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Here is a great Marc Jacobs that you cannot buy - but you can get it, for a lot less than you might think. How do you get your hands on this exclusive designer tots bag? Read on. When you spend $350 + on the Marc by Marc Jacobs clothing range, and you get the bag free! The clothes are what you would ecpect from a designer of this quality, and it will be easy to find enough to qualify for your freebie - just enter MBMTOTE when you check out and authorize.net. Be quick, the offer ends on 21 July.

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 »

Victoria Beckham has the opportunity, and certainly the inclination, to live the fashion dream to which most of us aspire. So why has she recently been seen carrying the same Hermes Bag and wearing the same Marc Jacobs Dress. Does she not understand her duties as a celebrity fashion icon? Constant variety is what her audience are seeking, and finally she seems to have realised as this week Posh was carrying a Michael Kors Rehearsal Satchel. Maybe they are now paying her to be seen in public carrying their Designer Handbags?

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At the Spring Collections in Paris, American designer Marc Jacobs mixed past and present to come up with a formula for fashion’s future in a radical showing for Louis Vuitton on the closing day of the Paris prêt-à-porter season.

	Marc Jacobs used mix of dusky tones and black for his Louis Vuitton collection

Jacobs recreated 17th-century pannier skirts in cashmere and corduroy and paired them with 21st-century tailored jackets and polo-neck sweaters - plus, of course, a chunky Marc Jacobs Stam bag as shown in the photo.

The metal “cages” which fashionable women of the era wore underneath their skirts to keep the wide shape were re-styled as a form of clearly visible large “belt” or jewellery for the hips.

Accessories gave the finishing touch with the addition of a stylish “super-Fez” in black plastic or satin plus architectural chunks of stainless steel, in the manner of a modern building by Frank Gehry turned into gigantic necklaces, chokers and cuffs.

Jacobs, who has been creative director at Louis Vuitton for ten years, named the collection “my French fashion fantasy”.

This collection, which will be worn by Louis Vuitton fans in for autumn/winter 2008/09, was shown in dusky tones of pale sage, cream and rose, contrasted with black, with the emphasis always on the oversized shape.

Sculpted jackets with squared-peplums came with “tulip” skirts, with folds of fabric at either side, or balloon-leg trousers, tapering in at the ankle and shown in both pastel cashmere and black leather. An alternative trouser suit was comprised of a red, sleeveless tunic with matching red leather ‘zouave’ trousers.

Evening gowns featured a tight-fitting bodice allied to a balcony-style skirt, attached at the hips by a series of deep folds and were worn with musketeer-style gauntlet gloves.

The footwear was just as modern: clumpy shoes and boots balanced on a platform sole and stack heel.

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In 2007 the understated YSL Downtown handbag showed that top designer handbags can include more subtle designs and still persuade customers to pay up to $2000 for the cachet of carrying this sought after designer tote bag by Yves Saint Laurent. With side-zip closures and brass hardware, there is still a moderate amount of hardware on the YSL Downtown, this tote forms part of a wider collection of Downtown designer luggage and bags. I like the fact that the Marc Jacobs clutch bag opens up much wider than you would think, but the contrast stitching and lifeless leather leave you wanting other clutches. Remember, do your market research - you should never buy a handbag if it just makes you think about your next purchase. So the dedicated designer handbag fan can own a co-ordinated set in either patent black leather, grey flannel or leopard printed calfskin, to fit her individual taste while maintaining the classic and stylish appeal for which YSL is famed.

The pinnacle of Marc Jacobs’ career so far is his hugely successful Stam bag. This high profile, high priced handbag is named after model Jessica Stam and the oversized quilted purse was launched in 2006. With its detachable gold chain handle, the Marc Jacobs Quilted Stam Bag is now the most popular quilted handbag in the world. A new colour is launched each year to keep Stam Bag addicts interested and ready to buy their next bag from this successful designer collection.

The Stam bag includes almost every popular detail from recent must-have bags, such as the squishy soft leather body and ostentatious clasps, fastenings and gold chain straps - chandeliers would not look out of place here. As regards colour, the Stam bag refuses to play it safe, as this metallic silver example shows clearly. The Marc Jacobs bag is a hit with style leaders like Scarlett Johansson, Lindsay Lohan and Kate Moss, being seen on their arms is essential to the launch of a top It-bag.