Ladies - where do you buy your pocketbooks from? What do you look for in a pocketbook?

I like bags I see on Etsy or messenger bags I can find being sold around here in NYC. It can’t have too many pockets or zippers, it must be something I like to look at and it has to fit folders, yoga clothes, lunch and water bottle, together with Kindle or books. It has to have a long-ish strap. Brands don’t concern me and I think nothing on me is a status symbol although, by choice.

I buy my handbags and pocket books from brahminusa.com. It’s a brand I’ve shopped and collected since my teens because the quality is excellent and I have bags near 15 years old in near mint condition. My bags need to be hand held because I have small shoulders and the pocketbooks small because I carry only a few items:

ID
Bankcard
Insurance cards
Pen
Coin purse
Small makeup bag
Cell phone
keys

I have a few coach bags and Ralph Lauren purses that are very well made.They last and have classic stying.I also have some less expensive bags.I just go for what I like and it’s usually not something trendy or with logos pasted all over it.

I buy bags from everywhere. My favorite bag that I use daily is a Kate Spade messenger bag that I got for my 12th birthday… 11 years later, it’s still my daily bag (soo worth the 140 bucks or whatever it was). My favorite “grown up” bag happens to be a Michael Kors but it is a classic – the style that Grace Kelly made popular back in the day. Plus, it’s in his Luggage color and will always go with everything. This bag was expensiveish, and yes, another birthday present but I will have it forever (I also have a matching watch and shoes!) I love Michael Kors stuff, not for the name brand, just because I like most of his styles and designs. And for gorgeous things, he’s not too overly priced.

I also love bags from stores like Urban Outfitters… they have great stuff for a variety of prices and I will buy them in the store or online. They have great sales online but sometimes because the bags aren’t too expensive they don’t hold up forever (although, some of them do). i know you’re not looking for recommendations but i suggest looking at urban online’s sale stuff before you buy anything!!

Ross or TJ Maxx! I don’t care about the brand unless it equals quality but I’ve found both for great prices. My favorite find was a pink leather Stone Mountain bag which retails for ungodly $$$ but I got on clearance at Ross for $22.

Erm, can I just check, what’s a pocketbook? Sorry, lost in translation….!!

@harple a handbag or shoulder bag. Is “pocketbook” becoming outdated or is it a regional usage?

ah, thank you @Blueroses ! It’s regional :-)

I make my own.

The one I’m using right now is made from an old pair of my husband’s jeans, and two scraps of upholstery fabric.

Just enough pockets, and enough room to carry my stuff and not need a separate diaper bag for my son.

Most of the purses I own are from Forever 21. They’re cute, but not expensive. However, I do have a Coach bag which was a gift from my Mom. It depends really. Sometimes I want a black one, sometimes a white. The one I just bought this past week is this one and I absolutely adore it. It’s big enough to hold all of my things sketchbook included and is super cute as well.

If I had the money, I might buy something more expensive. Like the Fendi Spi Bag, however that thing costs biiiig bucks ^_^

@Blueroses: I had a Stone Mountain bag about 8 years ago, and within a very short period (a month, maybe?) the leather ripped around the snap, which was disappointing. I think, if i remember correctly, i saw that the bag was made in China. What was disappointing was that I would have thought they had better quality, because the name Stone Mountain has been around a long time.

Thrift stores. I don’t think I’ve bought a bag from a retail shop in 15 years.

@ica I’d be really disappointed too. I hate when good brands go bad.
A couple times a year the better department stores have big sales too and you can get great bargains on sweet bags.

@chels: love the new bag…. i got an amazing copy of the fendi spi bag in the mall (at a kiosk, not knowing it was a copy) a few years back. that bag is amazing… pockets for everything (there was even a kinda hidden tube like pocket that was perfect for a lighter and a joint – i’m actually convinced that’s what it was there for. i miss that bag! keep your eyes open!