The origin of the handbag, or purse, is buried deeply in the onset of high fashion history and within the increase of global commerce. While it is now a standard item in most women’s and in some men wardrobe, it was originally designed for convenience rather than style.

The Origin of the Handbag

An early form of a purse or wallet was actually a small circular cut piece of fabric with a leather strap sew around its circumference. The drawstring was then pulled tight to form a small leather pouch. Men used this pouch to hold coins and other very small valuables.

The pouch could be tied to a belt for safekeeping, usually near the man’s sword so that he was able to properly protect his valuables. During this time, it was generally considered a man’s item and few women had need or cause to carry one.

Evolution of the Handbag into the Fashion World

The 16th century brought with it larger bags that hung diagonally across the body. Both male and female travelers used these to keep valuable articles nearby during traveling expeditions.

In the 17th century, the bags began to have more variety and very fashionable with men and women. These bags were generally smaller and often made in very complex shapes. As the talent of embroidery became more widespread, bags became more ornate with intricately woven artwork.

It was during the 18th century that the use of a purse, which attached round the body, became unfashionable; women began to carry their handbags, which at that time were called reticules. Suddenly, the reticules became a fashion statement rather than an important accessory. This era recognized the need for a different bag for different occasions, and fashion magazines began to comment on the proper handbag for a specific location or event.

The handbag was elevated to a fashion statement rather than a simple handheld suitcase. The smaller, more fashionable handbags of this era generally held a fan, scent bottle, smelling salts, rouge and face powder.

The Handbag Inspires Important Designer Houses

The actual term “handbag” did not become widespread until the 1900’s and this term was generally used to refer to the traveling bags that men carried. However, this term and the bags that earned the title became inspirational to women’s bags and the term handbag began to refer to a larger bag that became popular for women at the same time.

With the 1920’s can lighter clothing and hemlines that varied in lengths. It was no longer a necessity in fashion for the purse to match the outfit perfectly. The 1940’s brought with it a “war minded fashion phase”, many items used for creating purses were in short supply, such as metal (for the framing of the handbag). Leather, zips, mirrors and other such items.

It was during this time that handbags began to be made out of plastic and wood. The mid-1900’s saw the rise of many important designer houses and the handbag would reach its pinnacle of fashion with these designers.

Shopping in Beverly Hills last week I strolled Wilshire
Boulevard popping in and out of fancy stores sizing up all the
new designer handbags. There are a number of new looks for
Fall 2005, and prices have a new look, too. Did you know
designer handbags have become the staple in most wardrobes?
It doesn’t take a genius to buy a pair of jeans and a T-shirt,
but to purchase the correct designer handbag to pull it all
together has become quite an art.

In conversations with many handbag salespeople, it was obvious
the upcoming season will offer a variety of wild colors,
exotic leathers, and metallic finished leathers. They will
appear in shoulder styles, clutches, slings and large totes.
Most designer bags remain consistent in size and function.
The variations from season to season come to color, hardware,
texture and price.

Prices are a difficult topic for handbag lovers to discuss, it
became the purpose of the Beverly Hills shopping trip. Which
designers will rise to the top? Which handbags will have the
highest price tags? These thoughts offered astonishing
observations wondering through the high-end boutiques and
department stores.

Doing a bit of mental gymnastics with a few designer handbag
price tags, it became obvious a calculator was needed! Prices
are competing with Los Angeles mortgage payments! One
designer bag, constructed of scratch resistant, pebble grain
calf leather, had a hefty $3500.00 price tag. Durability to
last a life time is a major characteristic of a quality
handbag, but let’s get real here, women change handbags as
often as they change their nail polish. Paying hefty prices
for a designer handbag a few times each month is fashionable,
but not healthy or wise.

Not mentioning any names, a lengthy conversation with a
handbag specialist in a very well-known department store shed
light on the day’s mission. We strolled the designer handbag
department with calculator in hand. Punching in numbers of
our favorite high-end designer, we came up with a hefty
five-figure total for 10 handbags. Then, with jaws dropped
open, the average price was uncovered! As expected, little
was left to shock and surprise. Based on a sampling of the
designer handbag prices, the price for a brand new, high-end
designer handbag this season averages an all-time high of
$2000.00 USD.

Oh my! What a price we pay to pull it all together with that
pair of denim jeans and T-shirt! We have become the hunters
in search of the best designer handbag we can find. And, when
we know it will coordinate with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt,
then we know we’ve selected the best bag. We want to look
good, and we want to feel good, too. It would be nice to know
we can purchase a bag from a new designer and still make a
mortgage payment this same month.

Here’s a solution. For those of us who know style and don’t
want to compromise quality, find a designer handbag expert to
coach and guide your investments. Lacking modesty, I’ll
volunteer recommendations on a variety of designer handbags
available at a fraction of what you’d expect to pay in a
retail store.

You can actually purchase several handbags for the average
cost of one designer handbag if you shop wisely. If you are a
true designer handbag addict, and you purchase a new handbag
whenever you get the urge, then you need a reliable source.
Shop carefully at sites specializing in designer handbags, and
you’ll find your favorite designers at as much as 50% less
than the average cost on Rodeo Drive!

Copyright ? September, 2005 http://eFashionHouse.com

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Don’t waste your hard earned money on a fake counterfeit designer handbag or
purse! That hefty investment you make $200-$800 in a fake designer handbag or
purse can end up being worthless. If you are going to buy a new purse, invest in
something of value, not cheap imitations. ALWAYS insist on a money back
guarantee!

Why in the world would anyone want to buy a fake designer handbag or poor
quality? I just can’t comprehend spending good money purchasing a fake designer
purse. It doesn’t even begin to make sense to me, even if the purse looks like the
real thing. When you know it’s not authentic - why bother?

Above all else, be aware that buying a counterfeit item is illegal, period.

Counterfeit designer merchandise has a sub-culture all its own. I’m not sure if
people enjoy the fact they are getting something resembling the real thing at lower
cost, or if they just don’t understand the quality, durability and value of authentic
designer handbags in the first place.

I find humor in it now, but pre-internet, the counterfeit handbag purchasing
process seemed mysterious and intriguing. It felt as though you were somehow
privileged to know how to buy these uncommon goods. Pre-internet, the only way
to locate a fake bag was through word of mouth. Wholesalers of counterfeit bags
still make sales by appointment only. There are signs throughout the store
reminding you “ALL SALES FINAL.”

It involved a sort of cloak and dagger approach when walking into wholesale stores,
asking to talk to the manager and introducing yourself as a friend of a friend.
Introductions were all made through word of mouth referrals. There’s no advertising
at all. Unlike online purchases, where everyone boldly claims their goods are
authentic.

The counterfeit shopping experience is intriguing. You can almost feel the illicit
connection made with the handbag underground. All you want is a new purse, a
designer copycat, something that looks like the real thing without the hefty price
tag. The irony in all of this is the reality of the experience. They are NOT
inexpensive.

In reality, you pay a lot of money for junk. Maybe the leather is good, and maybe it
is not. How would you know? Have you seen the real thing to compare? If you did,
you certainly wouldn’t be investing in a fake after handling the real thing! Solid
metal hardware, rich sumptuous leather and finely crafted details trump the plastic
& vinyl attachments, poorly stitched linings and knock-off logo’s cheaply glued to
counterfeit designer purses and handbags.

We know the best designer handbags and leather goods are made in Italy and
France. No need to drop names here, we all know the top sellers. Fakes might be
made in Italy or France, and they may not. You never know. Most of the people you
are dealing with are hustling you to make a big profit on something of little worth
and definitely of no real value.

The evolution of designer handbags has made its mark world wide. Every woman
with fashion sense wants to carry a new, hot, high-end designer handbag, and the
price is not cheap. On an average, the retail boutique price for a new designer purse
starts at about $1000. That’s a hefty price to pay to feel good when you leave the
house. I know some women who carry bags costing more than their cars! The
Hermes handbag collection of some of my clients’ totals more than the initial cost of
my first home!

The Internet has opened a flood gate of ecommerce sites for handbags. There are
more than enough websites selling purses these days. And, the best stores sell
authentic designer merchandise, not fakes. The difficulty comes in trying to
determine the real from the fake and make the distinction clear.

Here are a few tips for identifying a website selling fake counterfeit designer
handbags and purses:

1. A new store comes online just in time for holiday shopping.

2. The new website’s contact information is missing or obscure.
3. The new website’s registration information (Whois.com) is “private.”
4. You can’t locate the owners.
5. The same style or design of a bag is available in many colors.
6. The website sells only three or four designer brands.
7. The handbags look like items you’ve seen on many other websites,
8. Prices are too good to be true less than half of retail.
9. There are page after page of similar items.
10. There’s one page of authentic-looking bags, but the rest of the website
    contains the same bag in every color under the sun!

I’ve seen websites come and go over the past ten years online. First, the sites selling
fakes offered Gucci, Fendi and Prada. Then, there were the ones selling strictly Louis
Vuitton and Chanel. The Hermes Birkin and Kelly bag are still prolific in the
counterfeit world, but they are not as commonly seen online as the other Designers.

The most commonly counterfeited handbags today are: BALENCIAGA, TODS, CELINE,
and CHLOE. Plus, the old-time favorites are still hotter than ever in the counterfeit
market: GUCCI, LOUIS VUITTON, HERMES, FENDI and PRADA. I recently saw even
LAMBERTSON TRUEX smooth calf leather fake bags, too.

With all the choices out there, how can you tell if you are buying a genuine product?
Well, in reality you just don’t know unless you really know the product well. I am a
purse expert, but sometimes I’ve been fooled, too. Most of the time, I know what
I’m doing, and I buy the right thing.

Three rules I use to make a handbag purchases online:

1. Ask before you buy.

2. Talk with the owner of the site ONLY!
3. Obtain a full money-back guarantee for authenticity.

I asked a wholesaler if his bags were guaranteed authentic, and I was told, “Yes,
they are gauranteed to be 100% made in Italy.” Another wholesaler told me, “Our
bags are the best quality.” Yes, but are they authentic designer goods? I’ve also
heard, “The man who made this bag worked for the Design House for over 20 years.
Of course, it’s authentic!” Wrong. If you don’t get a straight answer, pass on the
purchase.

Please don’t blindly believe everything you see and especially not what you are told.
I arranged a meeting with a wholesaler at a well-known annual conference. The
bags I pre-ordered were authentic items, yet when the order arrived, they were
obviously not exactly like those styles shown at the pre-order sale. Be careful. Buy
from a website or seller who has been online for a very long time. Over the past ten
years selling online, I can honestly say that the best lessons I’ve learned were from
customers who did their homework. Talk to people, share your insights, and please
… let’s all stamp out fakes online!

About the author.

Anna Miller is the President of i-GlobalMall.com, Inc. She has been buying and
selling Designer Handbags and purses of all price ranges online for over ten years.
She’s been around the handbag block, and she’s heard and seen it all! Anna
operates an ecommerce site at http://www.efashionhouse.com/designerhandbag.html Guaranteed authentic or your money back Designer
Handbags and Accessories.

eFashionHouse.com are the best online for authentic designer purses and
accessories. EfashionHouse.com keeps their operating overhead low so they can
pass the savings onto their customers.

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