Owning a designer bag is more than just complimenting your outfit. In today's competitive and dare I say vain age, more and more men and women are using the bag more as a status symbol than an item designed to carry things.

The types and styles of designer handbags are so diverse and unbelievably different, that it means virtually every taste and preference is catered for somewhere along the line.

Prada, Gucci, Burberry and hundreds more designers such as Chanel, make up what has now become a very competitive and exclusive club to be in; the creators of handbags which every fashion conscious man or woman desire to own. Where giants roam, there are always dwarves who follow, and the quality designer pieces now are often subject to fake renditions being peddled at extremely cheap prices.

These days a designer handbag can cost upwards of $10,000 with a rendition costing just $20. Obviously the replica bags are usually of immense inferior quality and can be spotted miles away by a purveyor of the 'real thing' but still, people buy them in order to get their little taste of a handbag in the style of a top-notch designer.

Nothing can beat the real thing though, and this often leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of those who cannot afford them. Each design house integrates a special feature in their bags, some purposefully and some without intention.

These features tend to become the trademark of a good designer handbag and without realizing it the purchasers of these bags tend to look for these little additions that make a decent designer handbag into something that is a big part in the desirability of owning one.

A Chanel handbag is classically identifiable by its unusual logo; the two mirrored C's which back onto each other has always been the easiest way to spot a Chanel design. Burberry is famous for its unusual checked pattern and leather features and the list goes on.

These logos and features are the things a competitive design house lover will always notice, or go for when deciding to purchase a bag from a particular fashion house. The strength of a bag's design and the name that adorns it is usually the deciding factor when it comes to a handbag purchase.

People are still very color coordinated with regards to handbags and other accessories, but nowadays the designer can win over color because of the prestige a person feels when 'toting' (sorry!) around a quality designer item.

People are sold onto handbags daily because of the image they think they portray when carrying one, but in a way they're right. Status symbols are part of our everyday life, and it IS important to feel good about yourself.

A handbag is more than just a designer piece, it is quite often an important part of a man or woman's make-up also, increased confidence when carrying a well designed item is common.