Q for ya ladies about hand bags..

[Dancing Fire]

my opinion about women carrying the following brands of hand bags.

Coach ...teenager-30 yrs old
LV........spoiled teenagers-40 yrs old
Chanel...rich women over 40 yrs old
Hermas..filthy rich women over 40 yrs old

am i correct??...

 

[TristanC]

In Asia, people carry these bags from their 20s, all the way up. So it is vastly different over here.

 

[calibali]

Nope. All I have are Chanel and Hermes and I'm nowhere near 40.

I see plenty of girls in their 20s carrying Chanel - nothing wrong with investing in a classic!

 

[iheartscience]

Ha, sounds about right!

 

[Inkblot]

Agreed. I just can't get into it; I'd rather spend my money on jewelry. I have ONE Coach bag that I purchased five years ago from the actual Coach store (it doesn't have the signature logo on the fabric, it's just plain leather with a small Coach buckle), and most people thought it was a fake anyway! I haven't purchased a high-end designer bag since.

 

[Kaleigh]

Hey in CA all the young celebs seem to be sporting Hermes bags ..Kardashians come to mind.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Nope. All I have are Chanel and Hermes and I'm nowhere near 40.

I see plenty of girls in their 20s carrying Chanel - nothing wrong with investing in a classic!

well, then your just filthy rich..

 

[AprilBaby]

I am one of the few women who doesn't give a hoot about handbags.

 

[centralsquare]

I'm surprised teenagers have coach let alone LV!!!

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'm surprised teenagers have coach let alone LV!!!

those are spoiled brats..

 

[Autumnovember]

I am one of the few women who doesn't give a hoot about handbags.

I'll second myself on that one. My most expensive is 500$ purse and I stopped wearing it. I just lose purses all the time...its awful, so I decided I'm never wearing them. I just have my little ID holder that I stick in my back pocket and thats it!

 

[monarch64]

I love a great handbag (one that actually adds interest to a great outfit--those are few and far between), and I've carried some higher end bags in the past several years but just can't bring myself to part with SERIOUS money for a bag that gets dirty from being perched on a restaurant chair, other people's car seats, public transportation, etc. I have one less than $500 bag that I've kept for about 5 years now that I just love, but it has no obvious logos and no one knows what it is. It's my favorite and I treat it like gold. My other everyday money carrier is a Coach wristlet that someone gifted me for Christmas 2 years ago. I'd never have paid $50 for that thing. Coach kind of annoys me.

 

[Lottie]

I am in my early 30's and Mulberry is probably the most popular luxury bag brand in my area. I spend most of my time carrying a big clunky changing bag full of baby paraphernalia so I like my other bags to feel a bit more luxurious, I also think the quality of the leather is great in a Mulberry. From my own experience I do agree with the Chanel and Hermes comments although the classic LV tends to be worn by older ladies in my area as well. Cath Kidston seems to be the bag of choice for teen girls in my town.

 

[rosetta]

Mulberry is everywhere in the UK.

My bags of choice are mulberry, prada, Chloe and vintage exotic skins.

I think I have about 15 high end bags, but no Chanel or Hermes (can't bear parting with the money for Hermes but if Madame bijoux wants to give me one of hers then I'll not turn it down )

 

[yssie]

April, add me to your list. I don't "get" bags, and I don't care one way or another about designer anything anyway...

 

[Colltee]

Mulberry is everywhere in the UK.

My bags of choice are mulberry, prada, Chloe and vintage exotic skins.

I think I have about 15 high end bags, but no Chanel or Hermes (can't bear parting with the money for Hermes but if Madame bijoux wants to give me one of hers then I'll not turn it down )

Snap I'm a Chloé and Prada girl too I like their understated style and timeless quality..
I splurge from time to time on these brands but can't fathom - no matter how rich I was, spending $20K on a handbag. Mind you I guess it's all relative isn't it - fair play to those who work hard to earn their bucks, they can do what they want with it.

 

[LGK]

I am one of the few women who doesn't give a hoot about handbags.

I'll second myself on that one. My most expensive is 500$ purse and I stopped wearing it. I just lose purses all the time...its awful, so I decided I'm never wearing them. I just have my little ID holder that I stick in my back pocket and thats it!

Ditto. My priciest purse is around $75. I am likely to leave uncapped lipstick, or jam packets* or what have you in them. I'd rather not wreck something expensive!

*For some unknown reason I stuck a packet of freezer jam in my purse and found it a week later, open, stuck to the bottom

ETA: I do like antique sterling dance purses, especially the art nouveau ones with poppies- and I carry those if I want something fancy-schmancy. They mostly carry a credit card and an ID though, they're tiny! I've spent maybe $250 on the niftiest ones.

 

[TristanC]

I like Dior, Channel, Hermes, Gucci... Coach is cost effective for what it is.

I've given the SO a few, she appreciates them a lot when she gets them, but won't go out of her way to buy them.

 

[supergirl10]

I only have one real expensive purse which is a balenciaga which i purchased second hand for about $800 which is less than half price. It's not real brand-y or screams this is expensive but it is very nice leather.

I'd love a Chanel, lv or the likes but when it comes down to it I think I would have difficulty parting with the money, especially when I think of all the charities that could use that kind of donation.

Ps I agree DF you either have to be pretty loaded or over forty to afford a Hermes, having said that if someone insisted on giving me one, I wouldn't' say no

 

[Tanzigrrl]

I'm 33 and I have lots of Kate Spade, Dooney & Bourke, and some Coach

 

[MonkeyPie]

I like bags, but care little about the brand. I do really love my Coach purses though. I have two, and paid under $100 for each (with a wallet/makeup bag) thanks to coupons and shopping the outlet. They hold up way better than any no-name brand bag I have ever had! I like the crazy colored bags at places like Kohl's just for fun outfits.

 

[iLander]

HEY! I resemble that! (the over 40 part, anyway )


I used to agree with your list, DF, until I discovered the purse forums (after my recent purchase)! I wish I could link to the threads (I don't think PS will let me), but there is are a bunch of threads titled "PICS of your (insert brand name) in action" and it's rare to see anyone over 40 in any of them. Even the Hermes thread has a bunch of girls in their '20's rocking the bag$. The forums have celeb pics, again, pretty young women for even the biggest brands.

Also thought you'd find this Forbes article interesting; http://www.forbes.com/sites/helenwang/2011/08/16/chasing-luxury-dreams-a-tale-from-chengdu/ Interestingly, twice this summer I was in a Chanel store and both times there were Arab ladies buying multiple bags (10+). One lady was disappointed that there were "only 8" of a particular style available. She bought them all (at about $4000 a pop- expensive model), I think for her husband's other wives. These were added to a big pile that the salespeople were frantically wrapping on the counter. I think she (and her driver) left with 20+ purses. But your age guesses were right, the Arab lady was around 35 and Louis Vuitton was a mob scene of young Japanese girls.

I am a bit of a purse person, in that I would buy a new bag every year, usually a couple of hundred dollars. I figure if I have to look at it every single day, it should be nice. I don't switch purses for different outfits, it's just one for the year, until they are nasty, dirty and threadbare. But I am tired of hunting for them (I am very particular) each year, and I wanted one that wouldn't wear out. The brand I chose will refurbish my purse for life, including all new hardware, etc., for a pretty reasonable fee. I can get all scratches and dirt removed for under $25, and it will look new. I chose the hardest-wearing of all their leathers. On the forums, they show bags 20+ years old and they look new. I want to stay with this one for years.

Now here's the practical part that you'll appreciate DF; I can sell it. You wouldn't believe the $$ that people spend on genuine vintage/used bags. Most go for only a couple of hundred dollars off the new price, and some go up in value depending on scarcity. I have been looking for one for my DD (I know, I spoil her) and they're over $1000, even if they're 10 years old! That's only slightly less than a new one! When I get tired of this one, I can sell it and get a lot of $$$ back. I'm amazed.

So, I chose mine for purely practical reasons. At least that's what I tell DH Actually, he pushed me into it, and insisted I treat myself. He's very nice and I luvz him.

FYI, I'm not defending it, I just want you to understand the full story.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I got into LV & Chanel when I was in my 30'S. Didn't start collecting Hermes until I was 61.

 

[AGBF]

I am one of the few women who doesn't give a hoot about handbags.

I think that group would have to include me. About five years ago I learned what a Coach bag was. (A friend, who was an attorney, told me she had received one as a gift from a client and was excited about it. She was someone who had litererally bought the first suits she needed for court from a thrift store.) Then my daughter started to amass designer bags in her teens (she is now 1. I don't believe she has a Chanel or an Hermès, but she has the ubiquitous Coach bags and now also has Gucci; Louis Vuitton; Fendi; and Burberry bags. As a late bloomer, I bought myself one black Prada bag to take to my divorce attorney when I go and then one orange Bottega veneta bag for fun. I think that will be it for me. I still carry quilted Vera Bradley purses for "every day"!

Deb/AGBF

 

[centralsquare]

I'm surprised teenagers have coach let alone LV!!!

those are spoiled brats..

No kidding...how do they pay for them???

 

[dragonfly411]

I'm surprised teenagers have coach let alone LV!!!

those are spoiled brats..

DF I wouldn't say ALL of them are spoiled brats. I have a friend who's daughter gets a new LV for each major milestone she hits that deserves it. For instance, when she receives AB honor roll for a full year at school, when she graduated high school, when she turned 18, when she received a large scholarship. It wasn't that she was spoiled, as they generally lead a reserved lifestyle, but they are a brand of bag she enjoys and her mother used it as a reward for bettering herself. I see nothing wrong with that, and the girl usually took the old bag and sold it in garage sales, and used that money back towards school books or supplies etc.

 

[iLander]

I got into LV & Chanel when I was in my 30'S. Didn't start collecting Hermes until I was 61.

I'd be happy to buy your unloved Chanels . . .

Do you venture into the purse forums? I have lurked and enjoy all the pictures.

ETA: I've seen your collection on a couple of your threads and it is gorgeous and drool-worthy . . .

 

[iLander]

I'm surprised teenagers have coach let alone LV!!!

those are spoiled brats..

DF I wouldn't say ALL of them are spoiled brats. I have a friend who's daughter gets a new LV for each major milestone she hits that deserves it. For instance, when she receives AB honor roll for a full year at school, when she graduated high school, when she turned 18, when she received a large scholarship. It wasn't that she was spoiled, as they generally lead a reserved lifestyle, but they are a brand of bag she enjoys and her mother used it as a reward for bettering herself. I see nothing wrong with that, and the girl usually took the old bag and sold it in garage sales, and used that money back towards school books or supplies etc.

There are a lot of companies that will buy or consign her used bags for a bit more than she's probably getting in yard sales. From the purse forums, I've gathered that this is a good one: http://www.yoogiscloset.com/t-sell.aspx

 

[centralsquare]

I'm surprised teenagers have coach let alone LV!!!

those are spoiled brats..

DF I wouldn't say ALL of them are spoiled brats. I have a friend who's daughter gets a new LV for each major milestone she hits that deserves it. For instance, when she receives AB honor roll for a full year at school, when she graduated high school, when she turned 18, when she received a large scholarship. It wasn't that she was spoiled, as they generally lead a reserved lifestyle, but they are a brand of bag she enjoys and her mother used it as a reward for bettering herself. I see nothing wrong with that, and the girl usually took the old bag and sold it in garage sales, and used that money back towards school books or supplies etc.

I was a good student and never got anything besides a "good job" from my parents!!

 

[dragonfly411]

ilander - AWESOME! Thank you for that, I'll forward it to her.

Central - Me either, but I'd rather get the good job than nothing at all.