Best Local Purse Designer

Move over, Monica Lewinsky, there's a new purse designer in the biz. Denver's own Brandi Shigley is selling her "funky fresh handbags" at local stores like Decade and Miss Talulah's, as well as on her very own Web site. The twenty-something Kate Spade wannabe started her career back in the second grade; while she was supposed to be reading The Adventures of Frog and Toad, she was cutting purse designs out of scrap paper. She has since graduated to real fabric -- and how. Brandi's unique collection includes "Mini Moo," a faux-cowhide handbag; "Little Miss Boss Thang!," a more sensible choice for the working girl with its hounds-tooth pattern in dark, businesslike colors; and "Reversible Dragon Slayer," a purse that's denim on one side and '50s-vintage Asian dragon pattern on the other. She also designs custom purses to match an outfit or to accessorize special occasions like weddings. Brandi's got it in the bag.