Charleston Circle Purse by B's, $130
B’s was started by three fashionable moms who wanted to bring some fun and style to women across the country. With young children and very full lives, they still wanted something more – something entrepreneurial, something that could make great use of their talents.
The foundation was laid by Susan Guillen whose keen eye for style gave rise to purse designs that generated orders from family and friends, filled from her basement. Orders soon came from many women across nearby states. One of those women was Lisa Henderson, a young, energetic mother with a savvy marketing background and an eye towards building a business. She and Susan discussed the idea of starting a home party business and distributing the purses through a network of designers. As the concept gained ground and expanded to include customization, they soon realized they needed operations expertise. In came Sandra Masters, another fashionable young mom with a background in designer products and distribution.
With the foundation in place, the three young moms set off towards one goal – to design their own brand and their own lifestyle, while empowering other women to do the same. They know what it means to want more for their families. That is why they chose to have Independent Representatives sell their B’s line of purses by owning their own business for themselves, but not by themselves. They help each representative every step of the way to create a successful home business that will help them and their families.
One such representative is Trista, from TV’s ‘The Bachelorette’. Remember her? The one who married Ryan, the fireman from Colorado (admit it, you watched it too). She has transformed from bachelorette to businesswoman, throwing purse parties as a way to have fun with friends and meet new people in her area.
B’s lets women custom design their purses from selecting the size, to picking the fabric, trim, color, and handle. Once designed, the purses are made by seamstresses in the U.S.
B’s started as a group of friends gathering to share ideas on fashion accessories and design. Today, it has turned into a thriving business attracting thousands of women and generating millions in sales.
B’s purses have been featured in many television shows and national publications including In Touch, US Weekly, Time, People, Luckly, Life & Style, and OK! Weekly.
We received the Charleston Circle Purse from B’s Spring 2007 Collection. Ours has the vintage fabric on the outside, the orange blossom fabric on the inside, and the bamboo handle. It retails for $130.
It’s lovely and lively, it captures the essence of summer completely, making it the perfect summer accessory. It may not be officially summer time yet, but in Southern California, summer has definitely arrived with temperatures up in the 80's and 90's. The purse goes well with a lot of colors but I especially love to wear it with anything white. It's a fabulous contrast to the purse's tangerine orange and chocolate brown paisleys. I've worn it dressed down with shorts and flip flops. Dressed up, it's striking with a summer day dress like this white pleated shift dress by BCBG Max Azria. It brightens up the entire outfit for a fresh, clean look that suits the warm weather perfectly.
After using and loving the purse, I was curious about the customization that B's offers. To find out how easy it really is to design my own purse, I went to B’s web site to play around with the custom options for the purse I received. It was so much fun! There are five steps in designing the circle purse and you’re not allowed to go the next step until you finish the one before it. As you finish each step, the purse is rendered right before your eyes with the options you’ve specified so you can see how your design is coming along.
First step is to select the outside fabric. There are so many to choose from, I lost count. What’s amazing is that when you select the fabric, it’s rendered on the page so you can see how it looks (see the image above). You can change the fabric as often as you like. Second step is to select the inside fabric. Third step is to select the handle. Fourth step is to specify if you want an inside plastic liner or not. Last step is to review your order. I had so much fun, I started designing other purses. Some require more steps than others. Regardless of how many steps you take, the end result is that you will get a purse that is truly your own - your own creation that is.
So if you’ve always wanted to design your own purse, B’s is the shop you’ve been looking for. If you love designing for others, B’s may be the entrepreneurial opportunity you’ve been searching for. Either way, it’s about taking control of your life and your style because at B’s, ‘It’s all about you!’.
Reviewer: Brown Eyes
