Bag recommendations with approx £900 to spend

[BlueberriesAndWine]

I know this has been done before and posters have got flamed but I'd really like some suggestions.

I'll go over the budget if its something I really like, but not wildly so.

I probably looking for more of a tote style rather than clutch.
Thanks.

ohhh yes. that's gorgeous. i don't like bags that sit in your armpit or have to be handheld. That one really is a beautiful design tho. What a great shape.

I suppose this is all a bit chicken and egg to me.

I mean, why ask which bag to buy with £900?

Do you save up and have that amount and think you ought to have a bag for that cost?

How do you decide how much to spend?

I mean, I'd come at this from the other angle of...
'I've seen these 5 bags and which do you like best' [ incidentally they all cost around £1K)

I've got many times £900 in my bank account but I'd never dream of using it for a bag. I do think there is something just a bit silly about spending that amount, even if it is relatively small change to some people.

I don't believe designer bags are value for money- you are paying for the name, seriously, acknowledge that.

So- coming back to the original question- do you save up to a certain amount and say 'yes! I've got enough now for a BAG!' or what?

Santa - do you know if they have sales for that style anywhere too? Would it also be HN?

I really want a Chloé Marcie now. I think I'll hold out for the sales

I'm not very keen on the woven look. The Chloe Marcie is yum though!

I have no idea about that style koala, some styles, like the hobo and Roma bags are classics and hardly go on sale,unless they are in seasonal colours,
I've seen BV bags on sale at selfridges, and even on Net-a-porter, but again in colours like green,orange blue..etc,

"I don't believe designer bags are value for money- you are paying for the name, seriously, acknowledge that."

So you think a designer bag is of the same quality as a cheaper one made for pennies in India? Of course it isn't! I've had plenty of cheaper high street bags over the years and they fall apart after a few years of regular use. On the other hand, I fully expect to pass my Chanel bag on to my daughter when she is older because it is extremely well made with the best materials. Is that not value for money?

Personally, my one LV bag that I have has aged appallingly poorly.

But except for some LV bags which seem to be made of plastic, I agree. Designer bags are better quality.

Don't they get a bit grubby though after all those years wear. I find that if I use a bag for a long time it gets grubby, do you clean them or are expensive bags immune to dirt

Very expensive bags are immune to criticism.

Depends on the colour as to how grubby they get. I also rotate bags so don't use the same one everyday.

I also am pretty careful with them, I don't chuck them on the floor so they don't seem to get very dirty really. Especially as I'm no longer at the stage where I need to carry drinks and snacks for children around with me.

Its the old addage you get what you pay for to a certain degree with handbags.

Personally I think a leather bag under £50 -£75 (M&S/Monsoon/WhiteStuff etc) will fall apart. A bag around £200 - £300 (Russell & Bromley; Peony&Moore; Mimi Berry; Hobbs; Michael Kors) will not as its obviously better made & the leather is far better. However, I do think that over £500 (Mulberry; Coach; Chloe; Prada) you are paying not only for the materials but for the label & iconic design.

I don't mind doing this now & again if I fall in love with a bag, but I am under no illusion what my hard earned money is going towards when I pay £500 +

Not all designer bags are immune to dirt or looking old, but some bags are very well made and use only best leather, stitching technique,so they are more resilient, and because people are aware they paid a lot for them , they do look after them, it's not rocket science, really!
pinkforks of course you are paying for the brand name, a big part of the price tag goes for that, after all, they are the people who owns the copyright for the designs, and if I'm interested in buying a particular design, it has to be done through them, we are all aware of that ,I'm not bothered by it,
When I go out and buy a celine or Chanel bag, I know that the bag was made by a person with a fair wage, and good working conditions, and not by someone who earns less than $2 day, with terrible working conditions and no access to good medical assistance when they need it, or worse made by a child labour.

Was it Amber who mentioned establishing a regular thread on s&b for bag lovers? Think it's a fab idea, and hopefully will put an end to all the bitterness,

When I buy Celine I am paying for the designer and the design too. I am less likely to buy something without that close relationship between label and design. Eg Isabel Marant, I think she's great. Pheobe Philo too.

I was not being bitter, I was just stating a fact about things over time, do get dirty. There are threads on here about people washing stuff daily and then people say oh, an expensive bag will last forever, can be passed down like a family heirloom and don't seem to mind about the inground grubbiness and sweat from hands on handles etc over the years and also dirt from the general environment which seems to go on clothes but not bags .

I also wondered if people cleaned them because I have got a much loved purse which is a bit grubby and wanted to pick up any tips as I might have to discard it even though it has got a lot of wear left in it.

Obviously the people who buy a few bags and rotate this won't happen to any more than buying a few of any bag, cheap or expensive. It is just the emphasis on lasting forever which keeps cropping up when discussing expensive bags and I wondered about the cleanliness of it all.

I just replaced a bag that got used to the hilt.

You can send bags away to be cleaned, somewhere like here: www.handbagmakeover.co.uk/index.html

Some one bought me a jacky & celine purse for my birthday yesterday. Does this mean i own a designer bag?

I had to laugh yesterday when two rough particularly rough women from my street went tramping down the road with identical mulberry bags. My immediate and likely correct assumption was rip off!

If i ever could afford a mulberry bag i would never buy one because people would make the same assumption about me!

Well. I spent a substantial amount on a Balenciaga velo earlier this year. Saved up hard for ages and had been hankering for a lovely special bag for years. I have absolutely no guilt - I worked really hard for it, full time hospital Matron doing 50+ hours most weeks. Yep, I could have bought something far more worthy and sensible. But in so bloody glad I didn't. Every time I use it I get a rush of enjoyment and it makes those long hours worth the reward of something special for me.

light I know you were not being bitter, and if you reread my post you will see I wasn't referring to you, more to the general kill joy tone going on,

As I said, some bags are better made , obviously an Hermes bag will last a very long time even if it was abused daily, it will show signs of daily wear specially around handles, but you can have it reconditioned and looking brand new, and if you can choose your own leather , you can pick a scratch resistance one like Togo or clemence. they are really durable,and of course the colour and storage condition makes a huge difference,

I've seen Chanel bags from the 80s and 90s now being used by the younger generation, they don't look just like brand new ones, of course some adjustment have been made to general design of the bag over the years, so putting a 2014 Chanel flap next to an 1990 won't make anyone confused,of course you will tell them apart, but you will appreciate the older one more, it looks like like a well aged piece of art

I think it's rather suspect SMN to try to justify paying a huge sum of money for a bag ( same price as my DCs paid for their 1st cars!!) on the basis that the people who make them are paid a fair wage.

This is all relative; a tiny tiny percentage of the cost of the bag will go to the people in the factory while the rest goes into the coffers of the company directors and share holders- and the marketing depts of those companies who try to convince people that a bag is worth a thousand pounds.

I also don't agree that they offer value for money, because beyond a certain level there cannot be any difference. It's the same as buying shoes- you do get a better shoe if you go to some makers because the construction is better and the materials are better- so a £150 Barker ( for men) is made better than a £95 shoe from Dune. But a £3000 shoe from Lobb or whoever is better because it's made to measure.

light I clean my bags using Collonil cleaners and I spray them regularly with Collonil protector (original tip came from Amber)
It keeps them looking as new. You can buy the stuff on Amazon. :)