EVERYONE LOVES COACH HANDBAGS, HERE'S HOW TO FIND THEM

COACH LARGE HAMPTON BUS TOTE

What woman doesn't love buying a new handbag? Each woman is different, since each need is different with different types of features. The modern woman needs a compartment for her cell phone, while the older generation may just want a compartment for change. Whichever type of purse a woman prefers, getting a named brand one at a discounted price is simply heaven. There are outlets that cater to these types of handbag shoppers and even those with a fat wallet will still go there to get a good bargain.

Coach Handbag outlets are a place to go to get the most sought after handbags. Celebrities want them, the elite want them, and even teenage girls want them. This is because Coach is one of the most recognized names in the fashion world.

The founder was inspired to make the handbags from looking at the material of the baseball glove. He figured that the material would be perfect for a versatile, yet stylish product. Since its conception, this handbag as been made in a variety of designs, colors, and materials that have caught the eyes and hearts of women all over the world.

Coach Outlets were first opened over 50 years ago and were family owned workshops. Since then, the outlets have risen from a few shops and 6 workmen, to 300 stores in the US alone. The outlets use multi-channel distribution methods and plan to open more stores internationally in the coming years. You can also find Coach merchandise in finer department stores and boutiques.

Currently, the headquarters are situated in NY and is a publicly traded company (stock exchange symbol COH). They also have offices in Japan, and nineteen other countries.

Coach Handbag Outlets now feature women's accessories (wallets, cosmetic cases, shoes, bracelets, scarves, belts, hats, sunglasses, key rings, charms, and watches), and travel items (luggage, totes, briefcases, and planners).

Not only does the company offer women's collections, they also cater to men and babies as well. But just for fun, let’s talk about the handbags available from Coach.

Signature Stripe Style
The Reversible Travel Tote features an interior pocket, tag for luggage, leather trim, and jacquard fabric. It comes in brass and khaki colors, and either deep red or deep blue hues. This tote sells for $400.

Soho Style
The Metallic Hobo features a cell phone pocket, dusted suede with leather trim, and more. This hobo comes in brass and gold hues, and retails for $500.

Hampton Weekend Style
The Scarf Print Demi features an exterior pocket, zip top fastener, signature scarf fabric with suede and leather trim. This demi goes for $200.

There are far more gorgeous handbags available online or in the outlet. So stop by, or point and click, you'll find something you like!

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Celebrate Memorial Day with American Fashion Designers

Use coupon code MDS08 for an extra 20% off. Click Here!

Celebrate Memorial Day in style and take an extra 20% off all the American Designers at eFashionHouse.com. We owe a lot to the European influence when it comes to fashion. Yet, the American Designers produce an image we call, "Home." People like Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Melie Bianco and Elaine Turner pave the way for upcoming American fashion influence.

Designers like Tano Bags, BCBG, Coach, Dooney & Bourke and Brighton bring a sense of American style and unique image to their collections. We honor all the American Designers this season and celebrate with them for Memorial Day 2008.

Whether you are looking for a new handbag, wallet, tote or leather shoulder bag, you can find a perfect American Designer Handbag for an unbeatable price. But don't lose sight of the true meaning of Memorial Day. We celebrate in honor of many people who have died in military service protecting our country. It's really about honoring our heros.

Yes, we are addicted to fashion, and we admire the creative design process. We are always seeking a bargain, and we shop online for the best deals we can find. So, get ready for Memorial Day with a celebration of American Designers at an additional 20% off, and remember our heros who lived their lives to make America our home.

MORE ABOUT Memorial Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed in 2008 on May 26). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911. It is also traditionally viewed as the beginning of summer by many, for many schools are dismissed around Memorial Day.

Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. US Eastern time. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers place a U.S. flag upon each gravesite located in a National Cemetery.

Many politicians and community leaders give speeches at community gatherings on Memorial Day.In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also a time for picnics, family gatherings, and sporting events. Some Americans also view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season. The national Click it or ticket campaign ramps up beginning Memorial Day weekend, noting the beginning of the most dangerous season for auto accidents and other safety related incidents. The USAF "101 Critical days of summer" begin on this day as well. Some Americans use Memorial Day to also honor any family members who have died, not just servicemen.

Flags flying at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006.Memorial Day formerly occurred on May 30, and some, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), advocate returning to this fixed date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address, "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."

Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances eventually coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.

Decoration Day, c. 1900. "You bet I'm goin' to be a soldier, too, like my Uncle David, when I grow up."According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.

The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The village was credited with being the birthplace because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter, and because it is likely that the friendship of General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A. Logan, who led the call for the day to be observed each year and helped spread the event nationwide, was a key factor in its growth.

General Logan had been impressed by the way the South honored their dead with a special day and decided the Union needed a similar day. Reportedly, Logan said that it was most fitting; that the ancients, especially the Greeks, had honored their dead, particularly their heroes, by chaplets of laurel and flowers, and that he intended to issue an order designating a day for decorating the grave of every soldier in the land, and if he could he would have made it a holiday.

Logan had been the principal speaker in a citywide memorial observation on April 29, 1866, at a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, an event that likely gave him the idea to make it a national holiday. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans' organization, Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" be observed nationwide. It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance of this day.

Many of the states of the U.S. South refused to celebrate Decoration Day, due to lingering hostility towards the Union Army and also because there were very few veterans of the Union Army who lived in the South. A notable exception was Columbus, Mississippi, which on April 25, 1866 at its Decoration Day commemorated both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery.

The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882, but did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967 . On June 28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend and for the first time recognized Columbus Day as a federal holiday. The holidays included Washington's Birthday (which evolved into Presidents' Day), Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971 . After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply at the state level, all fifty states adopted the measure within a few years, although Veterans Day was eventually changed back to its traditional date. Ironically, most corporate businesses no longer close on Columbus Day or Veterans Day, and an increasing number are staying open on President's Day as well. The holiday has endured as one where most businesses stay closed because it marks the beginning of the "summer vacation season" (similar to neighboring Canada's Victoria Day, which occurs on the prior Monday).

Facing Growing Pains: Indie Bag Brands Soar, But Tough Road Ahead

from Women's Wear Daily

It's becoming harder than ever for the little guy to survive and thrive in the handbag business.

Even as demand for handbags continues to climb at retail, and scores of new designers flood the market in hopes of becoming the next Kate Spade or Coach, many independent brands are facing an increasing number of hurdles to growing their businesses — from the weakness of the dollar against the euro to the marketing might of major designer brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Prada. Then there's the concern of expanding too quickly for fear of becoming too popular too quickly and causing a brand to burn out.

"My competition is the big brands," said Devi Kroell, who designs python and leather handbags for her four-year-old signature firm. "They have advertising behind them and they have the clothes behind them. All of this creates a strong brand identity. We don't have those advantages."

Kroell is slated to open a store in Manhattan this year and opened a boutique in East Hampton, N.Y., in 2006. With so many moneyed, established ready-to-wear brands launching handbag collections in the last two years

— Diane von Furstenberg, Jill Stuart and Elie Tahari among them — independent designers are going up against larger companies with much bigger marketing and design budgets.

Jessie Randall of Loeffler Randall — who last year won the CFDA Swarovski Accessories Award — has also felt the heat in the market, specifically with her materials. Loeffler Randall's leather totes and clutches wholesale from $85 to $385.

"Our leather out of Italy has really affected our pricing," Loeffler said. "We've worked hard to stay within our market, but it's a challenge because the euro has gone above where we'd imagine it would ever go. We try and buy early, but it's still a gamble."

The euro's surge has had similar effects on European designers. Nadine Ferber, who owns Mick Margo, a boutique in New York's West Village that seeks out lesser-known labels, said she is shortening her order of brands she encounters at the Paris trade shows.

"I don't take a chance on the smaller designers anymore," Ferber said. "For smaller French labels, people here aren't willing to pay the up-charge now. I'll go to Paris this season, but if it continues to rise, it becomes less valuable to go over there for us."

The average number of bags the American woman buys annually has tripled, according to Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, a research firm based in Port Washington, N.Y.: She now buys three every two years instead of one every two years.

In the Nineties, retailers created showcases on the main floors of their stores for innovative, trendy bags priced a level below the leather goods icons such as Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton. Out came lines like Kooba and Botkier, with fashionable leather bags selling for around $375, compared with the top-tier brand's average bag prices of $1,000. The lower-priced bags turned up on the arms of celebrities such as Sienna Miller, whose name was given to Kooba's signature whipstitched style, and Lindsay Lohan, who often wore Botkier's Trigger design.

In this category, Spade is both the benchmark for fledgling bag companies and the warning signal. Started in 1993 by Kate and Andy Spade, the company built its brand based on a concept of handbags as fashion items, opened stores and branched out into multiple categories, from shoes to tabletop. Spade was acquired by Liz Claiborne Inc. in 2006 for $125 million, but many believe the brand's core bags have lost some of their luster in recent years, given the rapid expansion into other categories. Claiborne hired Deborah Lloyd as Spade's new creative director, and has charged her with first reinvigorating the core handbag line.

Spade's presence in the market is an example of how a successful small brand inevitably makes the leap to big business. Handbag brands with strong sales often expand into other categories in a similar effort to expand their company. Loeffler Randall recently added swimwear to its repertoire. But they must be careful not to dilute their brands and weaken their core product.

Many independent labels are sitting on this cusp. Kooba, for example brought on an equity partner through a growth investment from Swander Pace Capital in October. Botkier reported increases of 40 percent. Devi Kroell, another CFDA winner, said her sales have tripled in the last year.

But designers entering the race need to grow their core category brand by pairing up with smaller specialty stores and boutiques. And despite the rising cost the euro is placing on the consumer, firms need to keep their wholesale prices affordable.

"We can't compete with certain big-name stores and neither can our boutiques," said Jeremy Bassan, owner of Big Buddha, a handbag firm based in Santa Cruz, Calif. "So we try to provide [the boutiques] with good individual styles at affordable costs. We treat them well."

According to Emily Blumenthal, who founded the Web site handbagdesigner101.com to guide emerging designers, boutiques are often the better option for independent designers, regardless of department store interest. They often take more chances on lesser-known names.

"The idea of getting a bag into a department store is an aspirational goal, but a whole lot of work," Blumenthal said.

Cynthia O'Connor, whose New York showroom COC + Co. represented Kate Spade, Kooba and Isabella Fiore in their early years, found that since the luxury handbag boom, bigger stores are less inclined to pick up contemporary or independent labels.

"Right now, we're battling the issue of 'luxury is what sells,'" O'Connor said. "The more luxury bags stores have, the more sales per square foot they get. And as long as designer product blows out of stores, dollars will close on contemporary."

Cate Adair, a costume designer on "Desperate Housewives," is well known throughout fashion and Hollywood circles but has had a hard time selling her namesake fledgling handbag line at Bloomingdale's. The retailer picked up the line from the get-go, but the brand was getting lost among major designer brands. Adair has had more success at smaller stores such as Kitson and Fred Segal.

"It's hard because you have to build a name and brand [yourself]," Adair said. "You really do need to build your brand in smaller stores first."

Tim Schifter, chairman and chief executive officer of Schifter + Partners, which produces and distributes L.A.M.B., Jill Stuart and Kid Robot handbags, emphasized the importance of having strong brand awareness before shopping a label to a big store.

"When retailers see a brand's rtw line doing really well, they're going to take the chance on the handbags," Schifter said. "It's about having an emotional connection."

Kassidy Babcock, buyer for Shopbop.com, scours the New York trade shows — like the recent Accessorie Circuit and AccessoriesTheShow — for independent labels, where her budget for emerging designers is about 31 percent of her open-to-buy, compared with 23 percent last spring. Babcock said in 2007, handbag sales grew 222 percent, and projects 125 percent growth this year. She encourages those designers to stay under the $400 retail price tag and find their own niche.

"The market is tough," Babcock said. "I like seeing individuals do their own thing and not knock off higher-end designs, which is a challenge. Those people are doing extremely well, though."

Babcock noted the Foley + Corinna City Tote has an almost "cult-like" following. Other strong sellers are Lauren Merkin clutches and any bag from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Sandra Wilson, accessories fashion director for Neiman Marcus, said the store "is always looking for fresh new talent, new ideas and great product that would appeal to our customer. We are just beginning the process for this fall."

Most independent companies are still seeking editorial coverage from magazines and celebrities to endorse their brand.

Loeffler recalled the impact bloggers had on her launch. She attributed much of her start to fashion sites such as refinery29.com and racked.com.

Celebrity power in building a brand hasn't declined either. In the last three years, handbag firms such as Kooba and Bulga have exploded thanks to paparazzi and red-carpet coverage of such stars as Jessica Alba and Cameron Diaz.

"I'm happy celebrities are wearing the bags," said designer Monica Botkier, whose label is a Hollywood favorite. "But they're also real women. We have a great following with Angelina Jolie. She's a mom of four and running around. It's great to see her using her bag with her kids."

Botkier acknowledged such celebrity snapshots have sparked consumer demand at retail. Jolie's Sasha Duffle is a top seller.

Some independent labels are playing to a broader customer base by creating capsule collections with big-name retailers. Rafe, Loeffler Randall and Devi Kroell are three firms that have stretched their brand awareness by partnering with Target Corp.

"For us, the main benefit was to get the brand name out there," Loeffler said. "We're fairly new and people know us, but I don't think people in Middle America know about our brand. It's a great way to get it out. Plus, the marketing money Target put behind the campaign was incredible. We don't advertise, so for us to have an ad in the back page of the [New York Times'] Sunday Styles section is huge."

Kroell said her partnership with the retailer helped her see how to eventually start a secondary line to her designer bag collection, which wholesales from $300 to $7,000.

Showroom operator O'Connor said independent handbag designers must start branding themselves from the moment they complete their first sketch and that the issue is not whether it's a bad or good time to enter the race, but whether it's a good time for a particular designer.

"Ninety percent of the people who design have no clue where the money is coming from, it's all a pipe dream," O'Connor said. "I look for people who know where their next $3 million is coming from. If they do, and if they know where their next $3 million will come from after that, it's a good time."