The celebrity world is something the majority of us will never be a part of – there are a chosen few who ever even get to go to awards ceremonies, never mind actually getting nominated! This morning, the nominees for the Academy Awards were announced, bringing the excitement of new fashion to the forefront this awards season. As we saw a few weeks ago, the Golden Globes were given away to actors and actresses wearing some of the newest western style trends. Needless to say, the Oscars are sure to do the same for many of the styles we discuss in this blog.

Here are some of the fashion accessories to look for on the red carpet this awards season:

Belts and Belt Buckles – One major element of this season is not that major at all – in fact, it’s usually overlooked as minor – western belts. The Golden Globes showed several actresses adding belts to their designer gowns, which may surprise some. However, the idea behind mixing dresses and belts builds on the shape of a person’s body, so cinching a belt with a nicely designed belt buckle is being seen at awards shows, movie premieres and at dinner parties everywhere. Consider this approach the next time you are wearing a flowing dress – you might like the results.

Look at the Purse – Along with belts, other accessories like designer handbags are being looked at closely by style experts and fashion critics. It’s not so much about an actress’s choice of dress as much as the full ensemble – that’s why picking the appropriate clutch is crucial at these Hollywood events.  Don’t forget that this is not only important for Kate Winslet – your choice of handbag is also a huge part of your outfit for Friday night.

Adding Sparkle – Finally, the last accessory to add to your ensemble is western style jewelry, which has always been essential on the red carpet ever year. By choosing the right wholesale jewelry, you will bring out the colors and style you are looking to embody. Don’t forget about the depth that jewelry can bring to your already beautiful look.

The holiday season has come and gone and many retailers are wondering how they can bring huge business into stores during the beginning of 2012. All over the world – especially in Vietnam – handbag sales went up in the last quarter of 2011, showing the extreme potential that this fashion product has for store owners. As you consider choosing a line of wholesale handbags for your shop in 2012, you should think about other fashion items as well.

Consider the success that major brand-name stores have had shifting handbag buyers’ eyes from favorite western-style handbags over to other items like apparel and accessories. An article in Bloomberg discusses how huge department stores are creating “reasons” for shoppers to buy clothing:

“U.S. department stores are leading the charge [to change marketing], with Saks Inc. (SKS), Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) and Macy’s Inc. (M) improving in-house clothing lines and refurbishing women’s departments. The retailers are counting on women to spend more overall and not simply shift their dollars away from higher-margin purses and footwear…”

The article does admit that handbags are not only big sellers, but bring in the big money as well. However, women are still spending more of their money on clothes, but overall purchases have been leaning towards accessories over the last few years. The difference is a little under 3-to-1 ratio:

“Women’s apparel sales amounted to $108 billion in the 12 months ended in September, according to NPD Group Inc. Women bought $22.5 billion of footwear and $5.7 billion of handbags, the Port Washington, New York-based firm said.”

Store owners need to look at their current offerings and adjust to fit demand for western style accessories versus western style clothing. By using what the biggest department stores have recently discovered, you can leverage your sales of both accessories and clothing to benefit your bottom line. Whether you use your full price handbags to sell discounted clothing or vice versa, make sure you have enough supply to support your offerings!

Chap Stick – As the winter months roll in, the cold air is blowing around, causing all kinds of problems, especially for your lips. The colder it gets, the more likely you are to split your lip or just have chapping problems. Having a chap stick at the ready is a great idea, especially since you never know when your lips will be dry. Keep one in your wholesale handbag.

Moisturizer – Having some lotion or other moisturizing product follows along the same thread as having chap stick. If it’s cold out, your skin can easily get dry and cracked and become unhealthy as a result. Lotion will keep your skin hydrated, but only if you have some in your purse.

Hand Sanitizer – The world can be a dirty place, especially if you live in the city. Taking the subway or merely grabbing a shopping cart can expose your hands to a lot of germs that might get you sick. A travel-size container of hand sanitizer is a great option when a sink isn’t readily available. Take it out of your purse when your hands are feeling grimy.

There are a lot of other items you should always carry in your purse, but these should help you get a good start. What do you keep in your purse?

The proof is in the data regarding handbags, whether imported or exported. In Vietnam alone, handbags generated more than $1 billion in exports for the Asian country, according to SGGP. This has contributed greatly to the leather industry in the country:

“Handbags constitute one of the 26 items bringing in huge profits in the leather export industry, and even though handbags, wallets and suitcases are made of leather, they are a strong commodity by themselves. So far only foreign direct investment companies have exported handbags. Next year, the leather shoe and handbag sector is expected to have an export turnover of $8.5 billion; of which, the shoe sector could reach $7 billion and the handbag sector $1.5 billion.”

Leather is one of the bigger products exported from Vietnam, the article says, with a number of different varieties being sent to European countries and Brazil. This data extends to the US market, with the sale of luxury items like designer handbags up more than 5% in 2011. These numbers will certainly grow in the next year, giving business owners more than enough reason to stay up-to-date with their western style items.

For more information about western wholesale handbags, visit Best Handbag Wholesale, a world leader in the sale of wholesale designer handbags.

As I wrote a little while ago, reselling luxury handbags has become a boom industry, especially for fashion aficionados looking to add a level of class to their wardrobe.  Because of this, one of the most important features of your handbag is the return on investment (ROI) on it, as I mentioned before:

“ROI is something to consider when purchasing a western style handbag, whether it is for personal use or you are choosing from a selection of wholesale handbags for your customers. Buying bags that offer resell value in the long run is the way to go…”

According to an article in The Daily Mail, a rare vintage handbag recently sold for a whopping $203,150 at an auction in Texas. This shows exactly how valuable your handbag collection can potentially be:

“A rare Hermès Birkin has set a world record for the highest price for a handbag sold at auction. The red crocodile skin purse, with white gold and diamond hardware, was sold to an anonymous bidder for $203,150 this week at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas.The final price far exceeds expectations, given that it had been expected to fetch around $80,000.”

What’s even more shocking is the price of other bags that were sold at the same auction, ranging from $80,000 to upwards of $110,000! I think it’s time to get into the vintage handbag business!

Keeping It Simple – Even the most basic black dress can become a showcase for your fashion when you add a number of accessories. For one, your handbag is a major feature of your outfit when you stick with a black dress. Choose a western handbag that features a number of glittery elements, which fit right in with the outrageously bright and sparkly holiday decorations. A great example is a western style wallet with a rhinestone cross, which will add a bright spot to your demure outfit.

On Top – Layers are essential during the holiday season, even if you live in warm parts of the world. By adding on top of the normal outfits you normally wear, you can build in a holiday element to your existing wardrobe. This can take the shape of  tights with holiday patterns and even hosiery with colors reflecting the type of party you are attending.

Embrace the Cold – If you do happen to live in a frosty area, you need to accept scarves and gloves as more than just a way to stay warm. Mix and match your winter clothing with your outfits to express the holiday spirit when you are window shopping or visit holiday sites with your family. Don’t forget about your western style knit hats as well!

Jessica Simpson – Mystery Bag

Bag That Style, a blog covering everything bag related, is having trouble identifying a particularly shiny handbag that Jessica Simpson is carrying. Known primarily for her remarkably huge fashion empire (worth in the hundreds of millions), Ms. Simpson is lugging around a large tote-style bag covered in multi-colored sequins. While this is a good look for the mommy-to-be, how are we supposed to find this unknown bag?!

Taylor Swift – Fendi Anna Shoulder Bag

Expecting country megastar Taylor Swift to be carrying around a western style handbag? Well she is walking a fine line with this Fendi shoulder bag in light denim blue. The combination of colors in this outfit (at left) is pretty pitch-perfect, showing off her new adulthood and ability to blend American western color palettes with handbag selection. I guess she can string together style as easily as she writes hit songs!

Pippa Middleton – Bulgari Leoni Clutch

As the sister to new royalty, Pippa Middleton has done a remarkable job keeping up appearances since sister Catherine’s marriage to Prince William. This extends over to her impeccable fashion sense, shown in this Leoni clutch, which features a gorgeous antique gold closure. While Katie may have been the star at the royal wedding, Pippa has definitely been showing up big sis ever since!

If you’re anything like me, your closet is never big enough for all of the fashion you own. Up and down the walls, there are western style accessories, cowgirl-style boots, wholesale handbags and all other sorts of apparel that I have amassed over the years. Every once in a while, I start to clean up my way-too-small closet so that I can find the western handbags and accessories that I’m looking for the first time through! However, a recent story has me alarmed this morning, citing that a lot of women never clean out their handbags!

I’ve written about handbag care and cleanliness before, but a shocking number of women apparently don’t take care of their handbags at all. According to The Mail Online:

“…most of us have no idea what else is hidden away – 68 per cent of women never empty out their handbags. A survey of UK women…revealed that most of us carry around the usual suspects: make-up, a mobile phone and a purse. Eighty per cent of women carried these essentials as well as keys, a hair brush, tissues, painkillers, a mirror and an umbrella.”

One item cited by the story was quite surprising – two percent of the women surveyed kept leftover food in their handbags. The 500 women asked about their handbags overwhelmingly never checked their handbags at all – by a whopping 70 – 30 margin. The list of items that were most found in handbags were generally normal though:

• 27 per cent carry hair straighteners
• 24 per cent always have spare underwear on them
• 12 per cent of bags had some sort of good luck charm
• seven per cent held Christmas cracker gifts or cuddly toys

However, I wonder why some women treat their handbags so poorly. Please make sure that you clean out your western style handbags as often as you can – they are too nice to ruin!

This year, one of the hottest fashion trends is the western style handbag. Featuring a number of fun cowgirl style elements like rhinestone crosses and faux fur accents, women looking to add a little western style into their wardrobe will be coming to your fashion boutique. Make sure your shelves are filled with selections from the internet leader in western style wholesale handbags Best Handbag Wholesale. Here are some of our most popular western style handbags available for you and your store:

Pink Western Rhinestone Cross Handbag – For the cowgirl who likes to keep her fashion sense playful, this pink western style handbag is the perfect choice. Featuring a beautiful rhinestone design on the front, this bag’s duel pistols metal ornament adorned with rhinestone angel wings lets everyone in the room know that the Wild West isn’t in the past. This purse also has room to spare for whatever you need to carry around – there are two compartments secured with magnetic closure and two side pockets as well.

Cowgirl West Brand Limited Edition Bags – If you know someone who loves western style and needs a new handbag, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this white hair-on-hide handbag. The list of features is stunning: two chain leatherette straps, front / side pockets with genuine glass rhinestone studded ornaments, beautiful flower design buckle ornament and genuine rhinestone crystals all over. You can’t pass up having this in your store, especially since it is a limited edition. Everyone will want it!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago in a post, there is a market developing for used designer handbags in various countries, including Hong Kong. As I wrote:

“…handbags that do not have a home are finding new love in Hong Kong, where the used handbag market is positively booming. According to a story from Google News, reselling luxury handbags has become a boom industry in the major city, where bags are not hard to find…”

However, there are many reasons to keep your western style handbags, even if you are looking for new ones. There are ways for you to increase your return on the initial investment when you purchase a designer handbag, especially if you sell wholesale handbags in your store. According to a column from Accounting Today, the return on investment (ROI) for the handbags you purchase should factor into how you choose the bags:

“…the top brands that smart consumers should look at when considering resale value include Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Fendi and Judith Leiber. Many of these brands include a lifetime warranty or free or discounted repair work if your designer handbag purchase is ever damaged or in need of professional cleaning.”

Furthermore, the author offered some tips on what to look for when considering a sale of your used handbag in years to come:

“… narrow the field by zeroing in on the brand’s most enduring styles–ones that are sold season after season. Choose a long-lasting material that will not easily rip, fade or damage.  Pick a neutral color that will lend itself well to resale or will match with most of your wardrobe.”

ROI is something to consider when purchasing a western style handbag, whether it is for personal use or you are choosing from a selection of wholesale handbags for your customers. With money becoming tighter around the country, some people who would normally buy these bags are questioning such purchases. Buying bags that offer resell value in the long run is the way to go – it will pay dividends for you and your customers.