women's handbags

[joel]

coach, LV, michael kors, burberry, etc..

i don't get it, what's the big deal? why are these worth shelling out in the hundreds/thousands? i'm a total fashion erudite, so feel free to rip me a new one here. in most cases they all pretty much look exactly the same to me. seems to me like almost every girl has one too, so not it's like it makes you standout somehow. there's something i don't get here... are they like super functional or something? if someone knows here, please educate me.

[Wetundies]

it's a status symbol, like fancy watches. The Hermes birkin bag is the one that everyone wants right now, 2-4 year waitlist, starts at 20k. Some ppl invest in them, cuz they used to be 10k each.

I wouldn't include coach as the same level as LV.

[joel]

i get status symbol if it's like a select few people who have it. like i don't see everyone driving around in aston martins on the road. but i am basically guaranteed to see basically half the women on a skytrain with one... i'm not sure i would be able to tell the difference between 300 or 20k handbag either. unless it was made of diamond studded gold or something... most these designer handbags look generally similar to me.

cars at least are pretty distinctive looking and spec wise models/manufacturer are very different.

[geForce]

If you're seeing it on the skytrain, then more than likely it's a knockoff haha.

[joel]

[nature boy]

total status symbol for sure. like fynn said, it's like watches for dudes.
but on a lower level, it'd be like anything else we buy with a brand name stuck to it. we identify with the exclusivity or prestige of our possessions.

[jeSteR]

I disagree with that. Watches are far more in the car category than the purse category.

The reason that watches start getting priced up is because of the complexity that is involved in making them. Watch making is a legitimate Post secondary career in Germany, France, and Switzerland. In fact, many of them start on that track in their secondary educations.

As far as I know, all the authentic higher end watches (the ones I follow anyways) are hand assembled and many take more than a few weeks to be put together.

An LV purse is made of fake leather (vinyl) that's actually far cheaper to manufacture than real leather. That and the child that's stitching it together is the same child that makes the $200 Nike's and the hello kitty doll that you get at the dollar stores.

There is NOTHING tangible in the increased value of a designer bag except the name on the tag.

A high end timepiece has a lot more than the name stamped on the back going for it.

[Wetundies]

there's knockoffs everywhere, but they all have problems with the zipper. Seems like they just don't know how to make a good knockoff zipper.

It's hard to see what a real 20k handbag looks like, cuz you can't find one in any store.

I was waiting for the elevator in TW, there was a high end jewelry store beside it. We went in to take a look. The lady asked me if I wanted a watch, I said I use my phone to tell time, she said, you don't wear these watches to tell time.

[nature boy]

i think the comparison of a handbag to a watch is akin to the fact that regardless of price/name, they're still going to do the same thing (unless you're talking about a calculator watch, those things are off the hook).
a handbag, regardless of name, will just be used to carry tampons and cash. a watch will just tell the time. it's what goes on beyond those functions that most people don't get.

i understand the time and care put into the design and build of a watch, much like a fine work of art. but at the end of the day, it still just tells the time. unless you're talking about a calculator watch... oh wait i said that already.

[joel]

but not every guy walks around with a watch nowadays, if anything it's rare to see someone with a watch. just about every one and i literally mean everyone is carrying around one of these types of handbags/or some type of knockoff i guess. even with brand name clothes, or shoes, you get all sorts of varieties etc... distinctive looks. these all look very similar to me even from brand to brand.

i would understand if something is a status symbol, but when everyone has one doesn't it no longer becomes that?

[nature boy]

everyone has a coach or lv bag, from what i see. but not everyone has a michael kors bag that i can tell at least.

either case, it's similar to how many (ok, no one on this board) thought having an iphone would elevate their coolness factor. so everyone got them and they STILL think they're cool with them (as i see with all the status updates on ios7 on facebook) even when everyone and their mom has one.

it's all part of living in a material world and being a material girl.

[Wetundies]

Hermes makes custom bags, like python, alligator, etc, same with chanel, i'm gonna go in and ask how much for one that's made out of panda next time.

[nature boy]

ok, have fun with your new purse.

[Wetundies]

u know u want a panda fur wallet.

[nature boy]

no, no i don't.

anyway, i would think women (or men) like their purses like how i'd like my backpack or whatever i'm using to tote stuff around, something with good amounts of storage and pockets. the weird thing is that these high end bags seem to have neither.