Handbags? Oh yeah!

You know what I don't write about enough? Handbags, that's what. And I love them! I'm a total handbag addict! I often encourage other people to be handbag addicts, too! I don't believe in one perfect handbag for any person, I believe in many handbags for all different occasions. I believe in changing handbags often- not necessarily every day for each outfit, but certainly often enough that you keep it fresh.

Lately, I'm carrying a faux- bought in Chinatown, NYC, Canal Street to be specific. It's the exact faux that I made fun of in this post a couple of months ago. Call me a hypocrite, but I totally understand the appeal. Plus, I have to admit, being in New York City right at the start of fashion week made me go a little bonkers. My judgement suffered, but I haven't regretted this purchase for one second.

Isn't it a pretty color? That was really the deciding factor for me. Blue is definitely my signature color (although some of my friends might think it's pink). And I'll be honest- it's the perfect size for me. I'm a big handbag kind of girl. I wasn't always like that, but the older I've gotten, the more I'm into the big bag. I have small purses, but they mostly exist for special occasions when I don't want to lug around a 10-pound suitcase. Also, I use a small wristlet as a wallet and when I go somewhere and don't want to carry the big bag, I leave it in the car and take the wristlet with just the essentials. It's big enough for my debit card, license, some cash, my phone and maybe a tiny lip gloss.

Lately, I'm totally obsessed with the idea of a bright kelly green tote- structured or boho, fabric or leather- these details don't matter as much as the color. I love the idea of a bright pop of color for the fall and winter. I've seen a few over the last few months that I really liked, but something always stopped me from buying.

I found a few online that I'd love your opinions on. First up is this lime green bag from Amazon:

It's only $34.99 which is a decent price. I like the color, but I don't love it. It's a little too lime, not enough kelly. It's good, but not perfect.

What is close to perfect is the Patent Maggie tote from Coach:

The color is definitely more along the lines of what I want, but it's almost heading in the emerald green direction. Unfortunately, even if this bag was perfect in terms of color and style, it's still $348 which is waaaaaaay out of my price range.

And when price matters, I always seem to come back to my old standby- Target. All of these bags are under $30:

I'm definitely getting closer with these last three, but I'm still not quite there. I wish I could marry the color of Target bag #3 to the shape, structure and sophistication of  Target bag #1. Target bag #2 is ok, but just not that me. It's too square- literally. I'm sure it would function well given the outside pockets, but I think it's just not that me.

I'll keep looking and let you all know if I find the perfect green bag. I remember my friend Beth buying a faux Prada (maybe) in Chinatown years ago that was hysterical- it had a huge round metal handle and the "bag" was actually two little pouches mounted in the center of the circular handle. Totally impractical, but also totally unique. Maybe I can persuade her to take a picture that I can post on the blog for all of you to see. I remember when she bought it and I was so jealous of how cool it was. Handbags make me crazy!

Leave a comment if you want to see a picture of Beth's bag and maybe if there are enough of you, she'll be persuaded. It can't hurt to ask, right? Right! Now go comment!