How many times do you see a studded or fringed handbag on a celebrity and see it labeled as “punk” or “rocker chick” in a magazine? Often, it’s one times too many. As early ‘90s (think grunge), ‘80s (Madonna-esque fashion), and western styles are all in at the moment, how do you tell which one is which? And, if you go western, are you being less rebellious – at least in appearance – than someone with a studded handbag?

Too many celebrities straddle this line and don’t appear to be changing any time soon. But if you’re looking for a celebrity that at least moderately captures this new grunge aesthetic, Selena Gomez and her ripped handbag do it right. While her outfits don’t consist of flannel and ripped jeans, her handbag, excluding the price tag, has the do-it-yourself look that Lady Gaga tried to capture over the summer with the self-studded Hermes handbag.

The primary culprit of this western-or-punk look is the studded handbag. Although Lady Gaga’s studs were put in by hand, most designer and designer-inspired handbags have them organized – perhaps even too organized. While studs are embellishments in both clothing styles, organization is strictly western.

Fringe appears to have this same effect. On nearly all pieces of clothing, from shirts to handbags and other accessories, some fringe has an early-‘90s appearance, the haphazardly cut t-shirt look. Although this look could compliment Selena Gomez’s bag (and not look bad with the skinny jeans she’s sporting), most fringe has a western appearance – think clean-cut leather. Many handbags this season are designed with this look, as this fringe handbag from Best Handbag Wholesale indicates. Additionally, this particular bag takes the western trend a bit further. Beyond clear cut leatherette material and rhinestones, the material is dyed turquoise.

Ultimately, all of these trends will pass, some sooner the better. Regardless of whether a look seems more western or punk, how it fits into your personal style should determine if you should wear it – or put it back on the rack.

Two years ago, python handbags appeared as a popular trend. From clutches to hobo purses, bags were decorated with snake print, dyed or natural. At first, the skin was tinted with gem or jewel tones, but then this boldness grew out of style, and the bags took a more subdued look for the last few seasons. Black or white snake or other reptile skins, instead, allowed the trend to stay in circulation but made it less conspicuous – unique but not the center of the outfit. In the present, boldness is back – and is far brighter than before.

Recently, Nikki Reed, of the Twilight films, was seen carrying a gold-colored snakeskin clutch. This Michael Kors Hadley Python Clutch, as you can see from the picture, matches her dress, down to the color and texture. But while Reed could have easily paired the gold fabric of her dress with a less matchy-matchy bag, she opted instead to, literally, go for the gold. Even within the outfit, the python clutch stands out with its two stripes in front.

While such a purse costs $900, other affordable options are available. If you go the designer-inspired route, Wholesale Handbags USA has snakeskin and crocodile skin wallets, designed with a clutch style, in several bold shades. Rather than the darker color of gem or jewel tones, the gold, in this instance, enhances the pattern of the skin. Even when made from leatherette, the gold flat wallet, with small rhinestone embellishments, will stand out against any outfit.

Gold isn’t the only shade used for these clutches, and the trend, as of recent, has been lighter but bolder shades – think of hot pink, lavender, or even sky blue. Although “bigger, better, bolder” aptly describes the larger hobo handbags of the present, clutches and wallets are smaller, brighter, and more detailed. Even this hot pink crocodile wallet, embellished with rhinestones, brings out the skin’s natural pattern with a less-conventional color.

By now, it’s old news, and Katy Perry and Russell Brand have already been married. Nevertheless, when the pop star known for “I Kissed a Girl” and “California Gurls” arrived in India last week, she had on an odd pair of designer sunglasses. With a cat’s eye style, the A-Morir shades had a gold chain hanging from the nose to the temple. Going across the right side of Perry’s face, the sunglasses, in pictures, gave off the appearance that Perry pierced her nose and was wearing a traditional bridal ring – on the wrong side. As Starcasm.net explains, Perry wore the ring in the same place that any “lady of the night” would.

But this isn’t really surprising, considering the several questionable decisions Perry has made with her attire over the past few months. From a whipped cream can bra in the “California Gurls” video to the recent Sesame Street appearance that never aired, Perry’s fashion choices haven’t been the greatest. The pair of A-Morir sunglasses, on the other hand, just made Perry look like she was having yet another fashion faux pas at a distance.

The A-Morir shades, from the looks of it, are right on target with the latest trends. With an angular cat’s eye style, the designer sunglasses have frames lined with small rhinestones. A medium-sized gold chain is attached from the nose area to the temple.

While these sunglasses look like they’re heavily piling on the bling, other celebrities have gone after this same look. Earlier this year, we saw rapper Kid Sister sporting studded shield sunglasses, with rhinestones and metal decorating both sides of the frame. Similarly, Snooki of The Jersey Shore also went for the shield look, and was spotted in a pair of designer sunglasses covered entirely in rhinestones – both frame and lenses.

On some occasions, you see stars carrying the same handbag. In a few of these rare instances, the stars manage to wear the handbags in two completely different ways. This appears to be the case with a Chanel handbag, which was seen as of recent on Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus. Although quilted leather has been a minor trend this past year, Chanel handbags, at least in the designer world, have been the primary source for this look.

A basic quilted Chanel handbag, such as the one seen on Kim Kardashian and Miley recently, has a flap style, with material made from quilted leather. A longer strap is attached. When Miley carries this purse, she wears it much like a cross body bag. Perhaps her small frame – she is still an adolescent, after all – makes it seem more like a cross body bag instead of an ordinary purse. Additionally, she appears to wear it like a sophisticated messenger bag. Along with casual attire (how much more casual can you go beyond a t-shirt and jean shorts?), the quilted leather handbag ends up standing out and seeming out of place.

Kim Kardashian, although no less visible than the Disney star, seems to generally have a better sense of style. But then again, that’s to be expected somewhat, as an adolescent, child star or not, is still trying to find her sense of self. While Miley Cyrus, at the moment, can’t be tamed, Kim Kardashian is the only one from her televised family who seems to skirt away from controversy – and to look fabulous at the same time.

Because of this, it appears, Kim Kardashian seems to know how to appropriately wear this Chanel handbag. Granted, she’s known for her curves, and the thin strap wouldn’t work as cross body style in her case, but coupling the bag with formal attire – or at least a dress and coat for going out – is a far more appropriate pairing.

Style evolution often takes existing trends and improves upon them or changes them. Rarely is a new look introduced that wipes everything out beforehand completely. At the moment, cat eye sunglasses are a perfect example of this trend. For the past decade, oversized has been the dominant look for women. While many designers still keep these in their collections, another look – wayfarers – emerged during this time. Of course, as ‘80s fashions have returned, wearing wayfarers to go with ra-ra skirts and off-the-shoulder t-shirts is simply inevitable. Cat eye sunglasses combine these two trends: the angular frame of the wayfarers with the curves and size of oversized shades.

Style Central gives a basic preview for cat eye sunglasses, but the frames in the image only give one example of this look. WhoWhatWear, on the other hand, gives a comprehensive look of which celebrities are wearing cat eye sunglasses. Of course, it’s many of the fashionistas, from those like Diane Kruger with classic style to the anything-goes boho chic of the Olsen twins.

As you can see by the WhoWhatWear piece, cat eye sunglasses are designed in several styles. For a classic look, the shades often use a color scheme similar to that of your typical oversized frames: a mock tortoise frame with black lenses. Of course, sunglasses don’t always need to be classic, and another common look, one that mirrors many wayfarer styles at the moment, is the black frames with smoke lenses style.

The look of the frames gives the sunglasses a soft or dramatic appearance. Some cat eye designer sunglasses are made entirely of rounded edges; the “cat eye” appearance comes from a swooped edge on top. But, because the sunglasses combine an ‘80s trend with one dating back to the ‘50s, the shades can have all angular edges for more emphasis in ‘80s style.

Remember when mini-backpacks were popular in the mid- to late-1990s? How trends change. While smaller was preferred when Clueless was still relevant, bigger is better in the present. Although a decent teen movie in the same vein as Clueless hasn’t come along since Mean Girls, a lack of youth-oriented pictures doesn’t mean that fashion is stagnant.

But, then again, actress Nikki Reed, who has starred in teen film Thirteen and in the recent Twilight movies, was spotted recently carrying one of these bigger-is-better bags. The Rebecca Minkoff Morning After bag she was seen with recently can’t be described as a hobo, however. The purple gem-toned bag has shape – and even some fringe hanging from the base – but the design resembles that of a duffle or bowling bag.

According to the post from Purse Page above, the Rebecca Minkoff bag is no longer available. That doesn’t mean that other brands don’t carry a similar design, however. Larger-size handbags are in right now, be it a boxy one like Nikki Reed’s bag or a hobo, and gem tones are the colors of choice. In fact, darker tones, like the purple used for Reed’s bag, are preferable.

Rather, Best Handbag Wholesale has a few styles that combine these looks. This purple leatherette handbag, for example, has a hobo style and purple gemstone color. The bag is embellished by a black, western-style cross in front. Other styles, such as this sheen leatherette handbag from Wholesale Handbags USA, go with a mellower shade for the gem tone color – think of this as a darker shade of ruby – and embellish the surface of the bag with rhinestones.

Such handbags, be it by a name brand designer or a line of designer-inspired goods, combine simplicity with eye-popping style. Not subtle but not tacky, solid-color gem tone bags go beyond ordinary black leather to give your look a dash of color.

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.

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.