Floating white curtains welcomed guests from busy Union Square into the tucked away handbag oasis that was the BagTrends Arm Candy Party last night at the Union Square Ballroom.

The martinis were cold and the bags were hot at Pamela Pekerman's of BagTrends.com (a Pierce Mattie PR client), event; and nothing says martinis and handbags quite like Sex and The City.  

This very combination is what helped present company, Avelle (previously named Bag Borrow or Steal), rise to handbag stardom.  In Sex and The City The Movie (out on DVD today), Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) assistant (Jennifer Hudson) rents her Louis Vuitton from the luxury-goods-lending company and real life women everywhere raced to rent from the “Net Flix for Purses.”  The renaming from Bag Borrow or Steal to Avelle is in honor of their new addition of jewelry and sunglasses to the handbags that luxaholics everywhere can borrow.

A few of the handbag brands present last night are making their stake in the industry with an eco-friendly approach.  Along with an eco-friendly line, Ananas also plants a tree for every handbag made. Passchal uses the rubber from inner tubes from truck tires to create beautifully contrasting clutches and bags.  Vegan Queen is just that with their all-encompassing green business approach.  The bags are made of all-vegan material and their business is run in an eco-friendly capacity from soy based ink use to carbon friendly delivery methods.  Not to mention they found new and interesting ways to use recycled polyester and soft French terry that revel the trendiest bags on the scene (as picture to the right).

Another trend amongst the partying bag designers (that I especially love) is the use of a fun lining.  Magnes Sisters (pictured left) creates functional duotone leather bags with minimal exterior design only to find fun vibrant silk linings on the interior.  Ignes, a custom handbag company, lets you be the couturier and make your own handbag—from the exact length of the strap to color and material of the lining. 

Already well-known handbag designer, Rebecca Minkoff, is only destined to grow with cute naming concepts like The Morning After Bag, big enough for your overnight stay with a beau; The Bread and Wine Bag (pictured right), with bold-face lettering indicating separate pockets for the romantic picnic must-haves, and The Kiss and Makeup Bag, a small makeup bag/clutch.

Overall the event was a hit and I even got to walk away with a great goody bag and a mental list of handbags worthy of future purchase.  The best thing about the designers present was that a good number of them are making their handbags here in the United States.  Maybe handbag obsessions can end up being one small way to usher us back to the economic health we so desperately crave.