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!

Make It Prettier – Some bags are bland right from the get-go and you are concerned that it may not be feminine enough for whatever event you are attending. Sometimes a bag may not be feminine enough for daily activities, so find a piece of jewelry that matches the bag and affix it to the handbag. This can be a necklace with jewels or brightly colored pendants that you don’t normally wear. This will add a whole new dimension to the look of your bag.

Texture Adds Style – A lot of handbags follow the same general format, especially if they are meant for general use. The normal handbag is somewhere in between a clutch and a tote in size – leaving you with little room to add elements. Think about using scarves as an addition to your purse, which can add volume and huge amounts of depth to an otherwise bland handbag.

Try New Styles – If you fancy yourself a more creative type who is willing to take chances, you may want to permanently add pieces to your handbags after a few successful tries with a pendant or some jewelry. Make these new parts of your bag permanent with hot glue, but be careful – don’t use too much. You want people to wonder where you got such an awesome bag!

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 first story is from The Celebrity Café, which is reporting that singer Jessica Simpson’s fashion line The Jessica Simpson Collection has pumped up its worth in 2010. The products sold in 2010 amounted to a staggering net gross of $750 million dollars, $1 million of which will go to Jessica herself:

“One possible reason as to why Simpson’s brands are successful could be because women identify with the singer. ‘She is the girl next door and has great product that surrounds her. People like her. People look at her as a style icon,’ said founder and CEO of Camuto Group, Vince Camuto. Camuto is Simpson’s licensee.”

Possibly looking for a million dollar payday of her own, Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank is reportedly in talks for starting her own fashion line, according to Styleite:

“Hilary Swank is working on what WWD described as ‘an apparel collection with an athletic bend.’ Oh, dear. This follows last month’s news that Swank was working on a fashion-focused game show for the CW – which would beg the question: what’s with Swank’s new fashion obsession?”

Well I think we all know the answer to that question. The article and I both hypothesize that Swank wants a chunk of change like Jessica Simpson gets. A little money lining gorgeous clutches never hurt anyone, right?

Although the shapes for the concho-inspired bracelets include diamonds and crosses, we’re highlighting some of the western cross styles. As seen in the product under the link, these conchos can be multicolored crystal on an adjustable bracelet, or another option is having just a solid color for all conchos. Additionally, if you look close at each concho, all are embellished further with rhinestones around the edges. Traditionally, a concho is seen on a cowboy hat band or on a belt, but, in terms of western style, they’re appropriate as embellishments on clothing and for jewelry.

Other pieces of western jewelry, such as the cross pendants, fit neatly into the western-or-rocker chic look. Some have a clear rocker look with rhinestones, a guitar, and angel wings added, while others seem to take on an appearance closer to that of a Celtic cross. Many of these crosses can be attached to a leather cord or adjustable chain and worn solely as a pendant or, as charm bracelet and necklace styles are back in again, they can be added to one of the concho bracelets or a similar necklace for a style of varied crosses.

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.

Necklaces are some of the newer pieces of western jewelry at BHW. One notable style is a chain necklace built like a thicker bike chain. These chains come in traditional silver, as well as pink, purple, white, and other colors. Aside from chains, more new necklaces at Best Handbag Wholesale combine western stones. Whether large or small stone beads, these necklaces all use a combination of turquoise, onyx, crystal, and coral beads – often two or more on the same necklace. One of these can be worn by itself or paired with one of the various western themed pendants at BHW.

Aside from necklaces, Best Handbag Wholesale has many new pendants. These pendants vary in shape from stars to crosses to stars. While all of these pendants have a magnetic closure, they all incorporate different western stones, particularly turquoise, with rhinestones. The rhinestones either line the pendant or are the centerpiece to the pendant. Whether you’re looking for something flashy, casual, or to just wear to a rodeo, any of these pendants are appropriate. For a full selection, browse through the new western jewelry at BHW.