Give Your Life Some Structure

**NOTE: ALL PICTURES DOUBLE AS LINKS TO THE WEBSITES THE ITEMS CAN BE PURCHASED THROUGH.**

The old decade brought us the advent of the slouchy, oversized, "hobo" bag. Slouchy. Oversized. Hobo. Those words sound so negative. One denotes a posture that chiropractors wouldn't recommend, another describes Hummers, and the last one just sounds, well, smelly. Top designers like Bottega Veneta blessed us with jewels like The Plume Shoulder Bag, available at Barney's New York for $2350.00 (below).



But the new decade calls for spine and structure... Luxury designers like Hermès and Ferragamo premiered this recycled trend in their new handbag collections. The Hermès Catenina silk evening bag (below, left) is available at the Hermès site for a sky-high $5450.00 and exudes a luxurious indulgence with its delicate silk. Ferragamo's W Tote in Goatskin and Alligator (below, right) showcases a well-made fashionable bag that the Italian designer is heralded for. It is available at the Ferragamo website for a whopping $12500.00. In other words, half of my salary from last year.



Theoretically, I wouldn't mind spending a couple of thousand bucks on a bona fide patent designer handbag. Pricing usually defines how well made and long-lasting a bag will be, but that all depends on how an owner cares for their belongings. However, circumstances have arisen and I consider a few hundred dollars a jaw-dropping price. Presented below are three of my less expensive (but must have!) picks for a structured handbag.

Available at Piperlime.com for $375.00, the Kate Spade Serena Bag in black is large but not big enough to be a canine residence. The quilted design on the cowhide gives it an expensive and glamorous yet demure look. With free shipping and free returns on any purchase at the website, the shoulder bag should be a closet staple.



Love Moschino's Mosquilted shoulder bag is available at Zappos for $255.00 in a variety of colors. I didn't know whether to feature the red bag or the green one, so I decided to show the red since it is my favorite color. I would show both but decided against it to avoid looking like a Christmas Special Fashion Blog. Anyway, back on point. The site is also holding a "free shipping and free returns" promotion and who knows how long this will last so I am dying to get my hands on it! My favorite detail is the gold chain hardware that wraps around the handles... trés chic! The bag also looks divine in black and in dark blue, and would be a perfect gift for a birthday celebrant or recent graduate, or yourself!


The Jamison Shoulder Bag is found on handbagheaven.com in brown and red. It stands as a very-affordable alternative to an insanely-expensive designer tote at $47.95. The website even describes it as "PVC that is textured to look like your favorite reptile." The bag received 4 out of 5 stars on buyer reviews, and the main concern was the size of the product (it was "smaller" than people imagined it to be... that is why they give you product sizing and specifications, people). If you are looking to fit a painting, some throw pillows and a chair in your satchel, then you should definitely pass on this bag. But if you are a simple beauty who totes around your lip gloss, keys, phone and wallet without bringing your whole apartment with you, then you will appreciate the bag. Enter code SPRINGBREAK at checkout and receive an additional 15% off an already-discounted price. Visit handbagheaven.com's website, where all their handbags are under $85.00. Affordable prices are a gateway to a great collection of handbags!

Do you think you are able to move on from your oversized hobo satchels and shelve them at the very top of your closet? Which one of the bags above is your favorite?

- Arlene J.