Despite the status implications, painstakingly meticulous craftsmanship and included little-bitty 100-page booklet urging its authenticity, I could never bring myself to drop a couple grand (or more!) on something in which I stuff Kleenexes. I pay no disrespect to those pricey little beauties, as this is coming from a truly dedicated lover of all things fashion (Karl Lagerfeld for president!), but when the reasoning process truly begins and ends, the under-one hundreds win every time. Read on to learn why.

1. Precipitation. It’s nature, kids. You can’t always avoid a sudden rain shower. What you can avoid, however, is the shower of tears that’s likely to follow getting your $2000 purse wet.
2. Ball-point pens. Ink spots…great for physiological assessments, not so great for signature silk interior lining, hand-stitched in an Italian atelier.
3. My non-diagnosed A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). Let’s just say I suffer from “see something shiny, need to have it NOW” syndrome. Even my most beloved bag – you know, the one that decidedly made every bag before it seem about as current as a VHS tape – won’t always score high on the excitement meter.
4. My need for regular meals. Dolling out that chunk of change would certainly end in some serious Dollar Menu dining, which, as we all know, can get ugly fast.
5. Hershey kisses, those little Dove chocolates, or any other melty, highly delicious piece o’ candy. These little guys in your handbag + a hot day = nothing short of disaster
6. The “(insert name here) got a brand new bag” feeling. After investing a couple G’s in a handbag, it’s highly doubtful that I’d be getting a new one anytime within the next decade …or three.
7. My copycat avoidance policy. If it’s an “it” bag (I.e. celebrity-endorsed with a serious price tag), everyone has it. Boo to that, my friend. Individuality rules in my book.
8. Commercials requesting sponsorships for sad little kids in Uganda. Youtube one of these vids and just try to rationalize that monogrammed duffel.

How about you? How do you feel about spending the down payment of a pre-owned vehicle on a purse?

September 15th, 2009 by Bridget in The Price is Right.