I've never got the handbag thing; why it is that many women spend obscene amounts of money on upmarket transporters for their wallet and lipsticks?
But not for much longer. The retail forecaster Mintel last week said that the era of the swanky handbag is drawing to a close. Women, apparently, are turning to the chain stores instead of to Hermes, Alexander McQueen or Smythson.
Men may not know these names, but women do. The cult of celebrity has made sure of that. Pictures of Victoria Beckham and Katie Holmes displaying their rainbow collection of Hermes Birkin bags fill women's magazines (I have to own up to a secret longing for the lolly pink Birkin that sometimes hangs off Posh's arm).
Fake Wallets And Pouches HandbagsIt's not just the size of the price tag that stuns me. I know Paris Hilton likes to carry around assorted small dogs, but why do these bags have to masquerade as small rucksacks? Perhaps in this age of increasing obesity, we want them big to make us look smaller.
Mintel says that of the 50 percent of British women who bought a handbag last year, many spent about a month's salary on their purchase. This year, despite the credit squeeze and the turn away from designer products, women will still spend (PndStlg)0.5 billion.
Gucci Belt Bag Fake HandbagsI don't get it. A month's salary? That's a return ticket to New Zealand with a short trip to Paris for extras. And for something that will be out of favour with the fashion police within months.
I dipped into eBay to see how much these bags cost secondhand. You can get a "black lizard" Hermes for just over (PndStlg)3000 ($7500) and a "Matte Croco" in Forest Green for just under (PndStlg)27,000 ($67,000). The latter is at the edges of lunacy, but a new Alexander McQueen Blow bag (named after the late fashion editor Isobella Blow) will set you back (PndStlg)985 ($2450) and the Bay bag by Chloe, (PndStlg)886 ($2200).
If you think you can get by with a black staple for winter and something lighter in the summer, wrong. You also need a variety of styles: clutches are the latest. If I don't understand the desire for "celebrity", or "It" bags, I definitely don't get the cult of the clutch. You can't fit anything in them for starters. When I buy a new bag - a rare purchase - I always do a test run in the shop to see that I can fit in my paperback, spare glasses, Filofax, wallet, hairbrush and small bottle of water. If the zip does up, it's a sale.
embroidered patches
But I suspect the demise of It handbags is going to take some time. A fashion magazine I bought yesterday devoted more than 10 pages to this year's "must-haves". My latest purchase is the wrong colour (tan), wrong shape (squarish), and is not shiny enough (it's not patent).
But it will last me for a year. Plus, it cost (PndStlg)99 ($245). And that's more than enough.
Other articles:
http://www.qdxiqu.com/LIGHTEN-UP.html
http://www.dcnk.net/Sarahs-got-the-style-to-make-.html