February 5, 2010

With friends like these, who needs enemies?


Prada, Balenciaga, Harajuku Lovers, LeSportsac, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, American Apparel

In 2007, the average American woman purchased 4 handbags each year. That same year, I went through 2 handbags because one broke and the other was stolen. Here's a rundown of the bags above:
1. Prada-- my mom loves nylon Prada bags. She has two new ones and gave these to me.
2. Balenciaga-- Used, got it from consignment for $400. I saved part of my paychecks for months to buy it. I think it was $1600.
3. Harajuku Lovers-- waterproof duffle for my laptop and gym clothes. My ex got it on eBay, was great when we went sailing (he's an instructor).
4. Louis Vuitton-- my mom got it as a gift and used it as a diaper bag. See the stains on the bottom? That's from my bottles.
5. Chanel-- another gift to my mom from her friends.
6. American Apparel-- a boy stole it and gave it to me.

In American culture, there is a tendency to buy cheap and trendy (versus well-made) and then to buy another as soon as it breaks. I think that I'm in a point in my life where I can commit to a nice leather bag, but I'm too picky.
My criteria:
1. Silver or gunmetal hardware.
2. Suede or matte genuine leather.
3. Zipper or flap closure. No bucket bags or magnetic tops, I don't want to get robbed.
4. Crossbody strap. I'm a girl who needs to run to catch the bus and climb over fences.
5. Dark and monochromatic.
6. Fits a wallet, a cellphone, keys, and a bottle of water.
7. Not too big. Big bags are for high-maintenance people.
8. Under $200.

This comes close:




I don't think I'm asking for too much. You'd think that some female designers would know what the ladies want, but these days Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler are the only designers making girl-on-the-go handbags...

8 comments:

Ashley said...

I'm with you, I'm at the point in my life where I only want to buy bags that will last the rest of my life. I recently invested in a used Balenciaga, and I think my next investment will be a Louis Vuitton or vintage Chanel... it's so hard to save up though! But worth it :)

-Ashley
http://breakfastatsaks.blogspot.com

SophieGrace said...

Your so lucky. My mum has never been into designer bags so I have to buy them myself. That means any future children of mine will have nice bags. I think designer bags and purses are definatly worth the money as they last for ages and look nice. I dont know where to buy vintage designer bags. Im always wary that they could be fakes.

Chloe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chloe said...

I think Givenchy does bags like the kind you are looking for.
I want a Lanvin bag for my early 20's <3

Jess said...

oh I want a proenza bag so badly. you've got quite the collection - I'm jealous!

I V Y said...

oooh very jealous of the cute chanel! :)

Anonymous said...

I haven't bought a bag in such a long time! How sad is that?
Anyway, it's soo cute that you got all those great vintage bags from your mom! I wish my mom had saved some nice things for me...

Anna said...

I love your red Chanel and as far as Alexander Wang is my new favorite designer. He is so talented!!!