Designer handbags vs high street

I've got several vintage Prada and Gucci bags that I bought on ebay. I've got a big leather bag I bought for half price in M&S that I use if I'm carrying baby stuff around. My current favourite is a fake leather saddle bag I bought in Sainsbury's for £7.

Oh and I have a Carvela tan satchel style bag as well Lots of pockets for stuff!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Galen!

Thank You!

for Galen . I hope you have had a lovely day (if it is today), or will have ,(if it is tomorrow).

I have a 'Bridge' handbag. Brown leather. Used it continuously for last six and a half years and I still love its simple design. Hope it will last a lot more years.

Happy birthday for yesterday Galen. My DD1 is 43 today. Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. Have I got that right?

Sorry I missed your birthday Galen hoping you enjoyed your special day,I don't do as many posts with the problem from the broken shoulder joint but do keep up with the conversations.

another Kipling fan here, I also own a Dune bag which I bought for 2 weddings. although it's roughly the same size as my kiplings it hods hardly anything

I tend to use the same bag (at the mo, brown, leather with 4 pockets plus the main bit) until it falls to pieces. I really can't be bothered to take all the stuff out and re arrange it in another bag; I get used to where everything is. However, I do have a cupboard full of bags which get occasional use, depending on the occasion. I buy most of them at TKMAXX, where I also get suitcases... Not fussed about labels

I am the bag-queen of here! I always go to TKMaxx for bags. Huge selection, my current favourites are from Paul Costello, all leather, great colours and fantastic style - oh, and much cheaper than the retail price!

It's not designer bags it's Orla Kiely shoes I love them. I bought my first pair a couple of years ago. I can't get enough of them. I know they look ridiculously unwearable but they are so comfortable they feel like flat shoes.I have got the gold and blue Abigail but I missed out on the black ones and I am very very very very upset about that. She is finished with Clark's this year TG this will save me a fortune. So if DIL can afford it good for her. If I can wear ridiculous looking shoes we should all have something lovely if we can afford it and it makes us happy for me it's Orla I have just seen someone has an Orla shopping bag so I am off to check the prices and make myself broke again.

Thankyou for all the happy birthdays. Had a quiet day on my own but managed to get my files read for Monday and finished the R front of the rainbow cardigan for dgd1. Just the L front and sleeves to do.
Will I get it finished for New Year I wonder?

mary I have never heard of Orla Kiely shoes and having googled them, well hmm, but I noticed some lines are sold out and now selling on e-bay so kudos to you for being a trendsetter

I think it's obscene to spend thousands on handbags (some do) when there are people visiting food banks etc Buy a good leather one for £20-50 and give the thousands to charity. It's just vanity.

I have radley bags. I buy them before buying any other make. I can spot a radley bag on most people.

I recently bought a ' handbag organizer' via Amazon, really so useful if you do change from one bag to another. I don't have any designer bags! One of the advantages of old age you may have accumulated several bags over the years, what goes around comes around!

I do have some designer bags. I buy a new one every couple of years. They last for ever and I always feel smart with them.

I bought a 'Bridge' shoulder bag with my first pay packet in 1975, and have used the brand ever since.
They're expensive, but last forever, in fact I still have the original one, and apart from being a bit scuffed on the corners, it's still in great condition.
The only problem is the colour range is so limited, brown, with the occasional item available in black! If I want something in a different colour, it's probably going to be a Radley, but never Mulberry as I don't like their designs much.
I've still got the Bridge purse/wallet which my parents bought me for my 21st birthday, and it's still perfect.
In fact Bridge bags, purses, etc get better with age, they soften up beautifully and if kept in good condition never lose their value as so many people are willing to pay a premium for a vintage one.

I`ve never had a designer bag, although 2 daughters do love Radley, they have a couple each. Apart from one, I`ve had all mine for years, and they`re from market stalls, mostly costing £3.99. I did go mad a few weeks ago at a shop in town, and bought my most expensive bag ever, it was £15, outrageous for me, but it was just the shade of blue that I`d been looking for for ages, to go with some blue sandals.

I make my own handbags from old and reclaimed curtain fabrics, pretty skirts etc I have kept since I got married, but I do use a leather bag in the winter/wet weather. I couldn't afford designer but do think they look lovely when I see them in the shops. My handmade bags are 'designer' though and unique.

I get my bags from M&S or TK Max who sometimes have designer seconds.
But I can't tell the difference. What I really need is an inner bag that I can lift out full of things, when I need to transfer to another one. At the moment, if I change bags I always leave out the thing I suddenly need.

I have just bought a 'cross the body' bag from Hotter - then suggested DH gives it to me for Xmas - now waiting for the dosh!! I have always used a handbag/shoulder bag - but am fed up of the tussel to get something out of it when shopping - so gone for something to go around my neck. Watch this space to see how I get on with it! I used a smaller cream one in the summer and did find it useful - but couldn't get my lovely zipper purse in it so needed something a bit bigger for the winter. Needless to say, I got 30% off - no big spender me.

Conni7
See my post 13.21 today- I am pleased with mine, very useful and not expensive

In summer I like Kipling, light and strong, plus I actually like the fluffy gorilla. Several conversations when travelling or in cafes have resulted from mutual recognition of Kipling. I have a 3 year old Radley wallet, a present, which has many times been commented on by much younger women in shops. To be honest this coveted item is too big, too heavy, hides cards in its many compartments and was surprisingly expensive. Also the little dog's painted-on cake has almost disappeared now.
In winter I use a plain black leather Coach bag DD gave me for Christmas about 20 years ago which just seems to improve with age. I don't think anyone has mentioned Coach. I didn't use it in rain for months! One evening I was waiting at a poorly lit bus stop when the women next to to me said 'That's a Coach isn't it? I have one at home.' which surprised me.
I didn't see the point of mega expensive designer bags until once in Selfridges DGD aged 10 and I passed a Mulberry display and simultaneously gasped at the same bag, a gorgeous shade of purple. We both knew we'd never have it but almost fell in love with that beautiful bag!