Sunday, 8 February 2009

Balenciaga Handbags

Balenciaga handbags have got to be one of the most sought after brands of bags in recent years. Favoured by a wide range of celebrities, and also loved by magazine editors and fashion lovers, a Balenciaga handbag is on the wish list of many fashionable women.

A bit about Balenciaga - Christobal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in 1914 in Spain. This expanded to cover more of Spain, and finally Balenciaga moved to Paris. In 2001 Balenciaga became part of The Gucci Group. Nicholas Ghesquiere was appointed Chief designer of womenswear and menswear. This was seen as slightly controversial and Ghesquiere was given a chance to prove himself with a popular line in order to keep the role. He did, and his F/W 2005 collection was widely acclaimed, acquiring the brand celebrity fans and huge publicity.

Ghesquiere came up with a cunning marketing plan for the launch of his Balenciaga handbag - the "Lariat". He gave away the first 30 odd handbags to often-photographed celebrities such as Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny and Charlotte Gainsburg, and these trendsetters spread the word for him and suddenly everyone wanted a Balenciaga handbag.

The motorcycle inspired range has fast become the “It” bag of the 21st Century. Celebrities such as Sienna Miller, Nicole Richie and Mary-Kate Olsen are often seen sporting a Balenciaga handbag from the motorcycle range in the latest colours. Some prefer the smaller “City” and “Work“ styles, but in keeping with the big bag trend of the past few years, the huge “Weekender” is probably the most trendy of all. Each season a limited number of bags are released, in several colours at a time. This makes these handbags even more exclusive, and the waiting list even longer!

Prices for Balenciaga handbags start from £800. They are sold online at Balenciaga.com (US only), and a few selected online retailers. Occasionally you will find a Balenciaga handbag on eBay, but they are normally snapped up pretty quickly and will fetch fairly high price (although probably still a lot cheaper than a new one). It is also important to be aware of fakes on sites such as eBay, any that has a cheap price tag is most likely not genuine!

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