a purse thread :)
 

what the fuck is up with outrageous prices for handbags? $200--$300 just for a flippin' PURSE! It's common.

I almost --- ALMOST--bought myself a sweet Ed Hardy bag at Dillard's. $230! I had a gift certificate, but I would still have had to shell out over $100 still. And it wasn't even leather--it was canvas.

I backed away slowly.

But come on--most of those purses at Dillards were in the $150 to $300 range, and there are plenty purses out there way more than that.

WTF?

Plus, I have very specific requirements for purses--they have to be big enough, not divided in the middle, have pockets on the outside, etc.

AND -- a further rant: stupid short handles that you can't sling over your shoulder.

AND, just to be thorough, here, a final thought: All those damn purses have got to be made by men--black interiors, black wallets--none of us can find a damn thing in there!

C'mon, some perspective here:
http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=408197&postcount=4138

Mine cost around $10-$20. I'm very specific too. They must be completely black -interior and exterior, with long straps that can we worn over the shoulder or backpack style. Zippers -none of that tie or magnet closure malarkey. Several compartments/pockets. (I always assume the ones with impractical fastenings were designed by men..... ;) )

kinda my point, Zengum. Purse manufacturers/designers obviously expect NORMAL working women (as opposed to starlets or something who are NOT normal, and who can buy thousand dollar Hermes) to shell out $250 for a stupid handbag.

Kind of like those magazine articles citing "best buys" of $400 dresses.

Ahh yeah....'Catwalk fashions on a highstreet budget'...bullshit.

I've bought a few Coach purses in the past few months which is unusual for me because 1) I am a tomboy at heart, and 2) I normally carry the same 'ol beat up Target purse

But, I quit drinking so that saves me about $25 a day, so if I want to buy a $300 purse, well.... I'm gonna buy it.
I'm not sure what I will move onto next....maybe designer snowshoes...lol

I used to be a $20 purse addict--I could never find one I really liked, so I kept buying new ones thinking maybe this one would work out better. Then a couple of years ago I had one custom-made by a local lady for about $60, which is really expensive given how simple the design ultimately is, but it's made exactly the way I want it--long handles, pockets in the sizes and places I wanted them, exactly the right depth, in fabrics I chose out of her collection of about 300. It's lasted long enough that it long ago paid for itself in $20 impulse-purse-buys.

I can't buy one online for that reason--I really have to see it, to see the size, placement of compartments, etc.

I've recently taken to carrying around the nice "travel wallet" I bought for travelling--INSIDE my larger bag. The travel wallet has my cards, enough room for my keys and phone, etc.--and a long strap. That way when I don't want to lug around the big bag (which has to be big enough for books, shoes, cosmetics, stray underwear . . . ) I can just slip it out and carry that.

I started buying Coach bags back when I had a job and haven't bought another brand since. I'm not into trendy bags, just small, simple, plain leather. And they last forever.

A great handbag I got was actually a part of a gift bag when I purchased some items from the Shisedo counter.

It looks very chic, but it didn't cost me a dime (other than the products I bought which I was planning on buying anyway).

Then why more than 1?

Black, brown, lt brown, backpack style, tiny, etc. I still have them all.

how much time do you spend transferring your shit from one to another? or do you only really use one of them?

I mostly just switch between black and brown. I don't have much stuff... a wallet, chapstick, a couple coins... maybe an old piece of gum...

I just bought three purses a few months ago....$1 each. They fit my keys, wallet, gloves, photos, gum, cell phone, and other random things I need to carry. They're small with no compartments (which I normally hate) but since I'm mostly only using it for work to home and back, they're working out great. I buy most of my other purses from thrift stores, so I pretty much spend under $10 for all of them. Thrift stores always have a big selection, and they're cheap, sometimes you can even get the designer whatevers if that's what your into, (if say, someone got one for christmas, but they already had 17 of the same kind.)
My most faaaaavorite purse of all was a thrift store buy. $5... it's black and square, about the size of a sheet of paper, with lots of compartments and an adjustable shoulder strap. It zippers shut. Awesome purse...I think I'll switch back to it now in fact! *runs off to dump out purse*

I have a soft briefcase thing with a shoulder strap that I got through work, and I was using for a week or so. I stopped carrying it when my daughter referred to it as my new purse.

lol

Nah not a purse....a manbag.

Over here 'purse' refers exclusively to the thing you keep your money and cards in. Blokes use wallets and chicks use purses. Purses usually get carried around inside a bag.

Same here Dana. If someone said they got a new purse, I'd be thinking about the thing they carry their money in.

If they said they got a new handbag, I'd be imagining the things people are talking about in this thread.

Oh and glatt, tell you're daughter she's so not cool. Doesn't she know that if a man doesn't carry a manbag these days he's no-one?

Oh, she's too young to be teasing me about carrying a purse. She really, honestly thought I had a purse. That's why it stung so much.

This is one of those things where I've been force to be bilingual. I never used purses in the UK (always wallets) so I feel stupidly girly calling it a purse. But if I say handbag, there seems to be only a 50/50 chance they'll know what I mean, so purse it is.

I'm totally confused. To me, a wallet holds money, id & cards and goes into a purse or handbag.

to Brits too. they're the folding up things that men and some women have. Purses are the girly equivalent, often with a zip or clasp and limited credit card/paper money space. (Useless). A handbag is what a woman or brave man would put their purse or wallet in, alongside their glasses, spare tights/pantihose, tampons, whatever the hell else they carry.

purses are small. handbags hold purses or wallets.

Over here, even though a woman may carry something that looks like a wallet, it'll be called a purse because that's the feminine form of the word wallet.

Men carry wallets. Women carry purses inside their handbags.

OK purse to Brit or Aus = Coin purse to American. I googled images.

Coin purse!?!?!?!? thats that little round thing my grandpa had 40 years ago isn't it?



(What the hell am I doing in this thread anyway?)

you're such a girl classic.

pffft - whatever!

My purse, as for many women, tends to be the feminine version of Batman's Utility Belt, although I do admit that mine may be closer than most.

My current bag is one of those back-saver things from LL Bean. It's the "sand dune" color. I would have preferred the British Khaki (because I have the LL Bean briefcase and shoulder bag in that color already), but MomWolf bought it for herself and ended up not liking it, and giving it to me didn't involve the hassle of dealing with return shipping.

Thank FSM you dont have the tapestry one!!!

my counterpart at work bought his wife a $1200 Louis Vuiton purse. she'll prolly get the $500 wallet at some point.

Ewwww. Louis Vuitton is gross. If anyone ever bought me an LV bag, I'd probably take it back and take the money and buy a purse by: Kate Spade or Burberry.

I see no problem plopping down $200+ for a purse - but when I see myself doing that, it's definitely in my imagination and not a real life event. Some day!

Bleh. Who needs someone else's initials all over their purse? I dig good handbags, but this trendy stuff is overkill.

I'm not above (or below?) dumping a small fortune on a handbag (purse), but I wont get one of the latest craze ones, because if I am spending that amount of money....I want to get a bit of use out of it.

You're supposed to keep your money in the purse, not on it.

The most I ever spent on a purse (handbag) was a 'jag' leather one. It looked nice in the shop and it was on super special which was why I bought it, but after a while I realized that I really don't like the style of it and went back to my backpack style bag which is the most convenient way of carrying my stuff around. The only problem is, sometime I forget I'm wearing it and knock stuff off clothing racks etc. I always carry it by the strap if I'm going into places with breakables. ;)

I'm saddened that I can't carry a murse.

As an alternative, I have the option of carrying around a laptop bag, but that's trouble, because there's a laptop in it.

briefcase?


full of superballs and PBJ sammiches?

but can you carry a muse?

http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/...y=&idproduct=6

The closest thing to a purse a MAN should carry .

what about those "photographers' vests" -- you know, kinda pad the shoulders and chest for that manly look? :)

I, too, am grateful for this.

I have not voluntarily purchased anything tapestry or tapestry-like. Oh, wait, there was this zip-up bookcover thingy I got ten or fifteen years ago, but it wasn't available in a solid color, so that doesn't really count. I hope.

I have a fake Coach bag, but it's too small to be truly useful. I think it looks kind of like this one. I don't really remember, I haven't ever carried it. It is wider than it is tall.

I don't switch at all. I just carry one until I'm sick of it or it's dead, and then I look for a replacement.
:dead3:
I'm a serial purse killer.

Cheap purses tend not to last that long, I suppose.

That tends to be my approach Cloud. Until I have to go somewhere and realise that the bag I am carrying (held together with safety pins and a prayer) is entirely unsuitable and that forces me to go buy something cheap from the market.

I usually have two bags on the go: one big one, big enough to fit in files and boks and assorted junk and one smaller one, big enough to fit in assorted junk and maybe a single book.

However, I tend to also 'acquire' bags, I borrowed one off mum to go somewhere and she said just to keep it, so that ended up replacing the falling apart little bag. Now though, I have two new bags! One is a kit bag style but with big flowers on it, for carrying books and files etc. And the other is a fairly stylish soft leather handbag (purse). I think they probably cost about £20 and £30 respectively. Which is waaaay more than I would ever spend on bags for mysef, but these were bought me as gifts:)

I have 3 or 4 handbags (purses) but only one is ever in favour at a time.

My criteria:
Must be able to fit a book
Must have short enough straps to be carried by hand OR long enough to fit across my breasts, I can't do with shoulder straps (always fall down and I think it's my bra strap)
Must either have a very well stitched lining or no lining at all

The end.

The one in favour at the mo is one I bought in 1998
I don't even remember where I got it, but it would have been approx £10-20 ($20-40)
I'm often complimented on it, which is vaguely flattering, like being complimented on the colour of your eyebrows.

Today I have a rucksack with me (Christmas present from HM for going to the gym with) because I have a packed lunch, two books, paperwork for counselling and my jumper in case it gets cold by 15.00 when I go home - in short sleeves at the moment.

(giggle) you said "rucksack"! (giggle)

umm....what's funny about rucksack?

UG recently got teased for saying "knapsack".
I think that was it.

;)

Dana, SG, Americans just don't call them that. They're backpacks over here. Strange really, when you think how many of them claim to be German ;)

I have a lot of handbags. They all hang on the hatstand near the door. It's quite amazing the collection I've built up over the years.

Maybe if I spent more money on them I'd buy less of them, but I think it'd be more likely to turn out that I'd just be poorer.