What makes a good handbag?

The material? Meh.
The number of pockets? Not really.
The strap? Sort of.
The number of outfits it matches with? I guess.

As much as we all want to believe it’s the sensibility of the bag that matters, the one feature that makes us swoon and drain our savings accounts is the designer label. Regardless of the color, design, or cliche monogram, the second we hear it’s D&G, Fendi, Prada- whatever you prefer- we’re instantly won over.

The only problem with designer bags? The hefty price tag. While we all may dream of the day we can visit the 5th Avenue Louis Vuitton store and pay for a complete luggage set in cash, most of us are currently stuck with knock-offs, affordable department store brands, or lucky TJ Maxx finds. But just in case you were lacking some inspiration after midterm season, feel free to ooh and ahh at these bags that make the standard $20K Hermes Birkin look like a discounted Liz Claiborne.

Which dream bag will top your 2012 wish list?

When Heidi’s not writing ridiculous articles for CC, she enjoys watching “Lizzie McGuire” reruns, raiding store clearance sections (and ONLY the clearance sections), and pretending her south-of-Boston suburb is the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Follow her rants and adventures on Twitter!

The following post is courtesy of our uber fashionable friends at CollegeFashion.net. Check ‘em out – they rock our socks off.

In Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series, Becky explains her obsession with Denny and George scarves. They’re super luxurious, super gorgeous, and every girl aspires to own one — and correspondingly, they’re super expensive. Accessorize, on the other hand, is a generic store that sells various accessories, much cheaper than the brand-name Denny and George.

“Usually what happens is, I spend half an hour lusting after scarves in Denny and George, then go off to Accessorize and buy myself something to cheer myself up. I’ve got a whole drawerful of Denny and George substitutes.”

If you’re anything of a strategic shopper with limited funds (practically the definition of a college girl), you may have paused here, like I did, to say… but wait! Why didn’t she stop buying junk at Accessorize, and save up for the Denny & George? Probably if she held off on 10 items from Accessorize, she’d be able to get the scarf! Read More »

After I graduated from college, I decided to treat myself to an expensive bag. I mean, afterall, my sweet sweet ride was no longer around to be the catch all of my many lip glosses and empty water bottles. So what better way to replace it, than with a durable and totally cute shoulder accessory? (You know you can relate to this kind of rationale!)

At the time, I just wanted a nice bag. I was tired of having to buy another one every few months one my previous cheapie purchase fell apart. Sure, it was nice to have a change, but I wanted something that would last.

So I set out shopping. I knew that I would have that feeling—that we are meant to be together instinct—when I found it. And I did… with the Anna Corinna City Tote: large, durable, versatile and better with age; she and I were the perfect fit.

It was a bit painful at the time to shell out so much cash ($396), but I was so smitten I didn’t even care. If it rained I would hold the umbrella over my bag and not myself, I would hold it close when on the train and make sure it didn’t touch the ground at bars. Of course, my overprotection faded but my love did not. As I write this, it has been almost one year since I purchased my City Tote and I have not once switched purses. (And this from a girl who has two crates full of purses.) Read More »