Choosing the right handbag should be like selecting a new pair of pants. Like a great pair of jeans, the right handbag can complement your figure, too. The shape of a bag shouldn't match your figure. Instead, choose the opposite of your body type. For example, pick a bigger bag to carry along if you're tall and thin. Look for a slouchy, rounded hobo bag to compliment your figure. If you're more of the petite and voluptuous type, get a handbag that is long and sleek.



While the shape should oppose your body type for maximum flattery, the handbag's size should be proportionate to your body type. Try it out at the store first, and get a feel for how it looks and fits. If it makes you uncomfortable, pass on it. Basic designs and styles will last you through the years, while still managing to give the owner an updated fashionable look.

Learn how to tell the difference between a fake and a look-alike. Fakes are complete knockoffs, with matching fake logos to boot, and look-alikes are pieces that are merely inspired by the original. Now, perhaps you may feel like you deserve a great bargain, or maybe you can't afford the real thing. So you head off to an online auction or a street corner to buy a fake handbag. After all, the fakes (also called copies, replicas and counterfeit goods) are so good now that even professionals find it difficult to tell the difference. You can also save hundreds of dollars in the process. So what's the harm?

Fakes may seem great at the time of purchase, since they all sport the distinctive designer logos while still being cheap, but remember that you'll be buying the products of a counterfeiter. There are more ties to counterfeiting than you'd probably think. Terrorists, gangs and organized crime syndicates all profit from selling counterfeit merchandise. How to know if your buy is fake and not the real thing? If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Study about your favorites. Most designers have websites for you designed to display their latest models, along with relevant information. Go ahead and get an idea of which bag you like and if it fits your budget. If the price is a little bit steep for you, designers have specialty outlet stores in your shopping mall, and there are also plenty of websites, that offer legitimate designer bags for a reasonable price.

Now that you know the difference between fakes and look-alikes, you'll want to study up on which styles are hot in the fashion world. These ?It? bags usually come at a stiff price, so just don't go and chuck your investment out the window the next time something hot comes along. Remember that fashion goes in cycles, so your pricey purchases will be sure to come back in style a few years later.