Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Lessons Come in All Forms - Including Designer Handbags


In my usual rounds of the thrift stores today I ran across this little beauty. I was instantly attracted to its cool retro stripe vibe. When I picked it up I saw the "Kate Spade" tag. I own no designer anythings, but even I know Kate Spade handbags are a big deal.

So, $8 later I walked out with my great purchase. I put a photo on Facebook, to share my happiness, still loving its stripey goodness.

A few hours afterward, I carried it to dinner. And I discovered something either I had instinctively known but ignored, or that I had never known - I'm not cut out for this. I can't handle the pressure.

My purses come from Target or Kohl's, cost less than $30 - preferably much less - and can withstand some abuse. I carry everything from magazines to cans of pop in my purse. Ink pens rattle around with notebooks. Rechargeable batteries and coins make the purses heavier than they need to be. 

One can't toss around a Kate Spade handbag. It's just wrong. It's not that I have much money invested in it, but it's that someone, some where, would love to have it and it's wrong for me to ruin it with my less-than-sophisticated ways.

I want to be the sort of woman who carries designer bags. That would imply a sense of style. Unfortunately, I am not that sort of woman. And my "style" is a gaudy costume jewelry pin on a $20 blouse with some jeans. I'm not exactly the designer handbag type. 

So, while I am still pleased with my purchase, and I still love its stripey goodness, it's most likely bound for ebay. It should be owned by someone who will not only appreciate its stripey goodness, but who will also give it the extra love and care it deserves. 

And I'd best do it quickly before I let an ink pen explode in it, spill hand lotion on it, or splatter it with barbecue sauce at Roy's.

Update: My friend, Deb, loves Kate Spade and will be the recipient of the bag. When I offered it to her, she mentioned she even has some extra Kate Spade dust bags. The fact that I don't even know what that is further illustrates that the bag belongs with her instead of with me. If it were a puppy, PETA would have wrested it from me long before now!
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