How is a girl to keep up with the hottest trends in bags for the 2009 season? It depends, of course, on whether we are talking summer or winter season. It also depends heavily on what the stars and celebs are carrying. Why? Because divas and celebrities know just what to carry and, depending on the season, occasion, and outfit, when to carry it.

Nicole Richie prefers Hermes, and particularly the Hermes Birkin bag. While not the signature orange Hermes is known for, this bag is a little darker in orange color but does still carry the typical Hermes hardware in gold and the same leather features. Don’t plan on rushing out and grabbing up these bags in various colors just yet, though. One of these alone costs about $17,000.00.

Another bag that is making headlines this season is Yves Saint Laurent’s Muse, and many stars still carry it on their arm from last season. The younger, starlet-type stars seem to prefer this bag, the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Paris Hilton and Kate Moss. This bag is such a classic it is not likely to be leaving the fashion scenes any time soon.

Although lots of celebs are into designing their own bags these days, these same celebrities would not be caught dead actually carrying one of their own knock-off designer bags on their arm! Jessica Simpson, for example, has an extensive line of handbags but is spotted this season with her black and grey Goyard bag, which are probably ten times what she charges for her own designs. Not only that, but her Goyard has been seen monogrammed with her initials so you know she feels pretty attached to it!

Always popular in Europe and new to the States in the last couple years is the line by Gerard Darel. Hayden Panettiere and Katherine Heigl are proud owners as is Angelina Jolie. The sweater knit satchel by Gerard Darel, which is a casual bag and available at Neiman Marcus, is one of the favorites and has been for a season or two. It is surprisingly affordable and comes in at around $400.00.

The Andrea Brueckner Tierney City bag is still popular and still seen being carried by the beautiful Jessica Alba not at a black tie ball, but simply walking down the street. As the name implies, however casual, this bag is much more chic and citified than the above mentioned sweater bag. It is a fairly large bag and more like a tote, running at about $700.

As for other large bags in style this season, the Louis Vuitton travel duffels are all the rage lately. Kim Kardashian seems to like the Louis Vuitton Graffiti Keepall 50, which is from the Stephen Sprouse collection. It comes in a bright fuchsia to match her flamboyant personality and also comes in orange and neon green. Kanye West travels a bit heavier with his Louis Vuitton Keepall 55, which is in camouflage and also pretty tough not to spot at the airport! These travel bags cost about $2500.00 apiece, depending on the style and collection.

Angelina Jolie with her whole brood is still keen on the Mommy & Me Bags, although she has been seen carrying sleeker and more sophisticated styles to match her updated look this year. Jennifer Garner has also been seen wearing the braided leather bag from the collection in patent red, which runs about $1700. The little ones have matching bags to wear right along with them, but they are not quite as pricey.

The whole cowboy look has finally gone out of fashion, which should make most of us pretty happy. With it, we can say goodbye to the saddle bags, although bags with fringes are still in vogue and have been seen on the likes of hot rising stars like Vanessa Hudgens. Specifically, the JJ Winters fringe bag is a hot item and she prefers it for a number of different outfits. Most recently she has been spotted wearing the grey suede version. This bag is fairly reasonable in the $300.00 to $400.00 range.

Bags with top handles are still trendy this season, as classic ladylike bags will never go out of fashion. In fact, most likely due to the recent election, ladylike is very "in" this year! Michelle Obama being a perfect model of elegance and grace, many celebrities are following suit and carrying petite, feminine yet stately bags. Think Chanel, think Christian Dior, just think elegant and graceful! We can thank the popularity of the First Lady for bringing this to the forefront of fashion.

The bags being seen thus far really haven’t been too definitive as far as being a summer or winter type bag. They are all fairly easily transferred between seasons. Of course, no one can predict what the stars will bring, or what will be carried on their arms as the year progresses.