Potential addiction

For better or worse, I'm one of those people that just doesn't understand the need to buy labels. If I like the clothes, purse, shoes, etc and it happens to be a name, awesome. More often than not though, I seldom buy labels because I seldom walk into a 'lable' store.

Funny enough, I think this avoidance of labels came with my inability to afford labels when I was younger. I'm a reasonable person so I'd rather have two pairs of jeans than one super amazing brand name. It doesn't help I don't usually know the brand name and even when I do it is inevitable that I buy the 'uncool' version of whatever it is. Now, even though I can theoretically afford nicer things I feel like I am too far behind in learning about labels to be able to ask and I'm too lazy to do the research on my own.

Of course, not being a label person I hardly think the time spent researching something like labels is worth it.

That said, I've moved into a place where labels matter. Or perhaps I've become more aware of the labels. Either way, I often feel inadequate. Isn't it funny how that happens? I'm a valuable person, I do good work, I'm fun, I'm recently thin. Yet somehow...

That said, I decided to be on the market for a new bag to carry to/from work everyday. When I first moved here, the girls from my old job chipped in and bought me a big bag. It's nice looking, goes with most everything, and was a life saver because I don't know that I ever would have successfully bought a bag like it because I am fundamentally against the big bags. In a sense it was a functionally required entry drug.

I think they are called hobo bags. But what do I know?

Anyway, I've used the bag daily now for nearly a year and it's growing a bit worn around the edges. I've also found myself increasingly covetous of others' bags as I go to and from work. I decided this weekend I was going to get a new bag and it was going to be a name of some sort.

First challenge, I don't even know what names are high end. I mean, I remember Guess and Nine West being expensive when I was a  kid...but I don't know if that means they are expensive in adult terms or where they stand in terms of what the cool kids wear these days.

I've agonized, I've nearly fallen over when I find interesting bags and they turn out to be upwards of $400, I've searched. I drug PC to the stores today to help because he's all about me having nice things (I imagine it's easier to want someone to have nice things when the other person is paying for it themselves). Together we looked at a million bags. Or, 50. Whatever.

Finally, one caught my eye. It needed to be a label, it needed to fit my shoes and lunch (I bought a shoe bag - yet another thing I never knew I'd need), my small umbrella, and various other important purse things. Unfortunately the bag that caught my eye not only might not fit all those things comfortably - I was frankly worried that no one would know that the bag was a label. I figure if I'm going to spend that much money...someone better freaking know.

And then I found it. It met all the criteria. I bought my first Coach.

Thankfully I bought it for less (from the actual Coach store) and in black. The black version as a really neat hot pink sateen inside. And, today I learned that bags like Coach come with bags in which you 'store them while you aren't using them.'

Weird because my purse usually lives on the floor by the door.

So guess what happened on my way home with my newly purchased Coach. No, it was not stolen and no nothing was spilled on it - but thanks for wishing that on me.

I realized that my everyday going-out purses were now inadequate. I mean how ridiculous is it that I carry such a nice bag to and from work everyday...but I can't spring for a nice going out purse?

Oy vey. I sense I may have an addiction forming.