HANDBAGS: THEN AND NOW

From Times Tamara Kaminsky

1920s: The flapper flaunts her new freedom by going out unchaperoned at night with a slim line clutch, ideal for holding, lipstick and cash.

1930s: Bags get more structured and slightly larger to cope with women’s increasing demands outside the home.

1940s: Bags become ultra-functional satchel shapes in durable leather slung across the body.

1950s: Let them wear alligator: after Dior’s luxurious, teeny pouches, bags become increasingly status conscious. Princess Grace of Monaco tries to hide her pregnancy from photographers with her Hermès bag. A legend — and the first bag with a name, the Kelly — is born. Coco Chanel introduces the 2.55, a quilted bag with a chain that can double up as jewellery.

1960s: Towards the end of the decade the hippy trip and relaxing morals usher in ethnic bags that are as slouchy as the bra-less women carrying them.

1970s: Broke but resourceful, British women embrace the patchwork shoulder bag.

1980s: A brief flirtation with men’s briefcases gives way to the revival of the Chanel 2.55 (and countless fakes), a bag that allowed the new power woman to flaunt her success.

1990s: Rejection of Eighties values (sort of) inspires women to pay hundreds of pounds for a black nylon “anti-design” rucksack from a small Italian label called Prada. Tom Ford takes over at Gucci: the bag gets sexy.

2000s: With accessories accounting for 60 to 80 per cent of many fashion brands’ business, designers aren’t dropping the golden goose anytime soon. Bags ARE fashion for many women, and are currently the size of a skirt.

Coach Handbags – Real or Fake, the know-how

COACH designer handbags mahogany colored leather soho swing pack F40576 designer purses

The Internet is a great place to buy things. You can get just about everything off the Internet. One of the things that many women are turning to the online world for is clothing and accessories. One of the most popular items to buy online is a cheap Coach handbag. However, with any good saying, comes the bad?

As the popularity and ease of purchase has been made through the Internet, a lot of people are looking to make a quick buck and are selling fake coach handbags. So how do you know if your Coach handbag is a fake? Here are a few things to look for.

First off, buy from a reputable source. There are some places where you can buy great authentic handbags, and those places would be authentic authorized bag resellers, the actual Coach store online, and of course eBay. The key thing to look for when you're choosing a reputable source is that the person selling the bag will guarantee it. The important thing about buying on eBay, is that they have a high reputation, and you can inspect the feedback from all of the buyers.

If someone was a scam they will not last long on eBay. When you buy your hand bag, make sure the bag is stated as being authentic. Some stores will have an area of for knock off handbags and a separate one for real ones. Make sure you are in the right section of the online store. Just because it is expensive does not mean it is authentic.

Ebay and many other auction sites no longer allow people to sell fake handbags, so it can be little bit easier to be comfortable with what you're buying.

Inspect the interior. The inside of the handbag can tell you a lot about how well it was made. A real top Coach handbag is perfectly constructed inside and out. Because of the high standards, any flaws never make it to the sales floor.

The stitching will be perfect and everything will appear seamless and perfect everywhere on the bag, including inside all the pockets. Most cheap knock offs do not take the time to do a good job on interior stitching. This is one of the easiest ways to tell this by looking inside. Of course, if you're going to buy online it’s going to be tough to do so, but many sellers take pictures of the inside and the outside.

Inspect the exterior. This is getting harder to do as fake purse makers are getting better and better at making imposter bags. A lot of knock offs now use real leather, even the good stuff. But there are still things you can check. Take a look at the zipper. Coach handbags are made with the sturdiest zipper available.

When you look at the stitching, all of this that she should be very even. All the seams should line up perfectly, and all of the material cuts should line up just right. If you get any sense that the balance of the bag is off, or something looks suspicious then you probably have a fake handbag. One of the biggest telltale signs of a cheap handbag is the patterns of the -C-. The curves around the letters should be even and smooth, many fake Coach Handbags have a jagged look around the letter. If you are getting any of that or you're seeing any of that and you should walk away. All Coach Handbags also have serial numbers. You should be able to ask to inspect the serial number.

The last tip in getting a good handbag is to consider buying the same way that Craig’s list suggests. If you going to buy a used handbag and this are something that you are new to, buy local. That way, you can actually meet up with the person and take a look at the bag live. If the person looks suspicious then you probably got a problem. Many women who are selling are used Coach Handbags so that they can fuel their new handbags will have the receipt and can tell you all about the history of the bag.

Efashionhouse has a collection of coach handbags that are genuine. We also carry Coach Accessories. We also carry look-alike discounted designer handbags under the section ValueHandbags. Some are available in genuine leather.