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On my last shopping trip to London I loved looking at all the doggie influences on the designs of Juicy Couture. Here is one of the bags that caught my eye - the Juicy Couture Designer Dog Travel Set. This rigid bag, shaped like a vanity box, contains everything the travelling dog needs for a weekend away. The bag comes in pink, with the Juicy Couture famous Scottie dog print all over, and deep brown trim on the padlock straps. Buckles and clasps are silver, and a strong brown and white belt completes the trimming. Inside there is clever storage, picnic basket style, for a dog bed, doggie mat, water bowl and food bowl plus a thoughtful toy chew. If you have around $500 to spend on your luggage for your four-legged friend, this is one for you!!

Juicy also produce a number of other designer accessories for dogs - at slightly lower prices - including a diamante studded collar and lead with handy small purse: all in pink, of course. And of course there are dozens of designer tee shirts, jackets and even bootees. Are handbag dogs all girls? My dog would not walk around with all those clothes and accessories, but then handbag dogs seem to be carried everywhere, unlike real dogs. What next - eyeglasses ?

The film of Sex and the City opened here last Thursday and I finally managed to see it last night. I was interested to see the designer bags of course and I was not disappointed. If you saw the interview with Carrie’s new PA you may have been shocked, as I was, that Ms Bradshaw did not know about Designer Bag Rental Services - in New York, of all places. The bag hire companies have been offering Designer Handbags here in the UK for a while as well, and you can hire your favourite Prada or Gucci Bag by the week or the month. This is a great way to be seen with an authentic celebrity IT bag, not a fake copy or replica, even if you cannot afford to buy the real thing. Read more »

Shopping, I love it - I can spend hours browsing an online store when there is stuff that catches my eye. Today I had a look for promotional bags and I was surprised to find that one company is already offering eco-friendly versions. These really are hot promotional items and they are available in much more exciting colours than the designer shopping bags that I was moaning about last week. I have pictured one here on the left, in a nice shade of green - well, it is better than oatmeal! You could order a batch with your name on the side and give them to all your contacts. The site has hundreds of affordable imprinted promotional gifts that are biodegradable, including rucksacks, drawstring bags and totes - have a look and you will be fascinated.

Another Designer bag that I found unattractive on my visit to Harvey Nichols was the Mulberry Roxanne oversized patent vinyl shopper. With its oversized gold buckles and studs on the strap and two buckled side pockets the mulberry shopper is a far cry from the usual understated style that Mulberry usually shows. I was quite surprised to see that the Harvey Nichols website was featuring this Mulberry patent shopper in red, blue, black and white, as an example of the ‘latest in Brit cool’. I think British Designer Handbags aspire to something classier, myself, and at £395 for a vinyl bag I think they are trading on the good name of Mulberry. I can go to the local market if I want to buy a designer knock-off bag in vinyl, for a lot less than £400. Read more »

I managed to spend a few precious designer minutes in Harvey Nichols today, checking out their designer handbag collections. This temple of consumption has established itself as a style leader. I prefer to visit Harvey Nicks than the designers’ own stores which are crammed along the length of Sloane Street. The handbags section is spacious and funky, and most of the assistants leave you to browse in peace. There are two Marc Jacobs sections - one for the ‘economy class’, with a further Jacobs collection in the room where the serious money designer bags are on display. Some of the ‘Marc by Marc Jacobs’ bags had gone completely over the top with ultra shiny patent leather - dare I say tacky - and OTT metal clasps and emblems. This large patent turquoise Hobo at £380 is typical of the bags I found less than appealing. Read more »