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Leather bags, an affordable luxury
By Meg | July 5, 2007
If you read my recent post, Can’t Afford to NOT Be Picky - Looking Great on a Budget, you know that I believe that it is important to make purchases carefully so as to not look cheap, especially when one is on a budget. Something very important to consider when purchasing clothing and accessories is the material because it is hard to dress up cheap material. I also believe in investing in some classy accessories because they can have a huge impact on how an outfit looks. When it comes to bags, then, it is hard to go wrong with leather, a material well associated with luxury. Leather is versatile. It does not go out of style and can easily be worn with many different styles of outfits. Whatever the color, leather bags tend to look classier and more expensive than bags made from other materials. Fortunately, leather goods can be found at great prices. In fact, it’s not unusual for them to be about the same price as non-leather counterparts - or even less.
This very week I was hunting for appropriate bags for my upcoming trip to London. As I mentioned in Traveling in Style, Part IV - Accessories, I’m a bit eccentric when it comes to traveling with purses and totes. I always like to have the right bag for an outfit. While I already have a wonderful black tote, I wanted to find a couple totes or large purses in other colors (namely, brown and white) to match my summer wardrobe. All right, I already have an open-top white tote, but it I really wanted something with a zipper-top so that my items would be more secure.
I did find a wonderful zipper-top white tote on sale at JCPenney (not leather, I’m afraid, but a nice enough synthetic for my tastes). I did find a beautiful red leather purse at TJMaxx for $24.99 to match a new pair of red shoes I bought for the trip. However, the find of the week was a large brown lambskin purse from Kmart. I was comparing it with another brown purse there and it won hands down. I was in love the moment I felt it because it feels like silk to the touch. After my heart was set on it, I then went to look at the price. No tag. Well, my heart was set on it anyways, so I decided to check out. Nervously, I watched the lady scan it in. I was willing to pay $50, to be honest (though much more if I weren’t on a budget). Then I saw it - $17!!! Woohoo! I’m going to be shopping at Kmart more often I think. Even my husband was happily surprised. I kept him in suspense for a while first, though. Turns out, he thought $80 would be too much for it (but $79 apparently o.k.).
All in all, I’m very happy with my bag finds, especially the two leather bags. While I wanted them especially for my trip, I would not have bought them had I not loved them anyway. I know that I’ll be using them proudly for years to come, and that is what matters to me. So, I googled up a few links on caring for leather items which I’m listing here should you be interested:
- How to Treat Stains on Leather from EHow.com
- How to Care for Leather Clothing from FocusOnStyle.com
- Leather Laptop Case Care and Cleaning from About.com
While I’ve been writing this, one of my cats decided to make a nest on my new lambskin bag. I caught him standing on it pawing at it. Fortunately, it survived with nothing wrong except a mark that looks like a light wrinkle (and it may still work it’s way out). My husband decided it was time to trim the cat’s claws. So, my tip for leather care - hide your leather from your pets. I should have learned this one already, seeing how it was the same cat that I caught pulling the fur out of my then brand new coat with a fur-lined hood (again, though, the damage wasn’t noticeable).
Tags: Bags, Fashion, Quality, Spending Money
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July 5th, 2007 at 1:17 am
Cool post, thanks!
July 10th, 2007 at 4:59 am
Those are nice bags.The discount department stores near me aren’t very good.I had a lot of luck with handbags from wilsons leather.I brought seven handbags from them this year.Eventhough there prices aren’t that expensive I usually wait until they have a sale(they have one about every month LOL).
July 10th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Nice Blog, I have also shifted to leather products for last one year.
I have been buying products for Maxwell Scott, they offer a good price with a 2 yr. guarantee.
http://www.maxwellscottbags.com
July 10th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Timika,
Thanks and welcome to the site! I just checked out the Wilson’s Leather website. Their bags do look really nice - and their prices are surprisingly good.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Thanks AD and welcome to you as well! Thanks for the link, I did check it out. I’ll actually be in London this coming week, but it’s a shame that the exchange rate between pounds and dollars is so lousy right now on my end. That guarantee is great. I wish a lot more companies had guarantees like that.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
[…] purse with the buckle was another Kmart find. I’ve started shopping at Kmart since I found my brown lambskin bag for $17 there. The blue purse was leather, too - but for […]