“Go West” may be a Village People song about going out to San Francisco, but handbag trends this year are also going west, too – western, that is. Think about conchos, fringe, and turquoise or coral colors – all of which should be subtle. However, instead of going out and buying cowboy gear, how should you be wearing these new pieces of western fashion?

When it comes to clothes, less is always more. Consider a turquoise belt and pair it with something neutral. Go for onyx and crystal jewelry with an outfit but, similarly, don’t overdo it. With handbags, however, this is somewhat more difficult, as the handbag is often the center of an outfit and shouldn’t be too overpowering. Is it possible to have a neutral western style that won’t overshadow everything?

Long seen as only western gear, fringe is making its way onto many high-end handbags, such as these by Miu Miu. As you can see, these are all beige leather, with the ends lined with medium-length fringe on both sides. The fringe itself adds a unique and less formal touch to the bag and, without it, the Miu Miu handbag would simply be an ordinary beige hobo purse.

Fringed handbags, of course, are perfect for casual wear, as is the entire western trend of the moment. It’s about having fun and adding character to your clothing and bag. However, if you can’t afford the large price tag attached to the Miu Miu hobo above, don’t worry – many designer-inspired and western handbags are already capitalizing on this trend. Wholesale western wear dealer Western Express, for example, has their own fringed handbags. Designed much like the Miu Miu bags above, these are made with darker leather and have medium-length fringe in front. A silver concho, additionally, adds some slight but noticeable bling to the purse.

Consider it irony: Camouflage, once considered a print exclusive to the military, has crept into the ranks of high-end handbags. The pattern is popular through all ranks of fashion and all types. From clothing to handbags to jewelry, the pattern in its original green form and many other variations can be found. Nevertheless, although considered somewhat of a lowly and alternative pattern, camouflage will now be part of Gucci’s fall handbag collection, which has been making its way onto the internet gradually.

As you can see by the Gucci handbag above, the style takes the basic camouflage pattern and places it on a dark brown handbag. However, aside from this aspect, nothing’s entirely unique or interesting about the handbag itself. More importantly, where would you wear it? The handbag appears to be too casual for formal or even everyday use (could you take it along to your business-attire-only office job? Didn’t think so). But, being Gucci, it seems too formal to take someplace casual. So, essentially, this handbag is pretty much useless.

If you really want to go for the camouflage/military look that hasn’t really died off, consider a less expensive product, such as a design-inspired camouflage bag or clutch. This camouflage wallet with a cell phone holder by Best Handbag Wholesale captures the look of camouflage without the high price tag.

At the moment, military styles and garb are coming out as a trend, so watch which direction it takes. Although camouflage has been in fashion rotation as a popular pattern since the late-1990s, other pieces of military-inspired garb are making their way onto the racks. For example, old-fashion military jackets with slight shoulder pads and front buttons are all the rage now for adults and teens. Do you think this trend will last? Will it translate to a similar style for handbags?

Python has been around on handbags for the past two years. First, the pattern started out bright: python skin was used for the body of a bag, which was then dyed a color like purple or hot pink. But, then the boldness wore off, and stars, instead, went for natural hues or a less ostentatious presentation, which might have been python skin dyed white or black. What form has the trend taken on now?

Python skin will be one of those trends that takes a while to be fully gone. Recent findings of this trend have included Megan Fox at the Jonah Hex premier. However, Jonah Hex was a movie no one really cared about or even saw, and the same can be said of Fox’s handbag and her quickly dying film career. You can only last so long being a talentless hottie, and the same can be said for a handbag trend that has minimal novelty value. Her black python clutch contrasts with her dress, but, as far as uniqueness is concerned, the Salvatore Ferragamo clutch is simply, “Been there, done that.” It aptly captures Fox’s career: just a flash in the pan.

On the other hand, the recent Sex and the City movie still brings up this style through an Adriana Castro bag worn by Carrie Bradshaw during the film. As seen in the information about the competition to win said bag, this python clutch is bright, with a two-tone color scheme. Considering Carrie’s fashion choices, the bag makes sense and, if worn correctly, might even be a unique centerpiece to an outfit. Although SATC2 was panned as much as Jonah Hex was, at least the fashion choices made by the stars offer more in the way of interest.

If you’re looking for an affordable way to capture this trend, consider some of the designer inspired options by Wholesale Handbags USA, such as this purple python handbag that captures the natural pattern of the snake’s skin but adds some addition color.

How many of you want to get a piece of J-Woww or Snooki’s style? If you’re someone who still wears Ed Hardy – and not for the sake of parody – then you’ll probably love their line. According to a recent news story, the two Jersey girls (not originally from the Garden State, though) will be designing their own sunglasses line. So far, no designs are on the table yet, but one can only imagine what these two tanned-and-tawdry girls will come up with. Rhinestones, anyone?

J-Woww is already trying to capture part of the fashion market with her “unique” Jersey vacation style. Her own line, called Filthy Couture, will be debuting sometime later this year. Apparently, her tube tops and lounge pants style already has a small celebrity following, but do you think that this Guidette’s line might give Ed Hardy a run for its money? Although she claims the look of her clothing and sunglasses will be “glam classic,” do you really think this will be the case?

With so many celebrity lines coming out (Britney and Madonna had their respective lines come out about a month ago), do you think that clothing by reality TV stars actually has a chance? And, considering that each celebrity claims to have a unique style, will theirs stand out and not be vilified in the same fashion as Lindsay Lohan’s Ungaro collaboration?

But, perhaps it’s time for a bit of tackiness. Several lines of designer sunglasses already include rhinestones. The capacity of them varies, however. Some lines, such as Juicy Couture or Valentino, place the rhinestones on the sides. This pair of Valentino sunglasses even places them in a rose formation on the end of the frame. Subtle is always best in fashion. A few rhinestones always work well as a highlight and to capture someone’s attention to an ordinary pair of shades. The Valentino sunglasses above, for example, are just simply shield lenses until the rhinestone rose is added. Too much, however, and the sunglasses no longer have a classy style.

Have you ever gone to a fragrance counter and felt overwhelmed by the amount of options to choose from? You’re not alone. Fragrances are created based on several types of scents. Both perfumes and colognes are classified according to these fragrance types, which include floral, woody, citrus, and many more. Additional types, such as aqua, were created over the past 20 years, and many perfumes on the market, particularly celebrity fragrances, actually combine two or more types. Some perfumes and colognes may fit you better and some may not. So, how do you know where to start at a counter or a website?

Estee Lauder, the fragrance and cosmetics giant, recently developed an iPhone app for such a purpose. Called Ascent, the app is designed to help you find your favorite fragrance based on a series of questions based on aromachology, psychographics, and kinesthetics. The app is designed to help you at a scent counter, particularly when a sales person may be trying to get you to buy a product that might not suit your tastes. Additionally, the app is available in 10 languages and debuted at the end of May in the US. The app has already been in use in several countries already.

One drawback for this app has been its obvious product placement. While, inevitably, having an application created by Estee Lauder means the company gets to hawk its products to the buyer, some more variety for each fragrance type would be more helpful. Although the app also promotes scents by Michael Kors and Donna Karan, this is only a small portion of perfumes and colognes on the market for various fragrance types. Essentially, while this app means well for the user, it will merely direct the person to an Estee Lauder counter for the “perfect” fragrance.

The Daily Mail recently spotted the Black Eyed Peas leaving their hotel to go to a gig for the European leg of their tour. As the hip-hop-meets-pop-meets-dance quartet left the hotel, nearly all members were spotted with a different look of designer sunglasses. Singer Fergie, for example, was seen with oversized mirror sunglasses, while Taboo was spotted with all-black wayfarers and Will.i.am was seen with aviators with colored frames. Practically every hot trend in sunglasses for the moment was displayed on this group after they left the hotel to go to a gig at the LG Arena for their END World tour.

Out of these three styles, Fergie’s sunglasses stand out by being the most unique. In terms of oversized sunglasses, the most common looks consist of a thicker plastic frame and dark or colored lenses. The lenses may also have a gradient look. Fergie’s shades, on the other hand, have all of the components of typical aviator sunglasses: a thin metal frame and reflective lenses. Instead of the style for most aviators, however, the glasses – designer unknown – cover like oversized ones. Fergie’s face, then, is half obscured by the mirrored lenses.

As far as the other members of the Black Eyed Peas are concerned, their sunglasses appear to be standard variety aviator and wayfarer styles. Wayfarers, as we’ve seen over the past few years, have been making a comeback, particularly with the variety of colored plastic frames offered. The wayfarers, most likely a pair of Ray Bans, spotted on Taboo are simply a black-on-black style. Aviator sunglasses, similarly, have taken on a similar style, with plastic colored frames being one of the latest styles. Several designers offer this style, and, from the side, Will.i.am appears to be wearing a pair with black lenses on an orange frame.

Lindsay Lohan must really want to break into fashion, more so than to revive her now nonexistent acting career. With a leggings line doing modestly and her one season appointment at Ungaro, her experience in the field has been polarizing. Her Ungaro collection, seen here in New York Magazine, was a disaster, with nearly every fashion critic giving the line a bad review. The clothes themselves appear to mix club wear (harem pants, anyone?) with stripper garb (pasties on most of the models), although such concepts weren’t entirely new to Ungaro. Lohan also has her leggings line, which appears to do modestly and hasn’t been met with as much disgust.

Lindsay announced recently, however, that she’ll continue to dabble in the fashion world by designing handbags for Ed Hardy. Of course, with the amount of rhinestones and glitter added to the Ungaro collection during her brief time there, such news isn’t really surprising. But, then again, the trashiness of Ed Hardy’s line (designer condoms, clothing spotted on Jon Gosselin and the Jersey Shore crew) may make Lohan feel somewhat at home – and her fashion ideas appreciated. Although there’s no word yet on when her collection will debut, there’s a good chance that it’ll stay within the brand’s image of tattoos-on-everything.

If Lindsay Lohan is serious about fashion, Ed Hardy is probably the best place for her. According to various articles about her time at Ungaro, she was brought on to give the brand a more youthful perspective. Of course, “youthful” can mean anything – even designs inspired by the student-turned-stripper film I Know Who Killed Me. Lohan, clearly a mainstay at many Hollywood clubs, appears to fit the Ed Hardy brand well. In spite of their high priced t-shirts and gaudy designs (do rhinestones need to be put on everything?), the brand is essentially geared toward club kids – which is exactly what Lohan appears to have transformed into.

Considering her outlandish fashion choices, Lady Gaga still hasn’t shown up as a subject on our blog. Then again, many of her choices simply defy mainstream trends and most of her styles you’d need to make on your own. But, speaking about creating your own style, it appears that Gaga did this to a Hermes Birkin handbag recently by adding her own studs. Although some of the highest priced handbags on the market, Hermes Birkin bags combine aspects of a tote and hobo handbags, and Lady Gaga put several sharp metal studs through the surface.

Gaga’s trend isn’t really anything new – which is somewhat surprising. After all, we’ve seen countless celebrities sport the studded trend for the past year now that it appears tired. Not even adding gold studs seems to enliven a handbag. One characteristic for these other studded handbags has been the organization of the studs – everything seems too perfect. As with studs and the emulation of punk rock trends (or are they western trends?), the less orderly, the more believable it is. In the case of Gaga’s Hermes bag, it appears that all studs were added after and they end up having a disorderly appearance. And, when considering the emulation of punk or rocker chic styles, this is how it should be done. Having studs added in even rows to black leather just seems phony.

Of course, this isn’t the only time Gaga has altered a Hermes bag. A few months ago, she wrote on one with a Sharpie marker to Japanese fans. Fashion purists are probably now agape. Nevertheless, studs are still a hot commodity on handbags. If you can’t add studs yourself to a leather purse, consider purchasing one with studs added, such as this studded black leather handbag from Best Handbag Wholesale.

How much does it take to craft a handbag – or any piece of fashion, for that matter? With the amount of celebrity clothing brands popping up, you’d think it only takes some basic styling and drawing (maybe) skills. Nicole Richie, star of The Simple Life, is the latest celebrity to be developing a fashion line. Adding her House of Harlow 1960 brand, Richie will be designing a series of handbags. Known for her style and friendship with Paris Hilton, Richie is a moderate fashion icon. While her looks are somewhat inspiring but not truly unique, who knows what her handbag line will look like? Maybe it will be as successful as Paris’ perfume line.

But, while a celebrity designing a fashion line isn’t really news, the fact that designers want to take back their craft is. According to this recent news story, various designer houses, such as Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, and Viktor & Rolf, are “declaring war” on celebrity brands. Part of their campaign against celebrities usurping their market involves vocal disproval of recent fashion lines by Madonna, Kate Moss, and Lindsay Lohan.

Wait, Madonna? Didn’t she just start an ad campaign for her Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses line, MDG?

Nevertheless, Madonna isn’t the prime example of a celebrity fashion fail. The fashion advice given by Lindsay Lohan appeared to sink Ungaro even further. With club wear-inspired clothing that appeared to be designed by strippers, Ungaro’s collaboration with Lindsay Lohan experienced many negative reviews and is the ultimate example of why celebrities need to stay out of fashion.

Aside from essentially bad-mouthing celebrities turned designers, these labels will be showing off their craftsmanship as part of their campaign to attract more customers. According to the article above, this will be through ads for their clothing depicting the designing and creation process behind fashion – showing that it’s more of an art form – and, in some cases, similar demonstrations will be held in prominent stores.

What is the line between opulent and too tacky? In the case of handbags seen on two reality TV stars recently, these styles clearly approach the line. Khloe Kardashian was seen this past month with a gold Louis Vuitton Miroir Alma bag, which, with the exception of the “LV” logo patterned all over, has a metallic gold color that nearly looks as bright as the red dress she’s wearing. But, pairing gold with red? While Kardashian’s outfit seems to hark back to many Christmas decorations, one thing it has going for her is the handbag, particularly as bolder is often better with many recent fashion trends.

But Khloe Kardiashian isn’t the only celebrity to be spotted with such a handbag veering on tacky. Whitney Port, the star of The City, was spotted around the same time with a gold studded handbag. Unlike those matte gold studs seen on Vanessa Hudgen’s Balenciaga bag a few months back, these small flat studs almost have a mirror-like quality. On a background on beige, these studs essentially make the handbag, a Rebecca Minkoff Heavy Metal Flame Satchel. Without them, this particular handbag would be no more than a beige leather tote.

You don’t need to go for the big names to get this type of style. Gold is in at the moment – and not through those Cash4Gold commercials seen on television. While metallic hues were popular last year, many of those handbags has a gemstone quality, like an amethyst or emerald color applied to a snakeskin or leather bag. Going gold is just an updated look for this gemstone look. If you’re looking for a handbag or clutch with this look, Best Handbag Wholesale has various gold sequined wallets. Keep all your basics and your cell phone in one of these sequined metallic wallets.