You can always use another handbag ?

Have a good look at the website link at the end of this post.

They pretend to be authentic and want to prove it in so many ways.

But, a give-away are the much-too-low prices and the faulty or clumsy English on the website.

I suspect that these are "Made in China" like so many fakes that are being walked around right here in Flushing, New York / U.S.A.

It just bugs me how they get away with it.

www.priceslocker.com/l/authentic.html

They even have papers to make them look like real purchases. That's just so wrong; for all we know, the business owners went dumpster diving for those papers.

Although I do want to say that I find this bag very cute (www.priceslocker.com/l/alma-mm-roses-P1416.htm l), I would not pay that much for a knockoff. You know how I feel about purses; I would rather save up the money for a quality made bag than get a knockoff that will fall apart in a year.

The English spelling is a dead giveaway. And, the prices are quite hefty. I would rather save for the real thing, than pay a few hundred for something that is, to say the least, iffy. I could never afford one of those original bags, but hate the look of the plastic ones. These ones would have to be seen, and held to really know.

A handbag has to be held and felt, that is true. Sometimes I have snapped up a no-name bag but it was well made for its type. Zippers work, there is a lining, a reinforcement of the bottom.

Sometimes there is a bag "just the right thing" and it is waving at you "buy me, buy me".

It is fun to buy that bag "on the spot" and dump the contents from the old bag into the new one, and get rid of the old bag in the nearest paper basket ... wishful thinking. In real life I have done something like that only once, as described in my "Der Kunde ist Koenig" Blog-Artikel on the German site, where I gave my old handbag away to a stranger across the street when leaving the store with that new bag.

Like perfume, the bag says something about the wearer.

I am a sucker for bags and will go broke like that.

I found a really nice Burberry tote online. I would have to go to the store to get a feel for the fabric and stitching, but I'm sure it would hold up just fine. There is a larger one too, but I prefer this one for the strap so I can throw it on my shoulder.

us.burberry.com/store/womens-bags/tote-bags/pr od-38551481-medium-check-canvas-tote-bag/

It looks nice - but to the price tag you will have to add shipping.

If you are lucky to see this one in a store, you may get a discount if you open a store credit card.

When I got my last Longchamp bag (just LOVED it) at Bloomingdale's brick and mortar store, the SA knocked off 10% with a coupon at hand, and another 15% was taken off the bill when it arrived because I opened a brand new Bloomingdale's store credit card.

I have mentioned before that "I would rather not eat" and get perfumes or bags.

Well, there is always "rice and beans". (In German, the expression is "bread and water".) In reality, it is "chicken", but I digress ...

I may be able to find it at Nordstrom in due time; the one near me sells the brand. That's a really good idea to open a credit card.

I am a fan of Longchamp as well; my sister bought me one when she was in France, a lavender one. That is another nice brand.

Lately, I have been finding myself saving a lot of money by not eating takeout or going out for meals, so I'm slowly turning into being that way too.

A bag is a little bit of a private compartment of what a woman carries around. For different functions, we carry a different bag.
Like with a dressy outfit, going to just one place, I mean the place of festivity, a small bag is good, just with lipstick, perfume, change, credit card, mirror and comb, keys.
Going shopping, a large tote is good, just stuff everything inside, more can be added, and items stick out on top, like the long stick of bread you just bought.
Going to work, well, we need the water bottle, a sandwich, and the usual lifesaver items, cellphone, you name it.
Going on a trip - here is where "shrinkage" comes in. Take a nice size bag for the carry-on plan, and big enough to be useful when sightseeing with maps, camera, water bottle, the thing you just bought.
Going to the beach ...

Well, girls, fill it in. A bag for every situation. A woman "wears many hats" and carries many bags.

I love a soft leather bag pouch style that one can sling over the shoulder and actually hug it. My favorite hugable bag. I have one like that.

zip

I knew I would find you here Wichapi. All you need now is an eyewear thread. I just love to gawk at beautiful things!

Where do you look online? I am wary of ebay.

Handbags can become a hobby I have more than I need but they are so nice to have and also to look at.

My most favourite cheapies are vinyl bags by FAUCHON, the French noble supermarket and HARROD´S. These bags are not only very practical and handy and lots of stuff fits in them (and you can nicely wear them on your shoulder) but they also look very nice and nobody else has them (at least not where I live)
And they last for years, even with daily use and strain by carrying heavy things in them.
I have those :
http://www.fauchon.com/fr/sac-shopping-pop.htm l
http://www.fauchon.com/fr/sac-shopping-ton-sur -ton.html
http://www.fauchon.com/fr/sac-shopping-noir-et -blanc.html
http://www.harrods.com/product/westie-shoulder -bag/harrods/000000000002923376?cat1=new-gifts &cat2=new-gifts-shoppers
http://www.harrods.com/product/harrods-boutiqu e-gusset-bag-small/harrods/000000000002274770? cat1=new-gifts&cat2=new-gifts-shoppers

Absolutely love them.

Designer bags are nice but I only have a few expensive ones. The foldable bags by Longchamp ("Le Pliage") are very nice, too.
Style does not define itself by a big name but by the way a decorative piece is worn That´s my humble opinion.

When I lived in Paris, fresh from the U.S.A. where groceries are packed into either brown paper bags or plastic bags right at the check-out counter, I found myself with a lot of loose groceries on the counter and no bag to cart them out with. "Mais si ..." said the clerk, "if you want a brown bag, you must pay for it." "Huh ?" I learned very quickly that people have to bring their own bag to house the new groceries or whatever.
So, the woman where I worked as an au pair, gave me her extra netted shopping bag to use.
Your photos show the options to bring to the store and have them ready.

I have not traveled in Europe - or particularly in Paris - for a while. How is it now ?

I am aware that these bags are meant for shopping groceries Which sometimes are carried in my bags as well

I cannot remember that I ever had to pay for a bag to carry away my stuff in Paris. Well, the usual shopping addresses (Sephora, Guerlain, Serge Lutens, Laduree, the big department stores and, of course, all kinds of fashion stores) always give you their own bags, mostly made of nice and glossy paper with a textile cord handle

Here in Germany a regular plastic bag is charged with about 20-30cent each (mostly in supermarkets). Fashion chains such as H&M, Zara or Goertz, of course, do not charge anything extra for a bag.

It can be argued whether or not such "plastic taxes" do any good to the environment. I think they just bug the customer.

Once you click on certain stores, the cookies are following you around, sometimes in the strangest places elsewhere on the vastness of the internet.
Plus certain notifications of sales of stores land in your e-mail box. So, this morning SAKS FIFTH AVENUE store sends me this

But I find this one a little stiff - like cardboard - just viewing it.

Back into my mind comes this

The Gatsby Sport hobo bag by Longchamp.

I want it, I want it ... just don't have the dollars to get it. Sigh.

Disclaimer: This User is not affiliated with either Saks Fifth Avenue or Longchamp.

Now, that's a "handbag and a half" !
www.maxmara.com/it/Brand-Campaign/MaxMara/Foto /0/5

This User is not affiliated with MaxMara.