Not only that, but it’s just a stupid phrasing. “You must really like it, eh?” Well, why the hell else would they be using the bag if they didn’t like it (for whatever reason)?
I love buying bags. As a man, I’m limited to golf bags, gym bags, overnight bags, duffle bags, toiletry bags. But I still really like it. If I were a woman, I think I would most definitely be a hand bag kind of girl. My favorite part is when I’m at the checkout with whatever type of bag I’ve gone shopping to get. The cashier asks me sincerely if I want a bag for it and I always tell them “No thanks, I just bought one”. True story.
If it were a gift and the recipient didn’t want to disappoint the giver by returning it. This has happened to me.
To my mind, and expensive handbag is an ideal means to show high social and economic status-it fits all of the requirements laid down by Thorstein Veblen (see “THE THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS”-1896:
-it is identified by a trademark (so the envious can instantly recognize its perceived value)
-it is a (comparatively) useless accessory; it’s function can easily be performed by a cheap alternative
-it is only available from a limited number of suppliers (this is good, because it limits social climbers and poseur’s access to the goods)
-its value rapidly diminishes (when the “new” version of it comes to market)-yet another way to shut out poseurs (from enjoying the status afforded by the item)
Finally, it demonstrates the CONTEMPT (for the masses) that the owner can enjoy(“nynananyannn ha!”)
I place this in the same category as polo and fox hunting, and multi-carat diamond rings. It’s the kind of thing that people who spend summers in the Hamptons enjoy!
Is there nothing more pathetic than some working class Joe, driving a rusted out old Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz? The guy isn’t fooling anybody-and he can’t even pay to fix the muffler!
Because the classic Coach bags never wear out! They still make them. But after you’ve stocked up with brown, black, big & small bags–you’ll stop buying.
So Coach started making bags with different designs, in brighter colors & patterns. Just to stay in business.
I don’t mind frivolous bags at all. Have always liked funky ethnic & vintage stuff. My horizons have expanded beyond Target, etc., but not because of particular brand names. The “better” bags are better made & some are quite lovely. If I don’t buy the most expensive, I’m still glad the fashionistas are going Where No Woman Has Gone Before. (Like this Far Galaxy.)
Well, obviously not. She carries a bag with a FUCKING MOOSE on it that looks like my junior high sewing project. I mean, I have lots of handmade handbags - I just prefer those that were made with some craftsmanship and style.
I wonder though - if AFG saw me with my Coach bag on Tuesday, and one of my handmade art bags on Thursday, would her head explode?
Honestly, do you folks coming in here and calling us bag lovers “sheep” and “shallow” not realize how petty, small and jealous it makes you appear? If you want to carry a bag with a friggin’ moose on it (and a 'coon skin cap to match, I’m sure) be my guest, but keep your snotty little judgments to yourself. Or go hang out with nongoog - she seemed to be picking up what you’re putting down.
(snipped by me!)
Here’s what the moosey contingent fails to realize – designer bags have been, you know, designed by people with taste and style. That’s why we like them! They’re good-looking! Why is this so hard to realize?
I’m the same way about purses as I am about shoes: I love them. I can’t get enough of them. I love them in all kinds of styles from trendy to unique. I love my Frye boots for example and predicted they’d be The Next Thing last year, and so far I’m the only one in town wearing them (except people with horses).
You’re quite mistaken, sir. Those cars are simply collectors items awaiting restoration. Classics waiting their rebirth, sir.
IIRC, AFG is Canadian and an artist with a particular love for native (i.e., American Indian and Eskimo) art, so she’s probably looking at it from that perspective. There is much about art as it relates to a particular culture that can seem simplistic to people who are not tuned into it. I never really appreciated Indian art or African art until I began to learn a little bit about art, it’s origins, and what it was intended to convey (and I still miss much in regard to the latter).
Plus, artistic people in the main tend to be dismissive of and see little value in expensive materialistic things. They also tend to see little value in things created so as to appeal to the masses, regarding artwork as such to be the work of ‘hacks.’ So I’m thinking these things are the basis for her dislike of designer bags. Little-known artists also tend to see value in and try to support the work of fellow artists and craftspeople who are not widely known and/or financially successful, hence her love for her bag she bought and her support for the person who made it.
My experience on this board has led me to think of AFG as one the board’s genuinely nice and good people, and I don’t think she really means to be coming across as another NightRabbit, even though that’s kind of how she sounds at the moment.
So let me get this straight, owning a designer bag now means you are part of the herd, while sporting that plastic jobbie from Wallyworld or Tar’get means you are an individual? My how the times have changed.
I have my fair share of bags from those places, but I still own several Coach bags, including a briefcase, a couple of D&B bags. Once I could afford them, my Christmas present to myself was a bag. I’ll gladly wear Payless shoes to afford them. I just like them. In fact, I think I’m still in love with my briefcase, which used every day for 5yrs, still looks fabulous. For me, it’s the look. If I fall in love with the bag, I’ll get it. I go for the entire ensemble. Guess that’s a character flaw. For those years finances don’t allow a Coach (or as in this case Coach and D&B’s horrendus season look), there is always this place for the bags I like, which are out of my price range.
As for renting, I don’t see doing it for anything less than a Hermes - which I think people who were going for the “gosh I’m so rich” look would do.
Two points. First, why is it sad if someone buys something just to fit in or belong? My husband buys expensive ties and wears suits to work. I’m pretty sure he’s secure and not pathetic. However, he realizes it will make his co-workers uncomfortable if he shows up in shorts and a t-shirt. And his employers expect it.
My son chooses to wear a sports-related jersey and shorts when he goes to school, along with some rather expensive gym shoes. Is he a bit insecure? You bet. He wants to fit in, and his clothing helps him be more confident. Is he pathetic or sad because he realizes that blending in will make his life easier in the caustic environment of high school? I don’t think so. I think it would be sad if he were clueless about the social norms of his environment.
These same types of examples can apply to handbags, make-up, and other “girly” items. So why the heartburn?
Second, I just don’t see anything wrong with buying something that makes a person feel happy or good or pretty or luxurious (or, for that matter, frugal). What real difference does it make whether that happiness is because the item is useful or trendy or a status symbol, or a scarce commodity, or a bargain found on e-bay or at a garage sale. Who cares? It’s not like the rest of us are 100% logical all the time in all of our decisions. Cut your fellow humans some slack, for crying out loud.
I’m going to address this because it seems to be directed to me.
I live in Canada. I attended art college. I am a collector of art, including but not limited to Canadian Aboriginal art. I have commissioned more than 20 pieces of art from local, Canadian artists - sometimes so the artist in question could pay their phone bill. Additionally, I have dozens of other art works by Canadian artists that I’ve purchased at small local art shows or off their websites. Some of those artworks include handbags handcrafted by local artists.
I also happen to have a number of designer handbags, handcrafted by someone else (a very high quality hand bag is made by hand - it’s not machine cut or sewed).
Interestingly, I can appreciate the aesthetic appeal of BOTH types of bag, and can understand why a person would enjoy having bags of both types. Additionally, I can appreciate that some people are quite indifferent about handbags and a $12 bag from Wal-Mart suits their needs more than adequately. What I cannot appreciate is someone who feels that belittling others because they spend more on a bag than you do makes you look like anything other than an obnoxious, ignorant little twit (this is the royal you, not you specifically Starving Artist).
Frankly, if AFG were truly knowledgeable about art as you suggest, I would expect that she would have at least a passing admiration for the craftsmanship that goes into a very expensive bag, even if the aesthetic is not to her taste.
Heh-you’re probably right. Sometimes I think convos like this one, that would take maybe 3 minutes in RL, get so convoluted because we miss tone and expression and gestures etc. I acquit her of malice and wish her no ill.
Then again, alice has a really good point: from a craftsman’s perspective, some of the higher end bags are exquisite. So, perhaps we have a bit of reverse snobbery going on here? Ironic.
No, it wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. It’s just that I felt NightRabbit was almost deliberately being a jerk earlier in the thread and that her comments were a sort of reverse snobbery, whereas I felt AFG’s complaints likely owed more to her artistic nature. This is because, like I said, most of the times I’ve seen her around here she has seemed to be a very nice, kind and helpful person.
I’d be more inclined to think that perhaps she just hasn’t been exposed that much to the quality of workmanship in luxury items, and, to the degree that she has, perhaps she has discounted that quality because of its high-volume assembly-line nature.
But this is all just speculation on my part, based largely on my impression of Amazon Floozy Goddess during the years I’ve been posting here. She just doesn’t seem to me to be a mean-spirited or snobby person at all and I just wanted to suggest a possible alternative explanation.
Or maybe one of her snap judgments has been exposed?
I have them too–we all do. It’s not that big of a deal, but there is a superior tone to her condemnation. I can be guilty of the same thing under different circs. What I’m trying (very badly) to say is that I’d be less stiff rumped about this if she were to admit to this tiny prejudice. She can feel whatever she feels, but I need her to be honest about it (someone else may not care at all). She may not feel that way or feel she needs to be that open. <shrugs>
I truly don’t want to pick on AFG–she’s a great poster here.
Gaaaaah!! Lisbeth!!! it’s the big one. Are they kidding? 55k for a purse?
Yes, 55K as in AMERICAN 55K!
Come ON! There is no type of leather, , no name brand worth toting, no level of skill in putting that leather together that can justify that kind of price tag. Okay, Okay, I can sort of see the $1200-3somethingsomething if you’re paying for quality and name brand, but 10s of thousands? HUH uh…no way, that’s just nuts. Nope, not even if I were Mrs. Gotrocks.
What about the diamonds and gold?
I imagine some people might pay that much for a Rolex.
No that it helps, but that’s not actually the retail price. Those bags are very difficult to get (you can be on the waiting list for years) and that’s a reseller. The retail was probably about $20-$25k for the exotic skin bags (crocodile, alligator, lizard, or ostrich), maybe $7k for the leather ones.
That said, I do love the old world luxury of the birkins. The bag I linked up thread is a decent copy of one from Hong Kong.
I have this Coach in brown, but I don’t see my red leather one under “classic favorites.” Perhaps it’s in another area.
I love all my bags, for various reasons (oh, and I forgot to add a Burberry to the list before)- some are very functional and classic, others are fun and seasonal.
Jeez, I’m gone one day and the haters invade this thread again! I thought we’d finally brought NightRabbit around from the dark side, and now this… 