Favorite Purse Under $100 and What's In My Bag

Personal Collection 

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Anyone who knows me knows that I probably love purses/handbags more than nail polish - from really expensive ones to those budget-friendly ones that everyone loves. I've jokingly said I'm a "Purse Snob" but I'm really not. I love them all and the label isn't what matters. What matters to me is how the bag fits into my everyday style, fits my daily needs and budget. Whether it appeals to me. How well it's made.

I've held off doing more of these because honestly the obligatory "modeling shots" scare the beejeebers out of me. I'm not photogenic. At all. So I've compromised and cropped out my face. LOL!

But first, the What's In My Bag posts seem to be popular and I don't know how often I'll be doing this because I'm not sure who really cares what's in my bag, but I'm a huge fan of SLGs (Small Leather Goods) so I'll show you mine. I prefer keeping everything in SLGs as opposed to having it all banging around loose or shoved in those cheesy, flimsy "handbag organizers." They make it easy to change bags and let's face it, I change bags as often as I change nail polish. Well that and they're pretty.

Here are some of my SLGs...

SLGs

I've done a few "purse posts" in the past, but today I thought I'd show you my favorite purse under $100.00:  The Sak Kendra Crossbody.

Initially I grabbed one in navy blue because I needed a smaller blue bag THAT DAY and it was under $100 so why not? Well, I found myself using it a LOT. Reaching for it over some of my expensive bags <shock> for everyday. Wishing I had it in every color. I ended up getting the cream/tan for summer.

The Sak Kendra Crossbody

The strap isn't leather, like the rest of the bag and "grabs" onto my shoulder perfectly and doesn't slide off. I found that I really loved that when I realized that one of the main reasons I loved my all-time favorite handbag, Hermès Evelyne so much. And it's adjustable.

The linings are sturdy and interesting. Roomy zipper pocket with leather pull on one side and two slide pockets with elastic on the other.

The zipper pull is leather and easy to find, grab and open without looking...

The strap is attached with rings through metal reinforced holes on either side so it doesn't get twisted or "caught."

Check out the stitching in the next few pics too. This bag is well put together.

One outter slide pocket on the back which is perfect for easy access to my iPhone...

One slightly gathered slide pocket on the front - I use it for mints, gum, breath freshener, receipts...anything I'm too lazy to put away properly or want quick access to.

And the obligatory "modeling shots" so you can see the size. Wearing it on the shoulder and crossbody. I mostly wear it on the shoulder, though.

And the stats:

• exterior: leather, trim: polyurethane
• interior: nylon
• saddle multi, flame, resort multi and deep teal have silver tone hardware. all others have brass tone hardware
• 11.25in l x 1.5in w x 10.75in h strap 10in -25in
• zipper closure
• front exterior pocket
• back slit pocket
• lining features two multi-use pockets and a zippered back wall pocket
• clean with a water-based leather cleaner and moisturizer. use a protective spray to protect the leather surface

What do you think? What's your go-to bag for everyday?

The Sak Kendra Crossbody retails for between $69.00 and $99.00 and can be purchased at Dillards, Macys and online at The Sak website, Amazon.com, and Zappos.

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Purse Insanity

So okay, if you have a brain in your head, you can tell by the Blog's name that if you want in depth political discussions, you're in the wrong place. There are plenty of great blogs out there with, you know...substance.  I enjoy reading quite a few of them, actually. Am I saying that something (of substance) won't tick me off so bad I have to come here and vent about it one of these days? No, but that's not the general tone around here.

That having been said, get ready for even LESS substance than normal!  Purses, I gotz 'em.  I love them.  I collect them - sort of.  I may be wearing Payless shoes and a Walmart tank today, but I guarantee I'm carrying a nice purse to round out the ensemble! Why? I don't know. Maybe purses are to me as a Rolex or a Jag is for the 45 year old male in the throes of a mid-life crisis? Or maybe a nice purse is "the great equalizer?" Theories? I do own some nice clothes and shoes. Probably too many. (Probably?  LOL!) But they don't get out much. I'm likely to wear a really nice scarf several times a week, but in general, here in PoDunk, USA, I'm in jeans and a T-shirt. The great thing about a nice purse is that it goes with anything!

I'm not into "collectables." Chachskis just collect dust and they don't DO anything. But purses, well, they carry your life around every day! So no, I don't need another teapot or beanie babies or little ceramic angels.  Purses are where it's AT, Bay-Bee!

So make fun of me if you will. I'm a big girl and I can take it. I'm not overly "girly" or "princess-y" and I can change my own oil (and even catch icky snakes in my dining room!) so if I want to carry a nice purse, I'm going to. And I am going to do it for ME. Not for someone else. And certainly not because some "celebrity" has that same one. More like "in spite of" - IF I like it well enough. Unless I am carrying a knock-around-in-the-rain Louis Vuitton, no one around where I live even knows what I am carrying anyway. And I like it that way. Hermes? Celine? Bottega Veneta? 99% of the people in my lil burg have never heard of these. And I am fine with that. There aren't many questions that make me more uncomfortable than "how much was your bag?"  Sorry, but that's just rude. If you want to know, google it. And even then don't assume I didn't get a "deal" or it wasn't a gift. (And no, so far, only of my bags was a "gift" and NOT from my guy, either - but my birthday IS coming up next month *hint hint*) Mainly, it's just none of anyone's business.

Because I had so MANY purses that I'd collected over the years, and because my tastes got increasingly more expensive, I decided to purge. I sold a lot of them, "traded" some of them and donated a ton of them - mainly to a local women's shelter. I've gotten rid of well over a 100 purses in the last 2 years.  Most of them I don't miss at all. Right now, I've gotten it down to around 25. And yes, I use all of them.

I'm lazy when it comes to bags. I don't want to have to fuss with it to get in and out of it. So I love the birkin because it's an open tote (well, if you don't close it up properly, which very few do.) I love my picotins because they're wide open. Right now I'm loving my Tod's Ivy bag. It's a big lump of smooshy goodness that probably holds my body weight in stuff. It's a lovely neutral taupe/mushroom color and the straps are perfect for shoulder, hand or arm carry. Perfection in a bag.

Tod's Ivy Sacca Media

What it holds

Kindle Reader, Bottega Venetta (purple) case, Hermes (quetsche) GM Karo, Hermes (vert anis) PM Karo, Hermes (rose shocking) piccolo, Mulberry wallet, Moleskine (hot pink) notepad, small blue document "envelope," mints, breath freshener and cell phone.

And it's still less than half full!

So while I still switch up a lot, I find that I've been always going back to this one lately.  It's just too easy and pretty not to!



These are my other current favorites:

Hermes Picotins

My favorite charatreuse clemence Picotin MM

Hermes Bolide and Constance

Hermes Kelly

Hermes Silky City

Hermes raisin clemence PHW Lindy 30 CM 

Birkin - on a cruise last year for my birthday