Hi everyone! I was just wondering if there were any handbag lovers out there. Ever since high school I have been obsessed with handbags, probably because they are one of those accessories that you can buy regardless of your size. While all my friends bought designer clothes...I bought designer handbags (and designer sunglasses - my other love~!)

I love the well-known designers - Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Dior....but lately have been buying more obscure lines - Botkier, Kooba, Hayden-Harnett, and Mulberry.

So, anyone else share my obsession? What are your favorite lines/handbags?

About 2 months ago ... I ran into a Francesco Biasia's "disco diva" handbag at (!) Marshalls, purchased it, came home, checked on ebay, the price point three times as much :clap2:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1136/1444780936_700822950a_o.jpg

i love bags too, however designer isn't in our budget! So thankfully my husband was in korea for a year and sent me 5 coaches they were $30 each. Also the Chech Repbublic sells bags cheap too, I'm going to go in Feb. for a girls weekend and shop till I drop. Supposedly they are between 5 and 20 euro. Of course these are knock offs, but event he Coach store couldn't tell mine was a knock off. It's even stamped inside with the authentic Coach stamp and they are all lined in Coach material on the inside.

aack! wrong thread! estrogen poisoning! i need power tools and playboy issues stat!

I'm a little leary of purchasing off of ebay for fear of getting a fake. Anyone feel the same way or know what to do to make sure its not a fake?

I have to say, that peanut purse I was bragging about.. it's super small. All I could fit inside was my wallet, hand sanitizer and my cell.

Now, my purses are normally like a suitcase. I keep meds, calendar, floss, wallet, etc. etc. Any and everything is in it. It's an endless pit. I put up with it for a week, but I just swapped back to an old bag last night. Bummer. I need a nice leather (or fake leather) purse. The one I've used for months now, the drawstring at the top (which is leather) kept closing on its own and it took forever to open. Anyone know of a good medium-big size leather (or fake) bag in the under $50 range?

I have to say, that peanut purse I was bragging about.. it's super small. All I could fit inside was my wallet, hand sanitizer and my cell.

Now, my purses are normally like a suitcase. I keep meds, calendar, floss, wallet, etc. etc. Any and everything is in it. It's an endless pit. I put up with it for a week, but I just swapped back to an old bag last night. Bummer. I need a nice leather (or fake leather) purse. The one I've used for months now, the drawstring at the top (which is leather) kept closing on its own and it took forever to open. Anyone know of a good medium-big size leather (or fake) bag in the under $50 range?

Hah! Me, too. I need a giant purse and sometimes I find I even have to carry a supplementary bag - kind of like an annex - to carry all my poop. I would have a lot more bags but it takes me so long to shift all my junk from one bag into another because I have to reorganise it, ya know. :help: I have only just moved over from my fall purse into my winter purse today! :faint:

As for finding a new bag at a good price, this is the time to go looking! There will be lots of sales.

I like some of Kathy VanZeeland's bags....ok I like several of them!!! I have bought several through QVC, also found a couple in TJMaxx. Have enough bling to be fun, and last well.....affordable enough to change them out often.

I once bought 14 bags at one time....in a leather shop in Cancun!!! I had everyone in our group stuffing purses in their luggage!! I still carry lots of them though!

I keep a brown and a black wallet and checkbook setup. Identical wallets and checkbooks....then that part is a quick swap over....and then I keep a couple of small make up style bags, one for make up, the other bag holds nail clippers & file, chapstick, cologne, all the junk I carry everywhere.

My only requirement is that a bag have a way for me to easy access my phone. I hate digging to the bottom of a hobo style bag to find it. Which sucks because I love the free relaxed style of a hobo.....

Kat

I've always been a handbag and shoe freak. Who knew my feet were going to shrink upon losing weight and hardly any of my shoes fit anymore. I love QVC and am partial to Kathy Van Zeeland bags and Maxx of New York. I also love the leather, but have a few fabric bags. I also like Clark bags and their shoes.

Skittles:D

I too have my eye on a black bag by Kathy Van Zeeland. The Crown Princess Black Belted Shopper. Ross had it for $37.00! I hope it's still there tomorrow when I go! I usually carry a small bag. I have a Liz Claiborne that I really like, but if I carry anything besides my wallet it's full.

LOVE Louis and Coach, Spade, Burberry and even Dooney.

Had a LV stolen. Pissed me off because DH got it on a business trip for me.

Received my first Coach in highschool as a "reward".

I still have it.

Remember the episode of S&TC about the Birken? LOL

I used to have a shoe "thing" too until I needed foot surgery....there went that obsession! I used to LOVE me some shoes!

Susan

Okay, I am trying girls. I know I am missing out on something here so I am trying to develop a love for handbags. I got a Brahmin for Christmas. Why have I not heard of them? I have heard of Dooney, Coach, and Louis. But not Brahmin, burberry and some others you have mentioned. I just gave my sister my coach to carry. She was excited. As she and her daughter made over it, I thought what am I not getting here. I mean I liked it but it did not bother me if I never saw it again either. It had no compartments. It was tall, tan material, dark brown c's, white leather top about 2 inches tall around the top of the purse. The whole purse was shaped like a tall rectangle and if it was empty it would lay flat. Why did they like it? I also cannot pick out good purses. The other coach I had was a short rectangel, had compartments, black with black c's and they did not make over it. I bought both of them at the outlet store in Branson, Missouri. I hate to pay full price for anything.

I guess I want to like purses. I have to carry them. I guess I feel like I am missing out on a lot of fun!

I splurge on a new black leather bag ever 2-3 years since that's how long it takes to get one broken in just right. I adore the handbag section of Nordstrom but it can take months to find the right one, and I'll go as high as $500 if I know I'll have it for life. I just spent $250 on a Brighton that I used for a month but decided I hate it - too big for me - so it sits on a shelf wondering what to do.

I am also a handbag and shoe freak. My handbag of choice is Louis Vuittons. I have over ten. If my DH knew what I paid for them he'd kill me or we'd be divorced! My fear of losing weight with the band concerns my shoes. What if I lose weight in my feet and can't wear all my lovely shoes? I think I'll take that risk!

Love, love them all!!! I totally agree with the first poster that they are better than clothes or shoes because they always fit and they are not prejudice against my size (big feet and wide everything else:-)

Never like Coach (I guess because everyone has them now so I want something different:)

Totally got all of Kate Spades's leather hobo bags for summer and winter (white, beige, black and red) from Zappos (got employee discount - that helps), Todd's from Bluefly (only discount was a coupon they sent me on a postcard once but the site is always discounted), CK from Endless (that new Amazon site).

Overstock is a great recommendation and I also find surfing SmartBargains is sometimes good but don't sign up for the newsletter because they email every day which is excessive unless you are a fanatic.

I try to get to sample sales in NYC but lost my in on where to find them. DailyCandy usually has some and NY Mag lists a few but other than that don't know how to find them:-)

LOVE the bags:-))

Purses actually are prejudice to me!

There's a lot of styles (the shoulder one particularly) that don't look good on my body. Once I get it up to my shoulder 1. it won't stay there for the life of me 2. it's too small to be there in the first place so I look like a goofy giant with a tiny purse.

I love the messenger bags. Most of my HS life that's what I had, and I had some cute funky ones (I still have a bright blue fabric one with butterflies all over it I use as a gym bag). They're not very adult-ish.. and the adult-ish ones I've seen.. like leather, are very boring and could pass as a male purse (NO THANKS!). So I miss messenger bags.. the ones that are 'suppose' to go across your body never fit me either, and I hate having to hold my purse all the time. If I didn't have to worry about looking professional I'd go back to my butterfly bag hah.