Friday, February 22, 2008

Friday Q&A - Cheap Handbags

Q: I bought the Silver City Handbag at your store and really love it. It's hard to find cheap, trendy purses that don't look gross but I get a ton of compliments on this one. I am anxiously awaiting your Spring arrivals and wonder if you will be carrying any similar styles or can recommend some other places to find these.

A: I really enjoyed the fact that the term "gross" was used by this customer because I feel that way about a lot of cheap or shall I say affordable handbags. We decided to carry a few last Fall to test the market and had a couple of successes including the Silver City Bag that sold out quickly. Truth is, I have a very difficult time choosing these bags because I am very picky about what I carry (not only in the store, but on my arm). Also, there are a ton of other handbag and accessory stores that focus entirely on this market and can offer you a better price because they buy larger quantities. We will have a few selections for Spring, but it may take some time to find the winners in a sea of "grossness".

I suggest you check out the following sites:
Shop Suey and Baghaus are two of my favorite stores carrying affordable, trendier pieces with a good selection. Several items mimic designer styles so be careful not to misrepresent (pass on the fake logos and imprints please).
Smart Bargains has great deals on affordable designs from Perlina, Adrienne Vittadini, and Sigrid Olsen - designers who are a step up from the cheap stuff but still under $100 on sale.
Coincidentally, Winona over at Daddy Likey beat me to the punch with a similar reader question this week.

Occasionally, I buy cheap handbags (usually if it's a trendier item), but I find that it is best to invest in a few good timeless bags. I have a post planned for next week about handbags that will allow me to elaborate a bit more on this subject. And, I know our readers will have something to say as they are smarter than your average purse buyer.

Have a wonderful weekend and come back Sunday night for our next blogger contest!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. Some times it's better to invest more money in a really good purse than buy bunch of cheap ones that are 'gross' (using your customer's term). And it is definitely difficult to find cheaper purses that get compliments, so kudos to you for Silver City! :)

Crimzen Creative said...

Linda - thanks!

Momisodes said...

So true! I bought a few very cheap handbags a while back, and they all fell apart so quickly, that I wish I had just invested in a nice, quality handbag that I could use over time. Thanks for the links!

Unknown said...

I hate purses that get worn out on the first night out. I am a purse freak, once I find a brand I like-regardless of price- I stick with it. So glad I read this, now I can have a little diversity in brand!