I still have handbags I bought in my 20s. I had my first Chanel bag in my late 20s. The bag is a classic and it still looked brand new when I gave it to D1 few years ago.
Sometimes I would bring out a 30 year old Gucci bag and people would ask me where I got it. I am really dating myself. 
I put my bags in dust bags when not in use.
Wow, I am completely indifferent to designer purses and don’t even notice them when other people have them. Youcould consider me purse blind like some people can’t recognize faces. Unless the bags are enormous in which case they look silly to me. But I am with you @conmama on colored purses! As long as they are just big enough to fit a phone, wallet, and iPad mini when needed
But I do notice and collect shoes, Fluevogs to be specific. I have 10 pairs of Fluevogs.
I like Dooney purses in pretty colors.
Also purse blind here. But enjoying the conversation.
I see many designer purses that are appealing, but I need a purse that functions well. I spent most of my life trying to find what worked for me. Then I started buying Coach and Kate Spade purses. When they didn’t work functionally, which I discovered after a few days of use, I sold them on eBay.
Surprisingly I learned that a satchel, rather than a shoulder bag, was better suited to my needs. And then I discovered the Kate spade Quinn. I’m in love. Just the right size - not too big, not too small. No annoying zippered or flap closure. Everything stays where I put it, and is easy to find.
My Dooney is a satchel and I agree that the style is very functional for me. It does have a thin shoulder strap that is detachable. It holds a lot and has good inside pockets. No outside pockets, which I miss, but you can’t have everything.
My husband says my perfect purse is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. I like smaller bags, but that just doesn’t work for me. This is the style (not the color I have)
I’ve been obsessed with bags my entire life. I used to buy a variety of bags but for the past few years I’ve only bought Hermes. My oldest is 15 years old, it was a big splurge, and its still used all the time and going strong. A couple are worth more used than I paid for them, but all have held up in value very well, particularly the older ones. I love the quality, the colors and the classic style. Do not baby them. I will give them to my daughter someday.
I usually carry a casual Kipling, which is lightweight but big enough for my 35mm camera if necessary. Got my current one on sale on Amazon for $40. DH bought me a red leather bag from Le Baggagerie in Paris; under $300. It’s beautiful. I tend to use the Kipling because I’m just not that dressed up most of the time.
I have several older coach leather bags. I don’t use them…they are just too heavy…between the leather and all that metal…for their size.
TBH, I don’t view them as “designer”.
I don’t think of Coach or Dooney (or even Michael Koss) as designer. I would call them mid-high end. I travel and shove bags under airplane seats and on car floors. I need durable bags.
Will be thinking of you all today as I go shopping - one thing on my list is to look for a new purse (but not designer!) - must be a crossbody though!
I am constantly purse shopping because I am so picky. It takes me so long to find the “perfect” purses that when I come upon one, I buy it.
It has to be very soft leather. Very, very soft. The new harder/rigid purses scrape my hands as I dig in and out of them. So, buttery leather is a must! But… also sturdy! This is a hard combination to find.
It has to be wider than it is deep since A shallow purse makes it easier to find stuff, but I do need some space, so I need some width.
I don’t like zippers or any doo-dads on the outside. A clean, simple look is my style!
Since I no longer carry an iPad around (my phone now fully suffices) and since I no longer carry a huge checkbook wallet (does anybody anymore?) I don’t like a big purse. Just enough for my phone, small wallet, lip gloss and maybe a few other small things. But not so small that it looks completely insubstantial.
I like a thin shoulder strap, not a chain or a thick strap. I’m thin and the thick straps just roll off my shoulders. The chain straps are uncomfortable.
I do like a decent quality bag. If the retail price tag is under $200 I tend to (undoubtedly unfairly I know!) judge the bag and walk away…unless it’s on sale or unless it’s so perfect in all other ways.
So, yeah, I’m constantly on the lookout. It’s a fun chore though!
I used to think that my only requirements for purses were that
(1) It must have a zipper closure.
(2) It must have at least two smaller zippered compartments (either inside the main compartment or separate).
(3) It must have a place for a cell phone.
(4) It must be reasonably roomy but still fit in my desk drawer at work.
(5) It must have a shoulder strap that is not a chain.
Then my sister bought me a purse for Christmas. It fits all the criteria. It is hideous. It may even be considered designer, but it’s still hideous. I guess I have more criteria than I realized.
What’s the definition of a designer bag? Is it price and if so, what is the price level? Or is it the name? Or the company? When you think about it, even bags at Walmart were designed by someone, even if that person labors in anonymity.
My favorite is a large coach bag I bought because I couldn’t get the color out of my head once I saw it. It’s a really pretty green that goes year round
I have a few high end totes–Louis Vuitton Neverfull from the Stephen Sprouse collection (graffiti)–the crazy lettering on top of the LV initials seems to say–don’t take this seriously. I also have a Goyard tote bag (green) and matching wallet. My kids also bought me a beautiful Goyard black clutch for my 60th birthday. I use the totes all the time.
I would love a Goyard tote.
Until I spent time with a wallet designer I had little clue as to what goes into a handbag or wallet design and construction. A wallet is as expensive to get made as many handbags. Leather sources and dye locations have an impact on price. Also mass marketed brands such as Michael Kors and Kate Spade can get things made cheaper as they deal in such large volumes. Small designers have a hard time competing.
@Wellspring - many of those designs at Walmart are cheap versions of someone else’s design.
Right, I get that. But what is the definition in this thread of “designer purse?”
Designer = appears at major runway shows. Think Paris, NYC, Milan…
I forgot to mention that in my very cheap purses* I have a very fancy and far more expensive than I would ever buy red Louis Vuitton zippered wallet that I received as a gift from my husband. It’s probably the fanciest thing I own besides my engagement ring!
*(Actually not all cheap. The bag I carry to work is a nice, soft purple leather crossbody bag from the Ecco shoe store.)