In The Bag…
 |
| MICHAEL Michael Kors Astrid Satchel. Just remove that tag, and you’re logo-free! |
I do believe that a simple, elegant bag can upgrade your entire look much more effectively than designer logos or trendy details.
 |
| DKNY Beekman Shopper (also available in Wine) |
It’s great to see these designs in colors other than black, and in a range of price points.
 |
| Marc by Marc Jacobs Thunder Travel Satchel |
Even Coach, who for several years bad-tripped on a mind-bending tour through UglyLogoLand, seems to have regained their senses, reintroducing their Legacy line and once again offering simple, mid-priced, functional leather bags.
 |
| Coach Legacy Candace Carryall |
Even Tory Burch seems to have gotten the memo about less obtrusive logos…
 |
| Tory Burch Priscilla Crossbody |
Check out the J.Crew Edie line too (thanks for the reminder, LPC!) J.Crew marks items down pretty regularly, so watch for sales and special promotions if you like these.
 |
| J.Crew Edie attache tote |
What appeals to you in a handbag? Do you keep your bags for years? Will you carry a bag with some color, or do you stick to neutrals only?
~
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States License.
Stay in touch
Sign up to be notified of new posts and updates from une femme d’un certain âge.
I love the selection you’ve picked out. As I tend to carry the same bag day in, day out, I always prefer to go for bags in more neutral shades. That way, I know that my bag will go with what I’m wearing, no matter what.
Yes, ten years or more for me, I’ve never been one for constantly changing my bag to my outfit who could be bothered?
I’m going on 3 years with my current bag – was tempted to stray for the first time this week by a new Celine Hobo featured in the Nordstrom catalogue. But boy that stuff is costly…
I’m very fickle with bags, definitely buy too many! I usually have two hanging by the door, and use a Purseket (purseket.com) to make switching easier. Right now I’m using a Coach grey fabric & and a Michael Kors bone leather (and yes, I immediately took off the giant gold tag!)
I LOVE the Coach Legacy line–among them, the one you show above, which is one of my favorites (middle-class version of Celine???)
I totally agree. Last fall i purchased 2 bags on ebay, coach, ‘vintage’. Beautiful leather and no logo except for a small hangtag, the way they used to make coach bags. My budget is limited so i would rather spend more on a classic bag i will use for years. I love these you have chosen.
I usually have three bags, one light shade for summer (tan) and a dark shade (black or brown) for winter, plus one bright red smaller cross body for fun. They are always leather, the everyday bags are large enough to carry 8 1/2 by 11 files for work. They are kept a year or two or until they look worn, then replaced. My bags are from my good consignment store usually, or a small store that carries some well designed Canadian handbags.
Everybody in my city seems to have Coach, for that reason I don’t really want one. Like you I dislike logos, especially all over logos as Coach does. Perhaps one of the new classic styles will turn up on consignment in a year or two and I may be tempted!
Love these bags. Need to find a good quality inexpensive one, though, as I am on a very limited budget. Thanks!
I’m with you…love these, but $350 for a bag is not in my budget!
I like simple styles without labels, logos & too much hardwear – oh and it has to fit in my bicycle basket too. I have an old Fratelli Rossetti leather tote which is now totally trashed from being squished in my basket in all weathers, but it looks better than ever.
Your choices are wonderful. I always lean towards neutrals then that past Christmas my daughter bought me a Kate Spade bright red bag. I used the heck out of it and was so surprise how it went with everything. This fall I invested in the Dooney and Burke Blair Bag in Ivy. Can’t wait to incorporate with my fall wardrobe. I used to carry huge bags that has to be able to carry file folders, papers, small laptop and everything under the sun. Now it has to fit my ipad. Everything else is either electronic or stays home.
I think Celine started this new wave? And J. Crew’s Edie line is very nice too:). I’m with you. Simple is fabulous.
I love the first bag. I really like simple, smallish, very structured bags. No logos. Neutral colors…especially black. Yay for the perfect satchel bag!!!
I hate hate hate those tacky, blingy, logo-y purses. I don’t mind spending money on a high-quality leather purse, because I will use it for years. I would rather, however, get it on eBay and spend the rest of the money on shoes.
One of my best Christmas presents was the purse my sister bought me several years ago. I still use it. She and my husband bid against each other on eBay for it: http://diaryofagolddigger.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-which-primo-and-my-sister-bid.html
PS My current purse is burnt orange, which I consider neutral for almost all occasions. If we go out somewhere fancy and dress up, I’ll take a small evening bag instead, of which I have several. It’s amazing what you can find at consignment!
I got it on eBay two years ago – it’s a Cole Haan leather bag – and had the leather lady in town add a snap closure so it wouldn’t gape open all the time. I intend to use it for another few years, although I do switch out occasionally with the purse my sister got me. Not often, though – I hate moving stuff from one purse to the next.
I always take the logos off if it’s possible. I think they’re tacky.
Those logo-tags always remind me of price tags. And yes, I definitely cut them off! As well as any other excessive fringe-y things hanging off of zippers or handles.
I was glad to discover Coach’s Legacy collection, as I have always admired their wristlets but not the obvious logos. I’ve noticed that Dooney & Burke has also toned down their use of logos in recent years.
I almost bought an orange MK bag earlier this year, but ended up going for a Gianni Bini (Macy’s brand) which was just as well-made but less expensive. I actually have three Gianni Bini bags– a tote, a mini cross-body, and a satchel. They are not the best quality leather, but they are nice enough for work and not too precious, which is how I like my bags. 🙂
I’ll sometimes carry colorful or metallic bags. I find that it’s easy to carry a colorful bag since I tend to wear black and accessorize with jewel tones.
I agree without reservation. I have resisted all the bling bags knowing that reason will eventually prevail because bag fashion, like all fashion, must reinvent itself to maintain its market.
Logos on anything are a pet peeve of mine. I don’t spend money to be a walking advertisement for a brand!
Aren’t these beautiful?? I am with you, I love a structured bag. The Michael Kors and Tory Burch are my favorites here.
The satchel bag is the only bag I carry. I’ve had my black one three years and it will make it through this winter, too. Also have brown faux alligator. I always store them stuffed with paper to maintain their shape. This might be the year I ‘break out’ and buy one in a fun color 🙂
My only rule about handbags, which I have handed down to my daughters, is never buy a bag with a black lining. You will be driven crazy trying to find things.
At last these are all right up my street especially the coach. I was saving up for a Tods but these are a better price.
I too welcome the return of simpler styles without lots of logos and bling. I love satchel styles too particularly traditional style ones and am tempted to buy one in a bright colour but I don’t want it to look like a school bag so I am still weighing it up. Love the blog by the way! Marie S
Love Coach Legacy – pointed it out to my teen daughter in the mall yesterday. “See, that’s what we all wanted when we were your age.” I also love the J Crew line this fall. I like having different size / color bags, but 2 problems. Ok, 3. (1) I always seem to be running out the door at the last minute and don’t have time to change bags (even with a Purseket), (2) they take up a lot of storage space, and of course (3) It can get pricey. But it makes me crazy to carry a brown bag with black clothes, or vice versa. I was thinking of a purple or darkish (not navy) blue that went with everything, but then, is that just an excuse to buy another bag?
Thanks to you I’ve come to be pretty loyal in my love of Gerard Darel. I now own 3 different styles (the St.Germain, the Midday Midnight, and a beautiful cherry red clutch). I also love Burberry and am trying to hunt down a specific studded one from 2 years ago. For the most part though, these days I’m carrying my Timi and Leslie diaper bag.
I agree – those garish, squashy, blingy bags were too much and too big.
I only use one bag for the cool season and one for summer. For fall/winter, I’m partial to medium size black/brown combos with clean lines and a zipped closure so nothing falls out. My favorite brand is Leaf Leather – usually found in museum gift shops. You don’t see yourself coming & going with these unique bags.
Here’s the web site:
http://clwhiting.com
I agree, You need now a more structured bag, enough with all the baggies. And I agree, the less of the logo visible, or noticed, the better. So that drops most of the LV´s away ; ).
I don’t care for logos either. Never have. But classic lines? Love them. And that way you can keep a bag for decades and it’s still in style. (I’m thrilled with the gorgeous reds and wines and cognac colors this season. Gorgeous.)
Simple functionality in clean lines. I’m on foot much more often than I’m driving, and it’s really important that a bag not be over-burdened with heavy leather, no matter how luxurious or sensuous. And like That’s Not my Age, my bag has to be able to put up with being shoved in my bicycle panniers and to deal with the weather. I’ve settled on my M0851 for the last two or three years. I love all the iterations of classic that you show here, but they seem to belong to a different lifestyle than my own.
Well then if none of us like those blingy logoed bags, who’s been buying them for the past few years??? Because that was all you could find for a while there. Last fall I was seduced by a dark green smooth leather bag with dark green croc accents, in the window at Coach. A beautiful bag with only the tiniest logo. While I was buying it, I told the sales clerk that I hadn’t even looked at Coach for several years, because of the excessive logos and bling. And that hideous Poppy line! He said that he got a lot of comments like that from customers. I guess they listened!
I don’t switch bags frequently (too much trouble) but do change seasonally, or every couple of months just for variety. For fall/winter, I have the dark green Coach and two black Donald Pliners, plus a very old brown croc embossed leather, which I still love even though it doesn’t have a cell phone pocket. For spring I have a Cole Haan in a pinky beige leather, and summer is a brown straw I got at Talbots last year, or a very blingy linen tote with sequins and a big gold beaded sun, from Coach; not at all subtle and understated, but I just loved the beachtasticness of it! Works in my casual life in this hot climate.
I have 2 or 3 bags in rotation but the last time I bought a leather bag was too long ago to remember – 2 or 3 years ago? Since I don’t need a lot of bags, I rarely buy them. But I do like the ones I own to be luxe. Mind you, I’ve never bought an it bag. I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than 250.00 on a bag (most of mine are bought vintage or on mega sale). It happens I’m in the market for a new one (will do a post on this soon) and I think, this time, I’m buying from Etsy. Hilariously, the vendor I am likely to purchase from lives in downtown TO. So shipping will be free.
I like structured bags but they need to be big enough for me without looking like a shapeless tube. They also shouldn’t be too heavy before I put anything in them. I also like a slouchy bag, but it needs to be sleek and rich, not messy.
I am totally with you on this one,I never like the blinging bags. I prefer an understated classic look and all of the above bags you have shown are perfect.
Kathysue
Oooh, this is one area of weakness for me…well, two if you count shoes!
I do, as I’ve gotten older, prefer classic bags that will be in style now and 20 yrs from now. I’m glad we’ll have more choices this fall!
Agree with the general consensus that logos are absurd and unnecessary. I’ve always had a fondness for structured bags, but vintage ones are too small for wallets, phones and such. My peeve is the ridiculous size of so many bags these days-so heavy, and they dwarf the user. These examples you show are terrific. I see no need to add to my collection right now-I’ll haunt eBay and see what turns up! Even better, they look like the insanely expensive full-on designer bags, but without costing a mortgage payment.
Amen sister to this post! I am soooo tired of purses that seem to have been designed by a carnival committee! Classic, and clean lines create a handbag that complements a woman rather than “decorates” her like a Christmas Tree.
Nice selection of simple and elegant bags. I’m way too lazy to change bags much, and not sure I’ll be buying one for the winter – I just don’t “need” one at all. However, that doesn’t always stop me.
I’m not much of a bag person at all and will often use my book bag as a purse. But, I too did not like the shapeless overdone bags of recent years–if I threw my books into it, everything would have come out crumpled. I especially like that last bag.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I love all the bags you propose, are beautiful. I love women’s handbags and envy that proposals for man never be as successful.
http://sensecorbata.blogspot.com.es/
These are so graceful and simple, a welcome reform. But I can no longer carry leather bags bigger than my two hands- just too heavy., unless being ferried in a car to a restaurant. That’s why a Groom bag in an apple green I could not resist last fall had been carried once.
I absolutely agree with your relief of the end of obnoxious logo bags!
Coveting the Edie bag which is $268 full retail (if memory serves) do I regularly check their web site in hopes of a markdown?
Very nice looking bags Pseu, although I prefer a softer one for myself.
I’m seeing a good variety in bags on campus, but also plenty of LV.
My favorite handbags are the kiss lock frame handbags. Very old fashioned and I very practical.