Well my fellow followers of fashion, if you ever needed an excuse to splash the cash on a designer handbag, I think I’ve finally found it.

Belinda White, acting editor and fashion director at handbag.com, says that if you decide to purchase a designer handbag, you can actually regard it as an investment.

I couldn’t agree more, Belinda.

"A designer handbag can be an attainable treat to save for, something which can last for years and be passed down," she states.

If my mum had the mindset of Belinda then I could now be the proud owner of a veritable collection of vintage hand-me-downs.

What’s more, she suggests that if you’re struggling to give a run of the mill outfit the necessary va va voom, a designer handbag can do the trick nicely.

"They’re the finishing touch that can make an otherwise unspectacular and perhaps not so expensive outfit really shine," she comments.

It may interest you to know that we Brits seem to be a nation of handbag obsessives - a recent survery from OnePoll revealed that the average woman in the UK will spend a total of £4,000 on bags during the course of her lifetime, owning up to 17 at any one time.

Oops, I’m pretty sure that I’ve already well-exceeded my £4,000 lifetime allowance.

How many designer handbags do you own?

Suri Cruise has got a designer clothing collection that would rival that of many adult celebrities and now she has added an enviable little handbag to her ever-increasing wardrobe.

While many have criticised Katie Holmes’ fashion choices for her daughter in the past, I have to admit that I always think she looks absolutely adorable.

Ok, ok so maybe the lipstick and the high heels were a little too grown up for a three-year-old but there’s no denying that the toddler has become a designer clothing icon.

We here at Secret Sales HQ are currently cooing over pictures of Suri carrying a miniature version of one of her mum’s designer handbags.

Katie’s mini-me was papped with a gorgeous little version of the metallic Salvatore Ferragamo Sofia bag while in Jamaica earlier this month.

And before you start having palpitations at the miniature handbag’s £540 price tag, I’ll let you know that both mother and daughter received the matching set as a Christmas gift from the designer himself.

While this time Suri’s designer handbag was a freebie (the lucky thing), her doting parents are believed to have spent more than £1 million on her clothing collection.

Do you think Suri is growing up too fast?

I can’t believe it has been a decade since we celebrated the millennium. That makes me feel old! But it got us thinking here in the Secret Sales office about what have been our favourite purchases during the first ten years of the century.

For me it has to be designer handbags. The last decade gave us the iconic Chloe Paddington and the Stam from one of my favourite designer clothing labels Marc Jacobs.

Something that I didn’t think would last as long as it would was the arrival of straight leg jeans. But I’m glad they are still going strong as they’re great for tucking into your boots on slushy and snowy days like today.

Fashion director at handbag.com, Belinda White, said that straight leg jeans had finally got people out of their boot-cut variety.

"Boot-cut jeans - can anyone believe we ever wore these now? No matter how much Gok and co tell you they balance out a large bottom, they’re still wrong."

According to Mintel, in 2008, the average spend on clothing per person in the UK was £656. I think here at Secret Sales we all managed to top that figure!

So what has been your favourite purchase of the year? We’d love to know whether you’ve been good or bad with your spending in 2009!

When you are shopping for designer clothing, handbags and shoes this Christmas, think turquoise.

This is according to the "global authority on colour" Pantone, which has named the hue the colour of 2010.

Not really a festive tone, but according to the company, it offers protection during stressful periods - definitely what we’ll all be in need of after spending so much time with the family this Christmas.

“It is believed to be a protective talisman, a colour of deep compassion and healing, and a colour of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky," explained executive director of the Pantone colour institute Leatrice Eiseman.

Turquoise, in the world of designer clothing, makes a classy and elegant statement, she added, while also being very versatile between casual and evening wear.

Pantone said that Turquoise acts as a "great accent colour" that can be used to accessorise an outfit through items of jewellery and shoes for women and in shirts and ties for men.

It even adds that it will be a big colour for weddings this year, not only for accessories and flowers, but dresses as well.

Recently, the Sydney Morning Herald named Eva Mendes as the Best Dressed star of 2009. They particularly liked her outfit that she wore to the Golden Globes - a white designer dress with an elaborate turquoise necklace.

If you are anything like us here at Secret Sales, you love to shop! There have been several reports in the media recently claiming that some women prefer shopping to dating, and even sex, so we know that designer clothing is one way people find their thrills.

A recent study carried out by Debenhams tracked shopper’s heart rates as they embarked on their designer clothing mission.

It found that designer dresses from the likes of Matthew Williamson and Julien Macdonald increased the heart rates of 39 per cent of women, while shoes and handbags were also found to get people excited.

Shoppers between the ages of 20 and 40 took part in the research, which also revealed - without much surprise - that we are a nation that likes to find a bargain, as items that were on sale or reduced saw particularly high readings.

"When asked, customers fed back that the most exhilarating finds were those quality products at a bargain price - it’s the designer leather handbag for £50 that gets women going," said spokesperson for the store Ed Watson.

So what gets you the most excited when hitting the shops? Let us know here at Secret Sales HQ.