Last year, at this time, handbags were all about the retile prints, the hobo style, and the tattoo look. But, while anything Ed Hardy or Ed Hardy-inspired went south when seen on Jon Gosselin, the hobo and reptile styles are still in. Additionally, many of the fashion collections seen recently in New York and Milan indicate that bright colors and western fashion – although not necessarily on the same handbag – are here for at least a few months longer. While this means that the reptile or fringed black leather hobo handbag you bought last year is still fashionable, the one with the tattoo rose and rhinestones on the front may not be.

One of the more notable western-inspired collections seen on the spring fashion runways is Emilio Pucci. One look at the handbags all of the models are wearing under the link, and “western” is one of the first adjectives to come to mind. Some of the designs by the fashion line for spring include the basic black leather handbag with fringe, but others are embellished with fur and feathers. The blogger on The Purse Page calls it “hippy chic,” but we’d rather call it western fashion.

On the other end of the spectrum are collections by Mulberry and Versace. Both of the spring lines by these design houses use bright colors and patterns, often juxtaposed with black for a sharp contrast. This is exactly what the Versace handbags looked like on the runway: An oversized coin purse style in black with neon highlights. Mulberry, on the other hand, was all about bright colored prints and hobo styles. Some of these satchel and hobo handbags take the animal prints we’ve seen everywhere last year and colors them in with reds and neon shades. Others in the line stick to the basic black look but with a reptile texture. Essentially, Mulberry sees trends from last year in reverse: Understated reptile handbags and colorful, bright animal print hobo purses.

Fragrance sales have been down since 2006, the year in which celebrity-branded scents became full blown. Two news pieces over the past few weeks touch on what might happen to the fragrance industry: More of the celebrity trend and also an ad campaign targeted to get more of the public interested in wearing perfume or cologne. Although the recession has seen sales across all aspects of retail dip, fragrance sales have seen a sharp decrease, mainly because of its use as a luxury item and not a necessity like clothing. Nevertheless, possibilities for reviving the fragrance industry include more than waiting through the recession.

One option is an upcoming ad campaign by The Fragrance Foundation called “One Mighty Drop.” The website for One Mighty Drop is designed to make scents appeal to everyone, including features for designing you own perfume bottle to tips for wearing fragrances. One notable suggestion is waiting 10 minutes after spraying a fragrance. At this point, you’ll be able to smell all three parts to a scent, and you’ll be able to tell if you’ll enjoy wearing it or not. After all, some perfumes can even take up to 30 minutes for revealing the lowest layer.

Another option is choosing which celebrity will be branding the fragrance. While some celebrities with fragrances come and go, such as Hilary Duff or Ashanti, others, such as Beyonce, appear to have more staying power. Since her start in Destiny’s Child, Beyonce hasn’t really left the public eye, even when an album or single wasn’t entirely stellar. Her recent fragrance, Heat, has been selling fairly well and, according to the linked news item, the promotion for it at Macy’s Herald Square generated about $60,000 in one day, with customers purchasing $122 sets of Heat. Perhaps, in the near future, companies like Coty and Elizabeth Arden will be pickier about which fragrance they brand with a celebrity.

Both Vanessa Hudgens and studded handbags are old news. While the actress hasn’t appeared in anything significant since High School Musical, studded handbags have appeared on every celebrity this past year. It’s a look we’ve seen too much of. The basic design consists of a black leather handbag embellished by silver studs arranged in a pattern of some kind. Many of these have been bullet studs, but others, such as on a handbag worn by Lindsay Lohan, have been triangular shaped or dark colored. Of course, because both western style and rocker chic have been in for about this amount of time, studs are nearly on everything – clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry.

What’s somewhat notable about Vanessa Hudgens’ purse are the studs used. The handbag is a Balenciaga and appears to be the centerpiece for her outfit, but, instead of a silver-on-black design, her bag uses gold-colored, angular studs placed at various points on the leather. Although gold and silver studs are seen together on some lesser brands – take a look at the selections in the latest Forever 21 offerings – the gold studs on Hudgens’ bag stand out from their color and design. Think of a chunky gold bracelet added to a black handbag and, essentially, that’s what this Balenciaga bag looks like.

Similar handbags can be found on discount and designer-inspired websites like Best Handbag Wholesale. Some of these designer inspired handbags have the same combination of studs on a hobo style handbag, much like Vanessa Hudgens’ bag above, but the stud option include silver, gold, and rhinestones. The bag under the link, for example, has a line of clear rhinestones around the edge of a beige-colored hobo bag. Other similar handbags still keeping up with the western style use studs of several sizes and shapes around the edge of the purse.

We haven’t seen too many celebrities carrying around designer patchwork bags, although the labels, such as Coach, seem to think that combining several materials on one bag is the next big thing. Coach isn’t the only brand with such styles, and Louis Vuitton carries similar patchwork handbags, including a hobo style patchwork handbag seen on Jessica Simpson recently. The bag itself, as seen in the photograph or under the link is a standard patchwork style, with the traditional monogram leather Louis Vuitton material juxtaposed with textured animal print. Beyond that, this bag is simply a variation on the typical Louis Vuitton handbag, with the sharply contrasting leopard print popping out at the bottom.

Both Coach and Louis Vuitton have a few patchwork bags added to their lines, and, for both, the patchwork style is simply a variation on their basic monogram bags. From clutches or hobo handbags, each employs a variety of materials that are stitched together. While the monogram material is included, textured cloth, such as corduroy, suede or solid leather, animal prints, and basic patterned cloth are all part of a patchwork handbag. In some cases, for more sharper contrasts, patent leather may even be added.

If you can’t afford the hefty price tags associated with Coach and Louis Vuitton handbags, many designer inspired lines carry similar patchwork handbags. These combine the similar set of fabrics listed above, but the monogrammed material is designed to appear similar to – but not quite like – the designer brand’s style. Coach is imitated more often on these bags, especially with a sans-serif C design that doesn’t quite look like Coach’s and not quite like Chanel’s. Aside from this style, other designer inspired patchwork bags are cloth only. These cloth handbags use a set of fabrics with varied patterns, such as the pinks, camouflage, and cross pattern seen on the bag under the link.

Trends some and go, and some come back reinvented as a total rehash. Take the ‘70s fashion nostalgia from 1996 to 1998. While it brought back bellbottom jeans that soon became flared leg, polyester shirts and psychedelic accessories soon passed within months. Sunglasses, on the other hand, seem to last longer, although each decade appears to be defined by a style. The ‘80s, more often than not, are associated as much with wayfarer sunglasses as much as they are with Wham! and A Flock of Seagulls and acid wash. The ‘90s, similarly, had wraparound sunglasses and grunge music for most of the decade. The ‘00s? Trends this decade were divided distinctly between those for women and men, and all styles appeared to reflect back to the ‘80s.

The most significant trend in sunglasses for the decade was oversized shades, but these were exclusively for women. This style appeared last in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s but, at the time, was basic. Designer sunglasses at the time often had a black or mock tortoise frame and dark, solid color lenses. Oversized styles for women this decade used the same basic model but became more feminine. Both frames and lenses could be pink, red, or purple and embellished with rhinestones. Juicy Couture was one of the brands for designer sunglasses with such style, although almost all designer lines for women had this style.

For men, the aviator shades were the most popular this decade. The last time aviator shades were seen, outside of a South Park episode, was the ‘80s, in which many male movie or television characters appeared with a basic black or mirrored pair. This time around, though, mirrored shades were out but gradient in, and the frame, instead of being basic metal, could be plastic and colored. This allowed for aviators to be a style also seen on women. Similarly, wayfarer sunglasses had a similar comeback at the end of the decade for both sexes, with a myriad of color and frame possibilities.

Rhinestones on sunglasses are nothing new and this trend has been around for nearly a decade. But when does a pair of sunglasses simply transcend the simple rhinestones design and become all-out bling? Recently, Kanye West protégé Kid Sister was spotted wearing such a pair of iced out sunglasses by A-morir. The sunglasses, a clear shield style, are encrusted with rhinestones and spikes around the edges. While you might not want to get physically close to someone wearing such sunglasses, having bling on your sunglasses beyond a few rhinestones isn’t exclusive to A-morir. In fact, other designers have been adding rhinestones to their styles, as well, with some more subtle than others.

Valentino is one such designer brand, and these iced out shades include many small rhinestones on the side of the glasses. While Vision in Style carries discounted versions of these bling sunglasses. These particular shades by Valentino, which appeared on the market in 2008, have a shield style as well, but the rhinestones are toned down compared to the shades worn by Kid Sister. These sunglasses are designed with a rose pattern on the side and this rose is outlined in small rhinestones which stand out against the black color of the frame and lenses.

Having detail on the side isn’t exclusive to Valentino sunglasses, however. Brands like Juicy Couture have side detail, often in metal or rhinestones on a pair of shield or oversized sunglasses. While the larger or thicker frames allow for such detail, these are often an enlarged logo for the brand. While this is common for women’s sunglasses, some men’s styles, such as those by Hugo Boss, are designed similarly, as well. Although a much more basic style, these side details on a pair of men’s sunglasses are still added to display the brand.

Where do you look for designer knockoff handbags? Canal Street in New York’s Chinatown section has been the place to go for years. This week, however, the area experienced a crackdown, with the police confiscating counterfeit items like handbags and watches and shuttering businesses. Although Canal Street has this notoriety, knockoff goods can be found many other places, such as South Street in Philadelphia and the internet. With prices only a fraction of those sold at department stores, knockoff handbags almost sound like a deal. Appearances for such handbags are deceiving, however, and what appears to be a Chanel or Gucci handbag sold at $30 falls apart within a few days.

Some are luckier and swear by knockoff designer handbags. After all, they look like designer bags and, really, only the designers would be able to tell the difference. But finding a high-quality designer knockoff bag is far more likely in a department store. The fashion blog for About.com gives some hints to spot a fake handbag, but other telltale signs include examining the stitching, sewing, and name plate. If the name plate, for example, isn’t screwed on but, instead, appears glued, the bag is likely a knockoff. Similarly, if it looks poorly stitched from the inside or if the zipper gets jammed easily, the handbag isn’t authentic.

One option, as we’ve seen in the product selection for Best Handbag Wholesale, is to go the designer inspired route. The bags don’t claim to be by Coach, Chanel, or Gucci, but the patterns are based on the styles by these designers. At a distance, they even look like the real thing. Another option is to go on discounted designer websites. Often, products with damaged packaging or a slight scratch find their way onto such a website and are sold at less than full price, even at 70-percent less. Both Vision In Style and Kaufman Fragrance are such discount designer products websites.

Is there a product that isn’t endorsed by celebrities? From the top brands to Payless Shoes and Walmart, nearly every product for fashion has some sort of celebrity model or spokesperson. This, as well, applies to watches. A website lists celebrities who’ve endorsed various watches by name brand makers. The website lists celebrities, along with their respective print advertisements, who’ve been featured in ads for watch brands. While many of them are no longer A-list celebrities (would Kim Basinger or Meg Ryan sell a wrist watch today?), it shows how, over time, wrist watch brands have been endorsed by various actors, musicians, or athletes.

All of the watches pictured on the linked website above are wrist watches. Some, especially those seen on athletes, are sports watches. But, regardless, all are metal link or leather band wrist watches with a basic watch face. With the exception of a few with pink or slim wrist bands or rhinestone-encrusted watch faces, most of these endorsed watches could go either way with men or women. With celebrity endorsement, however, the watches seem directly geared toward one sex or the other. Or, on another level, a different lifestyle: glamorous or fabulous when seen on an Oscar winner or strong and powerful when seen on an athlete, even if the athlete is a race car driver.

But, as many of the advertisements appear to be from the ‘90s, many more watch styles are on the market these days. One popular style, especially for women, has been cuff watches. Cuff watches are shaped like bracelets and fit around the wrist. Similarly, bangle watches, also known as watch bracelets, are looser but still look and feel like bracelets. All have a watch face of some sort attached. For wrist watches that look like those on celebrities or cuff watches for women, various wholesale dealers, such as Time World, USA, carry similar lines of fashion watches.

Over the past year, many celebrities have been sporting the wayfarer look, including Lindsay Lohan in last week’s post. While this trend is a direct throwback to the ‘80s, nearly everyone in Hollywood has been spotted with a pair of wayfarers at some point, and this includes standard black-on-black sunglasses and styles that are more outrageous. More appropriately, they are unabashedly ‘80s or early ‘90s (take your pick for the tackiest period in fashion). As seen by Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes, on the left, these sunglasses often incorporate bright shades, even neon yellow or green. In general, these styles are made by Ray Ban, but other designers looking to bring back their classic styles and update them a bit are also going along with this trend.

What style do you go for when choosing to wear wayfarers? As with all sunglasses, wayfarers have more low key looks, while others are deliberately bright and tacky. For something low key, Ray Ban and other designers stick with the classic black-on-black look and also use tortoise frames and black lenses. But if you’re looking to be more adventurous, a range of colored frames and lenses are available. When you go to a website like Vision In Style, you’ll find that Ray Ban wayfarer sunglasses in the classic style can be customized in colors like purple, red, or pink. These can have light colored lenses to match or they can be designed with darker colored lenses.

Wayfarer sunglasses are, essentially, the equivalent of Converse sneakers for the eyes: Take a basic template that looks good in either sex and jazz it up in a number of ways. Converse has experimented with nearly every color of the rainbow for their high top sneakers, as well as a number of patterns, while Ray Ban, in particular, goes through many colors for frames and, with the recent trend, pairs them with either a light or dark lens. Who knew such a basic pair of sunglasses could have so much variation?

As we go through any trends of this season, as well as upcoming ones, we’ve seen how the use of leather has changed. No more is it simply just a default black backdrop but, much like the desktop on your computer, it can be customized it any number of ways. After seeing studs, patchwork, and bold colors, in addition to western embellishments, metallic appearances are in, as well. Beyonce recently was sporting this look in South Korea with a metallic silver handbag. Appropriately, the bag has a hobo style and is a solid metallic color. While metallic leather has been seen before in other aspects of fashion (remember metallic Airwalk sneakers?), handbags have been going for the bold look recently, so adding gem and metallic shades to the palette of fashionable shades for a purse only seems inevitable.

While Beyonce’s bag is by Botkier Noa, affordable versions can be found through discount retailers. Best Handbag Wholesale, for example, carries a similar purse with a metallic copper sheen. This metallic handbag by BHW has a dark gold or copper appearance and is designed with a hobo style. The bag has a flap that closes over top, as well as medium-length handles that allow the bag to be worn over the shoulder or carried. In addition, this bag by BHW combines two trends seen this season: metallic leather and crocodile print. The leatherette of the bag, as seen in the link above, is printed with a subtle crocodile pattern.

What handbag trends haven’t we seen this season? As handbags are often the center of many women’s outfits, why go for something subtle? In true ‘80s fashion, bigger and bolder is better, and, as a result, a large and bold handbag, such as these metallic handbags or any studded, snakeskin, or patchwork design, should accompany your outfit.