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We need our bags

2010-02-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

We need our bags. We look for designs that not only reflect our tastes but also accommodate our specialized and ever-changing needs. The industry rises to the challenge, providing us with new or at least new and specialized functionality, to hold and protect our recreational gear, our change of clothes, the tools of our trades, our new electronic appliances.

Bags are the perfect perk at every price point because, as George Carlin says, everyone needs a place to put their stuff.

Even the most inexpensive bag is coveted by the underbagged -- a canvas or vinyl tote is a cherished take-away at conventions and trade shows, not to mention that it is the only promotional item which is still visible after everything else has been tucked away inside of it.

Ultracool design scene

2010-02-03T06:06:00.000-05:00

Their company, Revamp Productions, pays "homage to the best of the best in pop culture," said Perkins, who met Manyer when the two were working for Walt Disney Co. They started the company from their Costa Mesa garages a year and a half ago.

Revamp remains small (the women decline to say what sales are) but has become part of Orange County's ultracool design scene, which includes apparel maker Paul Frank Industries Inc., shoe designer George Esquivel and pop artist Shag.

Sport line bags

2010-02-03T00:22:00.000-05:00

"We've expanded our sport line dramatically," he says, "and a number of bags, like our swim bag, will feature multiple fabrics. This is a new direction for us, and it reflects a trend in the industry."

Durable, lightweight fabrics developed for the recreational industry are becoming crossover staples for bags that "go both ways." Leading the charge is microfiber, which is showing up everywhere in backpacks and luggage as well as accessories like travel kits and cell phone cases.

Smaller boutiques

2010-02-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

"The trend is occurring worldwide primarily because of capital - smaller boutiques don't have the resources to maintain the current market, and their parent companies have eyes of growing bigger," said Brian Ring, an analyst with Ernst & Young LLP in Century City.

That trend is exacerbated in Beverly Hills because of the high rents, particularly in push corridors like Rodeo Drive.

"There are only four or five privately owned, individual entrepreneurs left on Rodeo Drive, compared to 25 years ago when the only major tenants were Van Cleef & Arpels and Gucci. They're getting phased out because of the rents, and are moving to the side streets," said Gilmore Dembo, broker and president of real estate brokerage Dembo & Associates in Beverly Hills.

Sleek bag

2010-02-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

The sleek bag is made with teal green vinyl, the same material used in 1950s cars and diner booths. It has four chrome bullet feet, like the ones found on old hot rod license plate holders. It's lined with a shimmery, silver vintage fabric. "This is why," she said, showing off the bag. "It's the closest I'll ever come to being an artist. I can't paint. But to me, this is my paint and brush."

Rodeo Drive

2010-02-01T10:26:00.000-05:00

"Rodeo Drive is so unhip, so bland, with no personality. It's very sad to see Beverly Hills go corporate, but people don't agree with me," said Leaf, who will retain a role as a special event consultant for the company.

But the change in the city's retail landscape was inevitable, say analysts, who point out that designers around the country are increasingly taking charge of their formerly franchised boutiques.

Rethinking of straps

2010-01-31T04:31:00.000-05:00

Yet another trend being pushed by consumer demand is a rethinking of straps. Manufacturers are offering new, more ergonomic strap configurations, especially single straps such as the cross-body strap. Top industry supplier Norwood's Air-Tex bag line, for instance, has three different carriers -- a courier-style briefcase, a backpack and a hip pack -- all designed with a strap that can be worn across the chest, says Air-Tex Marketing Manager Laura Gaulke.

"The cross-body styles almost become a garment," she says. "These are bags that really are 'wearables' because, essentially, you wear them, which gives you two free hands and better freedom of movement than carrying a bag by a strap. They're especially great if you're in a hurry."

Promotional products

2010-01-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

A frenzy of creativity brings PPDs replete with new features and rich in functionality.

The promotional products industry has come along way since Jasper Meek kicked the whole thing off by printing advertising on the sides of burlap school in the late 1800s.

Since then, promotional products have expanded into every imaginable realm of merchandise, from electronics to wearables. But it would be a mistake to give short shrift to the industry segment that started it all. Bags, packs and totes are every bit as practical and even more desirable than they were 120 years ago.

It is a market sector driven by innovation and imagination, as manufacturers struggle to distinguish themselves in one or more niches of what has become a highly fragmented market. There now is a (or a suite of bags) for every season, every event, every lifestyle.

Prada

2010-01-29T02:16:00.000-05:00

Prada latest boutique to go corporate - Prada storeLos Angeles Business Journal, Dec 7, 1998 by Nola L. Sarkisian

After nine years of owning and running the Prada store in Beverly Hills, entrepreneur Judy Leaf is hanging up her handbag.

Among the last of the independent owners of designer boutiques in Beverly Hills, Leaf has cut short her 11-year franchise agreement and is selling the Brighton Way shop back to Prada owner I.P.I. in Milan. The deal comes on the stiletto heels of two other boutique sales in Beverly Hills: Gianni Versace and Polo Ralph Lauren shops were snatched back by their parents in April and June, respectively.

Prada sportswear

2010-01-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

The 85-year-old I.P., who minimalist Prada sportswear comes with maximum pricing - from $450 cashmere sweaters to $1,140 bamboo-handled purses - is trying to bolster its U.S. image. The company opened a 5.000-square-foot men's store on Rodeo Drive three months ago, and plans to expand it to a 15,000-square-foot emporium next year that will include footwear, women's ready-to-wear and a juniors' collection called Miu Miu.

Leaf, whose maverick 1,500-square-foot boutique was the only Prada franchise in the United States, believes I.P.I. will close her store after the expansion. Prada officials could not be reached for comment. She bitterly opposes the change of location.

Personal expression in purses

2010-01-27T16:40:00.000-05:00

Or consider the recent return of the 60s look. Here an entire style of the past has been adopted wholesale. Virtual fashion, Ferraro calls it, an attempt to simulate a bygone era.

This stylistic chaos is a boon to psychological health. "It's an opportunity for individuals to be themselves, to develop themselves, and to express themselves," says Ferraro.

Granted, clothing has always provided an outlet for personal expression. But when fashion designers and style trends dictate what we wear, we're not really expressing our own selves but adopting a prepackaged persona. It really boils down to one question: Can you buy your self, which is what fashion is, or can you be your self?

Prada founder Mario Prada

2010-01-27T06:12:00.000-05:00

Leaf said she decided to sell because of pressure by I.P.I. chief Patrizio Bertelli, husband of designer Miuccia Prada (who is the granddaughter of Prada founder Mario Prada).

"Prada wanted to have complete control of the stores. (Bertelli) started buying them back several years ago because he said he was a control freak," she said. "He kept asking me to sell and I wasn't about to. He finally made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

Outstanding features of fashion

2010-01-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

In reality, one of the most outstanding features of fashion is that "it's not some terrible, monolithic thing," insists Steele. "There's no monster of fashion oppressing women." Nor is there a single meaning to it. It's complex, embodying clashing viewpoints. Even the incessant shifting of fashion has enormous aesthetic and psychological value. "Change makes you see anew," notes Steele.

It removes the "eye dust" that tends to settle over us. Who knows--the next thing you may hear is evolutionary psychologists declaring a neurological basis for fashion's shiftiness.

Fashion brings a great deal of pleasure that makes it valuable to lots of people," says Steele. "That's why it's lasted and even flourished despite many attacks."

Perkins and Manyer

2010-01-26T05:37:00.000-05:00

Perkins and Manyer didn't meet until three years ago while working for Disney. "We have the same eye," Perkins said. "If there's 12 pieces of fabrics on the wall, her first three favorites and mine are the same."

So the two decided to launch their company. But they didn't want to go with anything average.

After all, Perkins drives a 1954 opalescent green Cadillac, has fuchsia hair, cropped straight bangs and often wears a giant bow headband. On a recent day, she donned a bowling shirt that said "Dot" on the breast and a black-and-white polka-dot skirt.

Mod style

2010-01-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

Confused? That's exactly the point, contends psychologist Thomas Ferraro, Ph.D. He insists that in its stunning incoherence, fashion is expressing the information overload unleashed by the digital revolution. "Generation X's sense of time is now so fragmented that they are randomly appropriating fashions of the 50s, 609, and 70s as a way of seeking meaning during confusing times."

Luxury handbags

2010-01-24T18:06:00.000-05:00

"Accessible luxury" leader Coach is benefiting from the down economy as fashion plates favor $200 Coach bags over $650 Prada purses. The retailer saw comp sales jump 25.5 percent in its third quarter ending June 30, and expects to grow its store count by 16 percent (25 stores) this year. Coach currently has a 19 percent share of the U.S. market for luxury handbags.

Owners of A-class malls that don't already have a Coach should take note, says Morgan Stanley's Brian McGough. He says Coach could open 100 new stores by 2007, and he has identified 125 A malls, mostly in the Southeast and southwestern U.S., that Coach might target.

Jewelry and accessory

2010-01-23T05:17:00.000-05:00

Manyer, who drives a 1962 Ford Meteor, recently sported a red T-shirt, a hot pink blazer with a giant flower on the breast and a hair clip with a plastic police car. On her arm and leg are tattoos.

One way Revamp gets its looks is by working with Los Angeles-based jewelry and accessory maker Eldorado Club International, which created charms popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Revamp is using some of those same molds for trinkets on its purses and for its upcoming line of charms. "We believe life should be a show--not just average," Perkins said. "It should be a production."

Louis Vuitton

2010-01-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

"The boutique is still there - the only difference is behind the scenes, and the changes are minimal," said Michaels, who operates luggage purveyor Louis Vuitton. "The idea is that you want to control the point of sale and want customer service that's offered consistently throughout the company stores."

Michaels and his family, who owned a luggage store on Beverly Drive 15 years ago, entered a partnership with Vuitton in 1982 and sold back their interest about nine years ago. Next September, the nearly 4,000-square-foot store will relocate a quarter-block away to the 12,000-square-foot space that was once home to the Fred Hayman boutique.

Hand-made creations

2010-01-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Hand-made creations from Revamp, which sell for $100 to $450 at about 20 upscale boutiques, are sported by Reese Witherspoon in "Legally Blonde 2" and Sarah Jessica Parker in "Sex and the City." Other celebrity fans include new wave pioneer Nina Hagen and Kelly Osbourne.

"They really have a niche in the market," said handbag maker Edwin Sanchez of Los Angeles-based Armandi, which does work for Revamp. "The styles they're bringing back are so unique. They have a good eye."

Italian designs for women

2010-01-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

Meanwhile, Gucci will open its 14,000-square-foot Rodeo Drive flagship on Dec. 15. Versace opened its 9,500-square-foot store in May. Hermes increased its shop ten-fold by expanding into an 18,000-square-foot monolith one year ago. Tommy Hilfiger made its fashionable entrance with a 23,000-square-foot store last year.

Max Marra, which sells Italian designs for women, opened last month on Rodeo with 3,500 square feet. And Italian shoe designer Sergio Rossi will appear with a 1,500-square-foot store next September. Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and St. John's are eyeballing space on Rodeo Drive as well. The deeper pockets of these corporate owners increase the strength of the local business community, Michaels said.

"The Polo store was not a part of the Rodeo Drive Committee as a franchisee. But when it was purchased, they came on board," Michaels said. "We welcome and need them."

Handbag tells its own story

2010-01-21T07:21:00.000-05:00

Each handbag--there are 14 styles--tells its own story and is numbered for authenticity.

The Fury, a pair of pointy-toed shoes and matching handbag, represent high rollers of 1950s Las Vegas (Perkins' favorite haunt). Its hangtag reads "sharp wit, sharp edged and always full of style."

The Sands, a purse, features original dice, playing cards and casino chips from the former Sands in Las Vegas. There's also the Sweet Tart, Dirty Martini, Bloody Mary and Double Down, to name a few.

"We like the idea of taking the old and revamping it and making it funky," Perkins said. "We don't just look at it as a handbag."

Handbag collector

2010-01-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

Manyer and Perkins said they are sticklers for craftsmanship, reflected by the use of fabrics that cost $100 a yard, or more than 10 times that of everyday fabrics. "They're not an everyday bag," said Khani-Jo Zuhi, owner of Zulu Tatoo & Eclectic Boutique in Los Angeles. "The quality is amazing. They're more like handbags for a handbag collector."

Revamp's purses and matching shoes all are made by hand in Southern California. Perkins said things will stay that way, even as Revamp grows.

The partners took a lesson on quality from their personal collection of vintage purses. Manyer said they "sacrificed a few" to see "what their guts were made of." Apparel dissection is nothing new for these two.

Grunge look

2010-01-19T17:02:00.000-05:00

As the role of fashion expands, Ferraro finds it increasingly important to ask: What latent meaning does a particular trend convey about contemporary culture?

Take the grunge look, where the goal was to appear as if you had dressed in complete darkness. "Grunge expressed hopelessness and confusion," Ferraro insists, pointing to the style's incorporation of disparate fashion elements like goatees and flannel shirts.

Fashion is no longer the F-word

2010-01-19T08:13:00.000-05:00

Clothes are the most intimate objects we own," says Steele, now chief curator of New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, which houses one of the premier fashion collections in the United States. "They are closely associated with identity, or as much of it as we choose to reveal. It is futile to deny that." What's more, fashion is a "signifying system" that can be interpreted, albeit with great caution.

The upshot is that "fashion is no longer the `F-word' in intellectual circles," says Steele. In fact, she considers it such a revealing window into history, psychology, and culture that she has founded a new academic journal to rip open the blinds. It's called Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture, and the quarterly debuted this spring. (Published in England, it is available by subscription only.

Fashion design and costume history

2010-01-18T03:07:00.000-05:00

Perkins also went to London after high school (though they still didn't know each other). She studied fashion design and costume history, and worked for nightclubs booking hotels and making arrangements for featured bands, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction.

She also worked at London's Angels & Bermans costume house, where she helped create getups for films such as "Immortal Beloved" and the TV show "Absolutely Fabulous."

Fashion associated with women

2010-01-17T02:47:00.000-05:00

So why do we continue to disparage fashion? Some of the fury at fashion, says Steele, reflects anti-female bias. "Fashion has been highly associated with women only for the past 200 years, during which time men have been largely confined to a `uniform'--the suit. But throughout history, men were at least as fashion--conscious and as body-emphasizing as females."

Fashion is also dismissed because of the "almost philosophical idea that clothing is material." In other words, it is not spiritual or intellectual.

Dynamics of fashion

2010-01-16T08:53:00.000-05:00

Fashion, Steele insists, is just dripping with meaning. But with a speed that is either enjoyed as part of its charm or invoked as evidence of its depravity the meaning of fashion never stays the same for long. And unlike most other disciplines, "there's no `there' there," says Steele. "The meaning of fashion is totally dependent on context."

Indeed, the very dynamics of fashion change--where changes start, what sets them in motion, how they spread, and what that reveals about aesthetics, psychology, the social order, the economy--are as worthy of study as the quirkiness of quarks.

Cultural developments in handbags

2010-01-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

Fashion, of course, has always reflected cultural developments. But recent shifts are putting more on fashion's back.

According to the Long Island psychoanalyst, fashion is increasingly carrying American purpose, mores, and ideology." Today's stylistic chaos is a sign that individuals are escaping the grip of institutions, like church, family, and government, that keep tight control of our identity.

The speed and quantity of information has collapsed our sense of history and tradition, contends Ferraro. "We can no longer acquire values and meaning in everyday experience." Untethered from the familiar moorings of time, not to mention religion and community, individuals have no choice but to attach themselves to their own bodies and self-images."

Definition of fashion

2010-01-15T03:06:00.000-05:00

But over the past two decades, she says, the body has emerged as an object central to behavior, to our drive for meaning, and to the structure and function of society And so that which is in close contact with the body--fashion--has finally begun to receive attention from artists and intellectuals.

Corporate side of bags

2010-01-14T05:12:00.000-05:00

On the corporate side, the ubiquitous black polyester softside (flight bag, carry-on, briefcases, pack) is still king of the world (albeit jazzed up with new features), but it is slowly giving way to bursts of color that seem to reflect the more casual sensibilities of the new decade. This year's bags are offered in a few new colors, including straps and detailing in contrasting colors.

On the same note, one trend just beginning to emerge this year is the popularity of multiple-fabric construction. While the top sellers in almost every line are still web-handled polyester weaves, more and more new bags in every category are constructed from two or even three or more fabrics, including molded rubber bottoms, leather bottoms, leather trim, and a plethora of mesh pockets, both inside and outside of bags. And the trend is just beginning, says Russ Rowan, director of product development for Toppers, based in Thorofare, N.J.

Corporate ownership

2010-01-12T22:24:00.000-05:00

Monthly rents on Rodeo Drive are $15 to $18 per square foot, compared to nearby Canon Drive at $3.50 and Beverly Drive at $4, Dembo said. The holdouts include David Orgell, Theodore and Lucy Zahran.

"Managers ... have an interest in the business. but it's not their business. They rely on corporations to tell them what to do," said Ali Soltani, whose family bought gift-shop David Orgell on Rodeo Drive in 1989 from the Orgell family. But those who have already made the transition to corporate ownership say the change makes little difference to consumers. In fact, the only thing they notice is that inventories and choices tend to get bigger, said Run Michaels, president of the Rodeo Drive Committee, an 85-member merchant organization.

Clothing associated with vanity

2010-01-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

What's more, Steele cites "a moralistic subtext" in which clothing is associated not only with vanity but with duplicitousness. Besides the moral objections are the Marxist ones. In this way of thinking, fashion comes under attack as a way of validating class distinctions and as a slyly crafted means of enslaving the consumer.

And last but not least is a kind of abdication of all responsibility or concern about fashion--even though most of us participate in the fashion system every single day This is especially--but not exclusively--true of men, says Steele, "who are apt to disown any interest in fashion with a dismissive `my wife picked out my tie."'

Cool fabrics and retro clothes

2010-01-12T07:48:00.000-05:00

Manyer, who went to high school in Huntington Beach, and Perkins, who grew up in L.A. and Orange County, made their own clothes as teens in the mid-1980s (they didn't know each other then).

They both "lived for vintage stores," where they would scout for cool fabrics and retro clothes. While Manyer took apart shoes, Perkins cut up dresses and sewed pieces together to create new looks.

'The same eye' Manyer, who lived in London for 10 years after high school, worked as a freelance costume designer for musicians, including Squeeze, English Beat and Elton John.

Attractive choices in bags

2010-01-11T05:40:00.000-05:00

This is no secret to the businesses of the New Economy, which are very open to bags for both inexpensive (but impressive) perks for large-scale promotions, and also for more exclusive promotions featuring high-quality, often brand-name bags of all sorts -- from luggage to briefcases.

At both ends of the scale, customers seek a mix of style and function -- items that not only get attention, but get used as well.

The good news is, there are more attractive choices in bags than ever before. Manufacturers are in the midst of a frenzy of creativity, and the market is replete with cleverly-designed bags, packs, luggage, and totes, rich with new features and functionality.

Air-Tex's cross-body bags

2010-01-10T04:06:00.000-05:00

Because everybody is in a hurry these days, Air-Tex's cross-body bags are crossovers designed to appeal to both the sport and corporate markets, Gaulke says.

Which bring us to the biggest trend of all -- a pervasive blurring of the lines between corporate, travel, and sport bags. One reason is the prevalence of business casual dress, a trend that has brought sport or active clothing into the workplace, and, along with it, sportier corporate bags.

The trend is so pervasive that most of the bags mentioned in this article can and will do double- or even triple-duty for work, school and play -- and that's no accident, says Air-Tex's Gaulke. Like most of the industry, Air-Tex counts on creating at least some pieces in every line that will fit into both markets.

A bag for all seasons!

2008-02-10T12:03:00.000-05:00

A frenzy of creativity brings PPDs replete with new features and rich in functionality

The promotional products industry has come along way since Jasper Meek kicked the whole thing off by printing advertising on the sides of burlap school in the late 1800s.
Since then, promotional products have expanded into every imaginable realm of merchandise, from electronics to wearables. But it would be a mistake to give short shrift to the industry segment that started it all. Bags, packs and totes are every bit as practical and even more desirable than they were 120 years ago.

It is a market sector driven by innovation and imagination, as manufacturers struggle to distinguish themselves in one or more niches of what has become a highly fragmented market. There now is a (or a suite of bags) for every season, every event, every lifestyle.
We need our bags. We look for designs that not only reflect our tastes but also accommodate our specialized and ever-changing needs. The industry rises to the challenge, providing us with new or at least new and specialized functionality, to hold and protect our recreational gear, our change of clothes, the tools of our trades, our new electronic appliances.

Bags are the perfect perk at every price point because, as George Carlin says, everyone needs a place to put their stuff.

Even the most inexpensive bag is coveted by the underbagged -- a canvas or vinyl tote is a cherished take-away at conventions and trade shows, not to mention that it is the only promotional item which is still visible after everything else has been tucked away inside of it.
This is no secret to the businesses of the New Economy, which are very open to bags for both inexpensive (but impressive) perks for large-scale promotions, and also for more exclusive promotions featuring high-quality, often brand-name bags of all sorts -- from luggage to briefcases.

At both ends of the scale, customers seek a mix of style and function -- items that not only get attention, but get used as well.
The good news is, there are more attractive choices in bags than ever before. Manufacturers are in the midst of a frenzy of creativity, and the market is replete with cleverly-designed bags, packs, luggage, and totes, rich with new features and functionality.
New colors, new fabrications

On the corporate side, the ubiquitous black polyester softside (flight bag, carry-on, briefcases, pack) is still king of the world (albeit jazzed up with new features), but it is slowly giving way to bursts of color that seem to reflect the more casual sensibilities of the new decade. This year's bags are offered in a few new colors, including straps and detailing in contrasting colors.
On the same note, one trend just beginning to emerge this year is the popularity of multiple-fabric construction. While the top sellers in almost every line are still web-handled polyester weaves, more and more new bags in every category are constructed from two or even three or more fabrics, including molded rubber bottoms, leather bottoms, leather trim, and a plethora of mesh pockets, both inside and outside of bags. And the trend is just beginning, says Russ Rowan, director of product development for Toppers, based in Thorofare, N.J.

"We've expanded our sport line dramatically," he says, "and a number of bags, like our swim bag, will feature multiple fabrics. This is a new direction for us, and it reflects a trend in the industry."

Durable, lightweight fabrics developed for the recreational industry are becoming crossover staples for bags that "go both ways." Leading the charge is microfiber, which is showing up everywhere in backpacks and luggage as well as accessories like travel kits and cell phone cases.
Yet another trend being pushed by consumer demand is a rethinking of straps. Manufacturers are offering new, more ergonomic strap configurations, especially single straps such as the cross-body strap. Top industry supplier Norwood's Air-Tex bag line, for instance, has three different carriers -- a courier-style briefcase, a backpack and a hip pack -- all designed with a strap that can be worn across the chest, says Air-Tex Marketing Manager Laura Gaulke.
"The cross-body styles almost become a garment," she says. "These are bags that really are 'wearables' because, essentially, you wear them, which gives you two free hands and better freedom of movement than carrying a bag by a strap. They're especially great if you're in a hurry."

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Because everybody is in a hurry these days, Air-Tex's cross-body bags are crossovers designed to appeal to both the sport and corporate markets, Gaulke says.

Which bring us to the biggest trend of all -- a pervasive blurring of the lines between corporate, travel, and sport bags. One reason is the prevalence of business casual dress, a trend that has brought sport or active clothing into the workplace, and, along with it, sportier corporate bags.

The trend is so pervasive that most of the bags mentioned in this article can and will do double- or even triple-duty for work, school and play -- and that's no accident, says Air-Tex's Gaulke. Like most of the industry, Air-Tex counts on creating at least some pieces in every line that will fit into both markets.

Flying Coach - Purse Sales Increase

2005-06-28T20:32:00.000-04:00

100% Authentic Designer Handbags

"Accessible luxury" leader Coach is benefiting from the down economy as fashion plates favor $200 Coach bags over $650 Prada purses. The retailer saw comp sales jump 25.5 percent in its third quarter ending June 30, and expects to grow its store count by 16 percent (25 stores) this year. Coach currently has a 19 percent share of the U.S. market for luxury handbags.

Tod's Handbags

Owners of A-class malls that don't already have a Coach should take note, says Morgan Stanley's Brian McGough. He says Coach could open 100 new stores by 2007, and he has identified 125 A malls, mostly in the Southeast and southwestern U.S., that Coach might target.

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Mix and Match: Virtual Fashion

2005-06-27T22:54:00.000-04:00

JUST WHEN YOU'RE IN THE for a new look, the world of the hip is populated by pale faces and smudged eyes, white vinyl hip huggers and too-small sweaters, not to mention those clunky go-go boots. Mod style arrives hard on the heels of grunge--the used look of flannel shirts and baggy pants--not to mention biker chic.

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Confused? That's exactly the point, contends psychologist Thomas Ferraro, Ph.D. He insists that in its stunning incoherence, fashion is expressing the information overload unleashed by the digital revolution. "Generation X's sense of time is now so fragmented that they are randomly appropriating fashions of the 50s, 609, and 70s as a way of seeking meaning during confusing times."

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Fashion, of course, has always reflected cultural developments. But recent shifts are putting more on fashion's back.
According to the Long Island psychoanalyst, fashion is increasingly carrying American purpose, mores, and ideology." Today's stylistic chaos is a sign that individuals are escaping the grip of institutions, like church, family, and government, that keep tight control of our identity.

Tod's Handbags

The speed and quantity of information has collapsed our sense of history and tradition, contends Ferraro. "We can no longer acquire values and meaning in everyday experience." Untethered from the familiar moorings of time, not to mention religion and community, individuals have no choice but to attach themselves to their own bodies and self-images."

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As the role of fashion expands, Ferraro finds it increasingly important to ask: What latent meaning does a particular trend convey about contemporary culture?
Take the grunge look, where the goal was to appear as if you had dressed in complete darkness. "Grunge expressed hopelessness and confusion," Ferraro insists, pointing to the style's incorporation of disparate fashion elements like goatees and flannel shirts.

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Or consider the recent return of the 60s look. Here an entire style of the past has been adopted wholesale. Virtual fashion, Ferraro calls it, an attempt to simulate a bygone era.

This stylistic chaos is a boon to psychological health. "It's an opportunity for individuals to be themselves, to develop themselves, and to express themselves," says Ferraro.

Granted, clothing has always provided an outlet for personal expression. But when fashion designers and style trends dictate what we wear, we're not really expressing our own selves but adopting a prepackaged persona. It really boils down to one question: Can you buy your self, which is what fashion is, or can you be your self?

Designer Purse Strings: Retro Look

2005-06-21T23:00:00.000-04:00

Why purses? It seems a simple enough question for hip Costa Mesa handbag and shoe designers Mia Manyer and Jennifer Perkins. Manyer struggles to find the right words. She picks up one of their purses, The Deluxe. The sleek bag is made with teal green vinyl, the same material used in 1950s cars and diner booths. It has four chrome bullet feet, like the ones found on old hot rod license plate holders. It's lined with a shimmery, silver vintage fabric.
"This is why," she said, showing off the bag. "It's the closest I'll ever come to being an artist. I can't paint. But to me, this is my paint and brush."

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Each handbag--there are 14 styles--tells its own story and is numbered for authenticity.
The Fury, a pair of pointy-toed shoes and matching handbag, represent high rollers of 1950s Las Vegas (Perkins' favorite haunt). Its hangtag reads "sharp wit, sharp edged and always full of style."

The Sands, a purse, features original dice, playing cards and casino chips from the former Sands in Las Vegas. There's also the Sweet Tart, Dirty Martini, Bloody Mary and Double Down, to name a few.

"We like the idea of taking the old and revamping it and making it funky," Perkins said. "We don't just look at it as a handbag."

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Ultracool design scene
Their company, Revamp Productions, pays "homage to the best of the best in pop culture," said Perkins, who met Manyer when the two were working for Walt Disney Co. They started the company from their Costa Mesa garages a year and a half ago.

Revamp remains small (the women decline to say what sales are) but has become part of Orange County's ultracool design scene, which includes apparel maker Paul Frank Industries Inc., shoe designer George Esquivel and pop artist Shag.

Hand-made creations from Revamp, which sell for $100 to $450 at about 20 upscale boutiques, are sported by Reese Witherspoon in "Legally Blonde 2" and Sarah Jessica Parker in "Sex and the City." Other celebrity fans include new wave pioneer Nina Hagen and Kelly Osbourne.

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"They really have a niche in the market," said handbag maker Edwin Sanchez of Los Angeles-based Armandi, which does work for Revamp. "The styles they're bringing back are so unique. They have a good eye."

Manyer and Perkins said they are sticklers for craftsmanship, reflected by the use of fabrics that cost $100 a yard, or more than 10 times that of everyday fabrics. "They're not an everyday bag," said Khani-Jo Zuhi, owner of Zulu Tatoo & Eclectic Boutique in Los Angeles. "The quality is amazing. They're more like handbags for a handbag collector."
Revamp's purses and matching shoes all are made by hand in Southern California. Perkins said things will stay that way, even as Revamp grows.

The partners took a lesson on quality from their personal collection of vintage purses. Manyer said they "sacrificed a few" to see "what their guts were made of."
Apparel dissection is nothing new for these two.

Manyer, who went to high school in Huntington Beach, and Perkins, who grew up in L.A. and Orange County, made their own clothes as teens in the mid-1980s (they didn't know each other then).
They both "lived for vintage stores," where they would scout for cool fabrics and retro clothes. While Manyer took apart shoes, Perkins cut up dresses and sewed pieces together to create new looks.

'The same eye'
Manyer, who lived in London for 10 years after high school, worked as a freelance costume designer for musicians, including Squeeze, English Beat and Elton John.

Perkins also went to London after high school (though they still didn't know each other). She studied fashion design and costume history, and worked for nightclubs booking hotels and making arrangements for featured bands, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction.

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She also worked at London's Angels & Bermans costume house, where she helped create getups for films such as "Immortal Beloved" and the TV show "Absolutely Fabulous."

Perkins and Manyer didn't meet until three years ago while working for Disney.
"We have the same eye," Perkins said. "If there's 12 pieces of fabrics on the wall, her first three favorites and mine are the same."

So the two decided to launch their company. But they didn't want to go with anything average. After all, Perkins drives a 1954 opalescent green Cadillac, has fuchsia hair, cropped straight bangs and often wears a giant bow headband. On a recent day, she donned a bowling shirt that said "Dot" on the breast and a black-and-white polka-dot skirt.

Manyer, who drives a 1962 Ford Meteor, recently sported a red T-shirt, a hot pink blazer with a giant flower on the breast and a hair clip with a plastic police car. On her arm and leg are tattoos.

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One way Revamp gets its looks is by working with Los Angeles-based jewelry and accessory maker Eldorado Club International, which created charms popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Revamp is using some of those same molds for trinkets on its purses and for its upcoming line of charms.
"We believe life should be a show--not just average," Perkins said. "It should be a production."

Prada

2005-06-19T21:02:00.000-04:00

Prada latest boutique to go corporate - Prada storeLos Angeles Business Journal, Dec 7, 1998 by Nola L. Sarkisian

After nine years of owning and running the Prada store in Beverly Hills, entrepreneur Judy Leaf is hanging up her handbag.

Among the last of the independent owners of designer boutiques in Beverly Hills, Leaf has cut short her 11-year franchise agreement and is selling the Brighton Way shop back to Prada owner I.P.I. in Milan. The deal comes on the stiletto heels of two other boutique sales in Beverly Hills: Gianni Versace and Polo Ralph Lauren shops were snatched back by their parents in April and June, respectively.

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Leaf said she decided to sell because of pressure by I.P.I. chief Patrizio Bertelli, husband of designer Miuccia Prada (who is the granddaughter of Prada founder Mario Prada).

"Prada wanted to have complete control of the stores. (Bertelli) started buying them back several years ago because he said he was a control freak," she said. "He kept asking me to sell and I wasn't about to. He finally made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

The 85-year-old I.P., who minimalist Prada sportswear comes with maximum pricing - from $450 cashmere sweaters to $1,140 bamboo-handled purses - is trying to bolster its U.S. image. The company opened a 5.000-square-foot men's store on Rodeo Drive three months ago, and plans to expand it to a 15,000-square-foot emporium next year that will include footwear, women's ready-to-wear and a juniors' collection called Miu Miu.

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Leaf, whose maverick 1,500-square-foot boutique was the only Prada franchise in the United States, believes I.P.I. will close her store after the expansion. Prada officials could not be reached for comment.
She bitterly opposes the change of location.

"Rodeo Drive is so unhip, so bland, with no personality. It's very sad to see Beverly Hills go corporate, but people don't agree with me," said Leaf, who will retain a role as a special event consultant for the company.

But the change in the city's retail landscape was inevitable, say analysts, who point out that designers around the country are increasingly taking charge of their formerly franchised boutiques.

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"The trend is occurring worldwide primarily because of capital - smaller boutiques don't have the resources to maintain the current market, and their parent companies have eyes of growing bigger," said Brian Ring, an analyst with Ernst & Young LLP in Century City.

That trend is exacerbated in Beverly Hills because of the high rents, particularly in push corridors like Rodeo Drive.
"There are only four or five privately owned, individual entrepreneurs left on Rodeo Drive, compared to 25 years ago when the only major tenants were Van Cleef & Arpels and Gucci. They're getting phased out because of the rents, and are moving to the side streets," said Gilmore Dembo, broker and president of real estate brokerage Dembo & Associates in Beverly Hills.

Monthly rents on Rodeo Drive are $15 to $18 per square foot, compared to nearby Canon Drive at $3.50 and Beverly Drive at $4, Dembo said.
The holdouts include David Orgell, Theodore and Lucy Zahran.

"Managers ... have an interest in the business. but it's not their business. They rely on corporations to tell them what to do," said Ali Soltani, whose family bought gift-shop David Orgell on Rodeo Drive in 1989 from the Orgell family.
But those who have already made the transition to corporate ownership say the change makes little difference to consumers. In fact, the only thing they notice is that inventories and choices tend to get bigger, said Run Michaels, president of the Rodeo Drive Committee, an 85-member merchant organization.

"The boutique is still there - the only difference is behind the scenes, and the changes are minimal," said Michaels, who operates luggage purveyor Louis Vuitton. "The idea is that you want to control the point of sale and want customer service that's offered consistently throughout the company stores."

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Michaels and his family, who owned a luggage store on Beverly Drive 15 years ago, entered a partnership with Vuitton in 1982 and sold back their interest about nine years ago. Next September, the nearly 4,000-square-foot store will relocate a quarter-block away to the 12,000-square-foot space that was once home to the Fred Hayman boutique.

Meanwhile, Gucci will open its 14,000-square-foot Rodeo Drive flagship on Dec. 15. Versace opened its 9,500-square-foot store in May. Hermes increased its shop ten-fold by expanding into an 18,000-square-foot monolith one year ago. Tommy Hilfiger made its fashionable entrance with a 23,000-square-foot store last year.

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Max Marra, which sells Italian designs for women, opened last month on Rodeo with 3,500 square feet. And Italian shoe designer Sergio Rossi will appear with a 1,500-square-foot store next September.
Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and St. John's are eyeballing space on Rodeo Drive as well.
The deeper pockets of these corporate owners increase the strength of the local business community, Michaels said.

"The Polo store was not a part of the Rodeo Drive Committee as a franchisee. But when it was purchased, they came on board," Michaels said. "We welcome and need them."

Spring in Kate Spade

2005-06-17T22:34:00.000-04:00

Kate Spade first shared her easy-go designs and fabulous color on handbags and accessories. Now she turns her attention to the dining table with a new line of China, crystal, and more - ProfileBetter Homes & Gardens, April, 2004 by Nancy Wall Hopkins

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Q: Why the leap from handbags and shoes to wares for the table and home?
A: "We only enter into areas in which I have a personal interest. I adore accessories. It's the sum of all details that makes an outfit, a dinner table, or a bedroom more interesting and special."

Q: What inspired the tableware designs?
A: "My husband, Andy, and I have been renovating our apartment, which made us think about the types of parties we want to have. This influenced the design of the tableware--bone china with elegant hints of pattern and color; different styles of crystal for more formal parties as well as updated glasses for more casual dinners; interesting yet elegant barware and simply designed flatware."

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Q: What makes a special dining table?
A: "The perfect spring table would have large round crystal bowls filled with fully opened peonies in pinks and corals, a mixing of color with crisp touches of white, crystal glasses and silver candle holders-breezy and cheery elegance!"
Clockwise from right: "Library Stripe" Carafe, $85; "Spring Hill" Flatware, $50 for a 5-piece place setting; "Larebee Road" 9-inch Accent Plate in Pink (polka dots), $30; "Library Lane" Dinner Plate in Pink, $109 for a 5-piece place setting; "Southold Stripe" White Wine Glass, $20 each; "Southold Stripe" Red Wine Glass, $20 each; "Larebee Dot" 7-inch Rose Bowl, $85.

The "F" Word - Fashion

2005-06-16T22:37:00.000-04:00

Frivolous. Flighty . Ephemeral. Fluff. The very definition of fashion, right? And if this is a view common among everyday folk, you can just imagine the attitude among academics. Historian Valerie Steele knew that her study of fashion was barely tolerated at Yale when she earned her Ph.D. there. It was viewed as "the most ridiculous of subjects--frivolous, sexist bourgeois--and, therefore, beneath contempt."

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But over the past two decades, she says, the body has emerged as an object central to behavior, to our drive for meaning, and to the structure and function of society And so that which is in close contact with the body--fashion--has finally begun to receive attention from artists and intellectuals.

Clothes are the most intimate objects we own," says Steele, now chief curator of New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, which houses one of the premier fashion collections in the United States. "They are closely associated with identity, or as much of it as we choose to reveal. It is futile to deny that." What's more, fashion is a "signifying system" that can be interpreted, albeit with great caution.

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The upshot is that "fashion is no longer the `F-word' in intellectual circles," says Steele. In fact, she considers it such a revealing window into history, psychology, and culture that she has founded a new academic journal to rip open the blinds. It's called Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture, and the quarterly debuted this spring. (Published in England, it is available by subscription only.

Fashion, Steele insists, is just dripping with meaning. But with a speed that is either enjoyed as part of its charm or invoked as evidence of its depravity the meaning of fashion never stays the same for long. And unlike most other disciplines, "there's no `there' there," says Steele. "The meaning of fashion is totally dependent on context." Indeed, the very dynamics of fashion change--where changes start, what sets them in motion, how they spread, and what that reveals about aesthetics, psychology, the social order, the economy--are as worthy of study as the quirkiness of quarks.

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So why do we continue to disparage fashion? Some of the fury at fashion, says Steele, reflects anti-female bias. "Fashion has been highly associated with women only for the past 200 years, during which time men have been largely confined to a `uniform'--the suit. But throughout history, men were at least as fashion--conscious and as body-emphasizing as females."

Fashion is also dismissed because of the "almost philosophical idea that clothing is material." In other words, it is not spiritual or intellectual.

What's more, Steele cites "a moralistic subtext" in which clothing is associated not only with vanity but with duplicitousness. Besides the moral objections are the Marxist ones. In this way of thinking, fashion comes under attack as a way of validating class distinctions and as a slyly crafted means of enslaving the consumer.

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And last but not least is a kind of abdication of all responsibility or concern about fashion--even though most of us participate in the fashion system every single day This is especially--but not exclusively--true of men, says Steele, "who are apt to disown any interest in fashion with a dismissive `my wife picked out my tie."'

In reality, one of the most outstanding features of fashion is that "it's not some terrible, monolithic thing," insists Steele. "There's no monster of fashion oppressing women." Nor is there a single meaning to it. It's complex, embodying clashing viewpoints. Even the incessant shifting of fashion has enormous aesthetic and psychological value. "Change makes you see anew," notes Steele. It removes the "eye dust" that tends to settle over us. Who knows--the next thing you may hear is evolutionary psychologists declaring a neurological basis for fashion's shiftiness.

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Fashion brings a great deal of pleasure that makes it valuable to lots of people," says Steele. "That's why it's lasted and even flourished despite many attacks."

Bags, Packs & Totes

2005-06-15T22:42:00.000-04:00

Byline: Eric Peterson
Like many other product classifications in the promotional products marketplace, the bags, packs and totes category has found the going tough for the past couple of years.

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With the double whammy of the recent recession and the post-9/11 drop in travel, the market has been somewhat soft. Some suppliers have streamlined their catalogs and quashed development of new products for 2002, taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to "the next big thing."
However, it's not all doom and gloom. The fact that a bag is more of an everyday item (with a longer lifespan) than a wearable continues to make bags attractive for promotional purposes and to the corporate audience that makes up much of the PPD end-user client base. And the diversity of product that gets lumped together under the bags category - totes to backpacks, cell phone cases and luggage - has been something of a mitigating factor. Not every niche has gone into hibernation, with, indeed, many niches continuing to thrive, and a few companies even expanding their offerings.

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If any trends emerge in the bag market from conversations with a host of promotional suppliers, they are that quality wins versus quantity, and that the end-user preference is for higher-end goods.
What that could mean for the PPD is higher-end profits.
No long-term problems
"Bags come and go," says David Stacks, marketing director for Augusta Sportswear in Augusta, Ga. In the promotional market, a bag's marketability, he adds, "depends on what kind of bag you're talking about. A lot of people say a bag is a bag is a bag, anything you can carry something else in."
Using this broad definition, it is difficult to imagine a long-lived downturn for promotional bags. While air travel has slumped, backpacking and outdoor recreation have continued to boom. While companies are shying away from high-volume orders of pricier promotional products, tote bags are one of the least expensive giveaways on the market, and quite useful to the convention-goer or golf tourney participant. All in all, suppliers with broad catalogs look to be weathering the slump quite well.

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"We make a distinction between a bag and a tote," says Stacks, whose company supplies the promotional market with everything from rolling duffels to bat bags for baseball and softball. Defined by their fabric handles and upright design, Augusta's totes are priced as low as 82 cents (its mini-tote) per unit to sell in volume. The company's bags encompass a much broader mix of products, says Stacks, from messenger bags to laptop packs to Palm Pilot cases, and are not necessarily priced to be giveaways.
In 2002, "the high-ticket items are not selling well," Stacks adds. "A lot of things have come back, but not that [category]. We're clawing our way out of a recession and people are very cost-conscious."

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Regardless, the recession did not hamper Augusta's plans for new products. In 2002, the company has debuted numerous bags: a jumbo zippered microfiber tote, a ripstop nylon duffel bag and backpack (heavy-duty ripstop "is the rage of the moment," says Stacks), and the aforementioned bat bag. Augusta also expanded its totes' core colors this year.

Bagging Sales - Sales of handbags

2005-06-14T22:17:00.000-04:00

When it comes to bags, women appear to be placing more value on quality and function than on rock-bottom prices. ""Discount handbag store""

To mass merchants' delight, value-conscious women seem inclined to dole out more dollars for carryalls that are well-made, good looking and equipped to tote the endless necessities they need to get through their day. As a result, retailers and manufacturers are stretching price points with more creative designs.

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"We're finding that customers don't mind paying up to $5 more for a bag made of heavier materials, with more detailing and multiple storage compartments. In fact, higher price point bags [retailing up to $20] outsold lower price point bags [in the $10 range] this fall," reports Abe Chehebar, president and chief executive officer of New York-based Accessory Network, which trades under the Sasson, Gitano, Chic, L.A. Gear and Aspen labels.

Backpacks are hot. "Backpacks are here to stay. Four or five years ago, it was only a Back-to-Schools business. Now, we're on year-round EDI programs with many of our accounts," notes Chehebar.

Full-size and mini functional backpacks are helping Canton, Mass.-based Hills to get good turns from high-ticket items. "Backpacks made of a heavyweight, 600-denure polyester, detailed with genuine suede trim, are performing phenomenally," reports luggage buyer Lisa Grandin. "A lot is being done to add value to the backpacks. Competition among manufacturers is intensifying, so they're doing all they can to differentiate themselves, like adding wallets and organizers to existing styles. We actually raised the retail prices due to the customers' perceived value of the products," she says, noting that Hills sells backpacks from Accessory Network, Pacific Connections, A.D. Sutton, Legent, Bonnie International and Gary Gaines that top out at $14.97 retail.

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Licensed organizational backpacks are also moving well. At Hills, accessories buyer Cherylanne Brigida notes that the popular Looney Tunes models retail for $13.97.
New York-based Holiday Fair reports success with its Looney Tunes organizational mini backpacks (retailing for $12.99 to $19.99) that feature front-zipper compartments. Inside these compartments, consumers will find calculator, day planner, photo and credit card slots.

At De Pere, Wis.-based Prange Way, accessories buyer Donna Bouchard says she will go forward with more of the same styles for spring. "Women live out of their bags these days, and it helps to have a lot of what they need right there in one bag." Prange Way sells backpacks from Accessory Network, Michael Stevens, Monique and Mitzi.

In addition to heavyweight polyester backpacks, the market is also showing positive reaction to backpacks and sling-packs crafted from matte and shiny nylon, leather-like PVC, canvas, microfiber, denim and macrame in traditional rectangular silhouettes with front- and back-zip pockets, as well as newer designs including the rounded, drawstring look.
T
he newest bag models for spring are based on styles initially popularized by designers and novelty retailers. Phone bags, first seen by Chanel and The Sharper Image at retail prices starting at $100, are expected to reach the mass market at a $14.99 price point.

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The phone bag is sized slightly larger than the still-important wallet-on-a-string. A Velcro-closure pocket accommodates a cellular phone. Keys and coins fit in a snap pocket. A zippered wallet at the back holds bills and credit cards. The silhouette is based on the compact organizer bags-the Wonder Bag and The Shlepper were innovative models in this category-that became all the rage a few seasons ago.

RGa's phone bag is "designed for the woman on the go, and anything we can do to enhance the value of a bag helps to drive sales," says sales executive Cory Waisner. Available in pebble grain, crunch vinyl and quilted matte nylon with gold accents a la designer Prada, phone bags will sell at Wal-Mart, Kmart, various regional discounters and Petrie Stores for $14.99.

But the busy woman also possesses a playful side, and knowing this, RGA didn't draw its spring trend direction from the runways of Milan or Paris. Instead, inspiration came from favorite stuffed animals --hence the plush bearpacks. They retail at $14.99 for a 12-inch mini to $24.99 for a larger-size bear at stores including Wal-mart, Kmart, Venture and ontgomery Ward. The crew of chocolate, honey and bone bears, featuring adjustable straps and back-zip closures, is being expanded to include rabbits, koalas, pandas and dogs in shades of white, black, gray, brown and pink. Coordinating coin purses and belt bags (retailing for $7.99) made their debut for Holiday.

Accessory Network is aiming for women's whimsical tastes with insulated lunch coolers in round or box silhouettes. These culinary carriers also double as kitschy handbags.

The slingpack, a new twist on the backpack, is also eliciting attention. Accessory Network is offering slingpacks in reversible printed and solid canvas-on-canvas and canvas-on-straw designs, as well as in denim.

The bag market is appealing to the many sides of today's busy woman, with offerings that let her pack it up and take it on the go in style.

When it comes to "Purse-onality", women have it in the bag!

2005-06-13T22:47:00.000-04:00

From lipstick to cell phones to pain relievers, women recently polled by the team at drugstore.com(TM), inc. (NASDAQ: DSCM), know what makes a well-stocked purse. In fact, 79 percent never leave home without their favorite shade of lip color and more than half (55 percent) always carry breath freshener.

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As fall fashions hit the newsstand and designers encourage women to adopt the latest looks, the women polled are not swayed. In fact, when it comes to the type of purse they carry, what is trendy and fashionable does not top the list. Forty-six percent of respondents chose the handbag they currently carry because it is functional and well organized. The majority (63 percent) also prefer purses with lots of compartments. Only 18 percent select a handbag because it is fashionable or trendy; four percent care most about color; and seven percent look for a specific brand name.

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Patty Fox, internationally recognized author and Academy Awards fashion consultant, believes that a purse provides insight into an individual's personal style and if understood, a woman can harness this style to enhance her effectiveness and influence.

Fox, who has provided style counsel to numerous celebrities and defined Hollywood's fashion types in her two fashion primers, "Star Style: Hollywood Legends as Fashion Icons" and "Star Style at the Academy Awards: A Century of Glamour," says women know what they want in a well-packed handbag.

Fox advises that women keep track of the products they use regularly and keep them fresh just as they treat the items in a pantry or medicine cabinet. The goal is to have only those items on hand that the individual needs. For instance, "If a woman spends lots of time on the go and needs everything at her fingertips, it makes sense to have an oversized sack," says Fox. "For most women however, it makes sense to streamline down to a few reliable basics - lipstick, breath mints and phone carried in versatile black tote."

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Not held to any one "type," women polled in the survey have enough bags to bring a different one to work each day for two weeks straight (43 percent), and yet many are creatures of habit - 63 percent have two or more handbags that they never use.

With so many purses in their closets (nearly one-quarter of respondents owned 10 or more), women polled in the survey try to keep the cost-per-purse reasonable. The majority, 61 percent, spend between $20 and $100 per bag, while a few splurge - with 14 percent of respondents spending between $100 and $300 per purse.

"It's clear that women experiment with their purses, as they do with cosmetics, to find the perfect fit," says Fox. "But once a woman has a good understanding of her 'purse-onality' it makes sense to take a hard assessment of her closet and make sure the bags in her wardrobe make sense for her needs," says Fox.

For those women who wish to streamline their accessories, the drugstore.com website and Neutrogena are offering a versatile black bag with a lipstick, mascara and touch-up brush free with orders of $20 or more while supplies last.

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Drugstore.com, inc. (NASDAQ: DSCM) is a leading online drugstore and information site offering A Very Healthy Way to Shop(TM) for health, beauty, wellness, personal care and pharmacy products. drugstore.com(TM) provides a convenient, private and informative shopping experience that encourages consumers to purchase products essential to healthy, everyday living. The drugstore.com website offers thousands of brand-name personal health care products at competitive prices; a full-service, licensed retail pharmacy; and a wealth of health-related information, buying guides and other tools designed to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers can personalize their shopping experiences with shopping lists, email reminders for replenishing regularly used products and private email access to pharmacists and beauty experts for questions.

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The company recently acquired Beauty.com, Inc., a leading site offering prestige cosmetic products. drugstore.com has formed strategic relationships with Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) (PSE: RAD), Wellpoint (NYSE:WLP) and General Nutrition Companies, inc. (NASDAQ: GNCI).
drugstore.com, the drugstore.com logo and A Very Healthy Way to Shop are trademarks of drugstore.com, inc.
drugstore.com "Purse-onality" Survey
At-a-Glance

Just Can't Get Enough
When asked how many purses or handbags they own, respondents said:
One-to-three (28%), Four-to-seven (38%), Eight-to-thirteen (30%), But...
More than half of respondents (61%) have two or more of these purses that they never use
Money is Not the Only Concern
When asked how much they paid for the purse they are carrying, respondents said:
Less than $20 (20%), Between $20 and $100 (61%), $100-$300 (14%)

Not Suffering for Fashion
When asked the primary reason for choosing their purse, respondents said:
It is fashionable/trendy (18%), It is functional/well organized (46%), It's large enough (14%).

More than half (63%) also prefer purses with lots of organizing compartments
And less than a quarter (23%) think that their purse weighs more than a telephone book

It's in the Details
Items respondents ALWAYS carry in their handbag:
Wallet (94%), Lipstick (79%), Cell phone (59%), Pain relievers/antacids (56%), Breathspray/gum (55%), Mirror (55%), Brush/comb (46%), Feminine products (46%), Tissue (45%), Toothbrush (7%), Snacks (7%), Condoms (6%)

The Corporate Side Of Bags - A bag or a briefcase?

2005-06-12T12:38:00.000-04:00

Is it a bag? Is it a briefcase? Just as the distinction between corporate and sport bags is blurring, so to is the distinction between a briefcase, a document bag and a laptop bag.

The canvas script bag from Big Accessories, available through Alpha Shirt Co., for instance, marries the two ideas into one simple, functional bag. The shoulder-carried bag is closed with two brass swivel buckles in front and comes in black, khaki, navy and olive -- the olive bag, especially, seems like an update of an Army surplus bag -- suitable for men or women and serviceable as a soft-side briefcase, laptop bag or purse.
More an more laptops (and sheaves of papers) are being slung around in Messenger Bags, says Toppers' Rowan.

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"It's really just an upscale version of a newspaper route bag," he says. The Toppers bag is canvas with all metal hardware.

Ogio Sport, headquartered in Salt Lake City, offers a messenger bag that is popular both as a briefcase and as a laptop holder, says Ogio Sport National Sales Manager Nick Wright.
"Laptop bags have been one of the most popular items for the last three years," says Wright. Ogio is offering features such as Velcro straps to hold the computer in place, ample padding, and the ability to leave the top of the bag open to allow hot laptops to ventilate.
"These are expensive pieces of equipment," says Wright. "People want a bag that does more than just help them haul it around. They want a bag that protects the computer."

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A black nylon version of the messenger bag is also offered under the BAGedge label of Big Accessories, which has added a rubber grip top handle in addition to the strap.
Timbuk2, also available through Alpha Shirt Co., offers its 100-percent Cordura nylon El Ocho and Pee Wee styles of messenger bags in three color combinations.

Yet another casual, recreational briefcase available through Alpha Shirt Co. is Eagle Creek's Urban Ascent Padded Briefcase. Like many offerings this year, the briefcase has inner compartments made of mesh. In keeping with its recreational motif, the bag comes in khaki as well as black.

And for those who really like to travel light, Turning Point (Monroe, Wash.) offers a laptop "wrap" -- not dissimilar in concept to the trendy eat-and-run tortilla sandwich of the same name.

"A lot of people don't want to carry their entire accessory kit everywhere," says Turning Point Field Manager Kristi DeLeo. "They might be going to make a PowerPoint presentation, and they can just walk in with the computer and go. It's an impressive way to begin a presentation."

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But not everyone wants a bag for all occasions. for people who like to keep a little distance between work and play, Toppers has covered all the bases, offering ultra-casual canvas attaches, somewhat dressier microfiber briefcases and a traditional, dressed-for-success simulated leather portfolio/computer brief bag.

A Bag For All Seasons

2005-06-10T23:03:00.000-04:00

A bag for all seasons by Carson Reed

A frenzy of creativity brings PPDs replete with new features and rich in functionality

The promotional products industry has come along way since Jasper Meek kicked the whole thing off by printing advertising on the sides of burlap school in the late 1800s.
Since then, promotional products have expanded into every imaginable realm of merchandise, from electronics to wearables. But it would be a mistake to give short shrift to the industry segment that started it all. Bags, packs and totes are every bit as practical and even more desirable than they were 120 years ago.

It is a market sector driven by innovation and imagination, as manufacturers struggle to distinguish themselves in one or more niches of what has become a highly fragmented market. There now is a (or a suite of bags) for every season, every event, every lifestyle.
We need our bags. We look for designs that not only reflect our tastes but also accommodate our specialized and ever-changing needs. The industry rises to the challenge, providing us with new or at least new and specialized functionality, to hold and protect our recreational gear, our change of clothes, the tools of our trades, our new electronic appliances.

Bags are the perfect perk at every price point because, as George Carlin says, everyone needs a place to put their stuff.

Even the most inexpensive bag is coveted by the underbagged -- a canvas or vinyl tote is a cherished take-away at conventions and trade shows, not to mention that it is the only promotional item which is still visible after everything else has been tucked away inside of it.
This is no secret to the businesses of the New Economy, which are very open to bags for both inexpensive (but impressive) perks for large-scale promotions, and also for more exclusive promotions featuring high-quality, often brand-name bags of all sorts -- from luggage to briefcases.

At both ends of the scale, customers seek a mix of style and function -- items that not only get attention, but get used as well.
The good news is, there are more attractive choices in bags than ever before. Manufacturers are in the midst of a frenzy of creativity, and the market is replete with cleverly-designed bags, packs, luggage, and totes, rich with new features and functionality.
New colors, new fabrications

On the corporate side, the ubiquitous black polyester softside (flight bag, carry-on, briefcases, pack) is still king of the world (albeit jazzed up with new features), but it is slowly giving way to bursts of color that seem to reflect the more casual sensibilities of the new decade. This year's bags are offered in a few new colors, including straps and detailing in contrasting colors.
On the same note, one trend just beginning to emerge this year is the popularity of multiple-fabric construction. While the top sellers in almost every line are still web-handled polyester weaves, more and more new bags in every category are constructed from two or even three or more fabrics, including molded rubber bottoms, leather bottoms, leather trim, and a plethora of mesh pockets, both inside and outside of bags. And the trend is just beginning, says Russ Rowan, director of product development for Toppers, based in Thorofare, N.J.

"We've expanded our sport line dramatically," he says, "and a number of bags, like our swim bag, will feature multiple fabrics. This is a new direction for us, and it reflects a trend in the industry."

Durable, lightweight fabrics developed for the recreational industry are becoming crossover staples for bags that "go both ways." Leading the charge is microfiber, which is showing up everywhere in backpacks and luggage as well as accessories like travel kits and cell phone cases.
Yet another trend being pushed by consumer demand is a rethinking of straps. Manufacturers are offering new, more ergonomic strap configurations, especially single straps such as the cross-body strap. Top industry supplier Norwood's Air-Tex bag line, for instance, has three different carriers -- a courier-style briefcase, a backpack and a hip pack -- all designed with a strap that can be worn across the chest, says Air-Tex Marketing Manager Laura Gaulke.
"The cross-body styles almost become a garment," she says. "These are bags that really are 'wearables' because, essentially, you wear them, which gives you two free hands and better freedom of movement than carrying a bag by a strap. They're especially great if you're in a hurry."

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Because everybody is in a hurry these days, Air-Tex's cross-body bags are crossovers designed to appeal to both the sport and corporate markets, Gaulke says.

Which bring us to the biggest trend of all -- a pervasive blurring of the lines between corporate, travel, and sport bags. One reason is the prevalence of business casual dress, a trend that has brought sport or active clothing into the workplace, and, along with it, sportier corporate bags.

The trend is so pervasive that most of the bags mentioned in this article can and will do double- or even triple-duty for work, school and play -- and that's no accident, says Air-Tex's Gaulke. Like most of the industry, Air-Tex counts on creating at least some pieces in every line that will fit into both markets.

Fashion Statement - Accessory Network

2005-06-09T19:46:00.000-04:00

Fashion Statement - Accessory Network - by T.L. Stanley

Accessory Network's backpacks and jewelry speak directly to its tween target.
She's a 9-year-old fashion junkie, and, on this particular Saturday, like most, she's been set loose in the mall with a sawbuck in her hot little hand. What will she buy?

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Figuring out what will captivate her motivates Abe Chehebar, founder and CEO of Accessory Network, maker of purses, backpacks, socks, gloves, jewelry hair barrettes and luggage, whose stable of entertainment licenses include Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Pok[acute{e}]mon Blue's Clues, Curious George, Winnie the Pooh and the upcoming Harry Potter. The New York based company, which also has fashion licenses for B.U.M. Equipment and Gitano, and every major
"Tweens are spending a lot of money right now," said Chehebar. "This girl wants to dress and accessorize like a 14-year-old. She wants newness, she wants fashionability. She's not buying because of an unequivocal loyalty to a character."

As a 19-year industry veteran whose company pulls in about $160 million annually, Chehebar knows that today's girl, no matter how wild she is about an entertainment property, wants to emulate her older sister. What that doesn't mean: big characters silkscreened onto product. What it does mean, at least right now: faux fur animal print cosmetic bags and bucket hats. And the icons, if visible at all, had better be discreet.

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Hollywood studios and other property sellers have spent the past several years trying to get in line with the fashion-forward mindset of young consumers, and Accessory Network is often cited as a licensee that goes above and beyond, internalizing their market research and producing items that speak to the target and add equity to the property.

Before its pitch to Warner Bros. on Harry Potter, all the company's designers read the first three J.K. Rowling novels, brain-stormed on what the fourth book might be about, and kicked around ideas for product flourishes. While Chehebar wouldn't offer specifics on the items to be produced, he said elements like magic wands and pockets with surprises in them could be incorporated.

"They have created the infrastructure necessary to give us a quick, detailed and accurate read on what's going on within their segment and what's trending in other areas," said Carol Wills, dir-apparel licensing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, home to Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo and other franchises. "This kind of feedback is critical to our process."

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Accessory Network's "added-value" functions include trend research, retail planning, fashion consultation services, strategic marketing initiatives and "plain old showmanship," Wills said.
"The days of relying on the power of the property are over," Chehebar said. "The license is added ammunition, but it's not the main course.

The company tries to stay consumer-focused, with Chehebar constantly asking, 'What do people want now, and what will they want in three months?' An ongoing dialogue with retailers helps, especially at a time when fashion cycles are moving at mach speed. A few years ago, back when people bought a bag to carry all season instead of just for Saturday night, it would take 90-120 days to get product created and shipped. Now, it takes 30-50 days from ground zero to retail, Chehebar said. And it's having the right product that makes the difference.

"The products themselves make the most powerful statement about a brand," Wills said. "They are the brand's mirror image and this reflection is what the customer sees and ultimately remembers. The product defines your franchise. If it's off-track, stale, off-trend, poor quality or misses the mark in any other way [ldots] well, that's what the franchise or brand will mean to the consumer."

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What 's the big idea? Fashion first. And, since it's now on a four-to-six-week cycle, refresh, refresh, refresh.

Future Brightens in Accessories

2005-06-08T22:43:00.000-04:00

Future brightens in accessories; discounters move to highlight new trends in category: Discount Store News

Future Brightens in Accessories
Discounters can expect to see accessories in both bright, fun beach looks and embellished and ornate ethnic styles.

Many of the season's looks represent a new twist or direction to some of last year's trends. Like ready-to-wear neon jewelry, bags and belts are once again strong, but instead of the dominant glowing lime green, this spring features fuchsia, along with a standout mango.
The new brights are also offset more with black and white, or combined with prints, dots, and stripes on such accessories as totes and visors.

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Chains Upgrade for Spring
For many of the nation's discounters, the new spring trends will be merchandised in more upscale departments. Chains have already started to place more emphasis on the category with the use of new fixtures, better location and stronger graphics.

"Upscaling has really been the buzzword for the last couple years," said Chad Mollica, vice president, merchandising at jewelry vendor R.N. Koch. "Discounters are taking jewelry and trying to capture more of a fashion presentation."

Some discounters are also realizing improved accessory sales by showing part of the category within their apparel departments. The move allows accessories greater depth, better presentation and a greater opportunity for multiple sales.

The attempt to bring a new approach to the category is not a suprising reaction, given that handbag and accessories sales per square foot at discounters across the country dropped from $136.68 to $132.77. Sales per square foot also dropped for jewelry and watches - from $268.61 to $253.80, according to the recent Cornell University study of "Operating Results of Mass Retail Stores" commissioned by the International Mass Retail Association.

In jewelry, neon color blocking is also used on earrings and necklaces, according to Jim Zemianek, director of merchandising for Accessories Associates Inc. Neons also show up on spring accessories in a faded wash, or muted tone, and this spring Zemianek said the jewelry styles are a little more trendy and feature materials like painted metal and Lucite.

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True pastels are also key, especially in early spring, and traditional spectator colors are once again an integral part of the entire accessory collection.

Equally important is the continuation of cross-cultural influences in much of the styling. Drawing on patterns from Brazil, Guatemala, India and American ethnic groups, the combined effect is a "cultural patchwork," explained Melinda Photis, accessories market representative for Arkin California buying office.

Dyed cocoa shell, dyed wood and other natural materials are most dominant in the ethnic look, according to Zemianek. The cross-cultural styling also features filigrees, ornate designs, multi-colored glass stones, and deeper and darker spring color palettes.

Drop earrings in this theme are predominant, and burnished metals, along with an oxidized bronze finish are also strong, Zemianek noted.

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Another spring theme features celestial shapes, such as comets, constellations, stars, moons and planets on earrings and pendants. Hearts are also making a comeback this spring, after an absence of several years.

Throughout junior jewelry and belts themes, the overriding key for spring is "anything with motion or noise," according to Photis. Junior looks also feature the continuation of the Halston-inspired perfume bottle that hangs off a black leather cord.

This look is applicable in missy as well, but instead of leather, the perfume bottle is on a chain.
Other styles in missy feature sophisticated and soft geometric shapes.

This latter style is also important in handbags, such as with the square-shaped "doctor" bags for missy. Spring junior styles also include knapsacks, fanny bags and small satchels on spaghetti straps that hang down to the knee.

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Lightweight totes and packs, in hot neon colors made of supplex-inspired fabric are also spring noticeables, according to Steve Russo, vice president and divisional head of handbags for Bagland.

Russo said signature bags are also important, along with denim looks, Indian-styled bags, and slightly oversized cotton canvas totes and beach bags.

Basic vinyl bags, with multiple zippers and a functionally conservative approach, also remain a staple this spring to help round out the accessory department, according to Sarne president Paul Kopyt.
Discounters expect to generate more sales in this category with the use of more strategically positioned and upscale displays.

eBags Selects Endeca With Guided Navigation To Power Its Leading Online Bags and Accessories Site

2004-12-31T18:24:00.000-05:00

Customer Satisfaction
Endeca, the only provider of Guided Navigation(SM) and advanced search solutions, today announced that eBags, the world's largest online retailer of luggage, handbags, backpacks, and travel accessories for all lifestyles, has chosen Endeca InFront(R) with Guided Navigation to enhance the search and navigation capabilities of its award winning online site. With Endeca InFront and Guided Navigation, eBags will be able to provide its customers with a site that eclipses traditional online search, leading to overall increased customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates.

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eBags' innovative online catalog helps shoppers accomplish goals not possible offline. These include the ability to find computer bags that fit specific laptops and the ability to find carry-ons that fit certain airline size requirements. eBags also enables shoppers to search more than 180 brands and over 8,000 bags and accessories.

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What eBags wanted, was a better way for shoppers to be able to search and navigate through its vast and detailed offerings with greater ease - ensuring more purchases and fewer abandoned shopping carts. The company turned to Endeca with Guided Navigation to enable that transformation. Specifically, Endeca InFront's unique merchandising capabilities will be the critical component in leading customers to find the specific products they are looking for and therefore increasing online conversion rates for eBags. In just one week, eBags saw an increase of 7.5% in its conversion rates using Endeca - especially significant for an already highly recognized Website.

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"At eBags we know our growth has been, and will continue to be, directly linked to enhancing our customers' success in finding what they are looking for," said Mike Frazzini, Vice President of Technology and Operations for eBags. "After evaluating many vendors, we selected Endeca because its unique Guided Navigation and dynamic merchandising capabilities, specifically addressed our goal for improving overall customer experience. Endeca InFront will provide a personalized shopping experience for our customers. This will enable us to maximize our ability to get the right products in front of the right shoppers - helping to increase overall core metrics and better guarantee satisfaction."

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Endeca InFront will also provide eBags with contextual, dynamic merchandising, allowing eBags to gain better insight and improve their inventory management. The new merchandising capability will encourage repeat visits and longer - more valuable - session times each visit.
"eBags had an impressive site even before implementing Endeca. But they were not satisfied until they knew they were giving their customers the most precise and un-compromised experience possible," said Steve Papa, CEO and founder of Endeca. "Our technology will allow them to achieve and surpass that goal - resulting not only in more loyal customers, but in an even more competitive bottom-line."

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Endeca's Guided Navigation with advanced search solutions help businesses across a variety of sectors including retail, financial services, manufacturing, information publishing and business-to-business with applications that address the information overload problems associated with content, catalog and enterprise information access and retrieval. Endeca solutions are built on innovative technology that makes it possible for the first time to offer Guided Navigation and advanced search on structured and unstructured information with high performance, and low total cost of ownership, even at massive scale.

Style and substance: success is in the bag - handbag manufacturers

2004-12-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

Launching a handbag venture can be hard to handle, but it's probably easier today than it's ever been before. Just look at the statistics: Industry estimates indicate that the growth of handbag sales nationwide now exceeds 7 percent a year - a rate higher than any other category in the accessories business.

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And if you ask entrepreneurs - both fledgling and established - they'll tell you the same. Giants like Coach, Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren can't possibly meet every market demand, leaving the door wide open for self-starters.

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Fashion-editor-turned handbag-millionaire Kate Spade comes to mind. She left Mademoiselle in 1993 to launch her own venture, making a name for herself as the industry's ultra-chic, trendsetting forerunner. She's proven entrepreneurial creativity really can win out: Today her classic yet original designs (in silk shantung, patent leather and everything in between) are sold in upscale stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks. Her hip handbags have even attained strong followings in Japan, Italy and London - not too shabby when you consider she started out with no business experience in a New York City loft apartment.

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Spade is not alone. Her unique creations stand out from the crowd - and smaller designers seeking to retain their hold in this highly competitive industry know their products must also be distinctive. "There aren't too many people making [handbags] like mine," says 31-year-old Ken Fosh, owner of Zippi Leather in Houston.

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Although he emigrated from Israel just 10 years ago and arrived in the United States penniless and unable to speak English, Fosh began teaching himself handbag design and manufacturing. Today, Zippi Leather, which also makes leather accessories, regularly earns more than $1 million in annual sales. Fosh distinguishes his business in two ways: Customers not only get the option to customize their orders, but they can also choose from his collection of rare, exotic leathers.

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Or consider Caroline Ferenczi, 48, a case in point. She's taken her products to the Net in an effort to reach a worldwide customer base. And although C & C Ventures Ltd. is only in its second year of importing bags from Italy, Ferenczi expects the budding consumer interest she's already witnessed to transform her Queens, New York-based mail order business into a more lucrative investment.

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Seymour Mondshein, 47, is keeping his business all in the family. He and his wife, Lisa Martin, 41, expect to hit $500,000 in sales this year with their Rosemont, New Jersey, mail order business, Maple Leather Co. Mondshein first learned the handbag trade from his father, and as a child, he used scraps from the family fur business to sew marble pouches. Today, he designs handbags made of tapestries, nylon, leather and colorful fabrics with an impressionistic flair. "I take something to the market that isn't already there," Mondshein says.

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It's a busy market, but for those willing to shoulder the expectations of cutting-edge fashion, success is practically in the bag.

A Case of Handbags at 10 Paces for No-frill Airlines

2004-12-19T19:06:00.000-05:00

The battle of wits, yes wits, that epitomizes modern airline competition continued this week with the open attack by UK-based lowfare carrier easyJet on its Irish counterpart Ryanair's recent bargain-basement initiative targeting economy passengers (WAN, Aug. 27, 1999).

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"That campaign is seriously misleading - it's giving the lowfare community a bad name," easyJet's founder Stelios Hali-Ioannou told the London-based newspaper Daily Telegraph September 6.

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The Greek entrepreneur added that Ryanair had falsified its claims, that the cheapest tickets were hard to obtain and that Ryanair had inflated the cost of the return leg with non-existent government taxes. "Once you account for all the restrictions, the destinations which (Ryanair) admits cost Pounds 25.99 (US$41.60) on the return legs, I reckon only 54,000(of the claimed 1 million seats available under the offer) are being sold at the (lowest price) of Pounds 15.99 (US$25.60). Its campaign is a non-event," exclaimed Hali-Ioannou.

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This outburst was quickly rebuffed by the Irish carrier's Sales And Marketing Director Tim Jeans. "How Stelios can determine the number of Pounds 15.99 seats, which is known only to a very few people in Ryanair, is beyond me. He's woefully out." However, Jeans admitted that only 40 percent of its discounted seats would fall in the lowest price range. "We never said they all were," he pointed out.

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EasyJet's attack came during the launch of the airline's own low-fare promotion, which, though attractive, falls short of the prices offered by Ryanair.

""Discount handbag store""

The price war will be joined later this month by BA's own lowfare carrier Go, which announced Sept. 8 a new package of low fares just two days before reporting losses of Pounds 19.9 million (US$31.8 million) in the first 17 months of operation - towards the good end of analysts expectations. EasyJet has also openly claimed that Go is being unfairly subsidized by BA, a charge vehemently denied by BA and its subsidiary.

Family Style

2004-12-16T08:07:00.000-05:00

There's no doubt about it. Monograms are hot again - hotter than ever. Visit any clothing store, high end or not, and you'll find monograms everywhere. They are on handbags in big, bold fonts and sizzling colors. Huge script initials can be found on women's sweaters again. This style became popular back in the 1950s; everyone had a sweater or a cardigan with their initial embroidered on the left-chest - and we are not talking about the standard 31/2 inch monogram.

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We are talking about large, swooshing initials emblazoned on your chest, shoulder... well, you get the picture. OK, so you're not old enough to know about the 1950s. You must have seen the popular 1970s television show "Laverne and Shirley." This show was responsible for the embroidered script initials on women's sweaters, which is becoming popular all over again.

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If you are one who follows trends, you're most likely to have your initial hanging around your neck. If not, then you must have a pair of monogrammed jeans. Made popular by some of our favorite musical artists, this style has made it into the mainstream. Just visit the jeans department in your local clothing store and you'll find jeans embroidered with monograms on the back pockets, front pockets and even on the legs. Yes, we are a proud lot, very willing to flaunt the first initial of our first or last name.

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Label Of Love
We've even brought this trend home. Monogrammed home furnishings are enjoying a resurgence in popularity as well. Forget about those monogrammed towels with matching washcloths and fingertip towels. No, we've become a lot more sophisticated than that. Tasteful hosts are going all out at their dinner parties. Clean, crisp freshly starched dinner napkins tastefully embroidered with fancy monograms add a finished, elegant look to the dinner table. And when you stroll into the sitting room, you'll find elegantly embroidered throw pillows embellished with - you guessed it - monograms.

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Don't think that this trend is only for show. We are also using monograms in places that are not so public. Monogrammed pillows and pillowcases, even sheets, have found their way back into vogue. We are spending more time and money on our homes. It's those little touches that add to a warm feeling and make us feel pampered and special. We are borrowing more and more trends from the past to create this feeling of warmth.

What other trends from the past are enjoying a rebirth? Tracing our family tree has become a new hobby that you can do on your own or together as a family.

Once again, thanks to the Internet, it's easier than ever to access this information.
We are finding out things about our ancestors that we never knew before. Even the younger generation is getting into the act. My 7-year-old niece recently asked her mom to help her create her family tree.

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Growing A Family Tree
So where do you begin? The best place to start is with your family. You can start with your parents, who probably have a lot more information than you think. People are funny about their family history. Some people are very willing to discuss it and some people are very private about it. You may have to do some serious prying.

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If you are lucky enough to have grandparents that are still with us, call them and ask lots of questions. Ask them to share some stories - this is where you'll find the best information. And take lots of notes, or even tape record your interviews. Learn to read between the lines. Don't always assume that the information you are given is 100 percent accurate. I'm sure you've all heard stories about the brave immigrants who came here through Ellis Island. With accents that were difficult to understand and names that were even more difficult to spell, our ancestors' names became changed forever...until you did your research.

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So you have your notes, you've sketched out your family tree, what's next? The next step is to turn on your computer. The number of Web sites that are available to research your family history is amazing. There are absolutely dozens to choose from.

Cigar Box Handbags

2004-12-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

TERRY Putz's longtime position as personal assistant to actor/director Orson Welles ultimately led to her present career, manufacturing and designing cigar-box handbags.

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"Orson loved his cigars, and he would always leave the empty boxes on my desk, which I would use for storing pencils and all sorts of things," recalls Putz.

Years later, the idea to design those boxes as handbags came to Putz in a flash. "I was with my son in a cigar store when it just came to me. I brought them home and voila," she says.

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Putz has honored her former boss with an "Orson-inspired" collection and impending Web site to be called "Orson's Place." Her "Baby Os" are small hand-held clutches priced at $90, while her "Magic Collection" consists of larger rectangular clutches sans strap, with ceramic fruit on top, priced at $100. The "Shadow Knows" collection consists of varnished bags, also available in designer colors, with a shoulder chain and tassels, at $160. And the "Rosebud" crystal collection features an array of Swaroffski-crystal symbols for each bag, with choices like palm trees, flamingos, stars, flowers, feathers, storks, dragonflies, boots, cacti and more, priced at $190.

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They're catching on with the Hollywood set; Melanie Griffith has half a dozen of the bags, including one given as a gift by actress Angelina Jolie, who owns nine. Sara Michelle Geller, Natasha Henstridge, Sally Fields, Louise Mandrell, Shakira and Connie Stevens also carry Putz's bags.

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Packed up and ready to go - marketing handbags and totes

2004-11-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

Many mass merchants reported excellent 1993 bags sales, and this year their numbers are still on the rise. In fact, several multi-unit discount store chains are reporting incremental increases of 20 percent or more.

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"Year-to-date, handbags and totes are up 30 percent," reports Skip Chustz, vice president/general merchandise manager for ShopKo, the 122-unit retailer based in Greenbay, Wis.

"The accessory business overall continues to be very strong," he adds.
While bags in general are described as "wonderful" by Julie Hemiller, a buyer at Omaha, Neb.-based, 173-unit Pamida, backpacks at the chain are "going to be sensational. Last year we had a 35 percent increase, and we expect more this year," she says.

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Handbags constructed from banja, a fabric imported to the accessory area from the furniture market, where it was first seen a number of seasons ago, continues to be a consumer hit.
"Cotton totes. cotton backpacks and banja handbags are trending very well," says Jamesway buyer Jane Russell.

The popularity of these fabric satchels reflects the "natural" trend currently driving women's sportswear.

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Leather, once only marginally important because of higher-than-synthetic prices, has also becoming more of a factor at the discount level as mass merchants continue to upgrade the quality of their assortments.

"Vinyl is down-trending, while leather is still increasing for us," Hemiller says.
ShopKo's leather business - in the form of patchwork goods - is also up significantly.
As bags generate more volume for the stores, retailers have placed greater emphasis on fine tuning their selections and on in-store merchandising.

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"We've narrowed the number of styles and brought in more depth and also narrowed our resource structure," ShopKo's Chustz says. The store has also refined its presentation.

Formerly, Shop-Ko's buyers bought assortments and displayed them in a broad manner. Now bags are displayed in vignettes by style and color. At the same time, ShopKo has cut way back on trendy juniors bags. "We've basically eliminated that small bags business," Chustz says. In addition to refining assortments and presentation, ShopKo plans to repeat a successful two-for-one bag promotion at Back-to-School.

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Perhaps the most important force luring consumers to purchase new bags is perceived value. Multi-purpose pieces and utility styles are best sellers.

"Casual, large versatile bags are selling very well, as are organizers with compartments and items with multi functions," says Abe Chehebar, president of Accessory Network.

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Additional sales are being generated by licensed character motifs in women's and children's merchandise, which show no signs of tapering off. "Flintstones and Looney Tunes are still doing well. The same thing happened last year. Whimsical seems to sell," Chustz says.

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Retailers and manufacturers have been challenged by current consumer buying patterns. But at least they've been able to take advantage of the fact that shoppers want a brand new bag.

The Content Of Form - Fashion

2004-11-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

FASHION, uninformed souls opine, is lowering and raising women's hemlines, widening and narrowing men's lapels. It reflects, they aver, nothing more than the greed of designers and clothing manufacturers, pressuring us to throw out perfectly good clothes before they wear out; or, worse yet, the vengeance of woman-hating homosexual designers on the female sex. There is even a moral ambivalence, as stated by a character in Albert Camus's The Fall: ''I am well aware that an addiction to silk underwear does not necessarily imply that one's feet are dirty. Nonetheless, style, like sheer silk, too often hides eczema.'' A sensible person is supposed to ignore the dictates of fashion, and simply be him- or herself. Like all half-truths this may be half true. But there is more to fashion than that, by half.

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Fashion answers, or tries to answer, a profound human need: the need for change. Conservatives tend to pooh-pooh this need, except when they are out of office. The more literate ones will quote you Pascal: ''All human misery stems from one sole cause, which is the inability to be at rest in one's room.'' (One could also render ''demeurer en repos'' as ''stay put.'') The opposite of en repos is restlessness, which is where fashion comes in. Most of us cannot stay in contented repose either in a room or in a palace. We crave change because it is the cure, more or less, of the oldest known malady: boredom.

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Do not underestimate the relationship boredom:change:fashion. Most simply put, boredom means being fed up with one's life, and change means doing something about it. But most of us are stuck with the sameness that is our destiny. We have scant control over other people, over the world; so we try to change what is changeable about ourselves. We want to feel like a new person; to achieve this, or the illusion of this, a modified appearance is indicated. Even a fresh shoeshine or boutonnicre has been known to renew us. A bit.

The great renewer, though, is fashion. We can't do much with our bodies: high heels or platform shoes will add a semblance of height; dieting, no easy task, will make us slimmer, if that happens to be the fashion. We can do a little more with our faces. For women, coiffures and makeup; for men, greater or lesser hirsuteness. But more can be done with clothes: with fashion or, as it used to be called after the French, the mode. Consider Sir George Etherege's 1676 comedy The Man of Mode, featuring the ridiculous Sir Fopling Flutter, based on an actual fop, Beau Hewitt. Sir Fopling is ''the prince of fops, the perfect product of Parisian taste of the day.'' Interestingly, he is a man; the earliest known victims of fashion were men. But so, too, were its earliest arbiters, notably Petronius, author of the Satyricon.

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What cannot clothes do? You have thick legs? They can cover them up. You are short-waisted? The dropped waistline can lengthen your waist. Your behind is large? Flare out the skirt. You're a man with a tummy problem? Here's the double-breasted suit. Your chest isn't manly enough? Padded shoulders can create the illusion. And so on. All changes in fashion benefit some wearers; unfortunately, no fashion benefits everyone.

The reversals of fashion are, when you think of it, amazing. The flappers wanted to look boyish for reasons of sexual equality, so the look became flat-chested, tubular. When women are, or want to be, viewed as either good nursing mothers or sex objects, the breasts become built up or exposed. That calls attention to possible ambiguities. So, too, a bikini may imply equally love of tanning or lust for men. Ambiguities and contradictions are everywhere. In a given year, Paris may decree one thing, London another, Milan a third. Different designers in the same fashion center will diverge: do not expect a Ferre to look like a Versace or an Armani like a Zegna.

And yet, in hindsight, some sort of unison emerges. The Directoire low-cut dress with the high waistline gathered at the bust can be found on both the future Empress Josephine and the beauteous Mme. Recamier. Biedermeier, the less sexy German version, is not all that different. But everything changes, at a dizzying pace. Didn't Heraclitus, way back then, observe that you could not bathe in the same suit twice? Sorry, that was the same river.

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Whether or not fashion is an art, it certainly behaves like one. There are the great couturiers, sold or copied by the department stores and boutiques, and all manner of cheap knock-offs. Just as you can hang on your wall an original by Manet, you can hang a Manet imitator or reproduction, or a piece of junk. The same goes for what you hang on your body. Of course, art comes into women's wear more than into men's, but it enters both. Men's ties, vests, shirts, and suspenders have been daring enough to compete with women's fashions. And, like other arts, fashion comes in for censorship. Puritanical societies have always tried to control fashion: Christian Lacroix would have had a hard time of it at the Spanish court in its Habsburg heyday. More significantly, artists have often worked, so to speak, hand in glove with fashion designers; so, for example, Sonia Delaunay created patchwork designs for Jacques Heim coats, worked for a textile company, and influenced Patou and Schiaparelli, among others. So Dali designed fabrics for
Schiaparelli, and Saint Laurent co-opted Mondrian for a line of dresses.

Why should fashion be denied the status of art? Because it is functional? Is ceramics not art because one can eat and drink from it? Because it is cosmetic? Yes, it beautifies, but by means of something sewn, constructed -- not merely smeared on like a pomade. Clothes, to be sure, wear out, whereas a painting or statue remains; but in the light of today's deliberately perishable art, e.g., Christo's wrappings, permanence seems no longer to be a criterion. Granted fashion differs from other arts in that most of us can participate in creating it, in which case it becomes the art of self-expression.

It can, however, be costly. It takes virtually no money to write a poem or make a drawing. But to dress well, unless you make your own clothes, takes money. Hence modern fashion has bifurcated. For the wealthy, there remain the designers producing expensive haute couture. For the rest, there is something new.

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Casual wear, leisure clothes and footgear, have taken over much of the clothing trade. Not long ago there was no such thing as Gap, Benneton, Reebok, Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, and the countless rest. There you can acquire the latest in tight-clinging or loose-fitting, mainly sport-derived clothes, and an endless variety of footwear that looks like a cross between the old sneakers and the Tower of Babel. Until recently few of these clothes, and none of these shoes, would have passed muster in offices and other respectable surroundings; now they are practically everywhere. Symbolically, Nike is opening a super-store in Manhattan next door to Tiffany's. And all over America's cities you can see women dressed properly, even elegantly, going about with Nikes on their feet.

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And not just women: fashion designers themselves appear in public in clothes only the riff-raff would be presumed to favor. I can remember how elegant the great fashion designers of yesteryear were -- men like Pierre Balmain and Jean Patou, to name but two, were always fashion plates, as is Oscar de la Renta today. But I remember my disappointment on meeting Nino Cerrutti sloppily dressed. Since then something has happened. I first noticed it with the brilliant designer Karl Lagerfeld, who looked to me like a cat-burglar in all-black casual wear and with a pony tail dependent from his boding head. The look seemed all right while he was designing trendy clothes for Chloe; but later, at Chanel? Yet that was nothing compared to the downright malevolent and thuggish look affected by Gianni Versace. And Jean-Paul Gaultier, in his skirts, might frighten little children.

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How to explain all this? The casual look of the last decades has something to do with the success of the beatniks, something with the latter-day homosexual camp (as opposed to earlier homosexual chic), but mostly with today's trend toward what I'd call diurnal dishabille. At the recent MTV awards, the audience, as Bob Morris reported in the New York Times, consisted of ''honchos and junior honchos, some looking as if they couldn't bother to dress, others looking as if they couldn't bother to do anything else.'' Yet is there really much difference between those extremes? There are clothes from, say, Calvin Klein, Norma Kamali, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger about which one can't be at all sure which social class they cater to. Some people may consider this democratic and good; I myself have doubts.

Celebrity appeal helps bag business for firm.

2004-11-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

FASHION designer Gina Alexander got her break when celebrities, eager to see their own faces on their accessories, started buying the customized handbags she was selling from a mobile kiosk at a mall. With her husband Richard, Alexander started Gina Alexander Inc. out of their garage. Now they have a warehouse, showroom and office with 12 employees in Burbank. An adoptive parent, and an adoptee herself, 37-year-old Alexander donates 1 percent of the price of every bag to the agency that helped her adopt her daughter.

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"I went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown right after high school and I was also working for different designers. It was really hard for me to find a job because the fashion industry took a big hit five or six years ago.

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"In 2001, I saw Hollywood & Highland had these little kiosks selling things, and I said, 'I want to open a kiosk.'
"You had to present your designs to the vice president of TrizecHahn (then owner of Hollywood & Highland), like an audition. I was designing handbags. But I had no money, so I couldn't even make actual samples. I just had sketches. I quit my job at Starbucks and went for it. I borrowed from friends and relatives, and worked 10 hours a day. We were called Shangri La-Dee-Da. The rent was $4,000 a month, not including what I paid my employees.

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"After about a year, I opened up another kiosk at the Grove and started doing the photo handbags. Now it's all we do. You send us a picture and we dye it directly on the fabric and sew it onto the bags by hand. People can order bags off our Web site, too. You choose the model you want, send us a photo, and we send the bag.

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"Tori Spelling came with all her pictures to make cosmetic bags, a bunch for her and her friends, with group pictures. Elizabeth Taylor had a bag made with a collage of pictures, with her and Rosie O'Donnell. Sharon Stone did like six of them. We made a bag for Oprah, too. Now we're in 42 stores. During a two-week promotion this month, Nordstrom's sold 4,000 of our bags. We're hiring people pretty much every day.

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"A portion of the price of every bag, 1 percent, is donated to Hope for Children, the agency that helped us get our baby girl. I do about one bag a month with a picture of my daughter. She's 19 months old."

Handbags Develop Innovative Models of Accessing Luxury Experiences for the Wealthy

2004-11-18T08:10:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK -- There's a new revolution underway and, as usual, it starts with the rich. The new revolutionaries are leading edge marketers of luxury goods and services with hassle-free, more affordable business models that liberate consumers from the burdens of ownership. In time, this revolution will transform a host of industries.

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That's the theme of The Luxury Access Revolution: New Options for Consumers, Rich Opportunities for Marketers, a new report from the New York-based Luxury Institute. This breakthrough report traces the brief history of the revolution - which is in its infancy - names the industries and companies at its forefront, and identifies the best practices and winning business models.

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The Trend Toward Revolutionary Access Models
"The 'revolution' refers to the changes in the way that luxury goods and services are marketed to the affluent who, strapped for time, no longer need or want outright ownership," points out Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute, a luxury-focused business intelligence research firm. "The two most popular options are 'fractional' ownership, in which the buyer owns a share of the asset, and the newer membership models, in which the buyer does not own any portion of the asset, but has access to it for a deposit and an annual fee."

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Pedraza adds, "High-end assets such as private jets, resort real estate, yachts and exotic automobiles, motor coaches and others are already being accessed this way. Marketers are learning that luxury consumers don't crave ownership anymore - they just want pampered access to 'experiencing' the best."
Among the report's key findings:

--Poised for Take-off? While the private jet industry has been among the first to embrace fractionalization, it has operated at breakeven basis since its inception and will have to change its business model to succeed. There are major "dos and don'ts" to be learned from various industries.

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--The Revolution's Evolution: While fractionalization is the first step in the luxury access revolution, it is not the endpoint. In most industries, Pedraza predicts, fractional offerings will give way to membership plans, which are far more flexible for providers and consumers.

--The Next Big Things: The latest high-end target categories for the revolution are industries such as travel and leisure, yachts, motor coaches, handbags, art & antiques, jewelry, and watches.

"There is substantial room for growth in fractional and membership luxury offerings across multiple industries, if the right business strategies are put into place," advises Pedraza. "Developing a sustainable business model in 'The Luxury Access Revolution' is challenging because this is completely uncharted territory for most marketers."

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Best Practices
Some of the best business practices in luxury fractionals and memberships, as highlighted in the Luxury Access Revolution report, include:

--Target Industries: While many luxury categories are ripe for fractionalization and membership models, the best candidates are those that provide products associated with a high burden of ownership. New access models are being innovated across industries, from private jets all the way down to designer handbags.

--Brand Benefits: By leveraging their prestige, experience, and existing infrastructure, established and trusted luxury brands will enjoy inherent advantages over newcomers.

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--Bumps in the Road: The Luxury Access Revolution entails both significant market expansion and cannibalization. To be successful, luxury brands must learn from the failures of early fractional categories such as private jets and yachts and avoid their mistakes. There are major lessons to be learned from the pioneers across industries.

The Luxury Institute is a business intelligence company, which focuses on trends and best practices affecting luxury consumers (the wealthiest 10% of American households) and the businesses that cater to them. The Institute combines intimate industry knowledge and experience with exhaustive research on current market trends to develop actionable assessments for its subscribers.

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Sales of Handbags

2004-11-17T08:08:00.000-05:00

When it comes to bags, women appear to be placing more value on quality and function than on rock-bottom prices.
To mass merchants' delight, value-conscious women seem inclined to dole out more dollars for carryalls that are well-made, good looking and equipped to tote the endless necessities they need to get through their day. As a result, retailers and manufacturers are stretching price points with more creative designs.

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"We're finding that customers don't mind paying up to $5 more for a bag made of heavier materials, with more detailing and multiple storage compartments. In fact, higher price point bags [retailing up to $20] outsold lower price point bags [in the $10 range] this fall," reports Abe Chehebar, president and chief executive officer of New York-based Accessory Network, which trades under the Sasson, Gitano, Chic, L.A. Gear and Aspen labels.

Backpacks are hot. "Backpacks are here to stay. Four or five years ago, it was only a Back-to-Schools business. Now, we're on year-round EDI programs with many of our accounts," notes Chehebar.

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Full-size and mini functional backpacks are helping Canton, Mass.-based Hills to get good turns from high-ticket items. "Backpacks made of a heavyweight, 600-denure polyester, detailed with genuine suede trim, are performing phenomenally," reports luggage buyer Lisa Grandin. "A lot is being done to add value to the backpacks. Competition among manufacturers is intensifying, so they're doing all they can to differentiate themselves, like adding wallets and organizers to existing styles. We actually raised the retail prices due to the customers' perceived value of the products," she says, noting that Hills sells backpacks from Accessory Network, Pacific Connections, A.D. Sutton, Legent, Bonnie International and Gary Gaines that top out at $14.97 retail.

Licensed organizational backpacks are also moving well. At Hills, accessories buyer Cherylanne Brigida notes that the popular Looney Tunes models retail for $13.97.

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New York-based Holiday Fair reports success with its Looney Tunes organizational mini backpacks (retailing for $12.99 to $19.99) that feature front-zipper compartments. Inside these compartments, consumers will find calculator, day planner, photo and credit card slots.

At De Pere, Wis.-based Prange Way, accessories buyer Donna Bouchard says she will go forward with more of the same styles for spring. "Women live out of their bags these days, and it helps to have a lot of what they need right there in one bag." Prange Way sells backpacks from Accessory Network, Michael Stevens, Monique and Mitzi.
In addition to heavyweight polyester backpacks, the market is also showing positive reaction to backpacks and sling-packs crafted from matte and shiny nylon, leather-like PVC, canvas, microfiber, denim and macrame in traditional rectangular silhouettes with front- and back-zip pockets, as well as newer designs including the rounded, drawstring look.

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The newest bag models for spring are based on styles initially popularized by designers and novelty retailers. Phone bags, first seen by Chanel and The Sharper Image at retail prices starting at $100, are expected to reach the mass market at a $14.99 price point.

The phone bag is sized slightly larger than the still-important wallet-on-a-string. A Velcro-closure pocket accommodates a cellular phone. Keys and coins fit in a snap pocket. A zippered wallet at the back holds bills and credit cards. The silhouette is based on the compact organizer bags-the Wonder Bag and The Shlepper were innovative models in this category-that became all the rage a few seasons ago.

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RGa's phone bag is "designed for the woman on the go, and anything we can do to enhance the value of a bag helps to drive sales," says sales executive Cory Waisner. Available in pebble grain, crunch vinyl and quilted matte nylon with gold accents a la designer Prada, phone bags will sell at Wal-Mart, Kmart, various regional discounters and Petrie Stores for $14.99.

But the busy woman also possesses a playful side, and knowing this, RGA didn't draw its spring trend direction from the runways of Milan or Paris. Instead, inspiration came from favorite stuffed animals --hence the plush bearpacks. They retail at $14.99 for a 12-inch mini to $24.99 for a larger-size bear at stores including Wal-mart, Kmart, Venture and ontgomery Ward. The crew of chocolate, honey and bone bears, featuring adjustable straps and back-zip closures, is being expanded to include rabbits, koalas, pandas and dogs in shades of white, black, gray, brown and pink. Coordinating coin purses and belt bags (retailing for $7.99) made their debut for Holiday.

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Accessory Network is aiming for women's whimsical tastes with insulated lunch coolers in round or box silhouettes.

These culinary carriers also double as kitschy handbags.
The slingpack, a new twist on the backpack, is also eliciting attention. Accessory Network is offering slingpacks in reversible printed and solid canvas-on-canvas and canvas-on-straw designs, as well as in denim.

The bag market is appealing to the many sides of today's busy woman, with offerings that let her pack it up and take it on the go in style.

Small leather goods fold into discounters' mix

2004-11-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

Unlike leather handbags and luggage, which can often carry price points beyond the comfort zone of most discount retailers, small leather goods like wallets and accessories fall easily within the right price range.
"At our prices - between $12 and $15 - accessories are an area that is not as easily hit by recession," said Abe Chehebar, president of Accessory Network.

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As sales have been growing in this category, which is also a large gift area, new products and displays have been cropping up to provide a better merchandising opportunity for self-service retailers.

"Discounters have particular needs because they are self-service," said Mack Hemming, vice president of marketing at Heritage Leathers, West Bend, Wis. "We were one of the first to devise a see-through package for our wallets. Customers could see the leather, and an illustration on the package showed how the wallet unfolded."

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The clamshell packaging provides a way for retailers to hang the products on pegboards without requiring a counter area. According to Hemming, Target is among the stores that featured Heritage Wallet is hanging displays.
Accessory Network, a division of Gitano, also realized the importance of consolidating display space.

For the fourth quarter Christmas sales, Accessory Network coordinated displays that mixed small leather goods such as wallets and cardholders with related accessories from its various licensed lines. Accessory Network licensees include Gitano, Nintendo, L.A. Gear and Bonjour.

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According to Chehebar, the concept of coordinating various accessories extends to other seasons as well.

Back-to-school, for instance, lends itself to bag, wallets and organizer displays. This concept also works with different categories such as knit accessories, which Accessory Network also makes.

Like other manufacturers, Heritage Leathers also takes aggressive merchandising measures for fourth quarter. This past year, the company featured its wallets in a package that included a reusable gift box.

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American Tourister, known more for its luggage, has also expanded its line with coordinating travel accessories.
With the success of the luggage category at retail in this past year, travel accessories seem a natural add-on and have been getting a lot of attention.

According to a Leather & Luggage Manufacturers Association survey, retailers expect personal leather goods to be up about 1% in 1992. But in the same survey, these retailers forecast a 3.1% increase in the travel accessory category.

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Manufacturers in the survey agreed, and forecast an optimistic 5% increase for personal leather goods, but gave the highest hopes to travel accessories.
Manufacturers said they though travel accessories sales could rise about 6%.

Heritage and Accessory Network both market toiletry and cosmetic cases along with other items in the travel accessory category. American Tourister's newest line expansions are with more specialized travel items.

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Franzus Co., Beacon Falls, Conn., is manufacturing the line of American Tourister accessories. Among the items in the line are "popular impulse items" such as leather luggage tags and straps and related items such as combination locks and padlocks as well as travel alarm clocks.

"This line offers the retailer a significant opportunity to increase sales with high impulse and high turn items," said William Lenahan, president of Franzus Co.

As with the luggage category, Chehebar believes that wallets and other small leather goods are finding a new breed of customer at discount stores.

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"There is a new middle-tier consumer that now shops discount," he noted. "We offer quality products at discount. They are on a parity with what consumers expect from department stores."

Another added boost for discounters is that as a favorite gift item, something like a wallet is acceptable at a higher price point.

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"It's the perfect gift. It's safe," said Andy Nitkin, vp of marketing at York Luggage. "You don't have to worry about size or fit."

Hottest Designs and Coolest Trends!

2004-11-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

Entertainment Editors
6th Annual Miami Fashion Week of the Americas
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2004
South Beach has never been hotter! A legendary tropical paradise...the perfect venue for the 6th Annual Miami Fashion Week of the Americas (FWA), May 13-16 at the Roney Palace Resort on Miami Beach. This world renowned international event -- the single largest Latin American fashion showcase in the United States -- plays host to 30 designers from 16 countries and hundreds of international media outlets.

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The outstanding designers slated to participate in FWA 2004 include Brazil's Marcelo Quadros, FWA's New Star in Fashion award recipient, Costa Rica's Sonia Chang, Peru's Fatima Arrieta, Argentina's Marcelo Senra, Mexico's Pineda Covalin, Panama's Melina Typaldos, India's Rina Dhaka and Bolivia's Rosita Hurtado. Francesco Martini Coveri will accept the 2004 Designer of the Year award on behalf of the famed Enrico Coveri maison in Florence, Italy.

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Fabulous concerts, exciting parties and other exceptional events will help celebrate each night during Miami FWA. E! Entertainment Latin America will produce a one-hour FWA television special for their "Behind The Scenes" show to be broadcast in 24 countries. Terra Networks, FWA's Official Spanish Language Internet Partner, will constantly update event-related information via its FWA mini-site on its "Mujer" channel http://www.terra.com/mujer/especiales/fwa2004/.

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Many high-traffic venues certain to draw attention include the Fashion Lounge, the Roney Fashion Cafe, the Moda Beach Bar, the Designers' Fashion Gallery & Trends Display, the Designer Furniture Display, the Terra Press Center & Internet Lounge and a video lounge.

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The final evening's FWA Moda & Music Awards presentation brings this unique weeklong event to a spirited close. Awards will be presented in a wide variety of categories including Designer of the Year, New Star in Fashion, Pret-A-Porter Style, Terra New Model of the Year and Excellence in Eveningwear, among others.

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In addition to Terra, event sponsors include Samy Salon, M-A-C Cosmetics, Miami Beach VCA, Tropicool Miami TDC, Cotton, Inc., Vogue en Espanol, Lincoln Road Magazine, Nikki Style Magazine, Collezioni Magazine, FashionStock.com, LiquidSquare, the Roney Palace Beach Resort and The Mix Global Color Research.

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Founded in 1999 by Beth Sobol of Sobol Fashion Productions, Inc., FWA enjoys well-deserved acclaim as one of the world's premier fashion events and the largest showcase of Latin American and Caribbean design talent in the United States.

Fashion Jewelry and Purses

2004-10-14T08:07:00.000-04:00

There are so many great choices when you are buying wholesale fashion jewelry. Every woman loves to have the latest look, and it can be affordable when you buy wholesale fashion jewelry. There are many places you can find great prices, especially if you are shopping at online stores.

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To find out when there are sales and how to get the best prices, sign up for online store newsletters. Some stores have message boards and forums where you can talk to other customers about what's hot and what's not. Don't forget to look around on online auctions. Also check out any links or webrings that online stores may have on their sites.

Wholesale Fashion Jewelry Is Fun to Wear
There are so many types of wholesale fashion jewelry that you may not know where to even begin to shop. Fashion jewelry is a great gift for a teenager, a college girl, a new mother and even middle aged women. Every woman loves to have more jewelry so you can't go wrong if you use a bit of imagination.

For the dog lover in your life, you will discover a few items that make great gifts. There are dog purses with Dalmatians, Corgis and Chihuahuas. There are even purses with playful puppies on them. You can use a dog picture purse for yourself or use it to carry your dog toys and food when you take Rover for a visit.

If you have a friend who is a cheerleader or just loves cheerleader memorabilia you can find a few items for her. There are cheerleader purses that can be used as handbags or tote bags. You can also find cheerleader charm bracelets and earrings. If you know a sports buff, there are charm bracelets with various sports charms on them. You can even find a NASCAR purse.

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You can dress like a rock star or Hollywood starlet with wholesale fashion jewelry. Find sparkling earrings and big pearl watches for great prices. There are all sorts of purses, some lined with feathers for a dramatic effect. Add a touch of drama with a scarf around your neck. There are all kinds of wholesale fashion jewelry items such as anklets and brooches as well.

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Purses have pictures of Hollywood icons on them such as Marilyn Monroe, Betty Page, Betty Boop and James Dean. You can find purses with scenes from movies such as Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and The Invisible Man. Some purses look like book covers. There are even cigar box purses.

Some women are becoming part of a growing movement called the Red Hat Society. These are women over fifty who wear red hats and purple dresses and have teas to socialize. You can find Red Hat purses, charm bracelets, earrings and watches. There's even a Red Hat doll. You can find Red Hat wholesale fashion jewelry in many places and enjoy great savings.

Specialty Stores Raising the Bar - Accessories

2004-10-12T23:24:00.000-04:00

Specialty stores raising the bar DSN Retailing Today,
The fight for the hearts and dollars of girls and young teens is heating up as big-box retailers continue to battle specialty stores for dominance of the marketplace. What's more, the skirmishes are extending into new territories, including, among others, accessories.

Although there are only a handful of the new contenders, the specialty accessory stores are starting to hit the radar screens of mass merchants. "We've seen cosmetics influenced by Bath & Body Works, and there is the potential for the same in accessories.

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Among the established specialty accessory players are companies such as Limited Too, Old Navy and Claire's Accessories. And now retailers are starting to spin out new targeted formats
to appeal to girls 7 to 14.

Another girls' accessory player that is reaching critical mass comes from Urban Brands, which operates other stores under the Stuarts and Body and Soul nameplates. Its new operation, a tween accessory and apparel specialist called 100 Percent Girls, opened its first door and has grown to about 100 units.

Meanwhile, the successful Delia's has started opening stores in malls to augment its thriving mail-order and Internet business. Delia's now has 27 stores. Rave Girl stores, which is operated by G&G Retail of New York, also focuses on young girls accessories. The chain is an offshoot of the Rave stores that are aimed at an older audience. Currently, big sellers there include neckbands that hold keys, coin purses and pocketbooks, according to Josh Podell, a director for G&G.

Podell says girls like the store for its cutting-edge styles. "It is amazing the traffic we can generate," he adds. Rave stores range from 2,000-sq.-ft. to 3,000-sq.-ft. and sell an assortment of up-to-the-minute private-label fashions. The Rave Girl units are slightly smaller, in the 1,400-sq.-ft. to l,500-sq.-ft. range.

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All are gunning for the estimated $250 million teens spend on accessories. Leonie Mateer, consultant to Plano Molding, manufacturers of Caboodles, says her research with teens shows these stores are potent because "teens love to hang out at malls." She adds, "They often couldn't find accessories and inexpensive cosmetics at mall-based stores before. Now they can, and it is formidable competition." One mistake she thinks mass merchants have made is to underestimate the taste levels of the girls. "You won't find that at the specialty stores."

Suppliers applaud the new operations. In fact, most have divisions that sell in different retail sectors. And this multi-faceted approach helps bring new ideas to mass. "We have a grip on what is happening in department stores and specialty through one division, so we are on top of what's next for mass," explains Brad Meyers, executive vice president for RGA Accessories in New York.

Accessory Network also has all bases covered with products for all types of retailers. Tony Choueke, vice president of Living Things Mfg. Co., an accessory supplier, concludes, "The more specialty retailers that sell these items, the better the visibility." Eddie Azar, president of Fantasia thinks the impact of specialty stores is divided by age group. "Kids under 12 will still be driven to where the mom wants to go. And, if the mom is a mass shopper, that's where they'll buy accessories," he says. "After 12, however, is when they start getting dropped off at the mall." Nonetheless, Azar thinks the arrival of the specialty chains is "raising the bar" for mass merchants and making them react faster to trends.

Even though accessories weren't as robust this year as in 1999, retailers say they still need to make an impact. Cisar at ShopKo Stores, says she is looking for ways to tap pre-teens and teens with concept shops. One example is a Caboodles shop bringing together cosmetics storage boxes, makeup and accessories. "We have to find ways to show kids that we are in this business, too." ShopKo has the Caboodles assortment in all stores.

Target Stores make a big statement right at the entrance. Currently stores are stocked for Back-to-School with a huge array of backpacks, belts and purses. In usual Target manner, products are blocked by color. Bright, bold colors are in full assortment, as well as animal prints and fur embellishments.

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Eckerd Corp., the drugstore division of JCPenney, is hoping to fight fire with fire by installing children's accessory boutiques in their 2,500 units. The shops created and merhandised by Sassy Doo, a wholesale division of Claire's, began to roll out during the late summer. The concept was refined recently during the national association of chain drugstores meeting in New Orleans in June when Kathy Steirly, vice president of Eckerd, met with Sassy Doo personnel. The new departments bring a specialty-store aesthetic to the drug chain. Later this year, the concept is expected to be rolled out to other mass retailers.

Hanbags Loosen Purses Strings

2004-10-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

Handbags loosen purse strings - SupplementDiscount Store News,

Changing consumer buying habits, a new emphasis on fashion and savvy merchandising strategies continue to bolster handbag volume in the mass market. Sources report consistent improvement over last year's sales, with growth expected to remain steady through at least the spring of 1998.

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"Strong' is the word I would use in this area," says Patti Hall, buyer of ladies' accessories for Pamida. "We're 10 percent ahead of plan," she asserts.

According to Sandy Sansavera, vice president and general merchandise manager, soft lines at Ames, sales increases have been in the lower double digits "for some time." He says these figures are three to four percentage points higher than most other accessory classifications. Handbag models priced at $9.99 to $12.99 generate the lion's share of revenue at Ames.

Such results are attributable, at least partially, to the fact that mass market consumers no longer view handbags as items to be bought once each season. Rather, they, like individuals who frequent department and specialty stores, now gravitate toward purchasing different bags to match different outfits.

"The prevalent attitude is `buy it on impulse and wear it now,'" contends Abe Chehebar, chief executive officer of New York-based manufacturer Accessory Network. "This has injected a lot of life into the business for discounters."

Louder consumer cries for fashion handbags also are fueling the fire. As Chehebar puts it, "Today's Kmart and Wal-Mart customer" wants to look as chic "as anyone else," and those retailers that respond appropriately are reaping good rewards.

Skip Chustz, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of soft lines for ShopKo, corroborates Chehebar's comments, adding that line excursions in the fashion realm are beginning to drive his company's handbag business. "Starting in fourth quarter 1997, fashion, rather than basics, will be the dominant force," he predicts. Fabric and plastic totes in bright colors are already faring well and should remain a popular choice next spring, he says. The strongest price points for juniors' bags range from $10 to $13; for women's bags, $15 to $20, Chustz reveals. Conversely, sales of leather bags retailing for $20 to $25 have been "disappointing," he concedes.

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Sansavera, too, expects color to play a key role in spring 1998 sales. Clear vinyl handbags with brightly hued trim and woven plastic models in citrus brights will be prominently featured in stores throughout the chain. This doesn't surprise Chehebar, who points out that "Coach made green handbags mainstream, creating greater acceptance for color across the board."

The importance of fashion will also be reflected in rapid movement of handbags into new silhouettes and a wide variety of materials. Pam Crockett, senior buyer of handbags, accessories, small leather goods and sunglasses for Venture Stores, is convinced that sling shapes and microfiber looks in the $12.99 to $14.99 range will top customers' shopping lists. come the spring season.
"Vinyl and patch leather are popular now," she says, but sales of mesh, banja and straw bags will heat up during the early months of 1998.

Meanwhile, Hall is putting her money on novel box bags and crocheted rayon models. Chustz foresees brisk movement of macrame, banja and linen handbags, as well as top-handled silhouettes.
"Woven paper straw, rayon and `sack' material are grabbing the limelight," Chehebar reports. "In the moderate market, printed canvas should be `it,' with brighter patterns for younger customers and muted ones in the missy category." He points out that Accessory Network recently tested consumer reception to canvas bags at one chain, and "they blew out fast."

What's more, an ongoing nostalgia craze is rendering licensed handbags a fashion staple. At Ames, models depicting Winnie The Pooh and Mickey Mouse have been generating interest among juniors customers. A handbag emblazoned with Sesame Street characters will make its debut at the stores shortly.

Yet, if current purchasing patterns are any indication, mass merchants would be foolish to limit the number of utilitarian handbag selections spotlighted in their stores. The reason: A substantial target audience for functional bags of all sizes still exists. At ShopKo, Chustz reports, customers are reacting "terrifically" to 12-in-1 organizer bags, while at Pamida, 20-in. totes and organizers are among the most commonly selected options. Accessory Network anticipates a mass market-level run on mini-organizers with zippers and gussets.

"Utility may have faded into the background a bit when fashion began to dominate the scene, but it's certainly a core piece of our business," Chustz says. "[Patrons] ask for it as frequently as they do hot colors and such," because they have grown to love the convenience.

Accordingly, ShopKo has earmarked a generous portion of its spring open-to-buy toward bags with a multitude of pockets and zippers, to name just a few accouterments. Ames has taken a similar tack, ordering ample quantities of smaller totes, organizers and "wallet-on-a-string" products, as well as many basic bags with myriad closeable compartments. The latter should appeal to older shoppers whose top priority is security, observes Cathy Cardin, Ames' associate handbag buyer.

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Some retailers are distinguishing themselves from competitors with private label merchandise. "Our private label business is very hot," states Venture's Crockett. "The Stone Mesa brand is being used in soft lines and has become a recognizable name in handbags, wallets and accessories."

"We're doing quite a bit of shifting to private label," echoes Chustz. ShopKo's handbag brands include Willow Bay for casuals and Energy Zone for active totes.
Innovative merchandising comprises an equally common sales strategy. According to Chehebar, such mass merchants as Wal-Mart and Target display handbags with coordinating accessories, such as hats, scarves and wallets. "Done properly, this gets two to three purchases out of the customer, instead of just one," he explains.

Ames organizes handbags by material, separating basics from fashion looks within each category. Similarly, ShopKo displays its wares in accordance with type; for instance, all minis are found in the same location. Such practices make the products easier to find, increasing the likelihood of making a sale, say Cardin and Chustz.

Canvas Bags For Any Occasion

2004-10-09T08:20:00.000-04:00

Canvas Bags For Any OccasionCanvas bags are durable, reliable, and convenient for any occasion or use. They can be used for travel, work, diaper bag, as a handbag, grocery shopping, and almost anything that requires bringing a bag. They are great for just about anything and everything.

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Canvas Bags have many uses. Traveling requires a lot of storage and when everything must go, the canvas bag is easy to bring along your favorite items. You can easily throw magazines or books in them, and bring them along for the car ride.

Companies and Canvas Bags
Many companies use canvas bags to advertise for their business. A company's logo on a canvas bag is like a walking billboard. Everyone will see it and it is good way to promote your business.

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Many businesses such as cruise lines, hotels, and airlines will give these canvas bags away as promotional items. They really are a wonderful accessory to have. Some people own two or three bags because they are so useful.

Purse Snatchers

2004-10-07T21:21:00.000-04:00

Sneer At Purse Snatchers - PurseGuard - Brief Article USA Today (Magazine), Sept, 2001

Despite warnings to the contrary, many women still insist on hanging their purses from the back of their chair in restaurants, easy prey for a light-fingered thief. Considering all the credit cards, other valuable pieces of information (driver's license, ID cards, etc.), keys, photos, medication, and, of course, cash in this single repository, putting it at risk borders on insanity.

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Zelco Industries, Inc., Mt. Vernon, N.Y., has a deceptively simple deterrence for such crime in its PurseGuard. The device is a simple hook that can be hung from the tabletop. The top has a built-in alarm, while the bottom is designed for a purse strap to be hooked over. Once the switch on the side of the alarm is activated, the purse cannot be removed from the hook without triggering a high-pitched alarm, alerting you and everyone around you.

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The PurseGuard comes in black and white, operates on an LR44 battery, and has a handy pouch for storage in purse or pocket when not in use. It works equally as well for securing totes, book bags, and packages if they have a handle. It can be found in stationery, gift, and office supply stores for about $15.

Fashion Forward

2004-10-06T08:11:00.000-04:00

Fashion Forward Retail Traffic, Nov 1, 2003 Beth Karlin

Luxury is back in style
After a two-year drought, sales of designer brands at upscale stores are outpacing those of their cheaper counterparts. In September, Neiman Marcus registered a 13.6 percent increase and Gucci a 10 percent increase in comp-store sales from 2002, while Credit Suisse First Boston's mall anchor index rose just 3.1 percent.

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"The U.S. luxury goods market is recovering," says Christian Oddone of the Actinvest Group in London. Much of the growth is in accessories, particularly purses and jewelry, though apparel sales are up as well.

Bill Taubman, executive vice president of Taubman Centers, says the company's tony tenants registered sales increases in the double digits. Taubman recently opened Stony Point Fashion Park in Richmond, Va., bringing that market its first Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue stores, which have seen a lot of traffic.

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The upbeat news has been a long time coming. The national mourning period that followed 9/11 made ostentatious buys seem like a frivolous act of self-absorption. Then the SARs epidemic hurt tourism. Finally, the standoff and eventual war with Iraq cast a further pall over high-priced designer purchases. Consumers apparently think the worst is over and are spending again for the real deal.

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And it's not only the rich who are buying. Many shoppers, who wouldn't have spent hundreds of dollars for a purse in the past, are willing to shell out that much to have one to-die-for accessory, rather than several lower priced, lower quality and less impressive products. What's more, the selection has never been so large. Many designers have overhauled their product lines. Bear Stearns analyst Dana Telsey says she is impressed by what she calls the "high level of newness" among luxury retailers.

Expansions on Track
What this means for developers is that the top-of-the-line retailers are proceeding with expansion plans that were a bit iffy when the news was bad, and they are planning even more openings and expansions of existing stores.

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Coach, for example, whose profit soared 88 percent in the latest quarter to $42.3 million, will add 20 new U.S. locations and 10 Japanese locations a year for the near term, with a goal of 350 full-price stores eventually vs. about 162 now. It also plans to expand eight U.S. retail locations.

Tiffany indicated it would continue with its plans to open more stores, including its Temple St. Clair boutiques and a 5,300-square-foot store at Florida's The Gardens of the Palm Beaches.
Expansion by European firms had stalled, but is now increasing with the turnaround and waning fears about travel and the weakness of the dollar against the euro. The weak dollar lets foreign retailers lease space and build new stores at a discount, even though they have to mark up the price of their goods to maintain profitability. Once the dollar rebounds, they should be in a good position to profit from the expansion, says Taubman.

New York broker Faith Hope Consolo says she's seeing increased demand for New York real estate by European designers. Among the firms actively looking for sites are units of Gucci and LVMH; its Fendi brand is spending heavily to reposition itself for the future. LVMH will open a big new Louis Vuitton store at Fifth Avenue and 57 [superscript]th Street in Manhattan in February.

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"The real question," asks one analyst, "is can this upturn be sustained?" Taubman says luxury goods makers can only expand so much before the exclusiveness of the brand diminishes. And not all high-fashion firms are doing well. For example, Saks Fifth Avenue Chief Executive Christina Johnson resigned her post in late October after the chain consistently placed second to competitor Neiman Marcus because, analysts said, Saks had inferior merchandising.

Why the rebound now? Taubman suggests a cultural shift has increased emphasis on fashion and design among consumers, who are no longer shopping just for the mundane basics. Maybe that's why the Louis Vuitton store at Americana Mall in Manhasset, N.Y., still has thousands of women on the waiting list for the French label's colorful line of Takashi Murakami-designed handbags.

Briefcases

2004-10-05T10:29:00.000-04:00

What your briefcase says about you - Brief Article Men's Fitness, Oct, 2003

Pedro Martinez doesn't have flowers on his baseball glove, Tiger Woods doesn't have a pink driver, and Brett Favre doesn't have smiley faces on his helmet. Why? The same reason you don't want a briefcase that sends any signal other than success.

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Your briefcase is tangible ambition. "It is a major part of your business image and lets people know who you are," says Sherry Maysonave, a business-image consultant and the author of Casual Power. Generally, the skin of your case is the first thing people notice. "Leather doesn't lie. It is easy to spot, distinctive, and men who carry such cases will come off as elegant and stylish."

If you're going for style, try and choose a buckle over a zipper. A buckle is a frosted mug and a zipper is beer out of the bottle, class vs. casual. "When deciding, keep in mind someone whose level of success and work habits you admire," Maysonave instructs. "Most bags also have options for a shoulder strap, which is usually more common and necessary in technical jobs. In general business, don't use the strap if you don't have to." A briefcase held at your side looks more comfortable, especially if it matches your suit.

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As your briefcase is part of your wardrobe, "look in your closet before deciding on a color," Maysonave says. "Black and certain brown colors are sophisticated and versatile." Along with your shoes and belt, your briefcase is one of the last three things you accessorize with before work. Be sure the trio is coordinated.
"Ultimately," Maysonave says, "the briefcase you purchase should be in line with the job you want, not the job you have."
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Backpacks and Fanny Packs

2004-10-04T08:15:00.000-04:00

Backpacks and fanny packs are everywear Wearables Business, by Eric Peterson

Once for students and hikers, carry packs have gone upscale and into the office
Take a look at any busy street and you'll probably see a dozen backpacks in a minute, on the back of every possible type of urban denizen.

It wasn't always that way, as backpacks first hiked out of the mountains and into the nation's schools before becoming widely popular every-wear. The cousin of the backpack, the fanny pack, while not as popular as they were in 1989, are also popping up a lot more frequently and in more places.

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The reasons are simple: everybody has something to carry, and backpacks and fanny packs fit the lifestyles of almost every demographic.
"My gosh, backpacks are everywhere," says Jon Jones, the national sales manager at Salt Lake City-based Ogio International. "From the kid on the skateboard to the mom pushing the stroller to the $5,000 Armani suit."

Interestingly, while it seems backpacks have graduated from grade schools, colleges and universities to the offices of corporate America nationwide, it's not a two-way street. "You'd never see a guy on a skateboard with a briefcase," notes Jones, adding that you do see many people in traditional business garb use a backpack.

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But many of those traditional briefcases are taking an untraditional turn.
"A lot of the old horizontal briefcases are now being made vertically," says Greg Stentiford, the vice president of sales and marketing at G.A. Golden Pacific, Inc., a City of Industry, Calif., manufacturer. "When you make a briefcase vertical, you can put straps on it and carry it on your back."

Stentiford notes that the universality of the backpack, its acceptance in the modern corporate arena complemented with its heavy usage by students, commuters, and exercisers, gives these products decorated with a corporate logo a very high level of visibility.

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Revival of the fanny
In fanny packs, innovative, specialized products are driving the category s revival. Canyon Outback manufactures the Three-in-One: a leather fanny pack that has a layer of foam under the skin designed specifically to protect a camera. The pack's name is derived from the fact that it can be carried over the shoulder or as a handbag, in addition to strapping around the waist in traditional fanny-pack style, making it popular with consumers who do not like traditional fanny packs.

Likewise, G.A. Golden Pacific manufactures the Cleverpack, a convertible pack that can be worn as a backpack as well a fanny pack, and that is designed specifically to house CDs and a portable player.
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Tote Bags

2004-10-03T14:45:00.000-04:00

ToteBags hold promotional power by Jennifer Rapp

The tote bag industry is exploding with choices for the promotional products arena.
We here at Wearables Business, forced to make executive decisions, long ago decreed that bags, packs and totes are indeed wearables. We came to this momentous assumption because we felt that a bag, as opposed to, say, a coffee mug, was likely to move around with the person and be associated with the individual in much the same fashion as a shirt. The right bag, like the right shirt, is a personal decision; the right coffee mug is the one that's clean.

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And just like other wearables, bags come in a dizzying array of styles, and for a multitude of purposes. There are upscale business bags for times that the person is projecting an executive persona, and there are bags for the purely promotional persona as well. When it comes to this latter need, there is nothing more promotional than the tote bag. As an added bonus, the tote bag is also quite utilitarian in a modern world so overwhelmed with stuff, and, recognizing this, bag makers have taken the once-lowly tote to new heights with fashions that appeal to everyone and for every purpose.

The tote bag is also so user-friendly in many, many ways: no sizes to worry about, no issues of whether they are made for a male or female, and no limits to their capabilities. Because of these qualities, totes are one of those coveted useful promotional products that PPDs can do no wrong with selling. These highly regarded items are a boost to the marketplace and with all the new varieties of totes out there, this wearable is sure to "get carried away."

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Totes promote
Uses for tote bags continue to grow. As people add more activities into their lives, totes become an important aspect of day-to-day living. People are more mobile in their jobs, so totes are an essential item to carry job-related paraphernalia; totes are important for the health and fitness gurus so they can transport athletic equipment and bottled water; and, as more people become environmentally conscious, totes are a perfect alternative to plastic bags at grocery stores or festivals.

"Totes are used as giveaways at grocery stores," says. David Stacks, marketing director at Augusta, Ga.-based Augusta Sportswear, supplier of clothing and accessories. "The bags are often given to returning customers to be used in lieu of plastic bags and then the customers receive discounts," says Stacks. In addition to grocery stores, he points out that when people are searching for a sporting goods store to buy team uniforms from, retailers often give them totes as a way of trying to garner their business.

Other tote uses, according to Stacks, include giveaways for ticket-holders at art festivals or to returning customers at art supply stores. School supply stores also give totes away to kids who use them for carrying their supplies back and forth to school. Also, "Truckers are given accounts to buy fuel and sometimes totes will be thrown in with the account," says Stacks. "The truckers use the bags when they go into a truck stop to buy sweets [and other items] while their fuel is being pumped."

Touting the tote
If an item is a good promotional product, it tends to adhere to several different types of criteria: it's useful, it has great advertising capabilities and it's unique. Enter the tote bag.
"Bags are walking advertisements," says Teli (as he wishes to be called), manager of the Atlanta, Ga. office for Wasatch, a wholesale supplier of clothing and accessories. "People get them at trade shows and carry catalogs in them."

Teli adds that people collect so many catalogs that there's no way they can get through them all so they're eventually thrown away. But, Teli notes, "[People will] subconsciously look at the bags every day. The name of the company [advertised on the bag] will ring a bell someday.
"The days are gone when people make a decision right away," he adds.

Hence the reason a tote can hang around for a while and still get its message across. Teli says even if a bag isn't being used and it may be sitting around gathering dust, it's always there as a reminder. He also points out that T-shirts, for example, won't get worn if the cut is wrong, but with bags, you don't have to worry about a proper fit.

Different totes for different folks
Bag manufacturers have come to the end-users' rescue by creating totes with plenty of "bells and whistles" to satisfy every need.

"Everyone's looking for something different in totes' says Russ Rowan, director of product design and development at Toppers, a Thorofare, N.J.-based bag and accessory supplier. Rowan lists several "bells and whistles" that are popular on his company's totes, such as water bottle pockets, phone pockets, longer shoulder straps, key attachments, waterproof backing, contrasting straps and bottom and leather accents.

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Other than these modem day amenities, Stacks from Augusta Sportswear points out that certain tote features are popular with people who wish to use the bags as purses or shopping bags. He points out certain details such as web handles (some are self-fabric), gussets, reinforced stitching at stress points, pouch pockets and drawcords.

On the other hand, "bells and whistles" are not important to everyone and the "cleaner" the bag, the better. Teli at Wasatch says the bags at his company are sans any extras because "we want to make [our totes] as economical as possible." He says Wasatch's canvas bags are cheaper than some others but have the same quality. "Everything is price conscious now' says Teli.

The decorated tote
Another way that totes are a versatile promotional product is through the various modes of decorating they encompass. According to Gregg Chatterson, director of marketing at Ripon, Wis.-based Admanco, manufacturer of cloth promotional products, "[Totes are decorated with] direct screen imprint, embroidery and a different kind of process our company uses called Photo Magic. [With this process,] we use computer-generated art, make a color copy and then transfer the image to the bag. The process works best on the natural [totes] or the bleach duck substitute [white]."

Stacks from Augusta Sportswear adds, "Screenprinters like to use [the screenprinted totes] as show-and-tell for their customers because they can crinkle them up [to show that] the printing won't be ruined."

Low end vs. high end
With the high versatility of totes, end-users are now able to have a plethora of choices for their bag needs. Totes are available in lower-end styles up to totes that offer a substantial amount of features.

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For example, Wasatch carries a basic, canvas tote that is advertised at 69 cents wholesale, which, tip until this year, was only offered in natural but now comes in five different colors. On the other end of the spectrum, the company also has a tote that includes a top zipper, inside zipper pocket, long self-fabric handles and is reinforced at the stress points. This higher-end bag is more expensive, of course, but it also serves a different market.

Along the same lines, Admanco carries an Economy Tote which, according to Chatterson, is popular because the "price point is low and people are going nuts." This simple tote is offered in one color, has a flat construction and sells for $3.98 with a 100 tote minimum.

Conversely, the company has expanded its high-end line of totes that includes a Work Spandex and most woven nylons, including Cordura and Supplex. Other manufacturers might produce similar heat-applied graphics, although of a different makeup.

Other popular and long-lasting methods for customizing nylon bags are direct embroidery and screenprinting. Both methods provide customers with a stunning finish.

Countless options
One of today's most demanded bags for imprinting is the simple, natural-colored canvas bag. There are two identifiable types of canvas bag. One has a "smooth" finish and the other has a coarser surface (similar to a pique finish on a golf shirt).

The smooth finish canvas bag is ideal for all imprinting methods including heat-applied graphics, custom transfers, screenprinting, embroidery and digital transfers. The color and surface of this type bag cooperates well with these different methods -- producing spectacular results.

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A technique that is growing in popularity is to combine methods such as custom transfers and embroidery or screenprinting and embroidery. For example, accenting a transfer or screenprint design with direct embroidery. To further explain, envision an elementary school logo that incorporates the school name and an apple-laden tree. To using this technique, the entire image would be directly applied to the bag. To finish, the apples on the tree would be directly embroidered -- over the existing transfer or screenprinting Boasting a striking appearance, this technique adds value and originality to the bag.

Luggage and Travel Accessories

2004-10-02T08:07:00.000-04:00

Luggage Makers look for new growth paths - Luggage and Leather Goods Manufacturers Association Bobbin, Dec, 1999 by Jules Abend

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Samsonite: Business 'Shaping Up'
Denver, CO-based Samsonite has been busy repositioning its brands, and is confident its new alignment is a winner. The Samsonite name, now focused on the business traveler, is sold only through middle-market department and specialty stores, targeting the upper-moderate to upper channels of distribution. The firm's American Tourister brand goes after the leisure traveler, with differentiated products being sold under this label to all channels, including mass merchandisers. Finally, Samsonite's Lark brand is aimed at the executive traveler.

Travel Accessories

Like some other major players, Samsonite has been actively seeking opportunities to grow its brands via its own retail fronts. The company has 175 outlets and 12 regular price stores. Appealing to an estimated pool of 650 million airborne travelers, the firm also is selling on the Internet, as are some others. Samsonite sells on-line at regular retail prices, positioning its Web site more as a shopping than a selling tool.

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A global manufacturer, Samsonite's products are made in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, China and India. Its major U.S. production facility in Denver is one of the largest hard-sided luggage factories in the world. For production of soft-sided luggage, the company runs a cutting operation in Tucson, AZ, which feeds a Samsonite sewing facility in Nogales, Mexico.

Considered the industry leader in hard-sided sales, Samsonite's mix of hard-sided sales vs. soft-sided sales is approximately 15 percent/85 percent in the United States, 60 percent/40 percent in Europe and 90 percent/10 percent in Japan.

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Mark Korros, president of Samsonite USA, told Bobbin that the company is gearing up for a resurgence of hard-sided products, with new styling and reductions in suitcase weight. In his view, the next innovation for these products will be in weight reduction. "Our new Lark Classic line weighs about 30 percent less than any other comparable product."

Not neglecting its important soft-sided business, however, Samsonite also has introduced a variety of smaller, 20-inch "Cabin Carry-On" bags to overcome the carry-on baggage size restrictions that have been promulgated by United and Delta airlines. (See "Carrying On About Carry-Ons," page 24.)

Looking at the bright side of the carry-on size issue, Korros asserts that the confusion has created selling opportunities for both soft and hard products. "[The issue] has given consumers a new reason to go back into luggage departments, when in fact they thought they didn't need any new luggage," he observes.

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"Acknowledging that we've had a couple of tough years," Korros reflects, "This year should end tremendous for us the way business is shaping up."

Even as consumers buy more smaller soft-sided luggage to carry on the aircraft, Korros maintains, they're also investing in hard-sided luggage because "as they are having to check more luggage, they're not so sure they want to put expensive apparel in a soft-sided suitcase and watch it fall in a puddle of oil."

Louis Vuitton

2004-10-01T07:47:00.000-04:00

Louis Vuitton Opens New and Expanded Store Location at 295 N. Rodeo DriveBusiness Wire, Dec 7, 1999

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1999--
Louis Vuitton, purveyor of luxury merchandise, has announced plans to open a new and expanded store at 295 N. Rodeo Drive on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 1999.

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This store features 12,000 square feet on two levels and dedicates more than 5,000 square feet to retail selling space. The entire Louis Vuitton range of accessories and luggage will be presented as well as the highly successful new women's and men's Ready-to-Wear and shoe collections designed by Marc Jacobs.

"The exclusivity and allure of Rodeo Drive combined with the sense of style and excitement of shopping here, will provide a perfect West Coast complement to our flagship in Soho, New York. We have waited patiently for the ideal location in Beverly Hills and we are very much looking forward to opening our newest location," commented Thomas O'Neill, president, Louis Vuitton Americas.

The design, by noted architect Peter Marino, follows Louis Vuitton's global store concept fashioned after its Paris, London, Soho and Osaka flagships. Blending elegant timelessness and refreshing modernity, the shop features a circular two-story rotunda entrance, beige limestone flooring and a beautifully appointed exterior featuring a limestone facade with dark bronze detailing.

The interior mixes clean, crisp contemporary colors with luxurious furnishings, exotic hardwood flooring and rich burgundy leather accents. These detailed appointments of the store's interior are rooted in Louis Vuitton's heritage.

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The first floor will present the new Ready-to-Wear and shoe collections for women and men, luggage, city bags, accessories, writing instruments and textiles. In addition, the store will feature a private shopping area on the second floor. Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Louis Vuitton is part of LVMH, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a unique collection of prestigious luxury goods and world-famous brand name in the fields of champagne and wines, cognac, luggage and leather goods, perfumes and beauty products, and fashion.

Sports Bags

2004-09-30T08:05:00.000-04:00

WHAT: High-end handbags emblazoned with college logos
WHO: Linda McMahan Gunning and Sue Craft McMahan of Bagalogos!
WHERE: Austin, Texas
WHEN: September 2002

LINDA McMAHAN GUNNING WAS INUNDATED with compliments on the University of Texas handbag she used to carry to university events. Though the bag, which she picked up at a local store, was roughly made and not properly licensed with the college, it drew a lot of attention from other women and fans.

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As an attorney, McMahan Gunning soon realized that if she could obtain the licensing rights for collegiate logos and design her own line of high-end handbags emblazoned with school emblems, there would be quite a demand for her products. She decided to cold-call the University of Texas to pitch her unique concept.

"They said, 'If you can do all this, we think it's a great idea. We'll take a chance with you,'" recalls McMahan Gunning, 55. With those encouraging words in mind, she enlisted the help of her sister-in-law and avid fashion lover, Sue Craft McMahan, 36, to join her in the logo handbag venture.

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Interestingly enough, obtaining licensing agreements wasn't the biggest challenge during startup; finding a manufacturer and researching what women really want in a handbag proved to be the major hurdles. They canvassed not only college-age women, but also alumni and families of students.

When the pair designed four different types of bags--a large tote bag, a smaller baguette bag, a crescent-shaped handbag and a bolder game-day bag--all marked with the University of Texas emblem, the favorable responses they received were overwhelming.

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Today, with sales into the mid-six figures, Bagalogos! bags can be found at www.bagalogos.com and at high-end boutiques and college bookstores. Schools on the company's roster include the University of Alabama, Oklahoma State University campuses, Texas A&M University campuses and Texas Tech University; the partners plan to add seven more schools in 2004. They've also set their sights on other big-name schools with high-profile and loyal alumni. Talk about higher learning.

Messenger Bags!

2004-09-29T08:03:00.000-04:00

Messenger bags have quickly become the classic trend in bags. Over the last 20 years, these hip, practical bags have become synonymous with urban cool. Originally designed for bike messengers in New York City, their appeal quickly proved to be universal.
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Today, you can see people from every kind of occupation toting a messenger bag. Students, artists, writers, and D.J.'s overwhelmingly favor Messenger Bags. Even bankers and corporate types are forgoing their stodgy briefcases for the hip practicality of the messenger bag.

Varieties of Messenger Bags
Don't think there's only one type of messenger bag. The messenger bag phenomenon has grown to such an extent that many variations have been invented. This is one of the cool things about the messenger bag: it's always evolving to suit individual needs.

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For example, besides the original messenger bag, there are now laptop bags just for notebook computers. Rucksack bags have been designed for those who prefer the backpack design. There are flight bags designed to suit the special needs of air travelers.

More Variations on the Messenger Bag
I love the flight bags! I'm a huge fan of retro fashion and design, and these bags really get it right. The hip, 1960's shape of the flight bag looks exactly like the kind the "stewardesses" (before they were called "flight attendants") used to carry on the job.
Another great invention, in my opinion, is the "DJ bag", developed to transport deejaying equipment more efficiently. What's funny is that I'm not even a DJ! I just think it's so cool that special bags are being invented for this pop culture explosion.

The Final Word on Messenger Bags
The messenger bag has dominated the market, and will do so for years to come, for all the reasons that make it great. I love the incredible durability, the hip look, and the utility. I also love how versatile it is; how easily it adapts to your own personal style.

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For all that it offers, the price is astonishingly reasonable. Of course, not all messenger bags are created equal. I buy from the best company in the business and it shows. After five rough years, every one of my messenger bags are still going strong.

Bags!

2004-09-27T08:27:00.000-04:00

Bags have been a way for people to transport their valuables from one place to another since the times of the ancient Egyptians. Over the centuries they evolved from simple utilitarian objects into status symbols, fashion statements, and even means of personal expression. Today, they come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes and colors. Try to imagine getting through life without them! Handbags at eBags.com

Different Bags for Different Folks
Bags are often used to transport valuables. Purses and knapsacks are among the most common way for men and women to transport money, ID, cell phone, and other essentials with them in day to day life. These items range from the very expensive to the extra cheap; they are used by many people as a convenient way to carry their necessities hands free.

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Those in the working world need an easy way to carry business items like papers, organizers, calendars and even laptop computers to and from work. These bags are designed with commuters in mind; they make carrying essentials easy and comfortable with lightweight construction and ergonomic design. They also boast pockets, built in files, and multiple compartments to help keep even the busiest people organized.

Many of today's carrying cases are used by individuals with active lifestyles. These bags are designed to help them carry their equipment while keeping it safe and organized. Participants in sports like baseball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball usually use duffel bags to haul equipment and carry uniforms, while outdoors enthusiasts often use high tech-backpacks to carry their gear, food, and shelter comfortably for long distances.

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More About Today's Bags
Today's bags are made in a wide variety of materials, ranging from traditional to futuristic. If you like classic designs, it's easy to find everything from purses to luggage made from traditional materials like wool, silk and leather. These fabrics lend purses an air of elegance and style. If you are interested in a sportier, more utilitarian look, try one of today's tough new nylon bags.

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Today's bags make the most of new technology to create purses, luggage, duffels or backpacks that are stylish, durable, and comfortable. For example, many performance bags are made of ballistic nylon; it's revolutionary weaving technique makes it extremely tear resistant. Technology has also created new materials to protect your purses and sports sacks, from leather protection and conditioning sprays to nylon waterproofing agents.

Bags have become more than just a convenient way to transport valuables. They have become a part of people's lifestyles; essential for commuting, fashion, and activities. These lifestyle bags integrate all these aspects of an individual's life, combining style, utility, and extras like built in music organizers or fleece lined digital camera pockets.

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Today, you can find bags of any kind just about anywhere you look. If you are shopping for a particular brand or type of bag, looking online can help give you a good idea of what's out there in terms of style, price, and options. It's also possible to find many good quality bags at a discount price if you do a little research. Before you make your decision, think about your daily activities and your lifestyle; this will help you choose a bag that will serve you best.

Designer Accessories!

2004-09-25T21:08:00.000-04:00

It's not the clothes that make the person, it's the designer accessories! For years, designer accessories have been available only to those in metropolitan towns. We set up Designer Accessory Info so that you can now find the designer accessories you want, no matter where you live!

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I have been a follower of Designer Accessories since my early 20s. I loved to purchase only the best. My closet was filled with Fendi, Gucci, and Valentino handbags--but at the expense of my wallet!

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Now, I purchase all my designer accessories online. In just a matter of moments, I have my designer accessories purchased, and they are on their way! In fact, I only have to answer the door when the delivery comes!

Say Goodbye to Hassle & Shop Designer Accessories Online
The best part of purchasing designer accessories online is that it's so easy. I don't have to sit in LA traffic, and I don't have to wrestle someone for the last Gucci purse. This all makes the process easier for me, and the products easier to enjoy.

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Now, I simply visit my favorite designer accessories dealers online. They always have the selection I'm looking for, and I get to see all of the new designer products. From there, it's just a matter of choosing.

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When it comes down to it, the fun of shopping is in getting great accessories. I no longer feel the need to trudge around for six hours simply because of a sale. I get better-than-sale prices online, and I can shop in my slippers!

Finding Low Prices on Designer Accessories
Best of all, I get the lowest prices on my designer accessories. My friends all wonder how I can afford pieces that retail for thousands. The secret is, I'm not paying thousands! I'm saving big.

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You, too, can enjoy the same designer accessories from top-name designers. You can have all the brand-name purses and watches you desire, for a fraction of the price you'd pay elsewhere. Visit a recommended designer accessories site today, and watch your savings mount.

Backpacks

2004-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

The search for the best luggage can take people far and wide, but it's much easier to find the perfect deals and the perfect pieces than people make it out to be. When the question of buying new luggage arises for a single person or a family, the dollars signs swirl around their heads.

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So many companies claim to produce the best luggage available, but this can surely not be true. So how does a potential customer discern which is the truth? How can you tell which is the right match for you? Research is always the number one way to find the best luggage you can. Everyone has an opinion about their luggage, so ask everyone you know.

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Some of the Best Luggage You Can Get for Cheap
Someone may prefer Skyway luggage because of its value pricing. It's great luggage for a discount luggage price. American Tourister is liked for the same reasons. You can also find people who appreciate Dakota luggage for its fantastic pricing.

People who want more designer luggage can find it in brands like Briggs and Riley and Kenneth Cole. Briggs and Riley offer a great selection of all the items you need for travel. Its craftsmanship is evident in every piece they produce. Kenneth Cole, like Briggs and Riley is a newcomer to the field, but both have made a permanent impact on the way luggage is made.

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Other Names Making the Best Luggage
Hartmann is one of the best luggage manufacturers that exists. In its long history Hartmann luggage has served Americans and the rest of the world for well over 100 years. From the beginnings of commercial travel by boat and train and into the modern age of aviation, Hartmann luggage has set the standard in personal travel accessories.

Whether you're a businessman looking for the perfect attache case, or a bicycle messenger who needs a comfortable messenger bag, you can find these products and so much more here at the
Best Luggage Guide. There's information about the major luggage manufacturers and a little bit about their products, as well as histories of some of the older luggage makers.

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One of the great things the Internet has provided is the means to buy luggage online. No longer is it necessary to drive to an outlet to find the luggage you need. Now you can do it from home, and even save money in the process. Most online retailers sell their merchandise at much lower prices, and their deals are always excellent.

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With so many companies to choose from, it seems an impossible task to get the best luggage you possibly can. You could spend hours in a store trying to figure out which pieces are just right. Making sure you don't buy a product that will fall apart on you at the worst possible time is always a concern, but with the help of the Best Luggage Guide and time spent looking at the selection available, you will be packed and ready for your next vacation in no time.

Designer Bags

2004-09-24T08:13:00.000-04:00

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Designer bags are available through a variety of reputable sources. World famous designers, such as Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, and a few select others, reign as the world's fashion leaders. Hailing from fashion-oriented cities like Italy, Paris, and Spain, the best design companies in the world are in a class of their own.
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Designer goods are limited and costly. In fact, most people cannot afford the extreme prices. There exist alternatives for people unable to pay retail prices on designer apparel and accessories. Many seek discount retailers, wholesale vendors, the Internet, and factory outlets, for discount designer purses. If you are shopping for designer goods through alternative sources, exercise caution.
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Magazines, television shows, and other sources, promote and advertise designer fashions. People ranging in age from teenagers to adults are aware and desirous of designer goods. However, most people cannot afford the cost of the genuine designer bags and articles, and the designer replica handbag market has supplemented this demand. Be careful when shopping these bags; imitation replicas are illegal, and their circulation is frowned upon by the fashion world.
A Passion for FashionInstead of purchasing designer knockoffs, you can seek discount opportunities such as those offered over the Internet. Also, many true lovers of fashion cannot settle for imitation bags. If you are a true and adoring designer fan, you understand the passion for fashion. While the cost can be outrageous, owning a real designer bag is a true pleasure.
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A beautiful designer gown is not simply a sheath for function, it is a creation. Designer handbags, like limited edition Fendi clutches, are equally exquisite. This type of bag is not designed with a purpose for function, it is an actual piece of art.
The Best Designer Bags!
The finest designer bags are made from the best materials, like real gold, silver, leathers, furs, and more. Most of the bags are made by hand, and not by laborers. Artisans and craftsman make the most treasured designer bags. These are expressions of craft for those that take pride in their work. These are truly the best of the best, taking time and care to create every designer handbag.
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Designer items are coveted by men and women throughout the world. The joy in owning a designer made good is inexplicable to those that feel differently. They are definitely expensive, but quality designer bags will last a lifetime. If you are going to invest in designer bags, explore the different designers and their unique styles. The top designers are revered for their individuality and uniqueness. Enjoy exploring the collections from your favorite designers season after season.

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