STYLE MATTERS: Hip, handy handbags

LOUIS VUITTON designer handbags
VINTAGE neverfull GM monogram shopper designer purses.

By Judie Schwartz & Evelinda Urman, Special to the Rocky

Let's face it: We spend more time with our handbags than we do with our significant others. It's worth it to take some time in selecting the best one. We asked three fashionable women-about-town why they chose their handbags and what they carry in them.


Brandi S. Shigley

A self-styled Denver Fashion Ambassador, Shigley runs Fashion Denver, a support association for local designers. A handbag designer herself, Shigley's favorite bag is not one of her own, but rather a bag she found in a dumpster.One rainy day while walking by an old eviction pile, Shigley's sharp fashion eye spotted a Chloe handbag that had been unceremoniously tossed out. FYI: Chloe bags can run more than $2,000. What fashionista could ignore this find? Most of us carry the usual stuff in our handbags: wallets, cell phones, sunglasses. But Shigley carries a claves, an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument. As Shigley says: "It's always nice to start a party wherever you go!"

In Brandi's Chloe bag

* Moleskine book of thoughts, songs, poems and rantings
* Wallet someone gave her when she hosted Bingo at Sputnik a few weeks ago
* Thank-you card from her Grandma
* iPod Nano
* Altoids (Tangerine sours)
* Meomi mirror
* Mat & Nat pouch with business cards and stickers
* Kickball socks
* Lotion that she took from a hotel in Los Angeles
* Lucky little rabbit
* Extra gum
* Lip liner


Sarah Peay

Attorney and senior account executive at the Bradsby Group. Peay has specific requirements when it comes to selecting handbags."It is mandatory that the purse has a zipper," she says. "You never know when your purse is going to turn over. I need a bag that doesn't get dirty easily. I carried a white Miu Miu purse all last summer, and by the time August came around, I had to have it cleaned for the second time. I need a long enough strap - and only one strap - to fit around my shoulder, although I generally carry it on my forearm. I also stick to basic colors."Lastly, when choosing a purse, Peay tries to avoid choosing one that is too trendy."I love getting the full use out of a purse," she says.This woman knows what she likes.What is Peay carrying now? "A black, distressed leather, giant Balenciaga purse with silver embellishments," she says. "I chose this purse after months of searching for the perfect black purse." Peay has our vote for carrying the most considerate object in her handbag - her father's reading glasses. He uses them to read the menu at their regular lunches together.

In Sara's Balenciaga purse

* Prada makeup bag
* Fresh Sugar lychee body lotion
* Adriana lip balm
* Stila lip gloss in Tangerine
* Flowerbomb perfume
* 2008 day planner
* Checkbook
* BlackBerry
* Keys
* Sniff tissues
* Gucci wallet
* Heart mirror
* Marc Jacobs sunglasses
* Mints from a fundraiser for Josh Hanfling, candidate for Colorado State Representative, House District 6
* Mason Pearson hairbrush
* Blockbuster DVDs: In the Name of the King and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead


Ivette Dominguez

President and owner of Alpine Buick Pontiac GMC. Dominguez likes to invest in good purses that last a long time, as opposed to buying trendy purses each season."I always choose a classic style in a durable leather," she says. "I have a 5-year-old daughter and am very involved in the community - so I may be in and out of the office, car and home 20 times a day. That puts a lot of wear and tear on a purse." The most unusual object Dominguez carries in her handbag?"A snack for my puppy, a Maltese named Simba."

In Ivette's Louis Vuitton purse

* Altoids mints
* Bare Essentials "Parfait" lipstick
* Keys
* Louis Vuitton wallet
* Tweezers
* Dog treats
* Fruity Snacks
* Cash

Bright on! Handbags in vibrant shades of yellow, green, pink and blue are trendy for spring.

A handbag? That will be £23,484

BOTTEGA VENETA handbags extra-large Veneta bag
designer purse brown intreciatto woven leather designer handbag

John Elliott and Laura Myers

STAND by for handbags at dawn. Status-conscious women are fuelling a boom in demand for designer bags that has pushed up the most ostentatious items to prices above that of a Mercedes car. The top-priced “arm-wear” includes a Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork bag costing £23,484, followed by a Fendi bag made from chinchilla and sable and priced at £20,000. More budget-minded buyers could opt for a crocodile-skin Carolyn from Marc Jacobs for £13,000 or Valextra’s Carla, made of alligator hide and priced at £11,160.

The bag frenzy has taken off in the past few years and is not confined to the highest end of the price range. Selfridges, the department store chain, reports that the average price tag on designer handbags at its shops has risen by 55% to about £850 since 2005. Fashion experts say women are increasingly seeking “bragging rights” through owning a handbag that will be the envy of their peers.

Francesca Marotta, a 32-year-old fashion designer from west London, said: “I know a lot of women who will starve to get a handbag. I’ve got a lot of friends like that.” For many, bags have replaced the craze for high-priced shoes from designers such as Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik. Some retailers insist owning a bag costing more than £1,000 can make financial sense to middle-class women — they may scrimp on clothing, but the same expensive bag can be carried daily, adding a touch of glamour to different outfits.

Items such as the Tribute Patchwork, made from cut-up bits of 15 handbags from Louis Vuitton’s ranges and incorporating rare feathers and alligator skin, serve as flagships for the new trend. Only one of these bags will be available in Britain, according to the fashion house. Its cost is nearly £3,000 higher than the £20,630 tag for a Mercedes C 180 K Coupé SE. Abigail Rainer, a fashion executive at Harrods, said: “Historically, English women were quite mean about handbags — now we’ve got into it. It’s an investment and a status symbol. Python-skin bags have become quite a mainstream thing, and £1,000 is pretty average.”

Lorna Rhodes, 30, a make-up artist who owns more than 200 handbags, said: “When I wear a designer bag, the way I walk is different, the way I feel is different. It makes me feel good to have a designer bag.”

Louis Vuitton Handbags

from purchase-designer-handbags

Established since 1854, Louis Vuitton has successfully emerged as a renowned brand par excellence, manufacturing high quality luggage, travel and leather items. It is a subsidiary of the French Holding Company, LVMH ( Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) , the first global group to specialize in world class luxury goods and is named after it’s founder Louis Vuitton who used to design and manufacture luggage during the late nineteenth century.

From its humble beginnings as a low profile trunk maker to a world famous brand with branches spread across Europe, Asia and America, the transformation has been phenomenal.

The company manufactures, designs and markets luxury leather goods, fashion accessories and jewelry. Louis Vuitton handbags are available in a wide variety of designs such as agendas, city bags and briefcases, clutches & pouches, wallets and small leather goods etc. Priced moderately to suit your pocket, it gives a facelift to your wardrobe by adding style and substance.

The company markets its products through its own stores across the globe so as to have absolute control over the pricing and quality of every item manufactured under its label and to prevent replicas and counterfeits from being marketed and sold in the flea market. Decades after its establishment by the late Louis Vuitton, the brand still maintains the same level of quality shows the same zest to excel in the chosen field, which is why carrying a Louis Vuitton Handbag is considered a status symbol, a luxury for the rich and the famous and for all those who have an eye for beauty and class.

The Louis Vuitton clutches and pouches are available in an astonishing range such as: Monogram Canvas, Monogram Denim, Monogram Multicolor, Monogram Vernis, Damier Canvas, Suhali Leather, Onatah Leather, Epi Leather etc.

All the Louis Vuitton products are manufactured in its own workshops located in France, Spain and the United States and the materials used in manufacturing of these products are of the finest quality and worked on by the finest craftsmen who excel in their work. These products can be ordered online and can be customized according to the customer’s individual choice and specification, by the craftsmen at Louis Vuitton. The Louis Vuitton Monogram Mini Sac is a petite, easy to carry evening hand bag / accessory bag. Its monogram canvas is neatly trimmed with natural cowhide and has two artistically designed rolled leather handles.

The Louis Vuitton Mini Lin Croisette is one of the most exotic handbags launched as the winter collection & contains an amazing variety of handbags and fashion accessories to suit all tastes. It is a part of the traditional MINI LIN LINE. The CRUISE COLLECTION is now launched in two cool new colors, red and blue and is has subtle stripes on the straps which further adds to the beauty. These new handbag collection, are beautifully trimmed in gorgeous white pebbled leather and is a perfect choice for evenings and vacationing while on a cruise.

The Multicolore Line, the Cherry Blossom Line, Panda and Cerises – all the works of a Japanese pop artist Murakami, are some of the most popular and commercially successful Louis Vuitton Collection.