Up until recently, I could probably count all of the purses I've owned on one hand. This is my purse resume:

age 20- bought big brown bucket Coach bag - friends called it the feedbag

age 24 - bought a black medium size Coach shoulder bag

age 32 - bought 2 black leather Ralph Lauren bags, one slightly larger than the other

age 34 - bought a black leather tote

age 37 - bought a green leather medium size bag and a large orangey tote, yellow leather bag

last week - bought pink Elliot Lucca satchel, white Elliot Lucca satchel, white patent Hobo frame bag, black leather hobo frame bag, chintz cheap bag from Target

Today - ordered another black Hobo frame bag, another white Hobo frame bag, and a pink beaded evening bag

I guess I'm making up for some lost time. As you can see, I had been of the school of thought: "Buy a good bag and use it until it shreds". Now, I'm really getting into the beautiful craftsmanship and soft leathers. I want to take a more feminine approach to my handbags - beauty and elegance - not just utility. I'm even thinking of getting a Louis Vuitton bag, which I would have NEVER thought of doing before.

I don't think I want to have very many more purses. Nice bags are very expensive and I really don't want to have to figure out how to store zillions of purses. The purses that I just recently bought are all very classic and will last me a very long time.

But I do want to learn more about the world of handbags. I'm guessing there is a "world" - thing here because I recently saw $56,000 Hermes bags for sale on ebay - and LOTS of other very expensive purses to be had too. Purses are obviously very important to some people. I'd like to learn why.

Will you talk to me about the hidden language of handbags? I've not paid much attention to purses in my life and none of my friends or family do either. I am a genuinie newby. What do different handbags say about their carrier? Why do you choose the purses that you do? Purse people, talk to me.
:-) TIA

Speaking personally, I look at handbags like I look at art. An amazing bag catches my eye much like a painting or a sculpture. The design, the materials, composition, color, form etc. It can all come together into aesthetic delight for me. Bags have evolved in my lifetime from the well made utilitarian necessity, to the essestial of the "outfit" (like a well framed painting).
Again, this is just my opinion and perspective, but I could care less about logos or identifiying components of the maker. It's about art.
Sometimes it costs a bloody fortune, sometimes it doesn't cost a 5 month mortgage payment. The craftsmanship of an Hermes is a wonder to behold, but there's a local leather crafter in these parts for whom I build smoking alters. Mounds of sculpted jewel toned leather ruffle is my current passion. Art, It's art.

For me, my bag is strictly functional. I only have four, not counting tote bags. I used to have all sorts but got sick of constantly transferring contents. I prefer the simple life.

I don't judge people by their bags, other than thinking, if they carry huge sacks, that they are probably slobs.

Honestly, I've got no idea. Personally I buy bags like I buy shoes. Just like I need to be able to walk distances on my shoes (no spikes on my feet), a bag needs to be able to hold a book. Of both I buy quite a few per year, but I'm no bag or shoe fetishist, and avoid status bags, classic or not, and 'must-have' shoes (like Uggs at the time, or Mahnolo Blah-nix).

Isabella, you must be very organized to have such an exact inventory of what you bought when: admirable.

I know we have some POLers who love bags almost as much as fragrance (Caz, aren't you one of them?!) but I'm pretty utilitarian.

I have ONE purse. I bought it at Kohl and frankly only because DH nagged me, saying your (old Nine West black leather organizer) purse is looking really worn, you REALLY need to buy a new one! When DH, who doesn't really care about such things, made such a statement, I decided I'd probably better pay atttention.

Anyway, he picked it out - and I grumbled becasue I had to buy a wallet to go with it, too - it's kind of burgundy/brown with gray. Sounds awful, but looks quite nice. I have to say though..........although I think this looks much more stylish, I miss my small, sleek black organizer bag!

I like to collect better purses, like Nine West, Liz Claiborne, etc., usually very simple ones in black or brown, and I use them until I am tired of them. The ones I got the most compliments on were from Payless Shoe Store, however. Last year, I got a black and white one with a matchng wallet that looked more expensive than it was, wore it till I was tired of it, then put it away. The year before that I bought a small green one from Payless, that literally fell apart after a few months (It cost seven dollars). It is funny that the cheaper ones were the ones that got the compliments. This spring when I want some color I can see myself going back to Payless for another colorful purse. I like simple things as I have found that simple most often looks expensive.
I have a Nordstroms catalog that has 3 green Coach purses: Large tote, medium tote, and small envelope. The total came to about 1000 dollars for all three. It is a beautiful dream.

I forgot to mention that my better purses are from thrift shops and yard sales.

My every day bag is good soft leather and was pretty spendy, and I'll probably carry it another 10 years. I have some cute smaller purses for going out, and the one that gets the most compliments cost $20 from a street vendor in Chinatown in New York. Another one that gets compliments came from Target, and I'm always asked if it's Coach.

START by asking yourself why they're that important to you. Obviously they are.

I bought a used Tods bag on Ebay four years ago and still use it. I paid $100 and can honestly say I have gotten my monies worth out of this bag. It is all about the function and wear.

I don't know if anything can be gleaned from the handbag. I know women who are totally bonkers for purses and little else...yet others might be carrying them as a status symbol. Who knows, really?

My purse is so lovely. It's a black Timbuk2 waterproof messenger bag. I've tried transporting stuff to a reasonable purse during non-class days but I invariably find that I need a book or something. Plus, I can't be bothered to transfer my stuff all the time - I've always been a one-purse woman and it's almost always been black.

Some people have put quite some thought in exactly the question you ask. See this link for instance:
http://searchwarp.com/swa16021.htm (Cathy Feldman)
Or these:
http://www.armcandyonline.co.uk/news-2.html
http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/beauty...g-say-about-you
http://handbags.lovetoknow.com/What_Your_H..._Says_About_You

And Bryanboy (le superstar fabuleux; baboosh!) has started a blog asking a slightly different but related question, that may interest you: what's inside your bag?
http://www.insidemybag.com/

I like purses; I think they're fun. But I have one cardinal rule: They MUST be comfortable and easy to carry. So many aren't right now. I won't go shopping with a bag over my elbow, no matter how stylish that is at the moment. I want to use both my hands, thanks. When I'm going to walk a ways, I prefer to carry as little as possible and swing my arms. That seriously limits the kind of purse I'm going to carry.

I have a few little evening purses that hold practically nothing (which I rarely use), but other than those, I also want them to be functional and meet my needs. So I look for pockets, etc.

And I do like to get bags that will hold up with wear. I have a leather Coach knock-off messenger bag that I bought on the street in Philadelphia 17 years ago, and it has held up better than any of my real Coach bags. It is just starting to show some wear. Now, *that's* a quality bag!

I don't think I make any big conclusions from what kind of bag another woman carries. I don't usually notice, to tell you the truth.

Oh dear, this is my other big addiction besides perfume! I love love love bags. I have a collection of about 75 handbags, and they are all different colors and styles. I change my bag almost daily, to go with my outfits. I love interesting colors, textures and shapes. Many of mine are not terribly practical, but for me it's mostly about the look rather than the practicality (I also own lots of stiletto heels for the same reason).

To me they are art, just like jewelry or shoes. I like variety and unusual details.

For me, the greatest bag is one that gracefully melds beauty/art with functionality. In my 50s, I can afford to spend a little bit more than when I was younger--back then, I didn't have that luxury and just looked for the best quality I could afford.

I know many people think that the so-called status brands are purchased exclusively by those only interested in a prestige name, but I think it's unfortunate to stereotype on this (I think it's always unfortunate to stereotype). I've collected lots of lovely bags over the last few decades, and those by Louis Vuitton are my favorites. It's about the quality of materials (that brilliant coated canvas they use is indestructible, as is the stitching), their practicality (they hold much but are really lightweight; very comfortable to carry), the visual beauty of the styles (classic but not conservative, elegant but not stuffy, timely but not fad-driven).

What it's not about--for me--is The Name.

(If it were, I'd have to start hanging out in different circles--none of my friends and relatives even know what Louis Vuitton is.) :)

I'm a person who lives in jeans and tees 95% of the time. For better or worse, I'm more of an old hippie than a dressed-up lady. But one of those beautiful Louis bags is my companion almost every single day of my dressed-down-casual-get-to-the-grocery-store-fill-up-the-tank-stop-at-Home-Depot life. I admire it every time I pick it up from the dining room chair to run one of those unglamorous errands, plunk it down on the passenger seat next to me, reach into it for my to-do list or the hat, gloves, and scarf I've stuffed into its smashing red interior. I'm always thankful to be able to own that lovely thing (which is aging more beautifully than I am!) and to look at it every day.

Eek, sorry for the rhapsodic post. Isabella, I guess this is a recommendation. :)

I hope I'm not being tiresome when I say this again: It's not about the "It" factor; it's about the beauty of design and function. To me, that is art.

And if I couldn't afford Vuitton, I'd look for some level of those same elements at the price that was right for me. That's what I did all those years I had less money to spend.

Have fun deciding on your next bag, Isabella!

Linda
P.S. Caz, where do you store your 75 bags? I don't have the closet space!
P.P.S. Isabella, I had the brown Coach feedbag back in the day, too!

I have two large closets lined with shelves, plus one wall has hooks on it where I can hang about 3 per hook. It's crammed to the hilt!

Those closets sound like lovely places. :)

Same here!!! I love fume and bags both!

Hee hee!!!! Hence my screen name!- [/b]Fumebag[b]

I've been on a quest for years to find a bag made of that same material. I don't know why other manufacturers don't use it. I don't like leather because it's too heavy and scratches and stains.

I've read that their process on the with the canvas is patented. Whatever it is, it seems to be top secret, eh?

Thanks for your thoughts, ladies. I looked up the links the Vidabo provided. And now, my thoughts about a Louis Vuitton are verified. They do just seem so nice to carry. Right now isn't the time for me to buy one, but I think someday I will.

Overall, the purses that I buy are very classic in form and materials. Nice leather, simple lines, not a lot of ornamentation. A woman could have carried most of my bags 10, 20, 50 years ago, and they wouldn't look overly out of place. I'm hoping that they will last me many years to come and they won't look out of place then either!

I'm just in a bit of shock. In the past couple of weeks, I've purchased more handbags than I've ever owned in my whole life put together!!!

Isabella, use every one of them in the best of health!