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Accessories are the icing on mom’s outfit. They may be a stunning pair of earrings or a killer pair of heels. A Hobo bags would be a perfect complement to your mother’s wardrobe, too. And she would love to receive this thoughtful gift of quality and taste. We have chosen the Hobo International bag as a best gift for Mother’s Day 2010.

What gets a gift onto our list of the best gifts for Mother’s Day? It must be unusual or have lasting value. It must be sentimental or traditional. It must be high quality or exceptional. It must make mom’s life easier or more enjoyable. Those are the main qualities of the gifts on our list. We have put Hobo International bags on it because of their quality construction, exquisite design and quirky, but functional style.

Hobo International was found in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1991 by Toni Ray. The history goes that Ray had spent nearly thirty years as a senior designer and buyer with Georgetown Leather Design, a well-known chain of luxury accessory boutiques before she left in 1989 to work as a freelance designer and retail consultant. Ray’s design philosophy evolved into a perspective that women’s accessories should be both stylish and practical. She believed that fashionable handbags with everyday functionality filled an unmet need in the marketplace and she applied her vision to a new line with own label. Hobo International was born.

Hobo handbags are pure quality. They combine the class and durability of leather with functional form and features. But the most appealing aspect of Hobo handbags is that they are fun. Their shapes and colors are lively and unusual. That makes Hobo handbags an indulgence that mom probably wouldn’t buy for herself. And that makes them all the more special.

The bag we have chosen is the Paulina Florence leather shoulder bag. It comes in 9 trendy, sometimes frivolous colors. Step mom out of her comfort zone and choose a handbag in a color she would love, but her practical self would probably never let her buy. Every time she slips that magenta bag over her shoulder,she will smile and thank you for indulging her crazy side while giving her something she will use for years to come.

Not every woman is interested in owning a top name designer purse. There are plenty of women who are perfectly content carrying purses and handbags from “lesser” brand names that still look great. Some women however, would like to carry a top brand name designer bag, but just have never been able to fit it into their budget. Resourceful ladies realize that there is more than one way to get the designer bag look they desire.

With the purse market being so very competitive, almost any company wishing to sell their product has to do their very best to put out the best product that they can. This has led to many “designer inspired” purses hitting the market which often look quite a bit like the much higher priced big name alternatives. The trade off is often in the quality of the materials used to manufacture the product, but a lot of people are willing to live with that trade in order to keep their money. Ladies choosing to follow this path can expect to have a great looking bag for a while, but should probably not expect it to hold up as well as a much more expensive designer bag. These bags are not cheap or illegal copies sold on street corners. Rather, they are bags produced by legitimate companies who use the top designer styles as an inspiration for their purse and handbag designs.

There are also people who still want to carry only authentic designer purses. When their budgets tighten up, they sometimes discover another market that they never previously considered. There is a significant market for gently used designer purses. These are bags, that for one reason or another, are being sold on sites like eBay by their original owners. Sometimes sellers are motivated by needing money more than they need their purse collection, and sometimes they just want to change up the accessories they are carrying. Whatever the reason, they provide a wonderful opportunity for second hand shoppers to score great deals on beautiful, high quality designer bags that often have been treated with extreme care by the original owner.

There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of years about how tough the economy has become. Some people have chosen to do what they have to in order to get by. Ladies who love to carry great bags are finding ways to get what they want without going broke.

A black leather shoulder bag comes complete with a nice sturdy strap so you can spread the weight of what is in your bag over your shoulders. This means that you can carry a lot more than just your normal small items, you can carry a laptop or files and even a lot of food shopping. When you are looking to buy a leather shoulder bag, there are several things that you should look out for. Leather is a very widely used material, and this is because it is such a great material for so many applications. The material is not only very durable, but it gets better with age to look at and feel.

Leather is a classy and sophisticated item to have, and a lot of companies even try and make leather look aged to give it more appeal. Make sure that when you are buying a leather good you go for the best that your budget will allow. Make sure that the leather is good quality, but also make sure that the bag is well put together. You should look for a good design with strong stitching, especially around the load bearing areas such as where the zips and straps are. A good quality bag should last you a long time.

Make sure, when you are looking for a comfortable to carry bag, which is just that. The strap should be padded and enable you to carry heavy loads with ease. While a leather shoulder bag will be a functional item, it doesn’t mean it should be boring. Look for a design that you like and you’ll be pleased to use your bag all of the time. There are lots of designer brands out there. These are great if you can afford them, but you can still get a great looking, well made bag if you opt for own or cheaper brands. Just look for a style and design that suits you and you will have a great bag that you will use again and again.

The appeal to own the hobo-bag continues to be one that never ends. The Bohemian or Hobo-Chic look has been around since as far back as the sixties. Many a die-hard hippie is still drawn to a frumpy curved bag when they see them. Currently, they are quite detailed with rivets, straps, buckles and other embellishments. However, the curves and frump hold true to their intent, which was a casual look, but could hold a ton and compliment most outfits.

Many of the Hobo Bags of the sixties and seventies were made of cloth. leather, or hemp. Patchwork was one of the favorites for some time and wore well with the peasant style blouses and bell-bottom jeans that had fabrics sewn in a side seam or applique patch. Then the hemp bags appeared and very quickly out-shined patchwork bags. They came in all sizes and worked with all outfits. The light straw brown was the most popular for many. You could really show off a lot of the peace sign pins and other hippie time emblems by attaching them to the strap or the bag. They held a ton of personal items, but if you got the right size, it doubled as a book bag.

Leather hobo-bags were more popular with those who were into the hippie clothing from head to toe. A leather vest with fringe, a peasant style blouse and a pair of wide bell-bottoms was topped off with a dark brown leather bag that hung with long fringe. They did come in various sizes, but the elongated rectangle was readily available.

As designers reinvented the bag each year, it evolved from the plain brown leather, patchwork, or hemp, to spectacular frumpy classy fun. Hemp is still popular, but now the leathers are bright colored and the embellishments outlandish. The Hobo Skull bags being one of the more popular for teens and bikers now come with buckles, applique, rivets and the skull and bones. The bigger bags the starlets love are spacious, frumpy bags that will hold a days worth of shopping, diapering and tons of other goodies.

The hobo bag will continue to be reinvented year after year to provide its end user the casual frump they have come to love, but in sizes and style befitting all ages. Sizes, materials and embellishments may change, but the hobo bag is here to stay.

Handbag Styles

A handbag is a handbag right? Wrong! There are many different styles out there. Here’s a quick look at the most popular styles right now.

The Shoulder Bags

With the exception of clutches and handheld bags (bags with handles too small or short to be worn over the shoulder), most handbags fit into this category. Every woman should have at least one shoulder bag in her wardrobe. They’re practical (but that doesn’t mean that can’t be stylish!) and come in handy on shopping trips, out running errands or for the office. They free up your hands to carry other items.

Here are examples of shoulder bags:

Hobo bags: A crescent-shaped, usually unstructured bag. But that’s not always the case. Modern variations include more structured hobo bags, drawstring hobos, skinny styles, even square hobos and bucket hobos.

Totes: Totes are roomy bags, usually rectangular with single or double straps. Totes are available in structured and unstructured styles.

Satchels: Satchel bags are typically small to medium-sized zip-top bags that usually wider than long. They can be structured or unstructured and have shoulder straps or be hand-held. Hand-held satchels are often referred to as bowler bags, like the and the

Barrel Bag: Like the name implies, a barrel bag is cylindrical and resembles a barrel turned on its side, often with a long, thin shoulder strap.

Flap-enclosure bags: Flap style shoulder bags have a flap enclosure that folds over, typically about midway down the front of the bag, with a clasp, turn-key, snap, or other fastener. Check out the Flatiron long shoulder bag.

Cinched and Drawstring bags: The cinched or drawstring bag is a fun variation of the shoulder bag. They gather at the top in place of a flap or zip top. The Bulga Brown leather ‘Krystal’ cinched bag and the Christian Dior black lambskin ‘Cannage’ quilted large tote are examples.

Quilted bags: Quilted leather bags are a popular leather handbag style that incorporates the quilted texture into fine leather, like the Balenciaga (pictured below) ivory quilted goatskin “Matelasse” small bag.

It can be mind boggling while shopping for a handbag. I hope this shoulder bag guide is helpful. Happy shopping!

Today designer purse are all the rage and are desired by many women for their chic and stylish appearance. However, the cost of many of these purses can range from several hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. Which has opened up the door for both designer inspired purses and counterfeit purses. In fact, there is an entire industry being built around both. Of course there are several major distinctions between the two industries.

Designer inspired purses are not fakes, they are simply designed around the hot trends being set by famous designer brands. These are commonly referred to as knock-off or replica purse. Whatever term you prefer, they come in some incredible styles and in many cases most people can’t tell the difference between a designer purse and a replica.

Of course there is the other side to this market. There are unscrupulous merchants who sell fake designer purses, without making it clear to the consumer that they are actually buying a purse that isn’t the genuine thing. This can be very upsetting to many women who for instance, thought they were buying a real Prada purse, when in fact it is a counterfeit one.

Purse designers have become very proactive at trying to stop these practices by filing lawsuits and creating websites to help consumers report any merchants who have sold them a fake purse. Not only do these fake purses cut into the profits of the designers, but the poor quality of the counterfeit purses reflects poorly on them as well, since many people can’t tell the difference.

Another way these designers are fighting back is by stitching their purses with authenticity codes inside each purse or including a certificate of authenticity with each purse. This helps to ensure to the consumer that the purse is in fact made by the designer and meets their high quality standards.

While the market for fake purses is booming both in North America and overseas, it will take a combined effort from both the designers and consumer. Once both parties have tired of being victimized, the backlash may help to significantly reduce the sale of counterfeit purses around the world.

The kind of luggage you use says a lot about you. Whether it’s a beat up old suitcase or an elegantly crafted piece of art, you can be sure that people around you are making judgments about your personality based on the kind of luggage you use. Does your beat up old suitcase really put your best foot forward?

If you have to travel frequently; chances are you don’t mind investing in a great piece of luggage. The right luggage will last you a lifetime and will never need replacing! With the right kind of luggage, you need never worry about packing again. Having great luggage removes some of the stress associated with travel, and leaves you more time to get on with having a great time.

There is a lot to be said about genuine leather luggage. People have been using it for years and for many, there is just no alternative to the quality and style of a great leather duffle bag. The world’s top designers know this and you can see by the many designer leather bags and cases that leather is widely considered to be the highest caliber of luggage. Leather has always been synonymous with style, elegance and luxury. Maybe it’s time to include some of that in your travels too?

The advantages of leather include:

- Good looks: Nowadays it’s possible to have leather luggage in whatever color or style you want! Duffel bags have the remarkable ability to turn heads.
- Strength: Many duffel bags come with a lifetime guarantee. Robust, sturdy and durable.
- It ages well: Good quality leather is a bit like a fine wine, it gets better with age. Your well worn leather duffel will look just as good in a few years time!
- Timelessness: Leather bags give an impression of timeless style. They’ve been popular for decades, and show no sign of losing popularity any time soon.

Many travelers worry about the cost of genuine luggage. It doesn’t need to be an extravagant Louis Vuiton leather tote bag to experience the benefits of owning quality luggage. There are all kinds of leather bags on either end of the price scale. The superbly crafted luggage with a lifetime guarantee might come with a hefty price tag, but some of the fakes on the market are so realistic that you can’t tell it is a fake until you sniff it.

What was once reserved only for elite travelers is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a bit of time to spare. And the selection is endless. Leather luggage comes in every imaginable shape, size and color. Spend some time browsing the

A duffel bag is the quintessential luggage item. The kind of luggage that others admire, that is always the right size and is comfortable to carry too. Once you have one, you will understand the passion that people feel for their luggage. Tell the world you have arrived with a quality leather bag, and experience the many wonderful qualities of leather for yourself!

Yes, size does matter, very much so, especially when it comes to designer handbags! The lifestyle you lead will probably define the size of the handbag that you carry. But the real question is whether you are carrying the correct handbag size that is right for you? If you belong to the younger generation, the teenager or if you are the mother of a teenager, you must already be knowing that the teenagers know exactly what they want – in every sphere of their lives – how much ever ridiculous that may sound! So when it comes to buying a handbag for your teenage daughter, although a small sized handbag is a safe bet, it is still highly advisable that you consult your daughter before buying one. And if they have a choice, then you are lucky! Most definitely stick to their choice and you will be a winner!

Now what’s with the young ladies and extremely small purses? You see these purses everywhere – on the dance floors, in the restaurants, with an elegant evening dress and a small handbag in the size of a peanut. Does it really help? A handbag so small that it would hardly carry a lipstick let alone your wallet or other feminine essentials! Do we really need such incredibly small handbags? Aren’t these more of a fashion statement to the extent of causing probable inconvenience? Well handbags are personal accessories and are strictly of personal choice, but may be you would want to rethink those purses that can’t even hold a lipstick properly!

Next are the moms. Ladies you all are doing a great job out there! Raising your little ones, balancing family and work is never an easy task. The last thing in your mind is probably your handbag! Handbag? What handbag? I have my diaper bag – is what that’s crossing your mind right now! And even if you are thinking in terms of a handbag or a purse you are probably thinking ‘big’! Yes the purse should be big enough to hold let’s see – the diapers, the diapers, the diapers and yes may be the wallet and some more baby stuff. Yes there are some really cute diaper bags out there now, designer ones, trendy ones, but believe me you need to break out from the diaper bag syndrome. The occasional outings that you have with your husband, the family gathering or the evening parties, give off your diaper bag or huge handbag for a nice chic small handbag. Large enough to carry your feminine essentials and your wallet but small enough to go with your style and not overpower you – that’s the million dollar handbag mantra for the moms.

Womanhood is a beauty chosen by God for the lucky ones on this earth. You are a mother, a daughter and a grandmother but you will always be a woman. Celebrate womanhood the best way you can and in style. If that means that you choose the right size handbag to accentuate your beauty and grace then so be it!