The Grey’s Anatomy star was seen recently with an animal print handbag, More specifically, the animal print is leopard, and one that looks more natural, too. Although Halle Berry was seen recently with a clutch of a similar print, the brand behind Heigl’s handbag is Gucci, a brand sometimes known for monogram styles. Patent leather has been an “it” material for handbags over the past year or so, and Heigl’s bag seems to have this look. If not actual patent leather, the material is shiny enough that it appears similar. Additionally, this bag takes the hobo look and attaches it to a shoulder strap, which has been a rarity for such handbags.

While it appears that the python look from this past summer is past us (at least for now), other animals prints are still popular. We’ve seen leopard and cow prints on celebrities recently, as well as cheetah prints and zebra stripes. With Hermes Birkin bags still a celebrity mainstay, even crocodile skin is still here for now. But, as animal prints or skins stay in popularity, what’s the average consumer to do for such a handbag?

The main solution, if you can’t afford a designer handbag, has been to go down the designer inspired route. Many retailers or wholesalers of designer inspired bags stock up on the latest trends and, over the past year, this has been various animal and reptile prints from cow hide to colored snake skin. At Best Handbag Wholesale, such animal print handbags are part of the product selection, and this includes leopard spots and zebra stripes – sometimes even on the same purse. As patchwork styles are another trend this season, animal print patchwork handbags and wallets combine two popular styles for handbags and wallets that are en vogue but affordable.

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.

No, Lindsay Lohan didn’t get her ears pierced in some bizarre rivet-head style. Instead, she was out seen with a studded leather handbag. As we’ve seen on here, many studded handbags from this past summer involved rounded or “bullet” studs. Lohan’s bag, a large black hobo one, is lined with pyramid studs. While pyramid or triangular studs have been reserved for the punk and Goth looks for a number of years, they’re now being seen on handbags. Lohan’s bag appears to have more of a messenger style than hobo, but the triangular studs line the sides and top of the bag in three rows.

Lohan’s look indicates that studded handbags are moving more in the rocker chic direction than western. Although studs fall under western styles, especially when seen on leather or denim jackets, this mostly applies to rounded or flat studs. As pyramid studs have been associated with the punk look since it first appeared on the scene – and haven’t been seen anywhere else, really – a bag such as the one that Lohan’s carrying has a distinct punk look, even if the three rows of pyramid studs are orderly.

But punk and grunge looks are coming back. Although the two styles are essentially ten years apart – more if you consider punk’s origins in the ‘70s – the rocker chic look is associated with both. From flannel to studded handbags, the hottest and most trendy clothing out now is something a groupie would’ve worn to a Nirvana show circa 1992 or a Sex Pistols concert in the late ‘70s. But, for an updated look, none of the clothing, such as Lohan’s handbag, looks like you did it yourself. Instead, you paid a large sum for some designer to stud your leather purse, rip your jeans, and throw a flannel shirt on a mannequin. While this might delve into the ridiculousness of grunge fashions sold at high end retailers 15 years ago, many who can’t spend the cash – we are in a recession, after all – might go back to the DIY grunge roots and create a look à la Rayanne Graff from My So Called Life.

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.

If you’re wondering when questionable ‘80s fashions will eventually get off the racks, don’t be prepared for it any time soon. As with clothing, handbags are also receiving the 1980s treatment. Studs, animal print, and bright colors aside, another ‘80s style making its way onto leather handbags has been large bows. Although these have been seen on belts for the past year, O.C. actress Rachel Bilson was seen recently with such an ’80s inspired handbag. Combining two questionable trends, Bilson’s leather purse has a large leather bow on top with studs. Now, back in the ‘80s, this would’ve called for knotting up a standard leather purse with a large bow and piercing the surface with one of those do-it-yourself rhinestone kits – or else you could’ve purchased a similar designer handbag. And, the former is what exactly Bilson’s handbag looks like, except it costs about 50 times more. Now only if she had the do-it-yourself studded denim jacket to match – or maybe not.

Perhaps this trend will lead designers to start designing their shirts, jackets, and handbags with puff paint-like materials and even more rhinestones, but hopefully not, as most people probably don’t want to look like they stepped out of a late ‘80s teen movie like Dream a Little Dream or a show like Saved by the Bell. Studs and big bows might have looked appropriate for teenagers at the time, such as Meredith Salenger or Tiffani Thiessen on or off the set, but the look doesn’t really seem to translate well for adult fashion in 2009.

At the moment, even with studs, big bows, and acid wash making a comeback, the look seems too childish for adults. Think of it this way, while Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell looked good in the fashions at the time, would she still look appropriate wearing the same style of clothing in her 30s? In fact, going back to the Saved by the Bell comparison, the character even changed her look by the time Saved by the Bell: the College Years was on the air. So, in the present, who should be wearing this retro ‘80s look? Teens, probably and appropriately. Adults? Find something less gaudy, unless you happen to find yourself in Hollywood.

A few weeks ago, Lily Allen was spotted with the same style of purse, but then again, Allen is the new celebrity face of Chanel. Now, more recently, ‘90s slasher film actress Rebecca Gayheart has been seen with a similar style leather quilted bubble handbag, although this time in a much more subdued color. Although this style has gone under the radar this season, especially compared to snakeskin and studs, it’s a trend that can be seen on racks for designer and more affordable brands.

Quilted handbags are nothing new, as trends over the past few years have included the patchwork look which, while not technically quilted, resembles the appearance of a quilt. The quilted appearance, now somewhat updated, includes a solid color bag made from quilted leather. The attached strap is usually a metal, either gold or silver, in a chain like style. So far, the top brand to be sporting this type of look has been Chanel, although more affordable brands and wholesale bag retailers like Best Handbag Wholesale carry similar style quilted handbags.

Leather over the past season has been an experimental material for handbags. Right now, it appears that the basic black handbag is out, or has gone on hiatus, for both the average consumer and celebrity set. Instead, the leather is embellished in some sense. For celebrities, this often means adding some texture to basic black leather, and studs on a black leather bag has been one popular look for this variation. Another option has been to add fringe or a hair-like material, such as pony hair, to the bag in the same color. Patent leather has been another textural and visual change to the typically matte leather and suede handbags. For the average consumer, texture has also been in the form of snakeskin and crocodile, or alligator, skin prints on leather or leatherette material.

Python is literally on all types of handbags this season and, in a sense, isn’t exclusive to one design. Recently, singer Rihanna was spotted with a python print handbag, which has been seen on many other celebrities this past summer. The particular handbag seen on Rihanna, however, is described as a puffy purse, which is a somewhat different style for a handbag than that seen on other celebrities. On one hand, it’s somewhat similar, as it has the large size and baggy, slouch style seen on various hobo bags. But, while many python handbags are designed in this hobo style, the puffy python purse seen on Rihanna is closed and clipped at the top, making the handbag look like an oversized coin purse.

As Rihanna, as well as other celebrities featured on this blog like Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson with python handbags, have shown, python can be worn a number of ways. If you read the Salon.com article linked here a few weeks ago about the python and snakeskin clothing trend back late in 2000, the main difference between then and now with python is that is real skin is used, as opposed to faux python print on pants and shoes. The faux print from nine years ago, in addition, always kept the natural scale pattern of snakeskin intact, however, so that a pair of blue and green snakeskin pants looked like snakeskin from several feet away. Rihanna’s handbag, on the other hand, looks like an ordinary brown handbag, until you see the snakeskin texture up close.

But a solid color python print handbag isn’t the only option this season, and various other python handbags still keep the original scales pattern intact, although the skin itself is tinted purple or another bright color. The handbag shape, as well, can range from angular, as seen by Julia Roberts’ clutch a few weeks ago, to the hobo handbag style seen on many celebrities.