How many do you have?

[Trien Chieu]

I totally agree with you PJ. I am a girl myself and don't understand why girls spend so much money on wallets and bags.I don't want to spend more than $50-60 on a wallet. I think that is already a lot for any wallet or bag(although I would spend a little bit more for a bag, but not anything over $100 since that is already a lot). I don't think it is good to flaunt and show off because once one of my cousin's friends flaunted her Coach bag.. And guess what happened?? Later on, she was mugged, lost all of her money and the purse itself. Then she could not afford to rent a house that she had her eye on... Really sad and I must say that it does NOT pay to show off and flaunt your stuff...Why do people show off these things for?? Is it to show that they have money to throw around or to show that they are rich or appear to be rich??

How sad, I feel sorry for her.
I rather spend the money on expensive food such as lobsters than expensive wallet. I don't care if people think I am poor. I live to make me myself happy and feel comfortable, not to show off to other people.

[xJadedx]

Like I said, for me, things like wallets and bags (more so bags) are more for fashion purposes. I like certain designers because I like their style and what their designs represent (i.e. Vivienne Westwood and her association with punk rock and punk fashion). Thus, if I had the money, I would rather spend $150 on a VW wallet than an equally-priced or cheaper wallet from a designer I don't like, i.e. Luis Vuitton.

[pemberly]

i have one prada wallet that's very simple and i bought it on sale for about $100. i've had it for years and it still looks brand new. i plan on using it for the rest of my life.

on the opposite end, i have, including wristlets, probably around 40-50 handbags. some are cheapo and some are designer, so they range from 1 digit to 4 digits.

one thing about louis vuitton bags, whether or not you like the styles, they are classic. that speedy or alma bag you buy now will still be "fashionable" 30 years from now, like it was 30 years ago. and they last for a very long time. they also keep their value very well. if you buy a thousand dollar LV bag, you can sell it 5 years later, assuming you didn't trash it, for at least $800. some even appreciate in value.

[kay &!*]

i have one prada wallet that's very simple and i bought it on sale for about $100. i've had it for years and it still looks brand new. i plan on using it for the rest of my life.

on the opposite end, i have, including wristlets, probably around 40-50 handbags. some are cheapo and some are designer, so they range from 1 digit to 4 digits.

one thing about louis vuitton bags, whether or not you like the styles, they are classic. that speedy or alma bag you buy now will still be "fashionable" 30 years from now, like it was 30 years ago. and they last for a very long time. they also keep their value very well. if you buy a thousand dollar LV bag, you can sell it 5 years later, assuming you didn't trash it, for at least $800. some even appreciate in value.

i wish spcnet had the 'Like' button like on facebook. ha ha.
but i agree with what you said about LV. i love LV! same goes for chanel; i know women that has had their chanel bags for more than 10+ years but it still looks new & fashionable.. and i bet if they ever decide to sell them, they'd make heaps $$$.
but really..40-50!?!?! omg.................

[pemberly]

i wish spcnet had the 'Like' button like on facebook. ha ha.
but i agree with what you said about LV. i love LV! same goes for chanel; i know women that has had their chanel bags for more than 10+ years but it still looks new & fashionable.. and i bet if they ever decide to sell them, they'd make heaps $$$.
but really..40-50!?!?! omg.................

yeah, i gotta stop. even though i just bought a botkier bag like 2 weeks ago. T_T but it was on sale for $150 from around $500!

a friend of a friend's mother has had her LV for 30 years. everytime something breaks, she just brings it back to get repaired.

[kay &!*]

you have got to tell me where you find these deals!!!
i mean, $100 for a fendi wallet!? $150 for a botkier bag?!
geez, i just never get lucky finding sale items. my friend goes bargain hunting at marshalls, filene's basment, etc. all the time and found about 5 pairs of rock & republics and true religions but every time i go... i end up with nothing!

[pemberly]

there was a warehouse sale with ed hardy, rock and republic, true religion, etc. the other day. $250 jeans for about $100.

there are some websites that sell designer stuff for cheap-ish.

somehow deals just find me bc the shopping gods know i'm a sucker for a sale.

[foreva]

yeah, i gotta stop. even though i just bought a botkier bag like 2 weeks ago. T_T but it was on sale for $150 from around $500!

a friend of a friend's mother has had her LV for 30 years. everytime something breaks, she just brings it back to get repaired.

i bought 3 botkiers recently too! and a kooba and a gustto. really cant resist the online sample sales. i have about 40-50 bags too. the more expensive ones tend to be gifts or hand me downs. like the vintage dior and chanel from my grandmother. i think most young working women with disposable income tends to spend quite a bit on bags.

[Trinie]

I was wondering if you guys actually use these bags?? Or do you just buy them for your collection??One of my close friends collects and buys a lot of bags, but she does not use them that much.

[Trien Chieu]

i have one prada wallet that's very simple and i bought it on sale for about $100. i've had it for years and it still looks brand new. i plan on using it for the rest of my life.

on the opposite end, i have, including wristlets, probably around 40-50 handbags. some are cheapo and some are designer, so they range from 1 digit to 4 digits.

one thing about louis vuitton bags, whether or not you like the styles, they are classic. that speedy or alma bag you buy now will still be "fashionable" 30 years from now, like it was 30 years ago. and they last for a very long time. they also keep their value very well. if you buy a thousand dollar LV bag, you can sell it 5 years later, assuming you didn't trash it, for at least $800. some even appreciate in value.

Do you have any evidence to back this up? I never heard of handbag can appreciate in value. In almost all case, the value of second hand goods drop dramatically after out of store if you no longer can return them.

[xJadedx]

It's called vintage, TC. Some models, especially when the manufacturer stops making them, becomes higher in value because people like to collect them as a memorabilia. It's similar to people who buy old-style cars, not for the function, but for the collection.

For me, I currently actually have no expensive bags. I tend to just buy bags that looks nice and are somewhat practical (and those usually aren't expensive). I would only buy a designer brand because of what that brand represents, which is why I'm a big fan of Vivieene westwood and Anna Sui. Those bags I feel suit my personality much more. I'm not a big fan of LV and Coach, because frankly, I think their bags are not that good-looking (that's just my own opinion and taste, and I'm aware that many other women like these). Guess bags look ok, but are too generic.

[pemberly]

Do you have any evidence to back this up? I never heard of handbag can appreciate in value. In almost all case, the value of second hand goods drop dramatically after out of store if you no longer can return them.

here's a quote from a conde nast blog.

Q: Are there any "limited editions" that might really appreciate significantly and how do shoppers know which ones they are?
A: Things that are TRULY limited (i.e., small numbers produced and sold exclusively in one retail outlet) can appreciate significantly. The MOCA Murakami exclusively sold bags in conjunction with the current exhibit are already selling at higher prices on Ebay since you can only purchase them at the Louis Vuitton temporary boutique inside MOCA. They are not particularly accessible consequently.

think of some handbags like rare baseball cards.

the cherry blossom limited edition line of murakami louis vuitton bags are extremely rare and will go for 2X to 7X retail value.

and i use most of my handbags. the cheapo old navy ones, i'll maybe use once or twice. my LV, i'll use on special occasions or to go shopping. i have a fendi bag that i carry around all the time and toss about. many times i coordinate my bags with different outfits. i don't usually buy a bag unless i can think of an opportunity to use it. it helps me justify the purchase.

[Thor]

I understand now why men rule the financial world.
Men invest in gold, oil, equities, real estate, etc.
Women invest in hand bags and Barbie dolls.

[kay &!*]

I understand now why men rule the financial world.
Men invest in gold, oil, equities, real estate, etc.
Women invest in hand bags and Barbie dolls.

bull ****ing shit

[PJ]

I understand now why men rule the financial world.
Men invest in gold, oil, equities, real estate, etc.
Women invest in hand bags and Barbie dolls.

You forget that a woman invests in her man**.

Who do you suppose is paying for the expensive hand bags and dresses?

**while the man spends on her.
One is an investment, the other: an expense

click to show/hide spoilers

kidding of course. both are equal investments

[rosely]

I only have one wallet at a time. I buy new one when the current cannot be used anymore because of wear and tear or I lost it (which happen many time - super clumsy).

[jiang bao]

bull ****ing shit

Actually, he's quite correct. That's not to say all women are morons. Certainly there are many capable women in the world of finance too, but in general, women investing in handbags and stuff is akin to male geeks investing in comics, video games, and action figures.

[xJadedx]

He is bullshitting in the sense that, he made a thread asking women about their habits and investments in bags specifically, and not in women's other investments. Thus, for him to take people's responses on a very specific type of investment and to insinuate that women are somehow bad at managing their money an investments when compared to men, is absurd.

Also, his tone of voice (from the very beginning of this thread) constantly came off as biased and even sexist.

[jiang bao]

So perhaps the ladies can share their investments in other things to even out the "pigeonholed" perspective.

Other than fashion, what do you ladies invest in?
---------

PS, I am not trying to diss women and fashion or anything like that. Women and shoes are like guys and cars. The two genders just tend to spend their money on different things. I personally don't understand why a woman needs to own 30 pairs of shoes, but she probably doesn't understand why I still have transformer toys from my childhood.

[Thor]

Actually, he's quite correct. That's not to say all women are morons. Certainly there are many capable women in the world of finance too, but in general, women investing in handbags and stuff is akin to male geeks investing in comics, video games, and action figures.

He is bullshitting in the sense that, he made a thread asking women about their habits and investments in bags specifically, and not in women's other investments. Thus, for him to take people's responses on a very specific type of investment and to insinuate that women are somehow bad at managing their money an investments when compared to men, is absurd.

Also, his tone of voice (from the very beginning of this thread) constantly came off as biased and even sexist.

In defence of myself, I certainly agreed that I may be bias but I am not at all sexist. I for one do not care about being politically correct. I say things as I see it.
So you may find a lot of what I say to be offensive. If you do, I apologise, it was not meant to be personal.

Some males(geeks as you call them ) collect comics, video games, and action figures. They are few in numbers compared to nearly all women who buy tons of hand bags.

The reason I made this comment

I understand now why men rule the financial world.
Men invest in gold, oil, equities, real estate, etc.
Women invest in hand bags and Barbie dolls.

is that I was shocked by the claim that women perceive handbags as investments(not for pleasure), something that they can sell for more at a later date, as a used item. TC wondered about the same claim.
I did not in any way insinuate that women are poor managers of money, on the contrary, I firmly believe that women are better in managing their own money than men. (If we discount that amounts they spend on the hand bags that they perceived as investments, okay, take this as a joke).

I do however agreed that handbags are fashion statements. I also know that when girls talk about handbags, they basically talk about the designers, brands and how much they cost.

I do buy DVDs and lots of them too and my friends do too. We do it more for the contents, and that we enjoy watching them.
We realise DVDs are in a way a waste of money but we do not try to justify the buying by claiming that it is an investment.