As every woman knows, handbags can make or break an outfit. Wear a fun bag out with friends to show your personality, or carry the ultimate bag to work and impress your boss. Either way, your choice of handbags sends a message to others about your personality and mood, but if you choose wrong, your whole look suffers.

Choosing the right handbag should be like selecting a new pair of pants. Just like a great pair of jeans, the right handbag can complement your figure, too. Now, remember that the shape of your handbag should not match with the shape of your figure. Instead, choose the opposite of your body type. For instance, get a bigger handbag if you're a tall and thin woman. A slouchy, rounded hobo-type bag should go well for you. If you're more of the petite and voluptuous type, play off opposites by choosing a handbag that is tall and rectangular or long and sleek.

While the shape of your handbag should be the opposite of your figure for maximum effect, 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. Pass on anything that makes you uncomfortable. 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 those who are complete knock-offs of the original, with matching fake logos to boot, and look-alikes are pieces that are merely inspired by the original. Now, perhaps you think you deserve a bargain, or you just can't afford the real deal. 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) now are so good that even pros have trouble telling the difference. You get the items that you wanted and saved hundreds of dollars. 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. Gangs and organized crime syndicates all get nice profits from dealing in counterfeit products. 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 to check out their merchandise, 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, there are also specialty designer outlet shops in your shopping mall, or on the Internet, which sell legit merchandise at reasonable prices.

And now that you have some knowledge about fakes and look-alikes, you'll also want to keep yourself updated on which styles are hot right now. Those ?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. Fashion comes around in circles, you know, so hold on to these pricey investments; they'll be sure to come back in style a few years later.