For the Love of Bags

When I was last at my regular hairdressers, I was flipping through a magazine and saw a bag from Coach that really caught my fancy. It was the Coach Ergo Leather small hobo. I own 2 Coach leather bags myself (purchased online before Coach came into Malaysia) and I love them both.

I loved the chocolate colour of the bag and I love hobo shaped bags because they slouch beautifully and don’t get out of shape. In fact, this bag looked so similar to one bright yellow Coach one I presently own that I pondered the merit of even wanting it.

So, 2 weeks ago, I popped in to the Coach boutique at The Gardens at Midvalley to check it out in person. This bag costs about RM1060 or so and looks just as lovely in person. I loved the feel of the leather. Coach’s glove tanned leather is wonderfully soft and supple and smooth to the touch. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that for a designer bag, you can’t get a better deal than a Coach for leather. Most other luxury designer leather bags are upwards of RM3,000.

However, upon sighting the Ergo leather bag, I knew that I could not get it simply because it was too small. I carry a lot of junk around in my bag and just fitting my wallet, mobile phone, makeup pouch and keys alone, would take up all the space there is. I am not one for small bags and I would not pay over a thousand ringgit for that. I might consider it at US$198 though! Anyway, it was with great regret that I replaced the Ergo small hobo on the shelf.

And then, my eye fell on the Coach Ergo Leather Tote.

This one retails at RM1750 for both the leather and signature canvas print versions. I am not sure why, but I was absolutely captivated by it. It sat well on my shoulder and was a good size for me to lug my things around both on a week day and on a weekend. I liked the inside lining which is that of a bright striped print satin-feel cloth which was unexpected coming from a somber looking exterior. I loved that contradiction!

However, I balked because the bag has no zip closure. It is open at the top and only closes with a clasp. I am paranoid about bags without any zip closures despite owning one or two. Most of these bags are held close to the body so it isn’t all that bad. I tried to convince myself that the design wasn’t all that pretty. You have to admit that it looks useful and practical but can hardly be called a “pretty bag”. And yet…. there’s something pulling me towards it…

This one comes in leather in 2 colours here - Black and Tobacco (brown) and the signature canvas print comes in black and dark brown. Considering that its only US$328 (RM1,049.60) the price here is pretty steep. Then again, its imported so I guess there’s that too, unless I can get someone to buy it in the USA for me (doubtful). Sigh… still wondering if I should get it…

I love bags in this shape. A blocky shape usually means that there is more space to put all the stuff I lug around everyday, but that it can look sleek enough without looking very bulky or slouchy like a tote. This particular bag is the Rebecca Minkoff Morning After bag.

The Morning After bag is so named because it is supposed to take you from day to night and back to day… if you are so lucky that is And what this means is that it can hold all your daily essentials and then some little extras just in case you have to spend an overnighter.

The Morning After bag has been spotted on the arms of stars like Lindsay Lohan (as reported by Life & Style) and I’m quite surprised to note that it doesn’t look overly huge. I learnt the hard way that the trend of oversized huge bags do not sit well with me, or on my shoulders.

I rather like it in Black or Glazed Espresso but at US$595 a bag I can’t see myself buying it all that soon. Sigh…