Katy Perry may have wacky style 90% of the time, but she knows a classic handbag when she sees it. The quirky singer kept a tight grip on her black Chanel 2.55 as she hit Europe for a recent trip. We think Karl Lagerfeld - last seen emblazoned on a tote carried by Miss Perry to Paris Fashion Week - would definitely approve.

Photo from People.com.

America’s Sweetheart, coming through! Reese Witherspoon beat the chill in style with a black and white striped tee, scarf and jacket, plus a fabulous black woven Bottega Veneta purse for good measure. Reese is one of those rare starlets that gravitates more towards impeccable classic handbags with lots of versatility rather than the “it” bag du jour…and hey, it works!

Photo from People.com.

Hello Ladies! Take a daytrip to come shopping in NYC this week… I promise to make it worth your while…

For starters, Kooba is discounting current season and past season handbags up to 80% off retail. Through 11/19. 141 W. 36th St., nr. Seventh Ave., nineteenth fl.; T–Th (10–2) and (3–8).

Go for the crocodile… Nancy Gonzalez clutches are 50% off through 11/19. 50 W. 57th St., nr. Sixth Ave., eighth fl. (212-920-1211); T–Th (10–6).

Not enough handbags? Check out totes, clutches, and wallets are up to 80 percent off at the MCM sample sale. New merchandise will be added throughout the week. Through 11/19. 50 W. 57th St., nr. Sixth Ave., eighth fl. (212-920-1211); T–Th (10–6).

Fall merchandise from Vivienne Westwood, Iodice, Bliss Lau, and Ilaria Nistri is up to 75 percent off. Prices range from $50 to $300. Through 11/29. Scatola Showroom, 544 W. 27th St., nr. Eleventh Ave., sixth fl.; Tu–F (10–7).

• Receive 75 percent off women’s ready-to-wear and men’s suits, shirts, and accessories at the Christian Lacroix and Isaia Napoli sample sale. Through 11/21. 260 Fifth Ave., nr. 28th St.; T–F (10–7), S (10–2:30).

The Purse Page’s Mariana Leung visited the design studio and showroom of Kooba and designer Abbe Held to take a peek at this season’s hottest handbags:
The design room walls were draped in colors upon textures of leather swatches. Lauren, a member of the design team was applying antiqued studs by hand to a leather piece at her desk. Photos were not allowed as the concepts being worked on in this room were in the very early stages for next Spring 2010, and many of the staff had not even been allowed in the design room yet! While some of the staff apologized for the messy state of the room, it actually had a gloriously creative, busy quality. (It was also much neater than my design studio ever is).
I was led into the showroom upstairs. The collections of bags were artfully arranged in a well-lit room to show off their textures at their best angle. Abbe Held, the design director of Kooba entered the showroom looking refreshed, if a bit camera-shy.

The fall collection showed studded styles in rich, deep hues of forest green and eggplant. Abbe’s favorite of this collection was the Alex bag in eggplant. For holiday, brighter colors of red, etc.

My personal favorite out of this group were the Jagger pieces. Well placed zippers allowed the bags to open up into different silhouettes in unexpected ways, and adding practical additional volume to boot.
The Kooba creation story tells of Abbe’s relationship with her mother, who founded the company with her. She warmly describes her mother as muse, partner and “best friend”. What most people don’t know is that her eight year old daughter is also starting to put in her creative opinion and is Mom’s biggest fan.
What is ahead for spring 2010? The Kooba team is working with neutrals, ruffle details and fabric treatments for when the weather thaws out.
Thanks for inviting the Purse Page to visit Abbe!

We all love sample sales don’t we? How about when they involve sweets AND bubbly too? Rebecca Minkoff is holding a VIP cocktail party Tuesday night to preview and offer exclusive discounts before the general public.

When: Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Where: 17 West 17th street - NYC

RSVP: VIPnight09@rebeccaminkoff.com

Oh, Fergie, Fergie, Fergie. That disastrous ‘do is NOT the way to combat those nasty Josh Duhamel cheating rumors. That said, I totally dig the singer’s photo tee (is that Catherine Deneuve I spy?) and her black studded Treesje handbag is equally covetable. But it’s back to the stylist with thee!

Photo from People.com.

Blondes do it better, and so does Fendi! “High School Musical” star Ashley Tisdale flashed her divine logo-print Fendi Spy handbag and a tee extolling the virtues of her fellow fair-haired ladies on a recent outing. I love the purse (but then, who doesn’t?), but the Robert Pattinson water bottle is a bit much. Guess Ash is Team Edward (and Team Blonde, and Team Fendi).

Photo from People.com.

A second online sale today… BCBG handbags also has some fabulous fall goodies at dramatically reduced prices. The popular, celeb favorite is offering purses like the Bordeaux Patchwork hobo for $149 (down from $348). Dainty Ava clutches are an easy $69 (from $148) and the popular Mona Lisa bag is now only $189 (down from $498!). Shop now via this link>

Have you been holding off on buying the perfect bag for Fall? Shame on you.  London Fog is giving you another chance to pick up the right satchel or hobo for the season.  Dark purple is THE color of the moment, as well as any Rock & Roll inspired hardware.  This sale has it all, and all pieces have been dropped to under $100!!!  The large lambskin eggplant Phoebe bag is only $99, the black Eliza hobo is a paltry $43!  Procratinator?  You might as well do some holiday gift shopping here too.   Shop here.

In this era of increased social consciousness, bad economy, and general empathy towards our fellow human beings, where does luxury spending fit in? For those who are fortunate enough to be in a position to support high end designers, does the media make you feel guilty about your personal heroic mission of a fashion stimulus package?
Fear not, there are several companies out there have made an effort to do good, and help out causes they believe in while providing luxe style.
For the month of November, Louis Vuitton is donating a percentage of sales of four of their iconic pieces to the American Red Cross in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Asnieres workshop.  The Keepall, Speedy, Noe and Alma styles can be purchased on the website.  The Asnieres workshop was the sole production facility for Louis Vuitton from 1859 to 1977 and is where all hard-frame luggage, special orders, exotic leather and limited-edition bags are still made today.
Daniel Lalonde, President of Louis Vuitton North America cited “The Red Cross is committed to preventing and appeasing the sufferance of people weakened by instability and ever-growing de-humanization of our society. Louis Vuitton is honored to be aligned with such a significant and impactful organization.”
Louis Vuitton is also collaborating with Marc Jacobs, Annie Leibovitz, Damien Hirst, Ferran Adria, Gustavo Santaolalla and Patrick-Louis Vuitton to create pieces will be offered in a charity auction held at Sotheby’s in London on November 19th.  The sales of these will also be donated to the Red Cross.

Worshipped by shoe and handbag fans around the world,  to launch the Project PEP collection to support the Simelela Rape Centre in South Africa.
The capsule collection is inspired by punk rock motifs representing the individualistic spirit of the Jimmy Choo customer.  The company will donate 25% of the net sales from Project PEP to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
The proceeds raised by Project PEP will enable the clinic to stay open day and night providing 24 hour/7 days a week access to the vital life saving treatment that has to be administered within the first 72 hours of exposure to HIV.
They don’t just want your money either.  If you cannot purchase the pieces, the company would like your participation in a photo competition and social networking to raise awareness of this cause.  Winners of this competition can win a grand VIP Jimmy Choo experience.