FWIW I didn’t immediately see a monogram when I looked at the Coach bag linked in the OP. It looked like a kind of loopy swirly pattern. The Gucci pattern doesn’t look like a monogram until you get up close. I’m not a fan of the brown Louis Vuitton monogram, which seems a little dowdy to me now (although I used to like it).
I mean, I could tell you why I like my bags but my reasons are probably different from alice_in_wonderland’s, and her reasons in turn are probably different from DiosaBellissima’s. Do people go into threads about expensive champagne and go “I can’t tell the different between Bollinger and Passion Pop - I think people who spend more than $30 for a bottle are just trying to show how classy they are.” Why do people like what they like? Because they do.
Of course patterned bags are fugly. They’re like pugs-truly hideous…yet inexplicably mesmerising and compelling. I can sit for hours and trace my stubby digits over the “C” pattern in a Rain-man like manner. And the nouveau riche statement of all it all makes me giggle, rather than get me irritated. I get that the joke is on the purchasor…walking advert. It makes me smile…it’s so capitalistic, so American…there’s a delicious cheekiness about it.
I’d still buy an iphone or a nice laptop or save up towards a vacation, because those are my priorities and I’m only comfortable spending so much of my income…but I can appreciate what people find compelling about a nice bag or dress or shoes. I love how innovation in high-end products filters down to stuff I’m willing to pay for so the rest of us can have pretty things too.
I like your Coach bag.
I do not like the Vera Bradley bags- the loud colours and prints weirdly say Eurotrash to me, odd for a bag made in middle america. I can only really picture those bags working on an Italian soft-porn actress hanging out in Montecarlo.
I’m probably going to do what all the women in my family do- go to the Turkish guy we know who hand makes leather bags and get him to make me a nice brown handbag and a nice black handbag. He does really good work, and then I know I won’t have redundant featuresor weird fastenings and will have it scaled to fit me. Yeah, it’s not designer, but my mum has had one of his bags for almost 20 years, and it still gets compliments.
You shouldn’t, necessarily. Some people like the look, some don’t. If you don’t like it, you can buy a nice Coach leather bag, take the tag off, and presto…no advertisment.
I could maybe see this argument in the case of Louis Vuittons or Versaces, but not in the case of Coach. Coach is a “low end” designer bag, just slightly above Dooney. There’s not much status if any that comes with carrying either of the last two, so I think that’s a very silly point.
I went to high school in a very, very bad part of town. Part way through my senior year, Macy’s in town started selling Dooneys and before you could snap your fingers, every. single. girl. had one. There was no status in carrying a Dooney after that, because it was a common bag. Same thing is starting to happen with Coach, as they are attempting to mirror some of the Dooney designs and perhaps go a little lower end then they had in the past.,
Thank you very much. I’m so protective of it, I want the beautiful crocodile to last forever.
Re: the brand discussion. Coach started off as an unkown bag maker that made quality bags. People started to recognize this so a Coach label came to indicate a well-made bag that was relatively expensive by middle class standards. Then the label became popular and the brand became popular on it’s own, independent of the quality of the bag which tended to raise the prices of all the bags. But Coach earned its reputation honestly, not just as marketing scheme.
Dio’s right (hey, Dio, I see you posting over at ONTD all the time), Coach isn’t a super prestigous bag like a Balenciaga or a Hermes. It occupies the next rung up in status over department store bags and juniors labels. But it’s also offering a well-made bag in addition to a label.
And, shoot, if you don’t care about labels, there’s nothing wrong with a Target bag. Different priorities, etc. I like well-made bags and horrendously expensive designer shoes. A lot of people think that’s completely frivolous. But I don’t spend money on cars (I drive a 19-yeard old beater) or electronics (still have a 13" VCR/TV combo) or other expensive hobbies. If someone started a thread about something like fishing equipment, would we still see posters questioning why they used a top-of-the-line carbon fiber rod since bamboo rods are $5 at the corner bait shop?*
*Well, maybe we would since Dopers like to be contrary. But it does seem like the fashion threads always get a bunch of posters wanting to prove how pragmatic they are and how shallow the other posters are for caring about outward appearances.
I’m not a big fan of a lot of these bags because I like really plain bags. I don’t care for logos and patterns. Just give me a plain black or brown leather, please. I’d love to save up for a really high-quality bag, but here’s the thing. I change purses often because I get bored with carrying the same old thing, and I would feel kind of bad about doing that with an expensive bag.
I don’t know - why do people like to eat pork pies, or watch NASCAR, or wear Wranglers? I don’t like any of those things - clearly there must be something wrong with people who do. Oh wait. Maybe they just like different things.
Every bloody thread that involves fashion, or expensive bags or expensive shoes or whatever winds up with people coming in with a pathetic self-superior air about them acting as if because their entire outfit cost only $34 they are somehow superior to those of us who carry Coach bags.
Jesus -wear whatever the hell you like but looking down your nose at people who have different priorities than you just makes you look kind of envious and sad.
Heh! Well, I’m glad you can see me post here as well, so you don’t think of me as just another idiotic ONTD poster with my “bbs” and “buttsecks” comments. I’m multidimensional, that’s what I am.
Indeed, it does clarify things. In your first post about it, you must have mistyped, because you said, “He also told me to not wear heels because “he didn’t want to hate them after the interview.”” I was wondering why on earth he would hate your shoes after the interview. That was just odd.
And the fact that he appeared to be commenting on whether or not he liked any of your clothing choices, which were perfectly appropriate for a business setting, just rang too close to a similar experience I had with a manager who continually made comments about what he didn’t like about my attire (I don’t like that dress; it’s too long, I like to see more leg.) and who I eventually won a harassment settlement against after he fired me without cause and then tried to get my unemployment benefits claim denied.
I hope you get the job and that you love it. You’ll certainly look good with your new Coach bag on your arm!
Both people who watch NASCAR and people who spend $300 on a handbag (multiple handbags) live in very different worlds than I do. Not better or worse, just different. I guess I should be happy that I have a career and live in a part of the country that no one gives a damn about my bag or that I’ve never watched NASCAR since neither is a priority for me.
Spending $300 on a purse is great if you want to and have $300 to spend. What offends me about this thread is the thought that in some situations you HAVE to have a Coach handbag (and even that is somehow inferior to a higher end handbag) anything else is ‘just not done.’ I really hope if some of you meet me in person, you don’t look down at me because I seldom carry a handbag at all - and the one I’m carrying currently was $10 at Marshalls and was “oh so last season” three years ago. And, between the people slamming folks for expensive handbags there are certainly people in this thread who are implying that those of us with cheap handbags ARE inferior - or at least have inferior taste or some sort of inferior understanding.
Could you quote an example? I see people bending over backwards not to do that. Most of the posts regarding Coach bags have pointed out that the bag will last longer and stay nicer looking than cheaper bags. Also, that having a nice bag to take to an interview is a good idea. I don’t really see that as slamming.
Well, after living paycheck to paycheck on my own for years, and then getting married and still living paycheck to paycheck, my husband and I have just within the past few months reached the point where it can be said that we are living somewhat “comfortably.” It feels unnatural all of a sudden to know that I can go out and buy a nice dress and not have to think about what I will have to cross off of the grocery list to juggle the change. So, for now I will concentrate on maybe building a small wardrobe of things not aquired at establishments that also sell laundry detergent and pet food. And, now that we are able, most of the extra will go into savings, or what I refer to in my mind as the Family Fund. Because, nice as the bags are and all, I’d much rather have a baby than a bag.
But if all else is in order, and it makes you happy, shop for nice shoes and nice bags to your heart’s content!
I don’t think I saw anyone doing that - certainly not on purpose. Conversely I can think of at least 3 posts by various people that are condescendingly smug about those of us who happen to have a bag fetish.
As to your other comment - in some parts of the world, for some jobs, it IS important to have a high quality bag because it will be noticed. I’m certainly not in one of those jobs - I could carry a green garbage bag with a piece of tinsel out of my cat’s butt tying it shut and no one at my job would notice - I carry a nice bag because I like nice bags. However, it’s not fair for you to imply that someone living in LA or applying for a corporate position - particularly in marketing - is putting you down because they know that for their circumstances a $15 target bag isn’t going to do the job.
In any case, I certainly don’t think ANYONE posting in this thread thinks less of you because you can’t currently afford an expensive bag, or can afford 10 and are just not interested. I certainly don’t - I just get frustrated that every post on this board involving shoes or bags or whatever inevitably winds up with some of us having to defend our like of nice things against a group that just seems to want to stir stuff up.
I don’t, either…in fact, I’m generally a “cheap bag” kind of girl, because I get bored & want to switch them around a bit. The nicest bags I have are a fun, hot-pink Coach bag that I got as a gift, and my D&B tote that I bought at TJ Maxx for something like $80. Other than that, it’s Target all the way. But I understand why one would make an investment in a nice bag, and I wouldn’t criticize a person for it because I think they spent too much money, or I don’t like the look of the bag they chose. Heck, my sister, being very different from me in this regard, bought herself a Chanel bag for over $1000. She plans to keep it for the rest of her life. I can’t fault her for that, even if I wouldn’t do it myself. She’s not rich by any means, but she saved up for it…if she loves it, and she carries it until she’s 80, then as far as I’m concerned, it’s worth it.
This one is the most recent - there may be a few a page back, I was getting that vibe last night already. I know Diosa didn’t mean anything by it - certainly not on purpose, I’ve seen enough of her posts. But it has some of that attitude.
Status does translate to “think less of you if you don’t have it.” Its a loaded word.
There are places and cultures that judge you by your bag. When I was living in Korea, having a nice bag was a must for interviews and seminars and conventions and what have you. It’s stupid and shallow and materialistic, but there it is. Other people notice your bag and make judgements about you that are probably wrong, but will also probably affect your work relationships. You can choose to ignore this and tell yourself that the quality of your work makes up for whatever judgements people make of you based on your bag (shoes, clothes, etc), but it makes life so much easier for you if you just acknowledge that that’s just how it is and just buy a nice bag.
But it does seem like the fashion threads always get a bunch of posters wanting to prove how pragmatic they are and how shallow the other posters are for caring about outward appearances.
I’m multidimensional, that’s what I am.