Okay I must be the only cheap ass person left on GC! :D

Back in college, when mom and daddy used to support me, I had expensive stuff - but now that I am single and in the working world with house and car payments - money going into retirement and other general bills, i buy all my bags at like TARGET! $19.99 for a simple black bag that I carry all the time. I looked up this LV MURAKAMI bag on ebay and it was going for $3500. I make good money in my job, but geezus - for $3500 not only would I carry that bag every day for the rest of my life, but I better be able to drive it and use it for shelter.

i sound like my mom now....i digress ;)

No, Volgirl, I hear ya! Only problem is, Mommy & Daddy don't support me now either! So maybe I want to "portray an image", but not the white trash one I was born into. I'm in college right now, trying to elevate myself from that status, but in the mean time, while I'm still broke a$$, I don't want people to look down on me because of what my parents are. I'm not talking about buying shoes that say "Burberrys" or a bag from "Kade Spade", I'm looking at the goooood fakes, and when I wear them, I guarantee no one second guesses that they might be fake. I agree, mullets, ripped tshirts, and manolo's don't work. But, if you wear it right, no one can tell. Believe me, when I have the dollars, I will be on a Louis Vuitton list with the rest of you, but until then....

I love it! $298's not that bad considering it's something I would probably use every day for at least a year--which is about what I've done with my Herve Chapelier. Plus, it's a laptop case! I got it really cheap--which is what happens with all of my bags--and I've definitely gotten my wear out of it. :)

I was going to say
My LV handbag doesn't have the LV on the sides
A lot of people think it's fake because i'm poor as hell
But then the people who know me. . .know that I will charge my credit card if I think it's worth it
In this instance though, my mom hated the BR purse that I was carrying and insisted that I carry one of her LVs

Besides, LV goes in and out with the tides
They were really popular in the 80s
Then, they faded to the background
Now, they are popular again


Jordache will eventually earn status and come back as well
I've seen acid wash jeans. . .and I've seen people wearing them

Another thing about fake purses...

There was report on CNN about how fake handbags are supporting terrorist groups. It might be a lot of Bush propaganda, which I'm not a fan of, but there are many reports of terrorist groups that have been raided with several fake goods. The total of sale of fake goods in the world totals $3 billion.

I'm sorry, but having a fake handbag or any designer handbag is not going to raise your status level.

What are you trying to do, WC, give me a heart attack????? :eek: Acid washed jeans must never be allowed to return. Do you all understand??? Never!!!! :D

are you just upset that you didn't save any of yours? :)

Prada is a pretty safe bet for a timeless black purse. I don't have any particular faves but I'm sure you'll be able to find a gorgeous one! I think a Prada purse is my next conquest...

I would also look at Kate Spade or Fendi in black. Both have very classic styles that will last forever.

If you want something a little more trendy, Louis Vuitton just came out with a black Murakami (sp?). Good luck finding one though....every store is completely sold out.

I would suggest one of the Coach leather bags. Kate Spade is too trendy for me, I feel like even though the design is pretty austere, it screams, "2000!"

Classic Black Purses
 

I think that Coach makes the most classic designer black and chocolate brown purses for the most affordable price (for a designer bag). For some reason, I have never been a Dooney girl. Gucci also does black well, as is LV Epi.

My current favorite designer bag, which is also a classic (to me) is Lambertson Truex. Another favorite designer of mine is Ghurka. TOD's, Hogans also have nice bags, though far out of my price range. Another designer that doesn't get a lot of visiblity but whose bags I really like is Furla. Hype bags are currently the rave in some circles.

I agree that Prada owns the "black bag" market, although for some reason her designs and the bags themselves just leave me cold.

I would also search the Internet at look at some of the on-line fashion sites that sell purses (blupyxie, bluefly, bagshop, others) because you might find a designer purse you love that isn't from a "trendy" designer for a better price and still with high quality materials.

Prada
 

I'm of mixed mind on Miuccia Prada. I still think her nylon bags (along with Kate Spade) are overpriced for what they are.

I've seen Prada at the Nordstrom Rack and some Loehmann's.

DISCLAIMER: I own two KS nylon bags, but I purchased them, both genuine, at deep discount. I wasn't on the hook for approximately $450 for two bags.
:D :p

THE PATTERN MATTERS!---The pattern will always be the same on all pieces of the same line (ex., all damier canvases will be the same, all monogram canvases will be the same...etc.). The ONLY exception to this is on some of the ties and scarves. ALL monogram canvases will be the same on all leather goods. On the Damier canvas, the boxes that say "Louis Vuitton Paris" on them will be spaced 9 squares apart both horizontal and vertical (4 dark and 5 light). Anything else is FAKE!

This is a valuable tip I learned from my experience.

I love threads like these, thanks for bumping spammer.

It's really sad that the person giving advice has links to superfakes in their signature :( Way to sell stuff!