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!

Starting with a black knit beanie-style hat, Best Handbag Wholesale adds a level of style with rhinestone stud designs that give your winter wear that western style look you love. Why not pick out a beanie with peace sign or even one with a rhinestone studded cross on it? There is one for every fashion sense out there!

However, you should have some tips on how to pick out a winter cap for your specific fashion sense and wear it correctly!

• Use your face’s shape as a guide for choosing the right hat for your head. If you find that you have a round face, pick out a winter hat that is slimmer and doesn’t make your head seem wider than it actually is. The opposite goes for a thin face, even though those with a thin face can generally wear any kind of hat and make it look good.
• Your hair matters when you are about to put a winter hat on. Keep the style simple underneath the cap so that if you take it off, you can easily put your hair back inside the hat. A normal ponytail or simple updo will work perfectly.
• Pick a hat that suits your fashion sense – don’t wear a hat with a studded cross if your shirt has a peace sign on it! Match up your various outfits as best as you can!

Choosing hats can be a difficult process, so here are some tips on picking out rhinestone caps and cadet caps that are right for you:

Contrast – Your new hat does not have to match your general style completely, especially when it comes to color. Use the details of your hat for matching purposes and the rest for your own look. Example: wear a white hat with a blue outfit, but match the hat’s trim to the blue. This will give you a nice flashy uniform look.

Makeup the Right Way – Be careful not to contrast your makeup with your hat because of their proximity to each other. With your face so close to the hat, off putting makeup can kill the ensemble you are looking for.

Using the Hat – Your hat’s color and/or pattern can be a huge boost to your natural features. Match the color of the hat or the hat trim to your eyes or choice of eye shadow to bring out your most naturally stunning feature.

Don’t Forget the Others – Use your hat along with your other accessories – whether it is a handbag, earrings, gemstones, etc. By using your accessories together, you can really pull an ensemble off in a totally unique way.

Be Comfortable – Finally, be completely comfortable with the hat you are thinking about wearing. No matter what the style books (or this post) says, you need to wear what works for you when you look in the mirror.

Already being paraded around Hollywood by celebrities like Sienna Miller (Alfie), the western style trend is an amalgam of many different fabrics and styles. Primarily, those looking for this rodeo-style look are mixing leather, cotton and suede, with colors like beige and brown being the main elements. Major designers are also getting this style integrated with their lines – Gucci and Alexander Wang being two of the biggest.

The many benefits to the western look come in its simplicity and lack of total structure. You don’t have to completely cover yourself in western wear to get in on the trend. A simple western style handbag is one way you can always have some rodeo flair incorporated into your outfits. You can also add western jewelry and/or western belts to your accessories to any denim outfit to harness a more laidback western look for yourself.

However, if you want a head to toe western look, you may want to utilize all of these fashion pieces: checkered or plaid shirt, cowgirl boots, bedazzled cowboy hat, gemstone belts, western handbag, small jeans, leather jacket and pretty much any clothing with fringe as an embellishment. You may also want to look into leather pants, although these can be difficult to get comfortable in. If you use some of these tips, you will be a master of western trends in no time!

Here’s some picks for major game changers in fashion for 2011:

Minimalism – I hate it when people take minimalism to mean plain and boring. This year, it seems as if designers’ spring collections are going to feature simple designs with bold colors. This could mean a tote style bag with clean lines in a loud purple and white design. Nude and beige are not leaving the minimalist palette however – they will be paired with colors to liven things up a bit.

Vintage – Vintage fashion (i.e. good fashion) is always in style, be it old band T-shirts or lavish Gucci leather handbags. My advice – if you go out to a consignment shop and see a gorgeous old handbag, snatch it up. Like every other year, they will be hard to find in general.

Denim – I know what you’re thinking – ‘Are we in early 1990s grunge territory?’ Sure, denim was a staple of this era, but it’s slowly creeping back into the minds of big name designers like Prada. Keep your eyes open for a bunch of runway models with heavy makeup and largely denim bags. So twenty years ago!

Classic Shapes – My favorite celebrity designer Victoria Beckham has jumped on the bandwagon towards more classically shaped bags, starting with her Hexagonal Chain Bag. I’m sure you’ll be seeing more designers jumping on the wagon with her on the classically shaped front.

The latest western fashion collection from Marie Claire. Photo from Marie Claire.

But, although shades of coral stone and cowboy hats are seen on the models (and the horses), the collection of western fashion from Vogue appears to be a bit of a compromise. First off, much of the western fashion on the models isn’t necessarily cowgirl chic but, instead, horse-riding chic with some western embellishments. Many of these looks would be appropriate for spectators at a prep school polo match and not at a rodeo. Although the ostentatious nature of many western fashion pieces, especially those at Best Handbag Wholesale, is too overwhelming for high fashion, a compromise of high and western fashion isn’t always a bad thing – especially when traditional western styles get noticed.

What’s missing from this particular collection is the bling, from turquoise to large belts, associated with western fashion – and particular rodeo gear. For an updated western fashion collection, however, Marie Claire’s recent collection of western-inspired high fashion gets it right. Not only are large turquoise stones, belts, and western stone colors, particularly coral, a significant part of this collection, but many of these items would be appropriate for a rodeo and for high fashion.

In general, the crosses are merely part of western fashion, particularly cowgirl style. Whether it’s a pair of silver-cross earrings or a cross-shaped pendant without religious connotation, this style is pervasive across all western styles and retailers. The cross, however, does have some sort of religious significance regardless of how you wear it, but how it’s designed makes it more or less a western symbol and not directly religious.

Crosses are found on many BHW handbags. These cross handbags may be adorned with a metal or black cross, often one that’s flared or rounded at the ends. As this is the main ornament for the bag, the cross is often depicted on a solid colored background. But the cross itself isn’t solid and on many of these handbags, it’s embellished by the material used – such as cowhide or metal – or with rhinestones like turquoise or quartz.

This symbol also appears on many pieces of jewelry and decorative accessories like belts. Rhinestones shaped like crosses, for example, decorate the sides of many western-style belts at BHW looking to stay western but adding a little bling. Similarly, many of the jewelry pendants take this cross shape, as well. In addition to being metal, many of these pendants designed with a combination of cow hide, rhinestones, and traditional western stones. To accentuate one of these pendants around your neck, couple it with a solid color chain or leather cord.

How did this trend come about? In the summer of 2008, brand Ed Hardy – by Christian Audigier, the designer behind Von Dutch trucker hats from 2004 – appeared on the scene and seemed to be snatched up by teenagers and twentysomething club kids everywhere. What makes Ed Hardy different from Von Dutch gear is that all designs are tattoo-based and have more character. Although that character may be more pseudo-punk than rocker (would anyone wearing an Ed Hardy cap get a real tattoo like that, for example?), it goes with the brightness and gaudiness seen on other pieces of fashion as various ‘80s styles come back. Other designers since then have picked up this style and added it to their products, with some more successful than others.

Although the trend is fading somewhat and the brand Ed Hardy, like Von Dutch, is almost synonymous with “douche bag,” the tattoo style can be seen on various products. If you’re into this trend, more affordable options can be found on websites like Best Handbag Wholesale. Hats, handbags, and other accessories are designed with this style which, for women, has a tattoo pattern embellished with several small rhinestones or studs.

The most common type of western hat sold through Best Handbag Wholesale is a military style hat with studs. This style comes in designs for both men and women, and these hats are characterized by having several studs on the front, often forming some kind of shape like a skull or cross. Although small silver studs are considered one aspect of western fashion, these hats also have western themes, with horse shoes, cowboy boots, or the word “cowgirl” formed in silver studs or rhinestones. These hats, in addition, may have some tattoo designs on them in addition to studs and, in a sense, can be considered designer-inspired products, as the tattoo style is considered to be a popular trend at the moment.

Not all western hats sold through Best Handbag Wholesale have a studded design, and many of the baseball caps sold through the website instead have a Rebel or Redneck Pride style. These baseball caps have a worn appearance and sport beer logos on the front, including Dos Equis and Miller Light beers, as well as sayings like “Git ‘er Done.” If you’re looking for some western fashion to go with your Rebel flag and Southern pride, these hats fit the style.