Pelle, Please!

I love bags (duh). But as a struggling grad student, I can't afford everything I want, and have to make sure that when I do buy, I buy classic. I love Linea Pelle for their cool slouchy casual bags. Big enough for a student and you can spot the quality from a mile away, yet not too expensive and snooty looking. The classic Dylan is my favorite.

Linea Pelle is going to be featured on Hautelook Friday, but I'll only jump for the right price. I like this bag better than the Mid-City Foley + Corinna I blogged about before. We shall see!

I heart Minkoff

Recently, ideeli offered an ideeliAccess deal - $75 for $150 off at rebeccaminkoff.com. I didn't do it because I'm trying to be good, but it reminded me I never blogged about the RM bags I've bought in the past year - this one, that I bought off ebay that I use tons. It's a great everyday bag. Even fits my Macbook Pro. I wrote a Take it or Leave it post about it months ago. Sorry to the folks who advised against it, but I could resist this bag.

I bought this teeny crossbody in November. It barely fits anything and is terribly impractical. I love it.

IdeeliAccess offers awesome deals. I contemplated buying $50 for $100 to C and C California. But again, with the being good business...anyway, love my bags. Totally worth the cash.

Love My New Crossbody!

You know it's fate when you covet a bag from Macy's then walk into TJ Maxx the next day and see it there for basically half off the listed price. I love this Etienne Aigner crossbody! It's the perfect length and holds my wallet, keys, and a couple other bare essentials. Plus I love the gold hardware. And the leather is buttery soft. And it prevents my from buying a much more expensive camel colored cross body. So you could say that in the end, this purchase was a preventative measure!

It's a lot cuter in person. Looks a lot better on me than on this frumpy model.

Cross My Heart

I'm loving the cross body bag trend these days. However, I'm a student and need something much more substantial to carry my crap than a little teeny bag. On the other hand, these babies are easy to carry along with, say, that ugly backpack you're embarrassed of, or a stylish but cheapy tote. My favorite is this Rebecca Minkoff multizip:

But I'm also a fan of this Marc by Marc Jacobs:

I'm pretty deep in the hole because of the wedding so I won't be owning these anytime soon. Maybe by the time I'm in buying position again, one will be on sale!

Blind Take it or Leave it

As you can see below, I've done enough damage this pay period. Plus I'm going to Woodbury Commons this Saturday so I can't really buy anything right this second. I just heard about the RavinStyle site closing, and I perused their handbag selection. While I didn't see anything I loved specifically, it got me thinking about investing in a Rebecca Mikoff bag. Her style is edgy but also functional, and her Nikki bag seems like it can hold an infinite amount of things. I'm being really forward-thinking in realizing I need bigger bags to accomodate being a student again. I know designer bags aren't meant to hold a bunch of textbooks but I'm sure I'll have a lot of crap to carry around campus, especially since I'll be TAing. Plus I am enjoying the idea of moving to a new city with a different aesthetic than everyone else. If there's anything I hate, it's showing up with the same shirt, dress, accessory, anything as someone else, in any situation. This will be a good everyday purse, one that would last for a while. If you didn't guess already, it's super expensive. I'm not going to say how much and if you really want to, you can look it up, but I ask that you first tell me how much you'd pay, max. I'm pretty good at waiting till things go on sale or sites have promotions (like shopbop's friends and family, 25% off right now!) so I probably wouln't pay full price. I actually went to a Rebecca Minkoff sample sale yeterday and it was glorious, but they didn't have the Nikki in the chocolate, only a kind of scuffed up mini Nikki in that color. All the other colors were way too bright for such a big bag. I'm all about colors, but if too bright, the bag has to be on the small side, otherwise the color has got to be a bit toned down. Just my opinion though. So what do you think, take this bag or leave it, and if taking, how much?

Kate Spade Take it or Leave it

I have been a Kate Spade fan for a long, long time. I love her classy, fun style, and she manages to bring together really vibrant colors without seeming an ounce too juvenile. This goes for her accessories, sunglasses, shoes, and definitely her handbags. I think my first designer purse was by Kate Spade, a small baby blue purse purchased at a Kate Spade store in Dallas, and I have bought three since: a deep purple clutch from Nordstrom Rack, a black nylon logo hobo, and a large kelly green tote, both from the outlet store in Woodbury Commons. What do you think of this bag?

I need something fun but also roomy for the summer. This won't be any old purse I fling around, I'll save it for meeting up with friends at the park or at the museum. You know, since I'm soooo cultured. But yeah, I don't want to wear out my go-to bag, a Marc by Marc Jacobs that I absolutely adore, and need a fitting alternative. Like I said, I love the many colors of Kate Spade. This Sunflower one might be a little over the top, no? It's available at Nordstrom for $395. The blue, er, Fez, color is available on ebay for about $270. And I have to mention: on the Kate Spade site, the off white color is listed as "clotted cream". Gross! On Nordstrom's site there is a darker color, more appropriately called "coffee cream". So clotted cream doesn't seem to be a mistake. I mean really....we couldn't think of a less cringe-worthy name for a color? They should work on that. So...take it or leave it? And which one?

Shopaholic

I expressed before that I love shopping. I'm not as bad as some people, especially by New York standards. But I do an awful lot of online browsing. Along with being a frequent shopper, I am also an indecisive one. I can seldom buy anything without someone else's opinion. So I've decided to start a new little something on my bloggy blog: Take it or Leave it. I'll post something I'm eyeing on a weekly basis and you tell me if I should run to the store or run away. This week, take a peek at this beauty. I saw it last week at Brooklyn Industries and yay, they're having a 30% off bags sale. I liked it before I looked closer and noticed the nifty sewing machine and button print. That adds to the sweetness of it, but also maybe to the dorky over-the-top-ness of it. I do need a more casual bag, as I worry about taking my designer ones on the crowded dirty subway all the time. I also need something I can fit my gym shoes and clothes in. Brooklyn Industries also offers a lifetime bag guarantee and it appears easy to clean. However, this may be the type of thing I get over real quick, and the cuteness might be too overwhelming. At 25, am I too old for so much...um...whimsy? Further, it's not too expensive but money isn't ever really flowing on my end. Last, and perhaps most important, on the website's description, it says, " The Large H-Bag series has been a great hit with stylish moms, who use H Bags as a diaper bag/handbag". Whoa whoa whoa hold the phone. Do I really want a hip mommy diaper bag? Good God. This seems like a very alienating selling tactic but who am I to judge. If I get the smaller version does it make me less of a Park Slope stroller mafia wannabe member? Clearly, I need your opinion. Comment away!