Pocket Book Chat

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.

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.

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.

A suede purse is the perfect fashion accessory today and it has become a dream possession of every fashion conscious woman. However, since the suede leather is created from the lower layer of the lambskin leather, it tends t get dirty very easily as it absorbs dirt and moisture at a rapid rate. To avoid such problems with your suede handbags and prolong their life, you must follow some simple steps to ensure that you are taking good care of them. With proper regular care, you will be able to use your favorite suede handbags for many seasons to come.

You will require a few important things to take care of your favorite suede handbag. To clean and protect your handbags from dirt and moisture, you will require a suede brush, suede protector, suede cleaner and a hard rubber eraser. It is best to buy a suede cleaner and water repellent along with your suede handbag to ensure good care of your new handbag from the very beginning. You will need to spray two layers of the suede protector on your handbag to ensure proper protection. It is advisable that you complete this procedure on the outside and in the absence of strong wind, so that your suede handbag easily absorbs the protector liquid.

For the daily care of your handbag, you can brush it gently with the suede brush to keep away dust and other particulate matter from the surface of the bag. However, do remember to brush in one direction only. Multi-directional brush strokes will damage the texture of your suede handbag. If possible, read the instruction booklet that every manufacturer provides with their suede handbags, which contains instructions about the proper brushing technique to maintain your handbag’s condition.

The most important aspect that you must consider while taking care of suede handbags, is that you must keep them dry. Moisture harms the texture and softness of suede, damaging your handbag considerably. If you wish to clean stains off your suede handbag, you can use the hard rubber eraser to rub off the stain off its surface. Under no circumstances, should you use soap on your handbag. Always remember to stuff paper in it when you want to keep it in storage so that it is able to retain its original shape. These are the few simple steps, which you must follow to take good care of your suede handbag.

I discovered black hobo purses and really like the way they look.” This type of bag is so very popular that when I began to look for this type of bag in the higher end online shopping sites, some of them had the sad sign that we girls never want to see called, SOLD OUT! Wow! Who would’ve thought that these hobo bags were in such demand?

Let’s talk about what hobo purses look like, in case you are wondering and are not familiar with the term “hobo purses.”

Hobo bags are one of the main types of handbags similar to the tote and clutch, and it is what some have described as “arm candy.” You know, similar to what people characterize other people when they think they are beautiful to behold. Well, if you are designer leather handbag fan, you will love the black hobo.

It is described as a style of handbag or purse that is usually large in diameter with a crescent shape, (similar to a half-moon), a slouchy posture (baggy) and a long strap designed to wear over the shoulder if you like. Hobo bags are usually made out of soft, flexible materials (leather is preferable if you can afford it) and tend to slump, or slouch, when you put them down on a surface.

I also discovered that famous celebrities such as Jessica Simpson has her own line of Hobo purses and you can find those on Amazon.com to purchase. Make sure you ask the right questions. If someone is selling a supposedly black hobo that is a designer handbag out of the back of a van, you will get what you pay for and it won’t be quality!

As I have discussed in other articles, the way to know the difference is if the designer label is exactly as it should be (study this) with no details missing. And, you can usually tell by the, uh, price! If the bag is under one hundred dollars, well, you are probably looking at a hobo purse(s) that is manufactured (a copy, a replica, a knock-off) NOT handmade by hours and hours of manpower. That is the secret to what makes a designer leather handbag such as a black hobo, so darn expensive. It is the detailed work and handmade love that go into each purse. Have you ever gotten a bag that its zipper didn’t work? Or they stuck when you tried to close your bag? Or the zipper broke easily? Or your zipper might rip or be difficult to slide if you carry too much stuff? This is very hard to do with a handmade designer leather handbag that is a true handmade hobo purse.

Over its 90 year history, Gucci has had an unruly history. And yet has it has continued to grow as one of the most powerful fashion labels across the world.

Continuous in-fighting afflicted the company from day one and this was finally ended when Maurizio Gucci took sole control of Gucci in the 1980’s.

But come the 1990’s and the company was in financial trouble. Maurizo was forced to sell his stake in Gucci which set off a fight over the company by a range of interest groups. Once the dust had settled, Gucci was finally able to focus on its core business of fashion.

In 2007, Gucci produced over $7.5 billion in revenue.

Fantastic Fashion Handbags

Handbags are one of the most famous Gucci products. First produced in 1947, the Gucci bamboo handle handbag is one of the company’s most famous products and is still one of its mainstays.

A more recent handbag produced by the company is the ‘Aviatrix’ large boston handbag. With pebbled leather trim, goldtone hardware, gold Gucci lock crest closure, the sand and burgundy bag is symbol of luxury fashion.

If you are looking for a modern statement, then the red leather ‘Snow Glam’ hobo is an obvious choice. The red, black and white textured patent leather purse will ensure that heads will turn. It features interlocking Gucci fabric lining with interior zip, patch and cell phone pockets.

For those with a traditional taste, the white leather ‘Signoria’ bowler bag is a stylish addition to any wardrobe. With gorgeous and rich supple, pebbled leather, the bag features a zip top closure, horsebit buckles and logo engraved ends caps it is a prestige handbag.

If you are looking for a very Gucci handbag, then the toffee suede ‘Royal’ large tote handbag is it. It has smooth suede leather trim, two-way zip closure and polished goldtone. It is a fantastic modern addition to any wardrobe.

You’ve shelled out the big bucks to get the great designer handbag. If you’ve been shopping smart, you’ve bought a classic looking bag that should stand the test of time. In fact, there isn’t any reason you shouldn’t be able to pass down your handbags to your children, provide they are well cared for.

However, you might be wondering how exactly one goes about caring for high end handbags. Since these are luxury goods, you don’t want to toss them into the washer and hope for the best. Proper care must be taken to give these handbags the longest life-span possible.

The best way to keep your bag clean is basic regular maintenance. When you first get your bag, applying scotch guard will help give the bag a protective coating that will help the bag resist liquids and other spills. Wipe dirt and dust off your bag with a duster. To help your bag keep its shape, stuff it with cloth or bubble wrap to keep it safe in storage. Be sure to cover your bag in storage to prevent dust from sticking to the surface. Overfilling your bag will also cause it to loose shape, so try to keep the load reasonable. If your bag gets wet, air dry it. Never use a blow dryer or anything else to dry a bag.

If you have a leather purse, you’ll want to invest in some good leather treatment equipment. Using a soft brush and leather conditioning cream will help your bag last. Suede bags can be rejuvenated by means of a suede brush. Fabric bags can be kept fresh by running a lint roller over the surface.

If worst comes to worse, it might be worth seeking out a professional handbag cleaner. These professionals can remove tough stains and perform serious repairs if needed. These handbag cleaners can be real lifesaver in the event of some serious handbag damage.

Overall, keeping a handbag maintained isn’t rocket science. Just use common sense, and follow the above tips to help keep your handbag looking as good as the day you bought it.