| BrandsBoutique |
| BrandsBoutique Online Shop: Despite the recent grumblings about the handbag bubble bursting, we all know that the “it-bag” still reigns supreme. BrandsBoutique.com is for the fashionista who knows that building your handbag collection isn’t just about carrying the latest designer craze but about being a true handbag connoisseur. The site not only features a different designer handbag daily but also includes articles that discuss all things handbags, from handbag fads to tips on properly cleaning your handbag.
|
| DesignersLA |
| DesignersLA Online Shop: A great blog dedicated to honoring Los Angeles-based designers, DesignersLA.com features the handbag and accessories from some of the hippest designers in LA. From household names like Juicy Couture and Rachel Pally to smaller labels like Circa Studio and Bells & Whistles, whether you reside in LA land or not, you are sure to love this site detailing all the glitz and glamour that is LA fashion. Plus the site features particular items at a discount prices.
|
| LuxuryVintage |
| LuxuryVintage Online Shop: Ever since Hollywood starlets have started showing up on the red carpet in vintage gowns and accessories, vintage handbags and accessories are back in a big way. For those who admire the classic lines of fashion past, then LuxuryVintage.com is for them. Each day the blog features a different vintage designer handbag and accessory, from coveted designers like Chanel and Hermes to one-of-a-king jewelry, vintage groupies will love the looks and the off-retail prices. |
| ItalysOutlet |
| ItalysOutlet Online Shop: Shopping for Italian Designer handbags and accessories has never been this easy. ItalysOutlet features all the major Italian Designer brand names you have grown to love: Gucci, Fendi, Etro, Versace, Moschino, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Prada and many more. Plus, pay outlet prices. Never pay full price when shopping at ItalysOutlet for high quality Italian leather and fabrics. |
| ValueBags |
| ValueBags Online Shop: Created for the budget conscious consumer who wants to carry a high-quality designer handbag but doesn’t want to spend a fortune, ValueBags.com highlights a different designer handbag each day (Fab Bag of the Day), from designers like Coach, Dooney & Bourke and BCBG, all at below-retail prices. The blog also features coupon codes and links back to the particular featured handbag.
|
|
| Purse selection: Personal, practical or Prada? |
| Tuesday, May 6, 2008 |
 PRADA backpack BZ0020 designer handbag brown satin large back pack designer purse. from Pioneer Local
By KIMBERLY FORNEK
An exhibit at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, entitled Pocketbook Anthropology, showcases purses through the decades and their evolution from a coin purse carried by men to a fashion statement for women.
About 70 purses are on display including a souvenir cloth coin purse from the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and a black leather Christian Dior bag that the owner bought for $1,200 in 1995. The owner reported she carried the purse, with the gold-plated letters, D, I, O and R dangling from the strap, around the globe as she conducted international business. It conveyed to those she met that she was a successful, polished businesswoman.
Other bags are more whimsical, such as the straw handbag that resembles a little house with felt windows, bought in Japan about 1950. The exhibit has pocketbooks resembling fans, piano keys and a barn. Other novelty purses are made from a cigar box, bottle caps, cigarette packages or license plates. A bright yellow purse, imprinted with the warning, "This Bag is Not a Toy," is quite comical. The following advice is printed on the purse: "To avoid dangerous withdrawals, keep away from men and children."
Early designs
The early 1900s are represented by delicate, elegant bags: a black and beige beaded drawstring bag, a green and silver crocheted miser's purse, a metallic mesh bag and an embroidered silk purse decorated with wood and ivory beads. "Dainty, impractical evening bags have always been cherished because of, not in spite of, their inutility," the exhibit historian states in text accompanying the displays. Purses have come to symbolize a woman's identity and individuality. Or they may suggest privacy and status, the exhibit explains. For many contemporary women, however, a purse has become an everyday necessity, as essential as their wallet or eyeglasses.
Practical purses
Dawn Suarez of Arlington Heights said size and the number of pockets are the most important factors when she chooses a purse, because "with kids you have to be able to put all their little toys in to keep them entertained." On Wednesday morning, her Coach purse held a baggy with different colored pens, a roll of crayons and a plastic horse. The supplies for her 4-year-old son, William, who accompanied her, also included a bottle of water, Goldfish crackers, and an EpiPen auto-injector because he recently had a severe allergic reaction. "And I always have lollipops for the kids for when they get bored," she said. Other essentials in her bag were sanitary hand wipes ("They go with me everywhere") and Starbucks gift cards ("I don't leave the house without them.") Suarez said she prefers Coach bags "because they hold up really good." But when she wants a dressier look, she'll often carry a Kate Spade purse "when I am out for a nice evening with my husband."
Style and comfort
Michelle Pantone, too, likes Kate Spade. She was carrying a bright green purse by that New York designer when she met two friends outside Egg Harbor Cafe in Arlington Heights. "This (purse) will last years," Pantone said. But she acknowledged she will probably use it only one year. Then it will be retired to the "purse cellar," her reserve of handbags she doesn't use anymore, but doesn't get rid of. "Maybe one day it will be vintage," Pantone said. Her friend Beth Dazzo said she looks for style and comfort, meaning how the strap rests on her shoulder, when she is buying a purse. She had a large, dark brown handbag from Perlina of New York with her. In addition to typical items, such as lipstick, a cellular phone and a comb, Dazzo carries a juice box, Band-Aids and "a lot of meds, things my kids need. Mine is usually a suitcase," Dazzo said. Loree Parker of Spring Grove said she likes a big, shoulder bag. "So I can carry my water bottle and an umbrella. I carry an umbrella all the time, it doesn't leave my purse. It's one of those tiny ones that opens up."
She doesn't change her bag to go with her outfit or the seasons. Her red handbag "goes with every outfit I have worn so far. I don't have to switch it," Parker said. But it's not as comfortable as her previous purse which had a braided handle "that didn't slip off" her shoulder. Several women said they test a purse in the store before they buy it to see how the strap rests on their shoulder. "It has to be light because I have a shoulder problem," said Dorothy Santella of Park Ridge. But the purse has to be "roomy," too, she said, "because I like to take everything with me. And it has to have an outside pocket for my keys or sunglasses so I can get them without opening the purse."
Not designer
"I have lots of purses," said Santella, who was touring the purse exhibit at the historical museum with her two sisters. "I am constantly changing them. I would love a designer purse -- if you could get me one for under $100." Her sister Gloria Bernardi said, "I am not a designer purse person." She considers the size and the price when choosing a purse. "It has to have enough room to keep everything I need ... wallet, comb, tissue, keys ... and not too many compartments, "but enough, maybe three." Their sister Millie Genovise of Norridge said she buys a purse for practical purposes. "It has to have enough compartments and a good zipper or clips." She carries a larger purse when she travels to hold more items and the literature she collects as she goes from place to place. At the historical museum, Genovise carried a "Prada knock-off" that her sister in New York gave her.
Julie Iuorio said the most important thing about a purse is "that it has a zipper. I like to throw it around and I don't like everything falling out," Iuorio said. Tricia Kintzler, 20, said comfort is most important to her. "I like it to fit on my shoulder or one that goes across (the chest)." And she usually carries a large purse. "I have gotten used to carrying everything with me," Kintzler said. In the big, white shoulder bag she brought to the library with her, she had makeup, a cellular phone, a notebook and "always Tylenol." "I even have a bagel in there," Kintzler said. Salina Wunderle of Arlington Heights said a purse's size and fabric are what matter most to her. "I love this bag," she said about the cloth purse she had with her at the library last week. "This is my everyday bag. I love the earthy tones, the floral pattern, the leather supports and the hardware; it has a cute, little design." She typically chooses a large purse.
'Carry the world'
"I go to school, so I have to carry the world with me." Wunderle rattled off some of the items in her purse that day: wallet, Chapstick, lotion "absolutely," gum, mints, pen, paper, day planner and eye shadow. "I always have to have a snack with me. Sometimes jewelry goes in there, not much makeup. Band-Aids for blisters from new shoes and aspirin for everyday headaches," she added
Julie Harper only carries six items in her Luis Vuitton purse, which is standard for her, both the designer and the light load. She likes Luis Vuitton because "they have a lifetime warranty" and don't show the wear, she said. And her staples? A wallet, cellular phone, keys, sunglasses, lipstick and hand lotion. "I don't have kids, can you tell?" Harper asked. Labels: coach purse, louis vuitton purse, prada designer handbags, purse, purses |
posted by Give Me Something to Blog About @ 5:35 PM   |
|
|
|
|
|
