Zara, £19.99
I have a rule about no cheap bags or shoes. And no fakes. When you have a problem with “stuff”, like I do, very quickly you can just have way, way, way too much. And then you have to confront the fact that you buy things because you are mental, and that’s not nice. There is enough evidence that I’m mental without it physically cluttering up the place, too.
So my rule is no cheap bags – nothing under £500 – and no cheap shoes – nothing much under £100. Then you don’t really buy anything because your husband will notice you can’t afford it. And you make do with what you have, which is how it ought to be.
This doesn’t apply to clothes, because clothes have to fit and suit you, which cancels out quite a lot of them. But bags and shoes – fuck it! Who can’t fit into a bag? Or a shoe? What bag “doesn’t suit” you?
But today I made an exception for a Zara bag, which has been on my mind for 3 months. “I mustn’t buy it,” I kept saying, despite it being a) perfect, a Mansur Gavriel-ish bucket in in a Celine yellow and b) only £20 – NO-ONE SAY SWEAT SHOP!! – because of my no cheap bags rule.
But then I was in Zara – I just kind of came to in there, it happens a lot – and I saw a girl taking the bags down off the shelf and I said “What are you doing! What are you doing!” and she said “Oh, this is old stock, I’m just moving it to the back,” and I said “No wait wait I’ll just… take… this one….” and zoinked it out of her hand and bought it, panting.
Mansur Gavriel. Beaut.
I love my cheap bag so much. I love it with the kind of spleeny jolt that happens when one of my kids looks at me with their bright little beady, birdy eyes and no-one has been a little shit for about half an hour and they’re looking at me and then they smile and then wave and go “Hi mum.”
I love this bag that much. And for that kind of love, rules can be broken.
If it helps, expensive/ designer bags are made by people who aren’t paid very much too, not just cheap ones. It’s the designers who make the big bucks not the people who physically stitch it together. (I’m not being judgemental, I own plenty of cheap and not so cheap handbags.) Elaine x
Ps. LOVE this handbag. Basically love anything in this gorgeous yellow colour. I’d buy it too, if I wasn’t still slave to a baby changing bag.
To be fair, a ‘fake’ bag is really a ‘not a dead animal’s skin’ bag’ so I’d say it was all good…There is nothing better than a fake bag you have to smell to see if it is ‘real’ or not.
I LOVE this. I was going to pick out a funny bit but the whole thing just dissolved me. So good.
My crazy bag buying days are over too (I may have gone into this in too much detail here before) but every now and then, simply because I don’t buy so much now, I think “Weeell just one wouldn’t hurt” as though it wouldn’t be like dabbling in a bit of smack again after a clean period.
I mentioned a yellow leather jacket the other day and today you’ve posted this – it’s like I’m hanging on the edge of the cliff and you’re stamping on my fingers xxx
Cindy that is totally how I see our relationship too. It is OKAY to let the OCCASIONAL cheap bag or shoe into your life but you have to know you really want it, it has to fulfil a purpose, earn its place. Just one, as long as it’s JUST one, really doesn’t hurt…
Omg *update*! My husband has just bought me this bag. I’ve been mopping up children’s sick since 5am and he walked in with it to cheer me up. I read him your last paragraph because of the spleeny jolt and beady birdy eyes, so together we’ve managed to boot him off the cliff and I’m still sitting pretty xxx
that is a cute story xxx
Great bag thanks for that. It’s for a friends 30th birthday. She will love ❤️ it. Best Belle
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” …bought it, panting.” I fucking love that. You have such a perfect turn of phrase (and fearless self-knowledge).
I have just failed to buy (have my husband pay for) a ceiling lamp that I really, really wanted because I was being good and not pushing my husband to look at it – and because I actually wanted two of them – and of course this morning when he said, “oh, show me that lamp” it was bloody well sold out for ever and ever amen. So today’s message is, go on. Buy it. If you love it you won’t regret it. Whatever it is.
And if anyone has a Pooky Mundo pendant light in opaline glass in large that they don’t want, I’m your woman.
Oh, Sophie, I feel your pain. Been there, still regret the vintage rabbit (who knows?) fur jacket I didn’t buy when I saw it in Rouen TWENTY YEARS AGO. Snow Plum (that’s what the label said) and I were meant to be together, but perhaps not in this life. Anyway, my rule ever since has been if you love it, really really sweaty palms love it, and you feel fabulous in it (be honest- do you really, or are you just in love with the -70%?) then buy it. Especially if it’s vintage. Oh, and my other rule is no purchase under 150GBP needs to be discussed with my husband.
Oh God, I am such a bag hussy. I really wish I could set myself similar rules that I would actually stick to but I find it impossible. Zara is a particular weakness as their bags and shoes are amazing. However, I’m finding my Instagram habit is fueling my shopping habit even more. I currently want that Gucci-esque bag and the lobster mules from Kurt Geiger, that wooden slatted half moon bag that is all over Insta and about 27 other ridiculous items that I would rarely use. I am beyond help.
Hmm not sure about the colour of the Zara bag, I would rather go for this shade, but the shape is not right: http://eu.furla.com/store/furlaeu/en_GB/pd/ThemeID.38743800/productID.5079919600/categoryID.69835200
LOL, for me that bag *would* be the super expensive bag I’m not sure I could justify spending that much money on! But then I am not drawn to bags particularly so that particular rule isn’t for me, clearly. Maybe I should make a similar rule about cheap craft supplies that I may never use, hmmm…
We all have our weaknesses…