<p>Anybody else call them “pockey-books”? (pocket-book)
How about “purse”?</p>
<p>I wonder if it is a regional thing…</p>
<p>I say “purse”. Grew up in the northeast.</p>
<p>Purse for me as well.</p>
<p>Pocketbooks is probably regional. I grew up in NYC and we called purses pocketbooks. </p>
<p>I still refer to my “purse” as my pocketbook. Purse sounds so wimpy.</p>
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<p>The individuals who are paying that much for a bag are not driving cars that cost $45,000. They’re probably the people who are on the 18 month waiting list for the Ferrari California which costs about $200,000, or the 4 or 5 year waiting list for the even more expensive Ferraris. :)</p>
<p>My handbag criteria: as attractive from the back as from the front as it sits on my shoulder (as well as from its front, of course), the drop (distance from the top of the strap(s) to the top of the handbag) is long enough to swing past my elbow when grasped and swung to my shoulder in a fluid motion, and it must have pockets/compartments for my wallet (tiny, money clip-like), cell phone, and keys that are easily accessible using my handbag carrying (right) hand. </p>
<p>My latest handbag purchase was a Radley [Radley</a> London :: Luxury Handbags, Grab Bags, Shoulder Bag - Official Store](<a href=“http://www.radley.co.uk/Catalogue/Catalogue.aspx?ProductCategoryId=887]Radley”>http://www.radley.co.uk/Catalogue/Catalogue.aspx?ProductCategoryId=887) bag that jumped onto my shoulder at TJMaxx and begged me to take it home! I paid $140 for it. They make many that fit my criteria, but I’ve not seen them anywhere before I bought mine nor since.</p>
<p>My other two bags are a black leather Coach (full price Macy’s–after much agonizing!) that’s two years old this Christmas and a tobacco colored suede bag with braided bronze leather straps that’s Donald J. Pliner (another great deal at TJ’s for $160ish). The three take me happily through all seasons.</p>
<p>I just don’t have it in me to pay thousands for a handbag…can’t even imagine it. I do love to look at all the pretty bags–cannot walk past them.</p>
<p>For a bag with simple, structured lines at the price point you are talking about I would second Cole Haan and Longchamp. Take a look at Furla, too.</p>
<p>Don’t you just hate it when those bags grab on to your shoulders at TJMaxx? I had a little green Hobo bag jump on me like a spider monkey last summer and I had no choice but to take it home.</p>
<p>BTW - Purse here.</p>
<p>That’s it! JUST LIKE a spider monkey! :D</p>
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<p>Not always - just pre-recession, our city’s newspaper had a story about young women in their 20s who justified buying $2000 “it” bags (I know - not quite $17K ) because they lived and worked in the city, took public transportation and therefore had no need of a car. These were people with zero savings and salaries that in no way justified that kind of purchase.</p>
<p>I’ve got a large Longchamp tote that I use for weekend trips. It’s lasted forever. My favorite handbags are made by Henry Beguelin–beautiful leather and well made. I like bags that are simple and ones that have compartments inside. I hate bags that are big and empty like shopping bags because I don’t like rummaging through all the items in my bag to get to my cell phone or wallet. Last year, on a trip to NYC I bought a clutch bag, which I really liked because it was compact–I got it at a Kenneth Cole store.</p>
<p>roshke, I know about those city young women, and it’s not that surprising really. The difference between them and the people who pay $17,000 (easily) for a bag is that almost anyone in the city who has a job has a credit card with a credit limit that would allow the purchase of a $2000 bag. Not many in that demographic would be able to do the same to fund a $17,000 one. :)</p>
<p>My two favorite purses are my black Coach bag and a white leather Brighton bag. I had a 25 per cent off coupon for the Coach bag and the Brighton one was one-third off. Both bags have excellent pockets inside, high-quality zippers and look great even after a season of use. </p>
<p>The Coach bag is a larger size in the sateen with more subtle C’s. I especially like that bag because it has two short handles and a longer shoulder strap. It’s really easy to move around with it because there is more that one way to grab it. I get a lot of compliments on it.</p>
<p>I put a small handbag in a bigger bag. For years the bigger bag was hideous. I finally decided to grow up and get something that would hold all my architectural paraphenalia and also look good. I love my new bag it’s this one: [Knomo</a> 15" Riley Tote Bag for MacBook Pro - Apple Store (Republic of Ireland)](<a href=“http://store.apple.com/ie-edu/product/TV372ZM/A]Knomo”>http://store.apple.com/ie-edu/product/TV372ZM/A) The top zips shut, it’s got a bunch of compartments, both inside and outside. Mine is a chocolate brown, not the shiny black pictured here. BTW this is the most expensive bag I’ve ever owned. I agonized about it and finally made my husband buy if for me as a birthday present.</p>
<p>The $17k Hermes Birkin bag was mentioned in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. Apparently the one female of the six traders arrested for inside trading, Danielle Chiesi, carried the Birkin bag to jail–just as Martha Stewart did during her trial.</p>
<p>It is easy to tell Vuitton fakes: the leather doesn’t age. It stays stiff because it is cheap. Closer up the hardware is inferior. Can you tell that I am a handbag fanatic?</p>
<p>The last few bags I’ve bought were off the streets of NY- for like $20-$25. I know they are cheap knockoffs, but I get a lot of compliments on them,and when they get shabby I just chuck them. Also like the choices at TJ Maxx, as others have said.</p>
<p>I do need a new wallet, as the zipper of the change purse is broken (and it was a good, higher end wallet). Where do they sell the Tano’s MOWC? I’d like to actually see the compartments and the material before buying online.</p>
<p>Tano is sold at specialty stores- you’ll have to Google it. There is a boutique here (trendy- not that expensive) called FireFinch that carries a lot of Tano. I’m sure there are places in your city (check out Tucci), but I don’t know where. My wallet is really great.</p>
<p>I googled this morning-- found a few stores. How much do the wallets run?? I want the money to stay inside it, not get spent on an expensive wallet :D</p>
<p>alwaysamom, I know you were talking about a different demographic and you are definitely right that it’s a lot harder for the average 23 year old to manage a 17K Birken than to finagle one of the 2K ones being carried currently by their favorite celebrity. I just meant to point out that there are people who live beyond their means in every strata of society and a lot of people who have been ( more past tense these days) living lifestyles they really couldn’t afford.</p>