Kate Spade How do you decide which bags to buy?

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CassieH

Member
Apr 20, 2015
388
124
#1
Just out of curiosity, how do you decide which bags to purchase at a retail store, outlet or their KS boutique?

I love KS styles and I have found that I wanted to purchase $2700 USD worth of stuff and I'm from Canada. I can't afford something like that all at once. And by the time that's possible, newer bags come out that are better or just as great. To help narrow choices down, I recently came to the following conclusions.

I personally need a bag to have:
-Complete closure so no one can see what's inside my bag at all, where as styles like the Emerson Smooth Phoebe bags do not have a complete closure
-I don't like the bags with little textured non-patterned / asymmetrical spots on them
-Have cross body straps and smaller handles for two ways of carrying it
-the handle must be able to be flapped or swung down, which eliminates a lot of my choices
-Price points are reasonable to how big the bag is, unless it is a novelty bag
-discounted through any way possible with a minimum of fifteen percent
-Novelty bags must be able to fit a cell phone with a case, enough credit cards, cash, lip balm, and protect my privacy (something the Walk On Air novelty clutch purse violates all these criterion)

Other attractive features:
-Studded feet on the bottom to prevent dirt
-Easy to maintain
-Not having worried about it being stolen for the bag itself
-easy to carry

And what kind of colors would you like to own in the future:?
I'd like to own a deep emerald dark green, spa blue, pebbled or clay, pale orange and a soft pink color, and then a deep red or maroon color.



, and a deep purple item.

I'm curious about what the wonderful people of the KS forum decide how they purchase an item :P
Let me know, or if you have some tips to share with other KS consumers!
 
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#3
I'm with you about the studded feet (depending on the material), how easy the bag is to maintain, and the discounts (I love handbags, but there's no reason I shouldn't be able to get a great deal too!). Living in a city that gets a lot of tourists, we have great outlet malls and I can get Kate Spade bags for less than $100 and accessories (wallets, jewelry, etc) for less than $30-50. I don't purchase anything from her retail stores anymore just because of this lol.

I don't like crossbody bags or long straps, so I look for bags with short straps that are easy to carry on my arm or shoulder. I'm also not a big fan of her novelty bags. They're cute to look at, but I can't imagine having very many occasions to actually purchase and wear them.

As far as material goes, I'm not too keen on her pebbled leather, but her saffiano leather is great! Helps structured bags hold their shape, and is really easy to keep clean. In fact, Kate Spade's structured bags are my absolute favorite for work/professional dress. I recommend them to anyone looking for an affordable yet stylish structured bag :)
 
#4
volatilemolotov said:
I'm with you about the studded feet (depending on the material), how easy the bag is to maintain, and the discounts (I love handbags, but there's no reason I shouldn't be able to get a great deal too!). Living in a city that gets a lot of tourists, we have great outlet malls and I can get Kate Spade bags for less than $100 and accessories (wallets, jewelry, etc) for less than $30-50. I don't purchase anything from her retail stores anymore just because of this lol.

I don't like crossbody bags or long straps, so I look for bags with short straps that are easy to carry on my arm or shoulder. I'm also not a big fan of her novelty bags. They're cute to look at, but I can't imagine having very many occasions to actually purchase and wear them.

As far as material goes, I'm not too keen on her pebbled leather, but her saffiano leather is great! Helps structured bags hold their shape, and is really easy to keep clean. In fact, Kate Spade's structured bags are my absolute favorite for work/professional dress. I recommend them to anyone looking for an affordable yet stylish structured bag :)
Click to expand...
i love her novelty bags because they are so whimsical, but I usually find that I will only buy her novelty bags if I feel like they are versatile enough. I do love that KS dares to make the novelty bags, because it makes me wonder for the average person, how many people would be willing to spend that much money on them. And if it is economically smart. To quote another user on the KS forum, the user stated "every night feels like theme night" for Kate Spade as of this day and time, and their designs used to be more subtle (apparently). Right now, the latest theme of spring 2015 seems to be flamingos. I only buy the novelty bags if I feel like I can also use them frequently.

Where I live, the selection of Kate Spade bags are really not a whole lot. It sucks that I can't see them in person. There's a small clothing shop that will order stuff for you if you put in a deposit, that store has only been around for a few months. Occasionally, Winners will have some bags but it's still not that cheap and they frequently get sold.

I also know a lot of people say buying a designer bag is really investing in quality. I believe this is true, but I also think a lot of people come to like collecting luxury KS bags, too, for its sake. They exceed the need for a quality bag when they have multiple bags for the same function, especially if the bags are meant to last for a really long time before it is no longer usable. :P

It's pretty awesome when people can afford to collect them.

Going a little bit off tangent:
I have come to think, after being on the purse forum: there is no such thing as an universally ugly bag.
 
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#5
The Kate Spade Cobble Hill Little Minka was my first (and only) Kate Spade purchase. I purchased it in French Navy, a particularly gorgeous and versatile color, and it holds everything. I think the new Little Devin is comparable as Kate Spade discontinued the Little Minka last year. I can fit everything and the kitchen sink (ipad, wallet, car and house keys, small make-up bag, coin purse, sunglasses, umbrella, and more). I particularly am drawn to cross-body, east-west styles with some sort of magnetic or zipper closures. I don't like anything too flashy, so that's why I like how subtle the Kate Spade branding is on her bags.

Other than that, I wish it was made somewhere other than China. I had a minor quality issue when I purchased mine on a surprise sale but customer service took care of that for me for free :)

So basically, I try to limit the number of bags I purchase and buy based on quality, convenience, ease of use, and the ability to dress up or down the bag. I wear it both casually and professionally.
 
#6
Most of my bags are the same size, despite being all different KS styles. I'm very petite, so I tend to stick to a certain size just so that the bags don't overwhelm me. (The one exception to this rule is a tote, since I'm usually using those for utilitarian purposes anyway.)

With that guideline in mind, I simply go by what I "need." A pink bag, a satchel, a small neutral crossbody, something for travel, etc. It's the reason why I haven't yet dipped my toes into Spade's novelty bags, despite me coveting a few of them. I don't really "need" them -- I just really, really want them and can't yet justify the price (they're usually pricey for their size, even used ones).

Oh, and they definitely need to be a deal. ;) I've purchased just one bag directly from Kate Spade, and only because it was heavily discounted.
 
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