New Yorker Monica Botkier started out as a magazine fashion photographer, but it wasn't long before she found herself interested in designing women's best friend -- the handbag.

She found success with her eponymous brand of luxury bags, which she launched in 2003, and this spring introduced her first footwear line. Now, she's created a limited-edition, look-for-less bag collection for Target.

The hip, form-meets-function line includes clutches, hobos, totes, satchels, shoulder bags and wristlets in black, white, deep fuchsia and a range of hot metallics. She also incorporated the Target bull's eye logo as part of the metallic hardware on several styles.

Prices range from $19.99 to $49.99, and they're in stores and at target.com July 20 through Sept. 14. Among celebrities photographed carrying Botkier bags are Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Joy Bryant and Lindsay Lohan.

Battling counterfeiters

Sellers of counterfeit Burberry, Gucci, Chanel and other luxury handbags rake in millions of dollars a year, and the big-name brands are going on the offensive more than ever.

LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton won a landmark case against eBay on June 30 for allowing the sale of counterfeit goods on the popular online auction site. The decision handed down in France by Paris' Tribunal de Commerce awarded Louis Vuitton 19.3 million euros ($305 million), Christian Dior Couture 17.4 million euros ($27.5 million) and about three million euros ($4.7 millin) to Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy.

On June 5, Hermes won a judgment of 20,000 euros (about $34,000) against eBay, who was ordered to immediately stop selling fragrances and cosmetics from the brands. Attorneys for eBay said their client would appeal.

Meanwhile, L'Oreal is suing eBay for about $51 million and Tiffany & Co. is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.

Some businesses are trying to get around the problems that have plagued eBay. After selling on eBay for a while, Michael Sheldon saw a need for an authentic-luxury-goods-only site and launched Portero.com a year ago.

Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton Paris sued Danish artist Nadia Plesner over a line of posters and T-shirts she designed to raise money for the New York-based charity Designers for Darfur. The items showed a Darfurian child holding a little "accessory" dog reminiscent of the one Paris Hilton totes around and a handbag that knocks off the multicolored "LV" logo-print bag.

Louis Vuitton sent a cease-and-desist letter to the 26-year-old student in February, alleging infringement on the company's intellectual property rights. She didn't stop and Louis Vuitton filed suit, requesting $20,000 a day in damages for each day her "Simple Living" campaign images are used.

Ms. Plenser began raising funds for her legal defense on her Web site, nadiaplesner.com. She later decided to remove the Vuitton-like bag from the campaign, saying she wanted to get the focus back where it belonged -- on the genocide in Darfur.

The controversial image, she said, was "inspired by the media's constant coverage of completely meaningless things. My thought was: Since doing nothing but wearing designer bags and small, ugly dogs apparently is enough to get you on magazine covers and tons of press, maybe it is worth a try for me to accessorize people who actually deserve and need the attention."

The right foundation

A good bra has been called the foundation of a woman's wardrobe, yet women spend an average of only $25 on a new one, according to a recent study for ShopSmart magazine by Consumer Reports national Research Center.

The study also found that women spend only about $100-a-year on bras.

"I was shocked to find that a third of women don't even bother to try on bras before buying them. And more than two-thirds of women stick with the same brand even when they aren't too thrilled with the ones they already own," said ShopSmart editor in chief Lisa Lee Freeman.

Women own an average of nine bras and wear six of them regularly. Fifty-three percent of women have never been professionally fitted for a bra. And comfort outranked support 3 to 1 among women when bra-shopping.

Here are some tips to get more mileage out of a bra:

• Wash with a mild detergent and no bleach on gentle setting.

• Fasten the hooks on a bra before laundering so they won't snag lingerie bags or other garments.

• Wash in a laundry bag so they don't get caught in the agitator.

• Use cold water, which is less likely to wear out the fabric.

• Don't dry in the dryer, which can damage elastic.

• To keep their shape, fold them in half with one cup inside the other or stack them flat so that the cups fit into each other.