-absorbed. Black is, literally, every color in one. It covers, conceals, and obscures blemishes.

• Red is a bold color that commands attention, a power color that stands out in a visual crowded environment. So, if you want to get people excited and draw attention to yourself wear red. It’s the color of energy and the symbol of life. It evokes strength, power, and creates a visual impact. There’s a reason stop lights and stop signs the world over are in red—it grabs your attention. But beware, because it is such a strong color, it can also represent aggression. Women who wear red are usually powerful women!  Red is the hot, crazy girl of colors, evoking powerful emotions such as fear, anger and passion. However, light red represents joy, passion, sensitivity, and love.

• Pink is considered tranquil, warm, and loving color. The color pink represents caring, compassion and love. It stands for unconditional love and understanding, and is associated with giving and receiving care. In color psychology, pink is a sign of hope. It is a positive color that inspires warm and comforting feeling. Unlike red, pink soothes rather than stimulates. Pink calms people down. There’s a reason that the prison of some of the most dangerous criminals are painted pink—it’s been shown to calm aggression. Until recently. Pink is the most gender specific color and is often considered to be emasculating, though, now-a-days, it is quite common to see men looking positively handsome in pink.

• Yellow  the most visible color and is the first color the human eye notices so a yellow handbag will surely get people’s attention. It is the color of happiness, sunlight, laughter, and optimism. The color also has the power to bring out creativity, but can be overpowering if too much is used. The right shade of yellow can lift your spirits and evoke friendliness. The wrong shade of yellow can make you cringe. Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy.

• Orange evokes a party-like atmosphere. It is associated with fun times, warmth, and ambition. Orange calls to mind feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange is a combination of yellow and red and is considered an energetic color. There is nothing calming about this color at all, so if you are looking for a bold statement (and you’re sick of red) think orange. It’s easy to see and hard to miss. Orange is often used to draw attention, such as in traffic signs that’s why hunters and workmen wear orange vests. However,  dark orange can mean deceit and distrust.

• Purple is the color of royalty and is associated with wealth, prosperity, wisdom, and sophistication. Purple is used to convey the finest qualities. This hue can evoke contemplation or meditation, as well as spiritual awareness. People often describe this color as mysterious, spiritual, and imaginative. Purple tends to occur rarely in nature, so it is viewed as a rare and intriguing color. While violet occurs naturally in the visible spectrum, purple is actually a combination of blue and red. Avoid using too much purple in your outfits —unless you want to appeal to adolescent girls.

• Blue is the most accepted color, almost everyone likes blue. It is a calming and restful color. However, some shades can evoke a sense of coldness. People have been found to be more productive when working in a blue room because they are calm and focused. Blue is associated with intelligence, trust, efficiency, and serenity. No wonder it’s most peoples’ favorite color!  Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple, and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

• Green is the color of money and nature—two very important things. Green is another calming color that is also associated with generosity and peace. Green is located at the center of the color spectrum and is considered the color of balance and restoration. It sparks creativity. However, dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy.

• Grey makes you look completely neutral, but rather boring and depressing I think. A suppressive color, grey exudes a lack of confidence, lack of energy, and depression. Plain grey can make you feel like giving up when you wear too many clothes in that color. The color grey is an unemotional color. It is detached, neutral, impartial and indecisive - the fence-sitter. On one hand, grey is conservative, boring, drab and never glamorous, yet on the other  hand in it can be elegant and formal, especially when teamed up with contrast colors which give it a bit of pizzazz.

• Brown is a safe earthy color. Brown is a natural color that evokes a sense of strength and reliability. It is often seen as solid, much like the earth. It is a color often associated with down-to-earth resilience, dependability, security, and safety. It is a warm color that stimulates the appetite. While it is sometimes considered dull, it also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health. Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.  After black it is probably one of the most popular colors for a bag. brown can range from tan to light brown, dark brown and chocolate.

• Taupe is an easy neutral color that makes a perfect foundation and subtle accent color for those that love traditional styles and cozy feeling. It’s not quite in the brown family but not in the grey either, falling in-between the two.  does Taupe does not describe a single color, rather, it is used to describe a vast range of colors from dark tan to brownish grey. Often the terms light taupe and dark taupe are used. The word derives from the French noun taupe meaning mole.

• Beige is neutral, calm, and relaxing. It is also practical and reliable, conservative, constant, unchanging and loyal. The color itself is described as a pale light brown or a greyish tan with a bit of the warmth of brown and the crisp coolness of white. It is conservative and is frequently coupled with other colors. Both taupe and beige share many of the attributes of grey and brown but are warmer and sometimes lighter. This is a very popular neutral color used in fashion design, often as a back ground color. It is also a very popular color for bags and looks especially stylish when trimmed with tan like this .

 

• White is color at its most complete and pure, the color of perfection. It is is the lightest color. White represents purity, innocence, integrity, wholeness and completion. It is the color of new beginnings, of wiping the slate clean, so to speak. It reminds us of peaceful fluffy clouds. Brides wear white wedding dresses in Western cultures and thus the colour has come to symbolise purity and freshness.
  

The color wheel

The color wheel is diagram of colors that provides a useful illustration of what colors match and what colors don't work well together. The first color wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666, and variations on his design have been used as the basis of traditional color theory since then.The color wheel is divided into the following parts:

• Primary colors: red, blue and yellow. These are the colors that cannot be mixed using any other colors.
• Secondary colors: Green, orange and purple.
• Secondary and tertiary colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.

When you’re assembling your wardrobe, it’s helpful to know which colors help each other pop and look most appealing to the eyes. You can start by looking at a color wheel and learning which colors look best grouped together. Experimenting with different color combinations will help you develop a sense of what matches and what clashes.

The monochrome look

Wearing the same color from head to toe is a striking look. The classic monochrome look is an all-black or all-white outfit, a sophisticated choice that lends an air of dressiness to your outfit. This needs to be done with some care. A black dress, heels and purse may be gorgeous, but also could accidentally come off as a person in mourning, a Gothic look, or a hairdresser.  Or an all-white outfit may look a bit too bridal. The whole outfit needs to have consideration, not just color!

If you really want to turn heads, try a monochrome look in a brighter color, like red or green.  Be careful - the key to making a monochrome look work is finding items in the exact same color. Wearing a bright white top with cream pants is going to clash, but if you find two pieces in precisely the same color, it’s wonderful.

But who says the colors needs to match?

When buying fashion accessories such as shoes or that new designer leather handbag, it is not always possible to find an exact color match for your bag. Using fashion accessories such as a designer leather handbag is an easy way and cheap way to play with color. To make a monochrome outfit look less extreme, break it up with some neutrals, like beige heels, a brown belt or choose an accent color for your purse.

A great way to use a color handbag is not to match it to your clothes, but to pick a shade that’s on the opposite spectrum of the colors you wear to create a contrast. If you're just starting out in your quest to match more colors in your wardrobe, try playing around with fashion accessories. Experiment to find out what looks good and what doesn't by wearing more belts, flats, jewelry, scarves and of course carry a color handbag. Wearing fashion accessories is also a fun way to learn more about mixing prints without splurging on expensive clothes that might not end up matching.

Match primary colors with other primary colors. 

The concept of matching is also called "color harmony," which is achieved when colors create a pleasing effect. Red, yellow and blue always harmonize. These colors are bold and eye-catching, and they never really go out of style. When you're putting together a palette for your wardrobe you can depend on primary colors to lend your appearance a cheerful and bright look.

But bold primary colors are often associated with young children, the tropics, and sports teams. So, if you want your fashion style to look more sophisticated, you might want to consider using just one or two of the primary colors, rather than all three. A red, blue, and yellow outfit might look a little juvenile, but a yellow and red combination is more sophisticated. Or you can play with darker or lighter hues.

If you wear a lot of neutral colors such as camels and taupes, try a yellow or red handbag. If you wear red often, then try a bag in a light shade of blue. It sounds counter-intuitive but it works. And, of course, you can always use color to break up solid black, navy and white. For example, red designer leather handbags work great with a black, navy, white and  even a yellow outfit.

By expanding one color versus another, it is emphasized and stands out. The further colors are from each other on the color wheel, the higher the contrast will be. Complementary colors such as red/green, yellow/purple, and orange/blue make highlighted themes pop when used together

Wear an accent color to zest up a plain outfit. 

If you’re headed to a formal meeting that requires wearing a navy or black suit, you can still add some personality to your look with an accent color. Just make sure the accent color you choose is similar in temperature to your neutral basics. For example, if you're wearing a black suit, try a red or turquoise camisole or blouse; or if you're wearing a navy suit, try a yellow or pink camisole or blouse.

Or another way of course to zest up a plain or outdated outfit is by wearing brighter colored shoes or a color bag. Add a pop of color by pairing a red heel or purse with a black or brown dress. Try a dressy shoe and/or designer leather handbag with a funky pattern, like alligator skin, if you have on a simple blouse and neutral trousers or jeans.

The top ten colors that match together

1. Black and Red (My favorite color combination)
2. Navy Blue and Red
3. Yellow and Red
4. Black and White
5. Gold and Black.
6. Black and Purple
7. Silver and Black.  
8. Black and Blue
9. Blue and Orange
10. Green and Black

Combinations of colours that team well together

• White: combines with everything, especially blue, red and black.
• Beige: combines with blue, brown, emerald, black, red, white.
• Grey: combines with fuchsia, red, violet, pink, blue.
• Pink: combines with brown, white, mint green, olive, grey, turquoise, light blue

Choosing designer leather handbags

If you are looking for genuine designer leather handbags, then one of the things that you are going to want to do is to make sure that your handbag matches the rest of your outfit.  Look at various colours of genuine designer leather handbags available and decide if you want a monochrome look or a fabulous accent color that contrasts with your outfit.  Take a look at the different types on offer right now to find your best fit. Our Firenze range of designer leather handbags are made in Florence, Italy and the colors they come in are absolutely fabulous. All these handbags are available from our Designer leather Handbag  and  Italian Leather Handbag collections

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.

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 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.

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.

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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.

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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, 

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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

Some Luxury Handbag Retailers Have Cut Costs and Reduced Discounts

The Business of Fashion has reported that some luxury handbag retailers have cut costs and reduced discounts in order to cope with slow-moving sales. But the outcome has been good with some companies such as Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Coach    all topping analysts’ earnings estimates for the past quarter. To protect their brands and margins, these companies have reduced discounts, added new products as well as slashing costs.

Michael Kors Chief Executive Officer John Idol reports that growth of the once hot luxury handbag segment in North America has slowed to low single digits but that young customers are still buying handbags and leather goods, but styles have shifted to lower-priced large wallets and small cross-body bags.

“There’s been this myth that no one is buying a luxury handbag anymore, but really it’s a change in trend away from the big totes everyone was buying a few years ago to smaller bags that don’t cost as much,” said Dorothy Lakner, a New York-based analyst at Topeka Capital Markets.

Because the number of people looking for a luxury handbag at North American department stores is reduced and subsequent sales are low, there were higher levels of leftover Kate Spade, Coach and Michael Kors handbags that needed to be sold off at discounted prices to make way for newer goods.

“You have to make products scarcer and have less inventory left over at the end of the year so you can get full price,” Lakner said. “Michael Kors is really pulling back on inventory in the department store channel. Similarly, Coach is reducing the number of discount events.

Luxury handbag sales have been boosted by international expansion but a strong U.S. dollar has hurt tourism sales domestically and taken a bite out of profits earned abroad. “You have to focus on newness in products and keep inventories tight,” Lakner said.

Even after a restructuring, Kate Spade’s luxury handbag sales still make up about 70 percent of its revenue, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Since 2013, the New York-based company has sold the Lucky and Juicy Couture brands and streamlined its corporate operations. In 2014, it began a complete overhaul of management with renewed focus on e-commerce, which now accounts for 20 percent of luxury handbag sales. The retailer is also expanding into home goods, rolling out a 325-piece home-furnishings category last month.

The move to streamline expenses may be paying off. While Kate Spade’s $275 million in net sales in the third quarter fell short of the $281.2 million analysts expected, the company recorded profit excluding some items of 6 cents a share, topping the 4 cents analysts forecast.

Michael Kors posted profit in the second quarter through Sept. 26 of $1.01 a share. That topped the 89 cents a share analysts predicted. Still, the London-based company forecast third-quarter revenue of $1.33 billion to $1.35 billion, falling short of the $1.4 billion analysts projected.

Results were similar at Coach, which said last week that profit excluding some items last quarter was 41 cents a share, exceeding analysts’ estimates by a penny. The New York-based retailer posted sales of $1.03 billion, missing analysts’ projections of $1.04 billion.

While all three companies say they’re pulling back on discounts, they’re also looking to categories other than luxury handbag sales to drive growth. Coach agreed to buy designer shoe brand Stuart Weitzman in January for $574 million to diversify its selection. It also hosted its first women’s runway fashion show this fall. Kate Spade introduced a home goods line last month, while Michael Kors is expanding its licensing agreements into watches, accessories and eye wear.

The luxury handbag makers could follow the example of how fellow luxury handbag retailer used restructuring and cost-cutting to boost performance. One of the original lifestyle companies, Ralph Lauren, announced a restructuring effort in May that will save $110 million annually when it’s completed in 2017.

Increased efficiency helped Ralph Lauren post earnings last quarter of $2.13 a share, excluding some items. That surpassed the $1.73 a share analysts had estimated. Still, comparable sales declined 6 percent, Ralph Lauren said in a statement Thursday. That’s more than the 3.8 percent decrease analysts had forecast.

But you don't have to own an expensive luxury handbag – there are bags available that look more expensive than they are. If you have champagne taste but not the budget to match, The Large Purse Shop has a range of affordable bags which manage to look like a luxury handbag and look like they cost way more than what they actually do. They'll all make you look like a million bucks for two to three figures. We're especially fond of Italian leather; isn't it lovely?

What To Look For In The Perfect Bag

We live in a society that is engrossed with perfection. The perfect figure, the perfect clothes, the perfect score whether it is in education or in sport, the perfect career, perfect health, the perfect house, the perfect car, perfect kids, the perfect man, the perfect hostess. The list goes on! But what makes a perfect bag?   But yet regardless of this captivation, we are inclined to accept imperfection in most things of our lives, leaving the challenge for perfection to others.  So what do you look for in the perfect bag need to makes it stand out in the crowd? A perfect bag is like the perfect man – it needs to satisfy many wants. The perfect bag needs to be the classic partner in every area of your life and be in step with all of your emotional, physical, intellectual and social longings. Ladies: Love Italian Bags  The perfect bag should look good but not over the top. Most people’s first impression of most stuff is their appearance. We all love a nice-looking bag which catches the eye but looks alone are not the only aspect in choosing the perfect bag. Many people are fanatical with brand names but then you run the risk of bumping into someone else with the identical bag. And why promote someone else’s brand by having your bag covered in their company logo.   Myself, I like something that looks a little bit different from the rest – something that makes a statement about me.  If a handbag has disproportionate good looks there are drawbacks as well.  Maybe you will be afraid to use it regularly because it may stain, tear, stretch or you may lose it. Get Your designer bag from my Amazon store  The perfect bag should be functional. Some handbags look great, but are a real challenge to actually use. They are not functional. Many designers seem to aim for style and good looks first, and function second, if at all. A common mistake in handbags is the wearer's failure to find anything with no trouble. The perfect bag should not only look great it needs to be user friendly and comfortable to carry as well. There should be easy access to the things inside and lots of pockets for your cell phone and wallet etc. so you can organise your stuff painlessly.  Men: Man Bags are in The perfect bag should be easy to keep looking good.  The perfect bag should also be easy to maintain so that you are not having to spend hours looking after it to keep it looking good. Features such as stain resistant leather and dust bags to store the bag in are important features. All bags need some degree of maintenance but don’t let it be over the top so you spend more time nurturing your bag rather than it nurturing you! The perfect bag should be adaptable The perfect bag should be adaptable and versatile enough to match with all clothing styles as well as complement your look making you look good. Handbags that can only be worn with one or two outfits are definitely out. Don’t chose a handbag with limited potential. The one exception to this rule is that you don't want a bag to be too suitable for others where everyone wants to borrow it. Sharing is generous but it doesn’t have to include your perfect bag.

I Love Designer Handbags, Don’t You?

Many Men &Women are Fanatical about Designer Handbags

Many people, both men and women are into designer handbags and have collections like one would collect stamps. Designer handbags are their hobby and their passion. They live and breathe bags and follow all the latest trends and know all there is to know about them. They are fanatics.

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.       Designer handbags are fabulous fashion accessories and always look and feel good

Designer handbags are a great way to dress up your outfit and to express yourself. A fashionable bag takes the focus away from you and places it directly on your bag. Whether you are fat or thin or have the prefect figure, a trendy quality bag makes you look fantastic.

      Designer handbags can be purchased from a physical store or on online

When you carry an expensive handbag you sometimes cop a bit of criticism from begrudging people. Just tell them you got it on E-bay really cheap. That will shut them up and stop them being too nosy or critical and stops their bag shaming session. There are some who may criticize you for being shallow by spending so much on designer handbags. But these people do not appreciate that you are obsessive about them. Ignore them! Who are they to judge anyhow.

Designer handbags come in many colors and sizes

Enthusiasts believe it is not over the top to have the same handbag in different colors, sizes or types of fabrics. If you like a bag it is okay to have it in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes you like a big black bag but on other occasions you wish the same bag to be little and green.

4    Leather always looks good, smells good and feels good

Leather is the ultimate. Once you have owned a leather handbag you will wish for nothing else. They are definitely one of life’s little luxuries. Leather lasts a life time and is timeless.

5   Designer handbags need proper care and attention

Bags especially leather ones need to be kept clean and lubricated to remain supple and looking good. Keep them stored in their dust bags, in a cool, dry place, and out of direct sunlight. Stuff them with tissue to keep their shapes when not in use. Whether made from leather or fabric, designer handbags need more care and attention than other clothing.

6   Plan your outfits around your designer handbags

Planning your outfit around your handbag is actually very logical and rational. You have a lot on your bag so why not make it the feature of your outfit. In fact, if you buy an expensive handbag and don’t plan for its debut, you should return it because you probably don’t like it enough.

7   You can, in reality, save money if you have expensive designer handbags

Truly, because expensive designer handbags can dress up your otherwise simple wardrobe. If you carry a fashionable classy bag, it automatically makes everything else you wear look more expensive. Women are judged by the handbag they carry, so if you have a limited funds to spend on your wardrobe buy cheaper clothing brands like Zara so you can spend more on designer handbags. If nothing else, a bag is a great distraction.

8   You are treated differently when you carry designer handbags

It is true, people really do treat you differently. They may not acknowledge it, but everyone sees designer handbags as a status symbol. They may not be obsessed with fashion and they may know very little about designer handbags, but most people can tell when someone’s is dressed in expensive and sophisticated clothing. These well-dressed people tend to get better treatment in stores and restaurants etc., because designer handbags are definitely noticeable. They are a great way to create a delusion of wealth.

9   Designer handbags are practical and functional

Designer handbags fit the purpose as well as being a fashion statement. They are functional, practical and have the right size pockets to carry all your belongings. There is a design for all occasions; business or pleasure; travel or sport; formal or casual. That is why most men and women have several to choose from.

1   Buying designers handbags is an experience which is second to none

It doesn’t matter if you are shopping online or at a lovely department store there is a lot of excitement when choosing your new handbag. It is so much fun and the expectancy is incredible. If you buy online there is the anticipation of your parcel arriving and the delight of receiving it, the exhilaration of unwrapping it and seeing, feeling and touching it for the first time. You have doubtless already planned your first outing with it and cannot wait for that occasion to occur. What will you wear and where will you go? Designer handbags give you so much pleasure!

Is The Luxury Designer Handbag Market Over-Crowded?

The sales of fashion accessories have increased substantially during the past decade. Fashion accessories now make up approximately 30% of world-wide sales in the luxury-market. This is up from 18% in 2003. The bulk of this growth can be attributed to the sale of the luxury designer handbag. So what mega-brands are selling the best and why has the luxury designer handbag market grown so much in later years? Statistics publicized by Exane BNP Paribas account for mega-brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hermes, Coach and Burberry. But all other brands are reported as a broad group under “others”. This “other” group took a larger market share, growing from a 38% share of the market in 2004 to a 41% in 2013. This is due in part to other high end brands entering the luxury designer handbag market.

1)     Luxury Designer Handbag are Seen as a Status Symbol.

Bags are an affordable status symbol.Women and now also men are judged by the quality of her handbags. For both men and women, a luxury designer handbag can be mixed and matched with other trendy fashion accessories and to a wide variety of events. Fashion accessories such as a luxury designer handbag can dress up or dress down an outfit.

2)     A Luxury Designer Handbag Has Become More Accessible & More Affordable

For brand-names, the retailing of a luxury designer handbag offers clever retail economics. The sales of bags result in high sales productivity as well as selling at full retail price in their branded stores. Brand stores are usually located in larger cities such as London, Rome, New York, Paris, Milan and Sydney and thus have restricted convenience to those who live outside the cities. Through the arrival of the internet, the acquirement of a luxury designer handbag has been expanded. People can purchase over the internet from anywhere in the world, with their purchase delivered to their door. Consumers look for bargains when they purchase online, specifically on sites such as E-Bay and Amazon. This has had the effect of driving down prices.

3)     The Luxury Designer Handbag Market Has Become Much Talked About

The dawn of social media brought about a transformation in the way fashion trends are set for both men and women. A new release of a luxury designer handbag is talked about on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. The dress code of celebrities and royals has become a day-to-day topic of conversation on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Many bloggers and fashionistas put their personal fashion views across online using blogs and forums. More and more people are up-to-date with the latest fashion trends and what is new and where to get it. I follow the Business of Fashion, Purse Blogs, Purse Stories and the Large Purse Shop Blogs. Fashion information is freely available on these sites.

4)     Third world Market Places Such As China Have Expanded

Third World Market places such as China have opened up to the call for the sale of a branded luxury designer handbag. This has occurred due to the growing middle class in these countries with a higher disposable income. They are particularly fashion aware and see these branded bags as a status symbol. I saw evidence of this when I recently visited Guangzhou. Branded stores were located throughout the city in glamorous shopping centres scattered among the busy traditional Chinese marketplaces.

5)     More High End Brands Now Produce A Luxury Designer Handbag

The market selling a luxury designer handbag is becoming more and more over-crowded, as high-end fashion houses such as Dior and Saint Laurent have expanded into the fashion accessories market. In fact the Prada set up a new brand called Miu Miu which produces a luxury designer bag range aimed at celebrities and a younger audience. This has led to more and more availability and choice for branded bags.

6)     Medium to Lower End Fashion Brands are Challenging the Mega-brands

Other emerging fashion brands such as Zara, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Oroton, Tory Burch, and many others are challenging the luxurydesigner handbag market. The bags produced by these companies are just as smart and classy but the price tag is usually much less making them more affordable. To match this challenge, some of the Mega-brands have produced what I would call a second tier of luxury designer handbag which they also retail at a lesser price. The lower priced bags are still sought after by fashion conscious consumers.

6)     Generation Y Has A Bigger Disposable Income

Generation Y who have grown up with computers, cell phones and technology are often seen as self-entitled, overly precocious, demanding and just plain rude. They change their jobs readily and spend money more easily. I have 4 generation Y children who love to shop online, and do not blink an eye to pay the price of a new luxury designer handbag. Although they do their research first in order to get the best bargain. Unlike their baby boomer parents who were more frugal and were taught to save rather than to spend.

Exane BNP Paribas Infographic | Source: Exane BNP Paribas

7) Has the Luxury Designer Handbag Market Become Over Crowded?

To offset the mounting pressure of the ambitious new brands, some of the mega-brands increased their entry-level price points to highlight the exclusivity and desirability of their own landmark luxury designer handbag. Unfortunately this back fired a little because although they experienced a rise in exclusivity, it was accompanied by a reduction in sales revenue. Consumers who are spoilt for choice in an over-crowded market, have little loyalty and alter from one design to another. This is particularly apparent in the Chinese market.

It seems apparent that the mega-brands have increased their entry-level price points, but abandoned the market range below $500, and prefer to focus on the $500 to $2,000 price range. The median price of a luxury designer handbag is now around $1,500. Some fashion houses have designed innovative more extravagant models priced above $3,000 so as to retain exclusivity at the higher end of the market. Some of the high end brands have a signature luxury designer handbag which became the landmark by which they became recognized. However they still need to concentrate on developing new landmark products with iconic shapes which emphasis sophisticated design. However discretion often goes out the window when these high end mega-brands are produce full logo bags as a means of status distinction.

The up and coming brands sell a more functional, luxury designer handbag to younger consumers with lower budgets where price is a more important buying benchmark than for the higher end brands. Emerging brands position themselves by using one of three product strategies: attempt to own a shape, concentrate on best sellers or be a lower-priced fast-follower. This approach may not be sustainable in the long term. These brands often go for easy-to-spot logos and canvas prints.

It is obvious that this is no time for any of these companies, mega-brand or not, to be relying on previous success. In a market oversupplied with choice, a tactic based on past success and reputation, whether associated with a logo or not is a recipe for failure.

Consumers these days are very knowledgeable because they can research online before buying. They look for new and exciting products and get bored quicker than in the past. The manufacturers of a luxury designer handbag has to keep on their toes and watch what social media, blogs and forums are saying about fashion trends. They have to be innovative and not rely purely on their past success. Consumers want to be trend setters and want to be admired and talked about and even envied especially on social media.