To splurge or not to splurge is often the question. All shoppers are different; some can't fathom spending 3k on a bag, but would buy several pairs of Louboutins without thinking. Some will wardrobe shop at TJ Maxx and have the most amazing bag every season. Some people will wear a Lela Rose dress with wedges from Target. Everyone is different, and everyone justifies their purchases differently. I am not much of a shoe girl, thus the lack of shoe-centric posts. I really appreciate beautiful shoes, but I know I will destroy them and they never make me feel a) skinnier or b) prettier...they can enhance that feeling, but never create it. I get that from clothes. I can also understand the justification for a really special bag. Even if you don't feel a) skinny or b) pretty, you can distract people with a gorgeous bag. I also once read an article in Vogue (I think), that gave me another perspective: break down the cost of a bag on a per carry basis. So your Chloe bag only costs you 50 cents a day! That's reasonable isn't it? But when you love the look of a splurge bag but don't have the budget (unfortunately you can't pay on the per day basis), you don't want the overall style to suffer. I've got a great example for you: the Céline Tryptyque and J Crew's Biennial Satchel. Both have wonderfully clean lines and classic colors, as well as a super-convenient 3-zip pocket set up that gives you a ton of space. Céline's bag is certainly a bit more supple and has the cross-body feature, but the J Crew option has style and durability and costs about 1/10th the price of the Céline. Neither bag is wrong, it totally depends on where you choose to invest!
The Céline Tryptyque bag, contact Vermillion
The J Crew Biennial Satchel comes in tan, black, red, and white, $348.
Interesting analysis! I agree about the shoes - I destroy shoes, and would rather get 20 pairs of shoes at DSW than one pair of really nice expensive shoes. I love bags, but only buy a really nice bag once a decade - and it tends to last a long time. I buy a decent (but not lavish) bag once every 3 years. The J Crew is in that category, and I am quite tempted! What color do you like?
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. I just know that the shoes will never last as long as the bag. I like your purchasing schedule-very reasonable! I think for J Crew the tan? BUT part of me wants to reach out to the red?
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