BlogHer - The last handbag - Comments

Birkin or Balenciaga

Maria Niles — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:25:32 -0500

If money were no object I'd certainly think hard about a classic Birkin but more likely would choose a rock 'n roll Balenciaga tote or weekender. What I would really adore is a high-quality reproduction in black of my beloved Target big white bag with fringe. It is pretty perfect but the cheap pleather shows every ding and is impossible to clean. It is sufficiently beat up that I should be embarrassed to carry it but I do anyway.

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Actually, I'm beginning to panic about my last bag.

poppy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:06:52 -0500

I was carrying a Target knock-off of the Marc Jacobs Stella bag last summer when I was in Paris. It was stolen from the back of my chair at a cafe.

I filed a report with the police, and when I got home, much to my surprise, I got a letter from the Parisian police saying they'd recovered my stuff. A friend of mine was in Paris that summer, so I asked him to retrieve my stuff and mail it to me. But I told him to throw away the actual bag; it was starting to get a bit beat up, and wasn't worth shipping back.

I decided to celebrate getting my camera, sunglasses, wallet, etc., back by treating myself to the real deal. A Stella bag, and not a knock-off. So I bought one.

I got it on eBay. (Because I am still a cheap bastid, even when I'm treating myself.)

Well, I adore it. I've carried it almost daily for a year. It's huge and buttery soft and has those crucial outside pockets and what am I going to do? I'm addicted to it, and soon people are going to point and snicker and say "You're kidding. A Marc Jacobs Stella bag? With nickel hardware? How 2004."

But for now, they'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

http://snurl.com/2fdov

My Kind of Post

cagey333 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:54:49 -0500

I received horrific news last night and to find a post like this on one of my very favorite topics, Handbags!, is just what I needed to perk up. Thank you for the much needed distraction.....

Just over a week ago, while at a factory outlet Coach store, I purchased a black leather lunch tote that I want to EAT, I love it so much. It will definitely be my Last Handbag (for awhile. heh) Schlepping diaper bags was slowing killing my soul, folks. To have a REAL purse again makes me feel like a woman again. I do think I will be carrying my new handbag for several years, though.

Overall, I would much rather pay good money for a well-crafted handbag and carry it for YEARS, instead of purchasing bag after bag that just falls apart.

A month ago, I bought my baby girl her First Purse. It was a purchase that required much thought and I ended up going with a purse that looks like a little fishbowl. I certainly hope it will NOT be her Last Handbag, though!

My Handbag Link:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2570589600_72d7a65e54_m.jpg

My baby girl's Handbag:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2569774937_bfddc765de_m.jpg

http://rancidraves.blogspot.com/

http://abooblog.blogspot.com/

Your Bag Looks Very Versatile

Megan Smith — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:43:20 -0500

And I like your one bag philosophy. :)

Megan
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I fixed her link, Megan

Denise — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:58:05 -0500

Try it again - I'm looking at the handbag now. :-)

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Linking Trouble

Megan Smith — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:10:28 -0500

I'd love to see your bag, but there's something wrong with the link.

I have a feature on Megan's Minute called Handbag Of The Month. You can take a look here.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/YouTube
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The Last Bag

lilyolil — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:23:00 -0500

My whole blog was inspired by my purchase of a tote bag - unfortunately not a gorgeous leather bag like the Ella - but a bag that has helped me get my act together nonetheless.

You can see photos of my inelegant, yet so useful, bag on my site.

I must admit I've been yearning for something a bit nicer lately . . . .

Do You You Offer Drinks To Alcoholics Too?

Megan Smith — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:36:25 -0500

Hi Susan,

You just had to do it, didn't you? You had to show me this gorgeous Ella bag when you know I have an addiction to handbags. When you know I can't afford to spend for a $450 bag and get to BlogHer '08 too?

When you know if I buy this bag, my dog might have to go hungry for days.

Do you offer drinks to alcoholics too? ;-)

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/YouTube
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The last handbag

Susan Wagner — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:03:35 -0500

Recently, a friend of mine, a freelance writer, was working on a piece about high fashion. She texted me: "If money were no object, what bag would you buy?"

A J. Crew leather tote, I told her. Think more expensive, she responded. Birkin bag, I said. Not THAT expensive, she said.

Imagine, she said, that this is the Last Bag you will Ever Buy, the bag you will carry every day. What would you buy?

A leather tote, I told her, big enough to carry a laptop but sleek enough to take everywhere. A bag that was basic and beautiful all at once, with clean lines and distinctive hardware. If I could find that bag, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

After that conversation, I continued to think about this idea of the Last Bag, the investment bag if you will, the bag that costs perhaps the equivalent of all the bags currently in your closet but actually works with everything, unlike the bags in your current closet, and is made to last, unlike the bags in your current closet. And then recently, I had the chance to road test a Kara James bag, and I was completely convinced: this is the Last Bag.

Too bad I have to send it back this week.

Kara James makes beautiful bags -- the one currently sitting on my dining room table is an Ella, the same one pictured here. These bags are not inexpensive -- the Ella retails for $425.00 -- but they are certainly affordable, and they are beautifully made and incredibly versatile. The Ella is large enough to hold my laptop or my camera, as well as all the other random stuff I need to get through the day. The wide strap made it easy to carry when it was chock full, and gave it support and structure when it was nearly empty.

The interior has five pockets, for sunglasses and cell phone and business cards and lip gloss and keys and whatever else you don't want to lose at the bottom of your big bag. The lining has a subtle print, just enough to make the interior as pretty as the exterior.

But if this is the Last Bag, there needs to be more to it than that, doesn't there? Because the fear with the investment bag is that one day you will get bored and be stuck with it because you spent so much money, and because it is the only bag in your closet and you are compelled to keep carrying it. Kara James has thought of that; these bags have interchangeable belts that change the look simply and inexpensively. This is an investment bag that can be updated, seasonally or annually or whenever the whim strikes.

This really is the Last Bag.

But what about the price? $425.00 is a lot of money for a handbag; think of all the Target bags you could pick up for that! Why, think about all the bags in your closet right now! You probably didn't spend $425.00 on ALL of them!

And really, that's the point: paring down sometimes means spending more, because in the long run, you will be shopping less. You will also spend less time changing bags or feeling like the bag you are currently carrying doens't work for weekends or evenings or the office or wherever it is that you are going. The Last Bag is the bag that goes with everything, but in order to do that, it needs to be a really beautiful bag, one that is both stunning and classic, subtle and statement, all at once. And it needs to be well-made, because the Last Bag needs to last, and it needs to withstand all that day-in-day-out toting and carrying.

The Last Bag isn't about trends; it isn't about having an It Bag. It is about choosing one beautiful, well-crafted piece that will work with everything and last beyond this season and the next. The Last Bag is one more way of creating your own look, a look that is uniquely yours. And that, to me, is worth the splurge.

Miss Model Behavior introduces us to The Vegan Queen and her eco-friendly luxe handbags. A little out of my price range, but if you are really committed to fashion and the environment, this may be worth the investment.

StyleDash likes Rebecca Minkoff's bags for summer; they're bright and fun but may not be the Last Bag. It depends on your style, really.

In a classic piece from March of 2007, Real Simple tells you when to splurge and when to save. You know, so you can strategize how to save up for the Last Bag and still look great while you're doing it.

Susan Wagner writes about style at Fashion Find and The Working Closet, and everythign else at Friday Playdate. She hopes you wil join her for the Fashion and Shopping Birds of a Feather session at BlogHer.