Eagle-Tribune
The feel of rich, buttery leather. The glittery beads that catch your eye. The studded designs that will just look perfect with those shoes.
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but handbags are surely her first love.
Fashion experts agree – purses are the accessory that completes an outfit. That’s probably why the average woman has 10 in her wardrobe rotation, more than double the number she had a decade ago, according to former E! “Fashion Emergency” host Brenda Cooper.
“A bag is no longer just a bag,” said the Emmy-winning stylist. “Today, your purse is probably your most important fashion item.”
Why? Savvy marketers have turned us into a purse-lovin’ culture. Really. It’s not our fault.
“One season, it’s a jacket – usually it’s something you put on your body. For the last few seasons, it’s all about the purse,” said Cooper.
Patricia Hambrick, marketing director for Bag, Borrow or Steal, a Weston company that rents purses, thinks the fact that anyone can participate in this trend (unlike the skinny jean) keeps purses popular.
“You don’t have to be tall and leggy,” she said, adding her customers range from college students to grandmothers. “No matter what size you are, you can participate.”
These days, the major must-have bags are large, oversized hobos and satchels with pockets for your cell phone, makeup, wallet and other doodads.
“The ‘It’ bag is a huge bag. It’s a big leather, studded, embellished, embossed bag,” said Cooper, who uses a large Kate Spade giraffe print bag as her “go-to” purse. “The actual trend is to have a big bag as a statement piece of clothing. You are making a statement with the brand name of the bag you carry.”
Part of the love affair with bags comes from all the choices out there, said Cooper. Laura McDowell, spokeswoman for retailer TJ Maxx agrees, especially when it comes to the brand-name bags.
“Some people don’t want an investment piece, and some people want something that will last for 20 years. It depends on your style,” McDowell said.
Nancy Dube, owner of the Coco Collection in Andover, doesn’t usually carry brand-name large bags in her store because off-price retailers seem to have cornered the market.
Instead, Dube focuses on their cuter cousins – embellished with feathers, beads, embroidery and stones – that come out at night as an alternative to the daytime carry-all.
One of the more popular choices are the Mary Frances bags, which have shown up on the arms of celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson and Kate Hudson.
“We do have people who collect them, and often, we find they are very much an impulse purchase,” said Dube, Andover’s exclusive retailer of these sought-after bags. “They love the color; it speaks to them.”
Frances, recently named designer of the year by the Dallas Fashion Trade Center, has been designing unique bags for 18 years. Local representative Michelle Brodsky of Andover knows one customer who has as many as 53 purses – which range in price from $150 to $250 – from the line. She’s even heard of customers who have displayed them in curio cabinets and etageres, elevating the handbags to art.
As is often the case with a woman who finds a new favorite bag of any brand, Dube says she sees outfits designed around a Mary Frances handbag.
Other designers, like Coach and Fendi, are also popular with consumers and drive many trends in handbags. As a result, counterfeiters are cashing in on the addiction of collectors.
“They are beautiful,” Cooper said. “You can’t deny the luxury brand is a luxury, but the knockoffs are fantastic. Go for an almost Gucci, or an almost Hermes or Prada….If you can’t afford to pay $1,000 for a Chanel, I think it’s OK if you can buy it somewhere for $50. Everybody knocks off everybody else.”
An alternative is the rent-a-bag. Bag, Borrow or Steal charges anywhere from $13 a week to $300 a month to rent out its bags, which include everything from Louis Vuitton to the classic, quilted Chanel.
“(People) can change bags as often as they change their outfits,” Cooper said.
Hot hues for handbags
Metallics, especially gold
Brown
Black
Red
Burgundy
Deep purple
Anatomy of a handbag
A handbag can hide your secrets, express your personality and hold all your stuff. It can also snap a strap at just the wrong moment (hello, job interview), devour your cell phone with a torn lining, or secretly split a seam, leaving a Hansel-and-Gretel trail of loose coins and breath mints in your wake. Whatever your relationship is with the multitasking carryall hanging from your arm, you need one strong enough to withstand the tossing and tugging it will inevitably endure.
Bags for less than $150
When you buy a handbag in this price range, you may sacrifice some quality. But, as with any rule, there are exceptions.
You might get…
Thinner leathers that may be padded to compensate for a lack of substance.
Less expensive raw materials and hardware.
Cowhide leather that’s split and pieced together with seams in the center. A bag with pieces of leather perfectly matched in both color and texture can be hard to find.
Uneven stitching, loose threads and visible glue.
Such soft leather and durability are rare at this price. “The stitching is slightly imperfect,” says Christopher Moore, owner of Artbag, a handbag-repair shop in New York City. “But at $67, it’s hard to go wrong.”
A strong nylon-satin lining and classic hardware give it a luxe feel. And it has roomy pockets for your cell phone, lipstick, brush and more.
Bags from $150 to $500
Not as expensive as designer handbags yet better quality than low-end styles, the bags in this price range offer the best value for your dollar, says Moore.
You can expect:
Durable and supple leathers, such as higher-grade cowhide and calfskin. (Less expensive, pieced-together leathers are still a possibility in this category, so be vigilant.)
Fairly uniform stitching and long-wearing linings.
Good hardware that’s well made but that may lack well-known insignias or logos.
Supple grained leather, superior stitching, tasteful hardware, a stiff bottom for structure and a magnetic closure that’s sewn, not glued, in place.
Ultra-straight stitching in contrasting gold thread is a surprising addition at a lower price. The deep blue leather functions as an unexpected neutral.
Bags for more than $500
Expensive bags tend to be made in Europe, where the high cost of labor and raw materials is compounded by export charges and the strong Euro. But it costs nothing to covet.
You can expect:
Precise hand stitching. This reinforces machine stitching, making a bag stronger.
Superior materials, such as Nappa leather, calfskin and pigskin. Construction with full hides means no unsightly seams and colors that match almost perfectly.
Drum-dyed leather. Thoroughly dyed leather won’t show any white underneath if the bag gets scratched.
Suede, leather or some other luxury lining.
Point break
Handbags are only as good as their makers. Use this guide to spot quality in the details that matter.
Zippers: A zipper can be made of metal or nylon, as long as it has a stop at the opposite end of the opening, which many companies skimp on, says Kenny Orr, president of Stone Mountain Accessories. A stop keeps the zipper from damaging the leather and from opening at the wrong end when you’re trying to close it. Test the zipper, and slide your finger along its open edge; it shouldn’t feel sharp or scratchy.
Handles: “Put the bag on your shoulder and tug slightly on the bottom to see if the pressure points of the handle give,” says Ellen Goldstein, chairwoman of the accessories-design department of the Fashion Institute of Technology. If the stitching pulls away, it’s a sign of poor construction. The strongest handles are stitched directly to the bag. Those with hardware should pass the “tug test.”
Lining: The lining should be made of a substantial material that lies flat against the interior of the bag with no buckling. Don’t be deceived by a lush exterior: “The lining is a good indication of the level of quality of the rest of the bag,” says Moore.
Stitching: If its stitches aren’t uniform, the bag is poorly constructed. “There can be eight stitches per inch or 18, but they should all be straight and even, with absolutely no loose threads,” says Goldstein. Gordon Thompson, the creative director of Cole Haan, adds: “You never want to see glue, inside or out,” says Gordon Thompson, the creative director of Cole Haan.
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