Handbags are such a huge part of a woman's wardrobe. Most women carry them everyday wherever they go. From work to play women who are on the go deem these most important accessories. Or are they an accessory? Footwear has it's own category now in the fashion world. I believe Handbags are not an accessory but a necessity. One would not go out the door without shoes and in this day and age neither would one go out without a handbag.
There are so many designers, brands and shops for a woman to choose her handbags. But really how many do we need ladies? When I was growing up in Kentucky the women in my mom's family invested in one really well made handbag almost every year. It would be leather and in a color that would go with just about anything. The style would be classic and not too big.
The question is should you go for Status or Style? Are these questions mutually exclusive. What is important in choosing a handbag. For me I believe in a great leather handbag that can go from casual to dressy. For formal it's always best to carry a clutch. One of my all time favorite styles is the shoulder handbag. I don't particular like carrying my bag around my arm it gets to heavy and cumbersome. The shoulder bag really came into pop culture in the 1970s. Gucci comes to mind and Hermes.
Above are the ultimate Status Symbol bags: the Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags. These babies are available on 1st Dibs - Hermes does not sell them on their site. These leather bags can range from $5,000.00 to $100,000.00 and up which for me is far too much. If you are going this route, I think you can't go wrong with a beautiful rouge color. This color will never go out of style and the classic leather will be good for years to come. They can be carried satchel or shoulder style.
So let's carry on! These beauties are in a more high mid range price and again on 1st Dibs. Vintage can be a good way to go but you will have to take into account you may not want to carry something that has been around the block every day. However, these iconic styles are forever chic. Gucci should bring back the Monogram Tote above, it's delish and a great style. It came with a long shoulder strap. The classic Chanel Quilted small wallet strap bag is small but still can be shouldered. Louis Vuitton is in between the status symbol of Hermes and the logo obsessive style. For me I am not crazy about logos all over something but these logos are a symbol of what? Sometimes I forget why everyone wants a Louis Vuitton. Is it because someone somewhere said these are bags you should carry or are they really that great and worth your money? As far as logos go the LV logo is far more classic and will be good for years to come but I really wish they would make more bags with just a logo stamp and not an all over pattern.
These next vintage style and modern classics are perfect for the mid range price levels. Mulberry has fantastic leather bags that are British and cleverly never go out of style. Aigner was my mom's favorite line in the 1970s. Their Burgundy leathers were ultra lux and she carried it everywhere and it never fell apart. Kate Spade started her accent into handbag connoisseur in the 90s. I recall that she started with fabric bags like the red one above which is the Classic Nylon Pheobe. From brownish greens, burgundies and reds a woman will get so much bang for the buck with these bags.
Now let's venture into great style without status arena. These lovely bags are from low price lines that know how to create a great handbag without the $1,000.00 price tag. In fact all these are under $200.00. Handbags.com carries alot of unknown new designers with lines that are forward and smartly priced. When going for style without the labels or logo, a pleather or leather is best. Look at the texture as well as the color. Go for tones that are going to last for years like grays and browns. Target and Mango carry bags that are simply darling with low prices but look high priced and you can't beat that.
The nice thing about all of these choices is there is something for every budget. Shoulder bags are going to go further in the modern world. They are more comfortable to carry everyday whether shopping or running errands. Choose classic colors and styles that say something about you. Imagine it with casual jeans too a fresh forward look. Stand in front of a mirror to see how you look carrying it - trust me this is important. Or clip it from a website and insert it by your pic. Polyvore.com is now allowing users to upload pics of themselves so you can see how an outfit might look online.
Ladies to me Style always trumps status. If you have to spend a certain high level amount of money to say who you are to the world then what are you truly saying about yourself. Well crafted is one thing but just buying something for the price is supremely short sited and shallow. Always go for style whether you pay for Hermes or Target.
Heather Sonrisa
No comments:
Post a Comment