Retailers eyeing cost-conscious holiday season

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retailers are preparing for a holiday gift-buying season with recession-weary consumers guided by cost and conscience.

Affordable handbags, trendy clothes priced to sell and gifts made from recycled materials dominated at a holiday 2009 press preview sponsored this week in New York by Think PR.

"People still want style, but it won't be a $500 bag right now," said Maria Dasaro, a Think representative for Kipling, a bag maker known for sporty nylon styles that is seeking to expand its market with metallic, sequined and leather bags.

High-end British bag maker Radley is expanding into embossed leather and hand-painted bags that begin at $155 as it aims to expand into the U.S. market, she said.

"They are a high-end luxury company, trying something new and appealing to other consumers as well," she said.

For the environmentally minded, wallets hand-woven from defective candy wrappers from Mexico are new by Nahui Ollin, while Harveys has a line of "Treecycle" bags made from recycled automobile seat belts.

Bobi clothing line is aiming to sell trendy pieces, such as a low-cut jersey maxi dress or a ruffled resort dress, at affordable prices, said Think's Hillary Beulah.

"It's something fun that's not going to break the bank," she said. "It's not something you're going to say, 'I wasted a lot of money on this,' and hopefully, when it comes back in style in five years, you'll still have it."

Moods of Norway has clothing of bright colors and psychedelic patterns, "if you're looking for the bright side of the recession," Beulah said. "Their motto is 'happy clothes for happy people.'"

Maxey loungewear is debuting this holiday season, she said, with oversize T-shirts emblazoned with sayings such as "Love and Laugh."

"It's inspirational, which is good when people are feeling a little low around the holidays," Beulah said.

Most of the holiday gift items will be available by mid-autumn if not earlier, Think PR said.