[ul]
[li]Not too big, lest I carry too much around in it.[/li] [li]Stiff rolled leather handles that stand up on their own, so I can slip my arm through them.[/li] [li]A short shoulder strap, or at least one that’s truly adjustable (and I mean by more than 5"), so the durned thing doesn’t hang at my knees. [/li] [li]Real leather, or perhaps canvas[/li] [li]One big pocket inside, with no dividers[/li] [li]One more more small zippered pockets inside, for bitty things[/li] [li]One generous cell-phone sized pocket outside, which will actually accommodate a non-microscopic cell phone in a leather cover.[/li] [li]Not over $100, and preferably not over $50, lest I have nothing left to put in it once I purchase it.[/li][/ul]
The closest I’ve found is either a Relic or a Fossil, but these invariably have a center divider, which I despise. I think I’ll cut the divider OUT of the used Relic I just got off Ebay. It doesn’t have the cell phone pocket either, but it fits most of the other criteria.
My mother wants something entirely different in her ‘ideal purse’.
It’s too bad you need rolled leather straps. I have a purse right here that matches all of your other conditions that I don’t like to carry. It’s from Target but still servicable.
It sounds like cutting out the center partition on a purse you otherwise like is the best option for you.
Now if you can tell me where to get a courier bag, not more that $50, big enough to hold a pad of paper, but not much bigger, with a cell phone pocket, I would appreciate it. It’s been about a year, and my search is fruitless.
My handbag needs are similar to Chotti’s but I like sections to keep the Very Important Stuff separate. Not too many sections, though. And soft leather not that hard, stiff stuff which abounds.
Finding a decent handbag which meets the specifications is my life’s work, I think. When I find It, I will buy several just so I know I’ve got enough to last me the rest of my life.
Isn’t purse shopping just the world’s biggest pain in the butt?
If I have a big purse, I will fill it, and I end up listing to one side when I walk. But the little purses are always one compartment too small. Organizer purses always have something I do not need, whether it’s a removable wallet or some cheesy address book. Undivided purses mean I’m forever digging in the bottom for something.
I had the PERFECT purse a few years ago, but I really wore it out. It had the zip-up wallet feature on the back outside, a cell pocket on one narrow side, two inside pockets with zippers, and short straps that made it fit perfectly along my ribcage. It was microfiber, and I would have preferred leather, but otherwise it was PERFECT. (It was made by Rosetti, and I got it at Kohl’s for under $20.) I should have bought two, but who knew at the time that it was the PERFECT purse?
Sounds like a purse I looked at when I purchased my leather purse at Wilson’s Leathers. They have the best selection of purses for me. Got mine on sale for $99 and I’ve been using it every day for about 3 years. It is virtually indestructable. Berman’s Leathers carries the same stuff. Mine has to be big enough to carry a “quality paperback”. This one fills the bill…when it isn’t filled with crap I’ll never look at.
This is the purse that I have. It has one big compartment in the middle, with a zipper compartment on the outside (perfect for my wallet so I don’t have to dig through the bag for it). There’s another zipper pocket inside, as well as a pouch for your cell phone. The straps aren’t rolled, but they do stand up on their own and are a really good length. It doesn’t cost very much, and it might work well for you.
It must be large enough to hold a paperback book and my wallet, and not much larger. It must have a shoulder strap. It must have TWO tall exterior pockets, one for my cell phone, one for my sunglasses.
I have one of these for my cell phone. It’s not shown in the picture, but there is an additional thin strap that you hook around the handle of your purse. Keeps the cell phone in easy reach…in style. It also has a little memo pad on the back and a mini pencil so I am never without a way to make a note if I need to.
It is a little more spendy than what you said you were looking for, but it’s extremely well made and really holds up to wear and tear. The Brighton purse I have now was a gift, but I would definitely lay out the money for another one when it finally wears out.
I feel your pain. I really do. I have, however, found my perfect bag. Its here (bottom row, second from left, the brown version). How did I find it? I asked Jennyrosity to come shopping with me. It was the only way I had any patience to search for something.
I love purses, too. My biggest problem is that I’m too busy to change them out! I need to concentrate on it, and then clean out all the crap I didn’t want to litter the street with, sort through the scraps to see which ones I keep and which ones I can toss. Then, I need to Upsize or Downsize, according to what it will hold. It’s just such a project!
But I see tons of little adorable purses these days. I’d like one for every outfit if I could find me one of them there handmaidens to take care of all the details for me.
You know, I think I saw such a messenger bag recently. Black, though. In a thrift store. I can keep my eyes open…?
As for the purse you have, is there any chance I could see a picture? I can live without rolled leather straps as long as the straps stand up by themselves and don’t have to be fished for/located/unflopped when I don’t have hands or brain to spare.
Help me visualise what you want? I see LOTS of the cross-body type messenger bags, when going through the racks of purses in thrift stores. Do you want the kind with the strap that’s wider as it attaches to the pouch - flat pouch - and cell phone pocket on the strap, or…? Do you care about color? What dimensions do you want? My husband says I have “the eye” and can usually find what I’m looking for, if I look long enough. If such a thing exists to be found. But I don’t like messenger bags, so of course I pass over them.
I just recieved my dream handbag I bought off eBay. It fits some of your requirements (rolled leather straps, no inner divider) but not others (might be too big, cell phone pocket on the inside, no shoulder strap) so this probably isn’t helpful to you. But I just felt compelled to post because I’m so in love with this purse right now and had to share…
Well if you’re in or near Chicago this year, try and make it to this show. IF you can’t find a purse there, you can’t find one.
They’ve got everything knock-off, plus regular stuff. Where else can you leave an afternoon of shopping with 3 Coach bags, 2 Gucci bags and a Burberry suitcase and only spend 200 bucks?
