PursePage.com, a site for bag shopping and reviews, is holding a contest in its forums to give away one Coach purse.

All one must do to enter is register and post on the thread (or topic), but read the rules first at the official contest page (thread).

The bag in question is a black Signature Gallery Tote, and it’s quite nice. It comes with bag, box, tissue, bow and a catalog. (Everything one might get when shopping at a boutique.) There are also other giveaways for cash! Visit the site for more info.

I’m entering, I think my aunt should enter, and will you?

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There is an Internet project for crafters now, called the Counterfeit Crochet Project, for copying big brand designs, but crocheting the new products. Read about it at the project’s website, linked above.

The designs by the starter, Stephanie Syjuco, are so good, they’re shocking. Take a look at this Gucci bag, in progress.

You may be appalled by this news, or enjoy the project idea for various reasons, but there are a few crucial problems at this website’s root.

1. Right off the bat, the project’s referred to as “counterfeit.” That immediately puts the word “illegal” into our minds, doesn’t it? If Stephanie, the manager, instead used another, perhaps creative, word, like “inspired”, it would be widely more friendly to bag lovers and legal aficionados.
2. Participants are allowed to use, and the owner has already used, exact logos copyrighted by the big companies. That is illegal, right? I would love this idea, and it could be a beautiful project that I might even participate in in some way (perhaps by buying?)—if only the crocheters copied styles, and never a logo. I think this is wrong.
3. It’s made pretty clear that the intention of the whole thing is not to admire the beauty of these designs, and make a legal piece of them available to more people—especially people who love knit things, etc. (as I do!). No—here is the subtitle on their website: “debasing designer handbags one step at a time…” Debase’s definition (from Answers.com) being:
   

   de·base (dĭ-bās’) pronunciation
   tr.v., -based, -bas·ing, -bas·es.

   To lower in character, quality, or value; degrade. See synonyms at adulterate, corrupt, degrade.

Well, now I don’t like this at all. What do you think? Would do you think the design companies would/should do?

*Via* Crochet & Other Stuff

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• Saving her Clutch from Their Clutches (”Give up! They’ve got it surrounded! Will she leave her purse and its contents to be blown to bits in an airport waiting area? Also, will she make her flight?”) - It relates to our troubled times, it’s a story filled with suspense and agony — but the true tragedy is that this woman would almost let her bag get blown up, if not for its belongings. Shame—what about purse love itself?!
• Handbag—and Only Bag—Quickly Stolen from Home - Oh what a warning! I feel like I could be a victim of this any day. Lock those doors, ladies!
• Purse Thefts at School - are colleges next?
• The “What’s In Your Bag” Trend Goes Newsworthy - what’s in a few ladies’ bags.
• Willing to swap your handbag? - Though I’d advise to bring a lower costing one and sell the designers on eBay.

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I just discovered a very narrowly niched and interesting concept blog: the Bag Theft Blog. It’s not about counterfeiting actually at all, but about purse snatching. In addition to copies of useful protection information and theft news, there are tidbits of trends from fashion blogs in the form of latest posts.

Just skim through and you’ll find some valuable information that will make you happy for discovering this blog yourself.

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A near purse-snatching was prevented because the 79-year-old victim just wouldn’t let go of the thing.

The woman said she refused to let go of her purse, which was strapped on her shoulder and gripped in her hands. As the driver attempted to pull away, the alleged victim said she attempted to run alongside the truck, screaming the whole time.

*Crying* ~Wah-wah-wah.~ I always want to hear women do this! But she didn’t do it because it was a Gucci or something, she had those “real” and “safety” reasons. I just want my purses safe … still waiting on that kind of story.

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We started a Squidoo Lens (what is that?) on Squidoo.com (where else?) yesterday! It has fresh info on the bag matters you care about. We’re doing well, with the rank raising 34,000 points after our first day (I think that’s good, he he).

If your new and relevant blog content suits our lens, just shout us a comment with the link!

Visit our Bags Lens; “Squi-Bags“!

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Coach is suing Target for selling a counterfeit bag, in the recent style of the Hamptons (although it appears to maybe have large “Soho” buckles) Signature Stripe with “python”. The bag has the exact C patterned logo and hangtag.

The suit seeks $1 million, which I don’t believe is enough. Target’s rep claims the store officials did not know the item was fake. Male cow, I say!

I also personally can’t believe it; I liked Target! What now? K-Mart, do you have the morals we seek plus a price we sometimes need?

Read the full story and watch a video at CNN Money .com. *Via* Want Need Have.

*Update:* I just read that with the lawsuit, Coach is also demanding knowledge on where Target’s “Coach” supplies were manufactured. Way to go!

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Here is the first of my two stories from my trip for this blog. It’s late, yes.

My friend took me to a sort of flea mall, called “Festival Flea Market.” It’s supposed to be somewhat nicer than a usual flea market.

I wanted to look at the handbags. And it was an adventure. There was only one original brand shop for handbags, but every few feet, there was another shop filled with knockoffs. Really good looking, but not feeling, Fendi. Really, really bad Coach. Mixtures of two designers. And lots of the same replica Marc Jacobs Stam and similar bags that one even sees at cheap stores at any mall in Massachusetts (we don’t get the fakes abounding like in Florida).

There was no talk (other than from my mouth informing my friends) of what designer these bags were molded after. An Asian woman came up to me (looking at a “Spy”) and told me “$35.” I fear for the unsuspecting public. Most women in the mall carried bags that were far from designer, whether they be fake or not. (I had my teal Coach satchel the whole trip.)

I really wanted to take pictures of the sea of fakes. I also would like to take shots of a few individual bags for education. But I didn’t feel it would be polite.

Have you seen such a thing? What is the level of “inspired” bags in your area? Do you have booths in the middle of your mall aisles?

And what do you think of this?

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We might have been sandboxed by Google, if that exists or exists after a new domain is on Google for months. It’s all mysterious.

I’ve been getting different tips to rise to the top for when we return, and one tip was confusing but I tried to rearrange some things. But things went haywire and the wrong CSS file got uploaded and replaced my backup system. The site in IE went berserk, never in Firefox.

I need a great web coder for our team! I’m not cut out for this.

But it’s all fixed, including the archive and single articles, which were behaving differently from the main (and I never check those on IE, why should they be different? Crazy IE). It does look a little different from before and from Firefox, but it’s all working and comparable.

This whole thing lasted the entire afternoon (and I haven’t yet posted for la Carnivale!) and gave me massive stress. So naturally, I didn’t eat after lunch and I exercised hard, which was good. I’m pooped now and of course I must shower again after my home gym session.

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Shh! Don’t tell, but I have a love affair. So does Maria Palma of The Runway Scoop, I gladly found out. It’s with bags.

Maria is my fellow desperate bag desirer, and with her post, “My Love Affair,” I love her more.

She’s the true purse addict, like moi:

However, I will be honest and say that I am not faithful to one particular handbag. And they know this. Many a handbag has lined up on the shelves of my closet waiting for attention and some love.

She is even the knowledgeable bag snob (on replicas):

I know when a handbag is not being honest with me. … No sweet talk and fancy charms will lure me!

Make sure to check out all of Maria’s wonderful bag-related articles in her archives, too.

Oh, we may have a problem, we may be weak, but may we never seek a cure!

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