To a certain degree, it depends on what you want handbag to do.

Do you want it to compliment an outfit? Do you want it to liven things up a little bit (or a lot) or do you just want it to be durable and long lasting?

The most common material for designer handbags these days is leather.

Strong, highly durable and incredibly tough, leather is a perfect choice for a material.

Bearing in mind that leather also comes in a variety of different types such as cowhide, goatskin, natural, man made etc, there will always be one out there that "feels" right in your hands.

Strong and thick leather will weather well, able to shrug off raindrops and small marks and spills (dependent on protective coatings and coloring) and will not rip or shred after repeated putting down and picking up off rough floors.

Suede also runs a close second to leather lines, having many of same strength and durability properties of leather. Less designer handbags are made from suede as it is a harder material to design a color or style for - although Coach specifically do a great range of colors and styles in suede handbags!

So what is it that makes one more famous or more popular than other? What factor above all else determines whether or not a range is going to be a winner or a huge flop?

Well, design quality certainly has to play a big part in it.

I mean, who's going to buy a bag that looks as though it's about to fall to pieces? Worse still, what if it looks as though it has fallen to pieces as it sits on display in your local store?

How will you be able to keep a straight face as suitably reverent sales assistant dons her white cotton gloves before handling bag as though it were winning lottery ticket -- (rare and highly valuable and more than likely to explode in your face than actually be real!)

Beyond point of many handbag lovers thinking that a Hobo style bag meant it should look as though it's suitable only for a hobo to carry, build quality has to be good and durable to add credit to designers name and assure buyer that they are getting real value for their hard earned dollars.

The looks of designer handbag also need to be right.

With huge number of different people looking to buy a designer handbag, there is always going to be a huge difference in opinions as to what looks good and what doesn't.

What others like as a design or style, you might think has been dragged backwards through proverbial hedge - having already been rejected by a pop art museum!

But it's this subjective link that gives each designer their strength! Their unique style and imagination can inspire people to pay a deposit to reserve latest creation before they've even seen a picture of it.

Lovers of a specific designer label can spend hours and days trying to track down each bag released under a specific design, range or label even.

Take Louis Vuitton Cherry Blossom range as an example.

Created by Takashi Murakami in conjunction with Marc Jacobs of LV, this range consisted of a retro handbag, a papillon and a pochette. Lovers of LV or Murakami would collect "set". As Cherry Blossom range came in three color combos -- chocolate/pink, red/cream, pink/pink -- people would also look to buy each color set as well.