Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Chic Status

In New York City, most BG fashionistas carry a designer “status” handbag. Whether it’s vintage or the newest one on the market, many women feel like they have to carry designer purses from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Prada and Chanel to maintain their fabulous fashion style. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of buying bags based on the designer. I don’t care if the bag was made in Italy or the United States, if I like it I’ll buy it. To me the quality and structure of the bag are paramount. As long as it looks good, I’ll wear it, however, I have never worn a knock-off and never will.

Although I have heard that classic A-list handbags will last you a lifetime. Maybe one day I’ll find out, but until I bring home enough money to frivolously purchase one of these super expensive purses, I’ll continue rocking my chic affordable leather Kenneth Cole bags!

What do you guys think?

Chanel Tote Available at www.efashionhouse.com for $1888


Louis Vuitton Manhattan Available at www.eluxury.com for $1560


Fendi Turtle Spy Bag Available at www.eluxury.com for $1910


Prada Calfskin Bowler Available at www.bergdorfgoodman.com for $1595

17 comments:

K-Bear said...

I think my eyeballs are rolling like dice! Who in the world would pay what amounts to a monthly mortgage payment for a bag that you throw stuff in? Not me. I thought I was really doing it with my Coach purses. Note to self...don't ever think of living in the Big Apple! :-)

Anonymous said...

kenneth cole is def a good choice

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

K-Bear, not just in NYC, people love their designer bags nationwide. If your eyeballs are rolling at these prices...brace yourself for the price tags of Hermes bags...their Kelly bags are a whopping $40,000!! Unbelievable I know...but celebrities pay for them or maybe they get them as swag...who knows, but that's how much they cost.

Kwana said...

I have to admit, BG that I love a good bag! That Prada one looks great. I'm bag crazy, maybe it's because bags don't hurt your feet or make your butt look big.
I don't have many status bag just one Louis Voutton from the DH and I just love it. It's my go to tote. I've long dreamed of a Birkin, hmm maybe one day...

What gets me are the 13 and 14 year olds that want Dooney or Coach. They don't have jobs. There are dues to pay before you get to have top notch accessories!

Mes Deux Cents said...

BGG,

You are soooo asking the wrong woman! I am a backpack fan. I have a dozen or so backpacks at any given time.

I have all kinds of styles from sling packs to mini packs.

I'm not sure why I turned my back on handbags. Except that backpacks are so handy, also I commute by bus and a back pack is much better for that.

xoliquoricexo said...

hmmmm, can't quite afford a status bag yet and i'm not sure that i'd be willing to dish out the big bucks when they come. i've been in a clutch/vintage sling bag mood lately and i'm not bored yet. variety is the spice of life! $1,000+ can buy me a LOT of unique pieces, haha!

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

Well i just by them for my dirl, cant tel real for fake, i jus hae the prices, ad he fct that the have initials that dont match her name LOL

MD2 - whats in your back pack, u a duffle BAG GIRL. LOL

Anonymous said...

I'm a messenger bag lady! At the same time I like to keep it of quality..........so yes its a designer bag. Love the articles, keep up the good work.

K-Bear said...

BGG, anybody paying 40K for a purse when I'm struggling to live is going to hell! That's just wrong...though I must say anything with the name Kelly is extremely valuable. Holla!

Les Puckao said...

Did you put the Prada bowler in my honour! :)

You know I love all those bags but there are only a few brands I'll pay "the mortgage" for - Gucci, LV and the like. I find that I have diffculty splurging on the newly emerging designers, albeit being reputable and stylish, they just do not have the long-term kick I'm look for (I'm talking Botkier, Mulberry, Marc Jacobs and so forth). I know that my Guccis and LVs will retain value.. and the others can just be one-hit wonders/trends!

Anonymous said...

I don't like to carry purses, because when I do I seem to just leave them mistakenly. But, I guess if I paid top dollar for them I would never forget.

Anonymous said...

$1595, $1910 ladies....the fellas don't pay that much attention to your purse

TigerTem said...

Very interesting post. I love handbags with a passion. So much so I've started my own line, Tiger Tem. (www.tigertem.com and www.tigerbites.blogspot.com)

My aim to is bridge the gap between women who want something nice and special looking without having to fork out trailerloads of cash for one.

On the expensive handbag thing. Its tricky. I can see why some women do...and like flying first, if you can afford it, why not?

Hermes bags, the Birkin starts at about $7500 and the Kelly starts at around $6000 (i think) and they go up to $60+ for the limited edition 'exotic's such as crocodile and alligators....Imagine that.

Handbags are my thing!!!!! Clearly!

Les Puckao said...

I totally agree with "That Guy"... when I showed off my new Gucci leather Britt bag to my BF - he simply said "You know noone notices you paid that much" and I went on my "I do it for myself" sermon... Of course we were staunch in our opinion and there was no real middle ground reached but I still believe my bag was worth every dime, whether or not someone can recognize how much I dropped on it!

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

@Azeeza, yes I put that Prada bag in your honor!! You have the best bags ever! I'm so jealous! :-)

Anonymous said...

you're right, people are label whores in nyc. it's a city with millions of people per a square mile walking outside everywhere, so people watching is a number one sport here. everyone (especially women) practically scans what other people are wearing. there are pages from the new york times dedicated to what women are wearing on the street, among blogs like the sartorialist. i agree with you on fakes, although you can get plenty of good ones on canal street, why not get a good quality bag within your price range? i've managed to be able to afford two guccis and a louis vuitton, and i love them to death and know that if twenty years down the line if i want to sell them, there will be a market for it. i'd really love to get my hands on a chanel bag.

Anonymous said...

I love handbags. Seriously. I at one time had an addiction. I still buy but it's like a yearly thing instead of seasonal. I look at them as an investment. I still have my first Louis I got in high school and it's in wonderful condition.