My Big Purse Problem

Dear Readers, I am back to my old tricks again.  I had to take a little bit of a break and I have to take a break even now from shopping because life has gotten in the way.  Now I'm back to my old tricks and I can't wait to show you what I have in store for you.  I have found some amazing bags.  I am looking for the impossible.  I want really fancy purses but I don't want to pay anything for them.  I want to find them out in the wild grazing.  This requires a lot of dreaming and a lot of luck.  It doesn't stop me from hoping.  Hope is a crazy thing.  Now, there are a lot of places where you can find the real thing if you are willing to pay for it a little.  Let me tell you some of my favorite brands: Kate Spade Coach Dooney and Bourke Vince Camuto Rebecca Minkoff (I don't have any of those, so sad!) Marc Jacobs MCM (They are elusive) Tory Burch ( I only have one, a clutch, also so very sad!) Brahman Kooba Fossil Fu...

There is a dilemma when you go out with fancy purses.  I love fancy purses but I also admit that there is an image when you wear a fancy purse.  I've alluded to this in prior posts but this week I really want to talk about it.  Today I was eating lunch with my family today and I saw the worst Coach knock off I have seen, maybe ever.  Why not wear just a regular bag?  Why resort to this terrible thing?  I know this other lady that I have an association with and she has a really fancy purse. The kind of purse that has more place holders than I could ever afford.  I'm a little envious, if I'm confessing.  So my next question is, "What does she do?"  This question leads to other questions that maybe I shouldn't be thinking but I'll confess them to you.  "How can she afford this fancy purse?"  "Is it a gift?" "Is it real?"  Most people buy their purses because it is in their style and their price point.  They like it and ...

There is not much to talk about this post.  I found this Louis Vuitton that is the cutest.  It is really understated.  In past posts (say that five times fast), I have given advice to bag lovers on how to find great purses and what to look for.  I admit that I have been tempted to buy bags online but I have never done so.  If you are an online bag buyer, please comment on how it goes for you and advice you would give to bag lovers buying online.  I may have to feature you on my little blog. In any case, I feel like I have a spidey sense about shopping for purses.  The day I found this purse was just a bad day.  I usually don't hit up this second hand store until Friday (my bag shopping day), I just wanted to see what I would see.  Now, you should know that I don't make it a habit of stopping by the expensive display case.  I like to find the purses "out in the wild." I stopped and this bag was so understated that I had to look at...

I think I have spoken about buying real versus buying fake.  This is the main problem with buying at second hand stores.  Which one is the real thing?  I recently came across a beautiful Birken bag by Hermes.  It was leather and I mean it when I tell you that you would be hard pressed to find a better one but it was fake.  I was heartbroken because I paid a good amount for it but I don't regret it because it looks that good.  Some fakes, you can tell right away.  The best thing that I can tell you is that fakes look really fake.  Not all of the real brands are all leather.  Knowing about your favorite brands is important in the search for the real thing. The next thing, I don't know if I should mention it but you should definitely be familiar with all the brands.  I like to go to fancy stores just to get to know the brands.  I buy magazine and follow up on different collections.  If you are going to like purses, then you a...

What do you look for in a purse?  I personally don't have the luxury of buying high end purses off the rack any day of the week.  I do shop a lot.  I like to look.  As I said before, you never know what you are going to find at a second hand store.  My dear sweet husband understands my hobby.  If I don't find anything it is not a matter to get upset.  You live to shop and find another day.  There have been some deals I walked away from and regretted it.  I have also walked with a purse thinking, "Why did I do this?" I think it becomes easier if you have a style that you appreciate more than others. I love tote bags.  However, logistically, they are a bigger bag.  With bigger bags, you tend to put more stuff in it which in turn messes up the strap.  Don't stuff your bags!  Look at the core stuff you like to carry.  Some people who change out bags often use a small bag to transfer their stuff from bag to bag. ...

When do you change out your purse?  This is a deeper question than you would think.  I know someone who doesn't understand what it is about purses that has some people crazy and she has admitted as much.  She goes to the store, she picks out a purse she likes and wears it until it falls apart.   Then she repeats the cycle.  I used to be like this.  But I confess (and I will be doing a lot of confessing in this blog), that when I saw the marks of decay on my bag, I would get sad.  It reminded me of how everything ends in this life.  Another friend told me that she does the same thing.  As she was talking to me I observed the strap of her purse cracking.  I wondered in my head, "How long will that bag really last?"  "When will she finally change it out?" It's not even my bag and there is a futility about this cycle.  I like to donate bags if they are meant to be given away so that if I'm tired of it, then someone else could ge...