I’ve been searching for the perfect black everyday purse for a few months now. When my last bag broke in a similar fashion to the one before it, I vowed that my next bag would be of better quality. No more cute bags that only last for a few months!
In the past couple of years, I’ve discovered that I really love satchel bags, so that’s the style I focused on during my search. In my hunt for a new everyday bag, I had a few requirements: a long strap so I have the option to carry it crossbody, made of leather, a classic style, the right shape and the right size. I was looking for something that would last for years, but still wasn’t crazy expensive. In my efforts to buy quality over quantity, I realized that I would probably be spending more money than I’m used to spending on this type of purchase. So I browsed and waited and browsed some more. If I planned to spend $$$, then I had to love it.
Earlier this week, I stumbled onto a picture of the Syndey Satchel from Fossil and I loved it. I read all of the reviews about it on various sites and things looked promising. I also asked my friend Hope about the quality of their products since I knew she used to work there. I’d never purchased anything from Fossil before, so I really wanted to do my research.
I loved the image of the bag online, but I know that doesn’t always translate to real life. On Monday I headed to Macy’s to look at the purse in person. When I first saw it, I definitely thought it was cute, but also smaller than I’d imagined. I thought to myself, “I could make this work…” Then on another shelf, I spotted another Fossil bag that I’d seen online, the Erin Satchel. Here was another really great bag- it was bigger than the Sydney Satchel and the leather was buttery soft.
The price difference between the two was about $40 and I spent a lot of time going back and forth between them. In the end I considered, which one fits my needs more? Yes, it should be a beautiful bag, but it also needs to be practical for my life. The answer was the Erin Satchel. With a coupon in hand I headed to the register and bought the bag! As soon as I swiped my credit card, I felt both exhilarated and terrified. There’s that shopping high that you feel when you score something that you want, but for me there was also the pitfall in my stomach when I thought about checking my bank account later.
This was definitely a splurge for me and it’s the most money I’ve ever spent on a purse. I believe that it will be worth it though. Since I plan to use it as an everyday bag, this means that likely I’ll be carrying it at least 4-5 times per week. And if it lasts as long as I hope it does, soon the cost-per-wear will be really low. To be honest, I haven’t taken it out and about yet because I’m still a bit apprehensive, but here’s hoping that my new purchase will make it into an outfit post sooner rather than later!
(images: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5)
![It's a very belated book haul! These are the four books I picked up on my trip to Australia back in May. Of course I had to check out some bookstores on my first trip to Sydney and I think I ended up visiting 9 in total (check out my stories to see the mini bookstore vlog I made)!
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It was so fun book shopping over there since majority of the covers are different from our US covers. I couldn't resist this pretty edition of PACHINKO, which I've already read. And when I picked up this copy of PEOPLE PERSON, I was so excited to see it because it wasn't out yet in the US at that time. I also bought two books that I hadn't heard of before I discovered them in the bookstore: IDOL and LOVE AND OTHER PUZZLES.
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Do you tend to prefer US or UK book covers?
[P.S. This is an old photo that includes a HarperCollins UK title, but please note that I support the HarperCollins Union.]
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[ID: A stack of the following books sits on top of white bedding in front of a white wall (from top to bottom): PACHINKO, IDOL, LOVE AND OTHER PUZZLES, PEOPLE PERSON.]
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#Pachinko #Idol #LoveAndOtherPuzzles #PeoplePerson #whattoread #beautifulbooks #bookhaul #booksandtravel #travelandbooks #bookishaesthetic #bookstacks #bookstacklove #ukbookcovers #ukbookhaul #newbooks #bookbuying #bookpurchases #coolgirlsread #readerslife #bookishcommunity #australiatrip #stackofbooks #bookwormlife #booksandbooks](https://starcrossedsmile.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Oh, the bag is so cute! I love the colors it comes in too. Leather bags are wonderful and I am sure you will love it. I can not wait to see it on the blog! :)
stylethroughhereyes.com
Thank you Jenmarie! Me too- the colors it comes in are great, particularly the red one!
good buy! i feel you, all my bags are beautiful but in poor quality that all of them are falling apart.. good on you for plucking a courage buying an expensive and good quality bag, it will be worth it definitely. looking forward seeing an outfit post with this bag x
Katrina Sophia Blog
Thank you! It’s kind of like an experiment, buying this more expensive bag and seeing how long it lasts, but I too think it will be worth it :)
It’s a great silhouette and looks roomy too! If you use it regularly, it will definitely be worth the splurge Nnenna!
Rowena @ rolala loves
Thanks Rowena! :)
All these bags are beautiful! Can I have them all?
?Tallia
trendinginfashion.blogspot.com
Thanks Tallia- I wish I could give them all to you! :)
Oh the Erin is pretty! I’ve been looking for a bag too, and I’m with you– better quality over quantity anytime! I’m starting my hunt tomorrow, so wish me luck! <3
Thanks Laura! Best of luck with your hunt- hope you find something great :)
congrats on your pretty new bag!! in the past few months only i’ve been kind of ok with buying expensive bags. i bought a vintage LV purse in tokyo..it is 20 years old this year! its still in such great condition and i like it a lot!
Thanks Krystal! Buying a classic vintage bag is a great idea- what a good find!
OOO nice pick! I need a new black everyday bag as well. My Marc by Marc Jacobs hobo bag has been worn to death. It’s been over three years and still in good condition. Quality bags are totally worth it esp. since the amount of money that you’ll put into buy 1 bag every other month or so you can put towards a bag that last longer.
<3
heather
fashionistanygirl.com
Thanks Heather! It feels a bit extravagant to be spending all this money on a bag, but I think you’re right and over time I’ll see that it was totally worth it.
come to think of it, i don’t think i own a nice black bag! what? i love the first bag and also the erin bag as well!
Haha, thanks Jane! I wear lots of black so I knew that my first splurge would have to be on a black bag!