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.

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.

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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.

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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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Why Women Love Luxury Handbags

  

There is no doubting the fact that women love luxury handbags. If you read any purse blogs or comments on purse forums you will see that some women are actually obsessed with them. Some women own a huge variety of luxury handbags which collectively may be worth many thousands of dollars. Social media and Dr Google are full images of the well-to-do, celebrities and royals who carry a different bag with each outfit – they have luxury handbags to match each color and style of their outfits.

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For the rich and famous, including celebrities and royals it is easy to possess a collection of luxury handbags. But what about the typical working woman or the stay at home mum. How can she pay such excessive prices to realise her dream of owning that latest style? The reality is that most bag-loving women will go without other things in order to satisfy her need for a new bag.

What sacrifices would you have to make to meet the expense of that elegant Hermes Birkin which recently sold at auction for over $200,000?  Made of exquisite pink crocodile decorated with 18 carat gold hardware and genuine diamonds? The run-of-the-mill Hermes will set you back about $8000 and even then, you may have to be on a waiting list to get it!

These days you probably could not get luxury handbags for much under $500. Most of the more exclusive brands will be well over $1000. So the average Jo Blog has to save up for a long just to come up with the money needed for one of these expensive bags.

Luxury handbags are the ultimate 21st-century object of desire, not just for the well-to-do, celebrities and royals, but also for working women from all walks of life as well. In this day and age, women of all ages tend to spend more on a handbag than a holiday, jewelry or even a car - and they hope that everyone else will notice their new acquisition.

Clothes commonly take second place to this most looked-for accessory. For example, an ad made in 2007 featured Kate Moss starring in a Longchamp's bag campaign She lay naked on a beach with nothing on except for her Longchamp handbag. The message this ad revealed was clear: clothes are redundant - it's all about the luxury handbag.

So why do women find luxury handbags so desirable? It is to a certain extent because they have become a distinguishing fashion statement depicting a woman's wealth and status. They also indicate how fashion aware a woman is, and proves her position and earning power. It is also due to the escalating popularity of large purses, which over the past 100 years, has mimicked the growing social independence of their women.

In previous eras, a woman's role was mostly domestic and she would keep her personal items in a purse tucked into the folds of her skirt or in a small handbag she carried discretely. But as women started venturing from the home, both for leisure and work, larger purses became a convenient way of carrying their belongings and daily needs. Eleanor Roosevelt is recognised as starting the trend of carrying large purses as a customary fashion.

At the time when rail and sea travel became more accessible, there was a growing demand for fashionable luggage such as suitcases, dressing cases, hat and shoe boxes. Styles developed and the modern leather handbag was born.

It is not surprising then that many of today's luxurious handbag design houses, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Hermes, originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as travel became more accessible to everyone. As women achieved more financial independence, the handbag industry prospered out of all proportion to its humble beginnings.

The fact that the right handbag can make us feel goes far deeper than just being a vehicle to carry our possessions. Both revealing and concealing, it also represents a feeling that deeply private to its owner. This feeling arises from the fact that the handbag was first designed as a silk purse or pocket worn close to the body for safe keeping.  At that time, pockets were seen as being underwear – a secret place hidden beneath lavish material and assessable only by an intimate slit in the skirt.

These intimate undertones lingered on when the first luxury handbags were worn in the late 18th century. Called reticules, they were superbly embroidered, pouches with handles in damask, satin or velvet. Women used them to carry cosmetics, a fan for flirtation, smelling salts and carte de visite, all without compromising the slim-line fit of the Empire-line dresses which were Vat the time.

To begin with, the idea of a woman displaying her personal belongings in a visible pocket was as outrageous as if she had taken off her knickers and waved them in the air. As a result of this defiance of common decency, reticules were labelled "ridicules" by those unready for change.

Because of the intimacy associated with them, luxury handbags were seen as sexual items.  The expression "old bag" was used to describe a woman who was passed her sexual best and grumpy women who display no emotion or compassion are still called that today.

In our time, luxury handbags still have their sex appeal because they are very closely associated with all of our most intimate possessions. A large purse is our survival kit for daily life. It carries all our personal needs from a mobile phone, tampons, make-up, money and keys, to hair straighteners, laptops, I-phones, chewing gum, condoms to a change of clothes. Consequently, its curiousness remains intact. Most men find the details of what a woman has in her handbag excitingly inconceivable and would never dare to invade its privacy.

Most women feel naked without their luxury handbags. Your bag rather than your clothes makes you stand out from the crowd. Even when your outfit is drab and outdated a good-looking bag makes you look and feel good.

Because of this, the handbag industry has seen incredible growth in the past few decades. By mid-2000's sales of bags were growing at twice the rate of clothes. Now the big fashion houses make millions of dollars a year from the sale of luxury handbags alone.

So what are the features that make luxury handbags desirable? The first thing is that it must have an outstanding design. It has to be instantly recognized as a prominent brand such as Fendi, Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton or from other established fashion houses. Most fashion houses have their signature designs and this too helps in appreciation of the brand itself.

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Another important feature for a luxury bag is glamour and appeal. Typically this comes from the link between a particular brand and a celebrity - such as the famous Hermes Kelly bag. Originally produced in 1935, it was not until 1956 that the bag's status shot to worldwide bestseller status. And this occurred because the newlywed, Princess Grace of Monaco, was photographed for the cover of Time magazine shielding her pregnant belly with a classic Hermes bag. The handbag in question subsequently became known as the Kelly in her honour. Fashion commentators at the time were quite adamant about the association of bag and star: Carrying a Kelly bag became synonymous with class and old money.

Another example occurred In 1994 when the Lady Dior became a sensation after Princess Diana took to wearing it around town after she separated from Prince Charles. This handbag is a seductive combination of briefcase and handbag which has distinctive gold charms. It depicted a thoughtful woman who was nonetheless glamorous and sophisticated. These days, social media can promote the status and demand for a particular bag just by been photographed on the arm of a style icon, celebrity or royal like Princess Kate Middleton.  

Shrewd marketing definitely also plays an important part in creating a must-have bag. While celebrities may always be able to get their hands on the latest luxury handbags, for the woman in the street it's much more difficult, irrespective of how much money they are ready to spend. The fact that many high-status bags are unobtainable makes it more looked-for. Some luxury handbags have waiting lists extending up to three years. The Hermes Birkin is in this category.

Women's natural competitiveness is cunningly managed by the top bag designers. For example. In 2005, Alexander McQueen inspired customer demand to a fever when he publicized the launch of his new designer bag. He specified that it was a limited edition with only 200 ever to be produced, and so it became the ultimate fashion trophy, selling out before a waiting list was even compiled. This bag was called the Novak after Kim Novak, the legendary blonde actress who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 masterpiece Vertigo. Prices started at £550 and went up to a whopping £6,000 for the deluxe crocodile version.

It seems a price tag does not prevent luxury handbags from selling well. In fact, fashion houses believe that high price tags seem to add more desire to own it. There seems to be an endless willingness to splash out on designer bags.

Luxury handbags will last a lifetime if cared for properly. Some of these styles may come and go, some retain their value and some increase in value. But it is only a handful of them that have the mystic qualities to become iconic. To become iconic, a bag is not just exceptionally well designed but it also surpasses the time in which it was fashioned.

Luxury handbags which have received the right to be called iconic are the Hermes Kelly, the Fendi Baguette, the Marc Jacobs's Stam, the YSL Muse and the Mulberry Roxanne. All of these bags share a clear, clean line; nothing fussy or over-designed, with a combination of functionality and luxury. An iconic bag owes its status to the finest traditions of pedigree, quality and craftsmanship to look as good years later as it did the day it was born. And, for a true bag lover, that is worth more than price.

The Most Expensive Handbag In The World Is Worth $3.8m

The Guinness Book Of Records lists the most expensive handbag in the world for 2015, as the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse. It is worth an astounding US $3.8 million. This remarkable evening bag has held the record as the world’s most expensive handbag for the preceding five years as well.

This amazingly expensive handbag is heart-shaped. It was fashioned in 18 carat gold, but its most incredible feature are the real precious stones which decorate it. There are 4,356 colorless diamonds, 105 yellow diamonds and 56 pink diamonds which cover it. This is a total of 4571 diamonds weighing a colossal 382 carats. 

This one of a kind work of art actually took 10 skilled craftsmen 8,800 hours to make. It was designed and manufactured by Mouawad which is a privately owned multi-national company that sells exquisite jewelry, objects of art, and luxury watches. The company, which was founded in 1891 in Lebanon, now has its headquarters in Geneva, with a Middle East headquarters in Duba genevai. It was founded by David Mouawad, and is now led by 4th generation family members Fred, Alain and Pascal Mouawad.

 Alain, Fred & Pascal Mouawad Source: Wikipedia

Mouawad also holds three other Guinness World Records:

1. 1.     The Mouawad L’Incomparable Diamond Necklace featuring the world’s largest internally flawless diamond, the Incomparable diamond which is 407.48 carats. This is the most valuable necklace in the world and worth $55 million
2. 2.     The Very Sexy Fantasy Bra worth $11 million. This is the most luxurious and costly piece of lingerie ever made.
3. 3.     The Mouawad Splendor worth $12.8 million. This is most costly single pear-shaped diamond in the world.

The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse speaks wealth and luxury. While diamonds are a girls' best friend, handbags are a girls' best companion. This most expensive bag offers the best of both worlds; friendship and companionship.

But this is not a bag the normal person could ever hope to own. And quite honestly you would be a bit anxious carrying it to the pub wouldn't you? There are   several other less expensive handbag styles you can select from to make a fashion statement for yourself. Make your next companion a tiny less bit more affordable by getting it from the Large Purse Shop. 

The worth of designer handbags has remained quite steady overtime, so a quality purse is a good investment. Take the  2014 Hermes Birkin crocodile skin handbag which recently became the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction at a price of over $220,000.  It certainly kept its value. But make sure you look after it well and store it properly. 

The Most Expensive Handbag In The World - Or NOT ?

  

I read recently in the Daily Mail UK that Christies Auction House in Hong Kong sold the most expensive handbag ever sold. The bag was a Hermes Birkin, in pink crocodile skin and was bought by an anonymous buyer at auction.  When the final hammer went down at 1.72 million Hong Kong dollars which is equivalent to UK £150,000, or US $228,480, it was reported to be the most expensive handbag ever sold.   However i think the Wall Street Journal has clarified the situation by reporting it is the most expensive handbag sold at auction.

The Daily Mail UK reported that the cost of this record setting Birkin bag broke the previous world record, set in 2011, for the world's most expensive handbag. The previous record holder, which was sold for £133,500 (USA $202,585) at auction, in the USA, was held by another Hermes Birkin, but in red crocodile skin. This probably also relates to the most expensive handbag sold at auction.

Because  this report conflicts with research I have completed. I believed that the world's most expensive handbag, as listed in the Guinness Book of Records, was the Mouawad’s 1001 Nights Diamond Purse which is worth an astounding US $3.8 million. I will discuss this super valuable bag in another blog. It is quite a different bag to the Birkin.

So did the Daily Mail get it wrong? It seems so. I think they meant to say the most expensive handbag sold at auction.  I will devote this blog to discussing the world's most expensive handbag as identified by the Daily Mail UK because it is a bag more appropriate for day to day wear.

But just to put it into perspective, you could buy an Aston Martin DB9 Volante with the same amount of money that this Birkin, a record making expensive handbag costs. Or even put a deposit on a house. But the Daily Mail also reported that Christies have another Birkin on their books, a sexy black leather number, which may sell for even more and beat this record price.

So what makes this expensive handbag so valued?

This astoundingly expensive handbag is a Birkin Bag designed by Hermes. It is made in bright fuchsia-pink luxury crocodile skin and features beautiful 18 karat gold detailing and is covered in genuine diamonds. The Birkin bag, which was first designed in 1984 by Hermes, a French fashion house, was named after the actress Jane Birkin, is seen as a fashion classic.

The story has it that the Birkin was created after the Hermes CEO, Jean Louis Dumas, sat next to Jane Birkin on a Paris to London flight. The actress expressed her frustration about the difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag.  She outlined what her ideal bag would be like. Soon after, the bag she described was born as the Birkin. Hermés now count many of the world's wealthiest women as fans.

The Hermes brand is famous for its extravagant leather accessories and the Birkin has become one of the most sought-after handbags of all time. The Birkin Bag is known for having a price tag in the thousands of dollars. There is a waiting list for a Birkin which can be several years long.  Hermes is eminent for its perfect finish and the best quality materials used.  Hermès never uses  assembly lines with but uses one crafts-person to make each bag at a time, hand-stitching each piece to create the immaculately finished product.

Unfortunately the high-end luggage and accessories produced by Hermés isn't really within every fashionista's price range.  A Hermes Birkin bag can have a price tag of upwards of £8,000 (USA$ 12185).  But while a Birkin bag may be worth as much as a small car, it is seen by the fashion industry as an 'investment' piece – an expensive handbag yes, but one that will remain in style for years, if not decades. And at the same time go up in value. The Birkin has proof of this - waiting lists of up to three years and the highest two sales records for the "most expensive bag" being attributed to a Hermes Birkin bag.

We don't know the identity of the new owner of this most expensive handbag, but we do recognize that both Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum are the proud owners of pink Hermes Birkin bags which are similar to the record breaking one described here. Don't they look really great and make such a bold statement? They certainly stand out.

Victoria Beckham is reported to owning as many as 100 bags, which together are estimated to be worth £1,500,000 (USA $2,284,800). Khloe Kardashian has one in just about every color of the rainbow. Recently she showed off her latest acquisition which features the Monopoly mascot on the front, holding a large bag of money, surrounded by paper bills with the sides splattered with orange, pink and dark red dots of paint. 

I am not convinced that the pink Birkin bag reported in the Daily Mail UK is the most expensive handbag in the world, but do believe that the Wall St Journal report is correct - it is the most expensive handbag sold at auction.  Check out my next blog when I disclose ten bags which may be more valuable than this record setting expensive handbag reported by the Daily Mail UK.

I you want a great new bag but simply cannot afford a very expensive bag then check out the great bags on my site at the Large Purse Shop.

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?